November and December 2024 Exhibits

On November 3rd Art Works collaborates with The Sustainable Cultural Lab and presents Altar 2024 Festival Richmond featuring music, food, and the Altar America Project exhibit.

On November 22nd, join us for our pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Shopping Experience. Not only will you find great gifts but the decorations in our Holiday Shop will inspire you. Have some cookies and cider and visit us on opening day and throughout December. There will be crafts for the children while you shop.

New exhibits open on November 22nd. The opening reception is from 6 p.m.  to 8 p.m..  Featured are solo shows by:  Jenny Wilson, Glenda Creamer, Paula Wachsstock, a Mix Media Show, and a Fine-Crafts Exhibit by Virginia artists. Meet the artists and enjoy live music, refreshments and libations sponsored by RVA Thriving Artists.

And if you can’t make it to one of these events, don’t worry – we’re open every day except Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to come see the new art on display and shop for the holidays. Plus, parking is easy at the public garage on East 5th Street. And we’ll validate your ticket, just ask in the office.

But that’s not all – make a day of it by exploring the restaurants in the area. Choose from Basic City Beer, Continental, Pig and Brew, Jubilee, Iron Clad Pizza, and The Gold Lion, to name a few, for a delicious meal.

4th Friday November 22 at Art Works.

The opening receptions, festival, and admission to the gallery is always free and open to the public.

Nature as Architect by Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson is a professional musician and artist. She was a student at the High School of Art and Design in NYC and studied dance at the Alvin Ailey/Pearl Lang School in Manhattan. Interested in almost all aspects of visual and performing arts, she pursued music as her profession. Jenny graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Flute Performance. She worked as the art teacher at the Community School in Camden, Maine and for the Camden Shakespeare Company as company musician. After graduating, she went to Switzerland and studied flute at the Winterthur Konservatorium with Marianne Stucki and piano with ECM recording artist Art Lande. Her graduate studies in music brought her to West Virginia where she earned her Master of Music degree and a position at the Morgantown Learning Academy as their music and art teacher and was an adjunct in the music department of the University of Maryland in Frostburg. Jenny currently teaches private music lessons and workshops.

Her paintings are best described as contemporary landscape or contemporary abstract. She is very focused on the natural world of plants, clouds, sea and sky. She says…”music is a temporal art that only moves forward while my painting gives me the opportunity to reverse direction. Painting allows me to stop time, to make choices in slow motion and to experience the art of composing in a whole new way. I try to incorporate marks that allude to the structure of the piece and that give some architecture to the image.”

The exhibit will be in the Jane Sandelin Gallery through January 18, 2025.

The Color Around Us by Paula Wachsstock

As the world moves, light and times change—Paula Wachsstock responds as she immerses herself in the process of painting. A spontaneous dialogue and reaction takes place. Unsure of the end result, she allows the painting to resolve itself using her instincts and experience to bring the painting to a happy conclusion. The challenge is to be aware and listen to understand when it’s complete.

Busting Out by Glenda Creamer

The forms in Glenda Creamer’s abstract paintings are like those you might see under a microscope or through a telescope. The shapes sometimes race, sometimes float in imaginary worlds.

Creamer paints shapes and spots of flat color, then creates new shapes by “cutting in” with the ground color, returning to make new marks on top until a balance is achieved. Viewers often tell what they imagine is happening in the paintings, like daydreaming while looking at clouds.

Fine Crafts Exhibit

The Fine Crafts Exhibit features thoughtful, original, skilled, one-of-a-kind contemporary sculpture and fine crafts in glass, ceramics, wood, metal, textiles, and mixed media. This is a juried exhibit with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.  These fine crafts by Virginia artists make unique and thoughtful holiday gifts.

1st Place – Nathaniel Newcomb, Monolith Chair ,Wood, Oak and Mahogany, 32x14x18, $1000

2nd Place – Wendy Nelson, Vintage Rose Quilt, Quilting. Queen Size, $1450

3rd Place – James Wilkin, Swirl Sculpture, 14 x 35 x 10, $450

Honorable Mention – Mel Gardner,  Full Moon Pillow, Mixed Media,  12×12, $325
Honorable Mention – Mel Gardner, Red Stripe Pillow, Mixed Media,  12×12, $250

Printable list of all entries: Catalog Nov 2024 Fine Crafts Show

The Mix – Mixed Media Exhibit

This exhibit is a focal point of all Art Works’ openings. It is a juried show with cash prizes and is open to all artists and mixed-media art. Mixed-media is artwork comprised of 2 or more mediums. The juror will be Vivian Chiu. Chiu was born in Los Angeles and emigrated to Hong Kong at the age of three. Her interests in creating objects and the visual arts led her to attend the Rhode Island School of Design and Columbia University.

The exhibit will continue through January 16, 2024.

1st Place – The Moonlight Magi  by Richard Harding, Nylon Twine, Polyester Thread, Mylar, Size 39 x 29 x 13, $3250

2nd Place – Death and Salamanders by Grace Mae Huddleston, Acrylic Paint, Fabric Dye, Thread on Fabric, Size 14×22, $427

3rd Place – Longest Fall by Daniel Aubrey , Mixed Media, Size 50×50, $800

Honorable Mention – Carol by Kristen Andes, Etching, Letterpress Deboss, Plastic Hair, Size 12.25×15, $690

Made in RVA Holiday Shop

You will love finding the perfect gift for your holiday shopping in the Made in RVA Holiday Shop.  Everything is handmade and carefully crafted by local artisans. Choose from fragrant candles to soothing soaps, yummy Bloody Mary mixes to prints of Richmond, jewelry, pottery, totes, and cards.

Don’t miss the chance to uncover local treasures that celebrate creativity and connection. Visit us make your holiday shopping a memorable experience filled with love and community spirit, all while securing gifts that are as unique as the people you cherish!  The shop is open through December 28, 2024.