January – February 2026 Exhibits
In January we are proud to showcase the Simply Photography exhibit featuring talented artists from all over Virginia. From stunning landscapes to captivating portraits, these artists present a variety of subjects and photographic methods that are sure to leave you impressed.
We are excited to host 8News: Honoring Black History in Richmond and solo exhibits by Trotter Hardy, Carrie Lensch, and Justyn Canada. And what’s a 4th Friday without our monthly All Media Show? This curated exhibit features all mediums and many topics by Virginia artists.
Please join us for the opening reception on January 23rd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Meet the artists and enjoy live music. The exhibits continue through February 21, 2026. The event is free and open to the public. Plus, parking is free too! Come and be a part of Richmond’s vibrant artistic community.
HISTORY AND STORIES – LIFTED BY LEGACY
This artistic and journalistic collaboration explores the lives, histories, and ongoing challenges of Black Americans through both local and national perspectives. While some works focus on Virginians whose stories are rooted in Central Virginia, others address nationally recognized figures and broader issues facing the Black community. Together, the artists and journalists examine how Black people have persisted, created, and thrived within systems never designed for Black bodies to survive.
The perspectives shift between journalists documenting what is often called the “first rough draft of history” and artists who reinterpret, question, and expand those narratives through visual expression. This exhibition is presented by 8News in collaboration with Black American Artists’ Alliance of Richmond.
This Black History Month, 8News photojournalists and reporters are honoring the people, stories, and legacies that shape the Greater Richmond Region. Through an innovative exhibition, the team steps beyond traditional reporting to share these narratives in a new and powerful way—through art.
The project reflects a shared purpose: journalism gives voice to community stories, while Art Works provides space for connection and reflection. The public is invited to experience a collection that blends the immediacy of news with the creativity of visual storytelling.
The exhibit will be Jane Sandelin Gallery from January 24, 2026– February 21, 2026.
Up and Down by Trotter Hardy
Trotter Hardy explores how shifting the camera up or down reveals surprising perspectives. This collection shows how bird’s-eye and worm’s-eye views alter proportion, importance, and meaning—reminding us that our mental perspective often depends on our physical one.
This exhibit will be in the Centre Gallery at Art Works from January 23, 2026– February 21, 2026.
The Community Bridge Project – Justyn Canada
RVA Thriving Artists introduces Justyn Canada in the most current Community Bridge Project. Justin Canada’s work centers on figurative and portrait-based realism, using expression and detail to tell stories from diverse cultural, racial, and social backgrounds. His portraits highlight the beauty, resilience, and complexity of ordinary people, inviting viewers to see themselves and others with empathy while celebrating diversity and shared humanity.
This exhibit is in the upstairs Bridge Project space at Art Works and will continue through February 28, 2026.
Simply Photography
Photographers get an opportunity to showcase their signature photographs in this juried show. You will see photography of all types including traditional, digital, manipulated, and photographic mixed media. This is a juried exhibit with cash prizes. The exhibition will be in the main galleries, Port I and Port II through February 19, 2026.
Fred Morton, photo-journalist and commercial portrait photographer was the juror for the exhibit.
1st Place – Gene Harris, Green Cabin at Sunrise, Connery Pond, Adirondacks, NY, Photography, 17×25, $200
2nd Place – Marty Sedestrom Guthrie, Antics, B/W Photograph, 17×21, $200
3rd Place – Bollin Millner Jr., Downtown Richmond 2, Photography – Archival inkjet print on moab matte paper, 25×19, $300
Honorable Mention – Andrii Stoianov, The Pause Between Notes, Photography, 13×1, $325
Honorable Mention – Andrii Stoianov, Friends?, Photography, 13×19, $325
Honorable Mention – Stephanie Prokopis, Waterfall, Photography, 20×28, $200
January All Media Show
Each month Art Works invites artists to submit their work in an open call-for-entries. These exhibits are a focal point of all Art Works’ openings. There is no theme for this exhibit—so anything goes, any topic and any medium. This is a juried show with cash prizes. The exhibit will be in the Skylight Gallery at Art Works from January 23, 2026– February 19, 2026.
Andrew Norris was the juror for the exhibit. Andrew Norris is an artist and educator living and working in Richmond, VA. Andrew received his BFA from East Tennessee State University and his MFA from the University of Florida where he also earned a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies. He creates figurative oil paintings that explore how the often-undervalued forms of Americana and heartland kitsch can be recharged as instruments through which to generate and explore queer identities.
1st Place – Richard Harding, El Rio Amazonas, Thread and Twine on Birch, 36 x 82, $13,000
2nd Place – Elizabeth Wislar, Knit Wit, Mixed Media, 30 x 30, $750
3rd Place – Lew Lott, Passages, Wood stain, Acrylic & Oil on Wood, 36×24, $800
Honorable Mention – J. Schwalm, Eurydice Shield, Acrylic Gouache on Wood, 14 diameter, $350
Endangered: Art of the Wild by Carrie Lensch
Carrie is a Virginia native and self-taught artist with a background in wildlife biology. Her vibrant, detailed paintings—often featuring birds, African wildlife, and tender parent–child themes—reflect her love of nature and conservation. Known for expressive eyes and stained glass–like linework, she shares her passion by supporting nonprofits and wildlife causes.
This exhibit will be in the Corner Gallery at Art Works from January 23, 2026– February 21, 2026.
