What is CultureWorks?
In any community, arts and culture have the potential to teach and inspire, to uplift and heal, to empower and transform. CultureWorks’ goal is to ensure a thriving arts and culture community is experienced way beyond a stage or a gallery, and in the process, it is helping to turn Richmond into a destination the world is noticing.
CultureWorks exists to drive a more vibrant community by inspiring, enabling, and cultivating world-class arts and culture. The nonprofit provides direct support to help artists and organizations create compelling cultural experiences, and promote collaboration among artists, arts and culture organizations, and others from around Richmond and the Tri-Cities.
“Arts and culture come together to galvanize our community. They contribute to our economy, shape our lives, and make our region a place people want to live, work, and play,” said Scott Garka, president of CultureWorks.
With more than 150 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the region, and numerous practicing artists, CultureWorks’ efforts to support the Richmond and Tri-Cities regional arts and culture community are appreciated by the arts organizations it serves. “We place high value on the unique role that CultureWorks plays in the Metro Richmond community as a force for advocacy and funding,” said David Fisk, executive director of the Richmond Symphony. “There is no other organization serving the City of Richmond and the surrounding region that supports individual artists and cultural entities as CultureWorks does.”
Since 2010, CultureWorks has granted more than $500,000 to local organizations and practicing artists through the Annual Grants Program, with sixteen awards distributed in the spring of 2016. Richmond Triangle Players received a grant this year to build organization capacity through critical upgrades in technology. Phil Crosby, executive director of the theatre, said, “As we begin the planning for our upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary celebration, the timing of this gift couldn’t be more important, or a bigger opportunity.”
Working with local organizations, CultureWorks is committed to uplifting the community through the arts. “CultureWorks is proud to serve an array of constituents from individual practicing artists to large, well-established cultural nonprofits, from the general public to government entities. We’re all working together to make lives better across our region,” said Garka.
Welcome to artoberVA!
artoberVA is the month-long celebration of arts and culture in Richmond and the Tri-Cities. Presented by CultureWorks and their partners, this collection of hundreds of events has something for everyone. The hub for all of this excitement is the artoberVA calendar. Go there now to start planning your month of arts and culture!
