McGuffey Art Center
The McGuffey Art Center is one of Charlottesville’s main art centers - it is a studio for both new and long-time artists, a gallery for art lovers, and a school for those who want to learn various types of art. Not only is it a vital part of Charlottesville’s art community, it is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in America. McGuffey houses over 150 artists to work on and showcase their art. It houses 54 resident artists (studios in McGuffey), over 100 associate artists (studios outside McGuffey), and many incubator artists (studios in McGuffey for one year). I took a tour of McGuffey and interviewed one of their incubator artists to research and understand their community.
The McGuffey art center was founded in 1975, taking the place of a historic elementary school, to fulfill the need for a community of artists. It provides a space for artists to share their art to nourish the Charlottesville community and to learn artistic skills from others.
To the left is a bulletin board advertising classes and workshops. Some of these are: a class for wearable art (jewelry), a children’s class, a watercolor class, an improv show, and an event showcasing an artist’s political work.
The art center keeps itself alive simply through its service to the community - both the community as a whole and the artist community. Aside from its classes, the center serves the Charlottesville community through its rotating mural project in which outdoor spaces are redone with murals from the art community. McGuffey serves a diverse array of artists from not only Charlottesville, but from the wider Virginia region such as Ruckersville and Harrisonburg. The center showcases not only beautiful paintings and drawings, but beautiful and fascinating statues, glassblown works, and even poems. I interviewed incubator artist Audrey Parks, whose art is mainly poetry. Click the audio on the left to what she has to say about McGuffey and her work.
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Hanson makes her art with a leftist political focus. Her medium is mainly quilting and sewing. She recently had an event at McGuffey titled “What’s Left? What’s Right?” to debate how art can be used in activism.
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Ziesmann is a biologist whose art mixes is inspired by biology. His March 2025 exhibition “Between Fantasy and Biology” has that exact focus.
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Chapman is both an oil painter and a multimedia artist whose March 2025 exhibit, titled “Lessons in Art Learned at an Exhibition”, focuses on originality and independence. One of his works is a sculpture created from stained glass and a fog machine.
On the left, you’ll see a dropdown list of some current exhibitors at McGuffey. On the bottom left, you’ll see one of Dawn Hanson's works, and in the middle is one of Mark Chapman's works. On the bottom right is a work Audrey made to showcase her upcoming poetry exhibition. It represents 33 words for 33 poems. Click the audio on the right to hear her talk about the diversity of McGuffey’s artists.
Art on its own is powerful, but the community around it is just as important. McGuffey does not just foster art, it fosters a community of artists that support and care for one another. One example of a strong community is the audio right above, where Audrey describes many of her fellow artists. Another example is the layout of the incubator studios - several studios are together, with little to separate them, in one room. This fosters communication and community between artists. McGuffey showcases its artists through exhibitions and events, and provides them with opportunities such as creating a mural to elevate an outdoor space. As Audrey said, the art center also provides a noncompetitive space for artists to bond and grow without stress. McGuffey cares for its artists, and its artists care for eachother.
“What artists must sacrifice in silence, they gain in interplay with colleagues and audience.”
McGuffey’s Observed Values
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McGuffey is a free public gallery for everyone to attend. It provides easily-accessible classes for beginner artists, as well.
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The many events and workshops of McGuffey foster a strong community, as well as the fact of the building housing many different artist studios.
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McGuffey houses art ranging from paintings to sculptures to glass to poems.
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Many artworks have deeper meanings - for example, Dawn Hanson's political work.
Upcoming Community Events
Tom-Tom Festival, April 19, 11am-5pm: A festival dedicated to innovating communities with the 2025 theme being EVOLVE.
International Sculpture Day, April 26, 10am-2pm: A celebration of the art of sculpture!
The art center fortunately does not face any pressing challenges. It is on its 50th anniversary and still holds its place as one of Charlottesville’s creative centers. The fact that it provides an accessible place for art where the community can come in, admire the art, and make works of their own stands despite gentrification enroaching onto Charlottesville. What comes next for McGuffey are more artist exhibitions and a 50th anniversary show in September.