12 artsy date ideas, from galleries to symphonies & beyond
Powered by the Richmond Symphony
Skip dinner and a movie this time — and soak up some of the arts and culture that Richmond has to offer instead. From hands-on classes to opportunities to “ooh” and “ahh” at others’ creations, this guide’s got options for everyone.
by Alicia Valenski
Image Credit: @rvasymphony
Richmond Symphony
Did you know the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia? The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus, and more than 260 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra program! And each season, more than 200,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach programs.
Check out their upcoming orchestral masterpieces, contemporary works, and chamber concerts — including a variety of creative presentations, popular music, and unexpected spaces (like A Night of Harmony, happening on Feb. 19, 2021!).
Image Source: @arworkshoprva
AR Workshop Richmond
This boutique DIY studio offers hands-on classes for creating custom, charming home decor from raw materials. You can attend a workshop (or host a private event with your own group) in-studio, or you can pick up a DIY to-go kit to get crafty from home.
A few favorites:
Valentine’s Day kits (for a limited time only, of course)
Image Source: @hand.thrown
Hand / Thrown
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to throw pottery, now is your chance to find out! Northside ceramics studio Hand / Thrown offers a variety of pottery classes for all levels, including:
Image Credit: Unsplashed
Mise En Place
We’ve taken a few of the live virtual cooking classes offered by this RVA-based cooking school, and we always have a fantastic time!
Mise En Place sends you a grocery list of everything you’ll need to make your recipes ahead of time, along with what should be prepped before class to make things go smoothly — so all you have to do is show up, follow along, and get ready to eat a delicious home-cooked meal!
A few upcoming classes (as of the moment we’re writing this guide, Feb 2021) include:
Date night in Spain (Feb. 12)
A guy or gal-entine’s day dinner for one (Feb. 13)
Family brunch for Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14)
It’s Mardi Gras (Feb. 16)
Chinese New Year (Feb. 19)
A global tour of gluten-free foods (Feb. 26)
Image Source: @visartsrva
Visual Arts Center of Richmond (Vis Arts)
The Visual Arts Center of Richmond has helped adults and children explore their creativity and make art since 1963. Each year, the organization touches the lives of more than 40,000 people through its classes, exhibitions, community outreach programs, camps, workshops and special events.
Currently, Vis Arts is offering the following:
At-Home Art Packs, fun boxes packed with the supplies and instructions you need to complete three unique visual art projects, designed by professional art teachers
Take + Make Kits, each of which contains a project designed by a local artist with step-by-step instructions and the supplies you need to make it
And of course, you can shop the Vis Arts store online here.
Image Source: @icavcu
Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA)
The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University is a non-collecting institution that showcases an ever-changing slate of exhibitions, performances, films, and special programs.
Check out their current and upcoming exhibitions here, including FERNANDA LAGUNA: AS EVERYBODY, KANDIS WILLIAMS: A FIELD, KUTUNZA KILA MMOJA (TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER), and more.
Image Source: @quirk_gallery
Quirk Gallery
Quirk Gallery, located inside the Wes Anderson-reminiscent Quirk Hotel in the Arts District, is actually comprised of two different galleries:
The Main Gallery (current exhibition: WE PROTECT OUR LITTLE FICTIONS)
The Pink Gallery (current exhibition: SKRRT SKRRT FANTASY)
They often host happy hours and other fun social activities in the gallery and the lobby bar — check out upcoming events here.
Image Source: @artspace_richmond
Artspace
In case you’re not familiar, Artspace is a non-profit gallery for the visual and performing arts that promotes the understanding and awareness of contemporary art. Now celebrating its 32nd anniversary, Artspace is operated by its artist and community members who volunteer their time.
They’re currently seeking a new physical location, but you can check out their current online exhibition BLM RVA ART 2021 here. This exhibition includes 130+ works from 80+ artists, and it will be available for viewing online till the next BLM RVA ART Exhibition planned for 2022.
Image Credit: @scrap_rva
Scrap Creative Reuse
The massive selection of gently used art supplies available for purchase at Scrap may seem overwhelming at first blush, but you’re nearly guaranteed to find something that sparks your creativity during your visit!
Scrap is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. They have all sorts of art, craft, sewing, gift wrap, containers, and school supplies, all of which are donated to them and sold at a low cost to the community.
If you’re feeling crafty, show up with your partner and split up to find your own selection of supplies — then head back home and see who can create the most impressive masterpiece from the materials you found!
Image Credit: @studiotwothree
Studio Two Three
In case you haven’t passed by Studio Two Three in Scott’s Addition before, it’s a community arts space that offers studios, classes and workshops, artist residency, and more.
You can check out their socially distant art classes here, upcoming studio events here, community work here, and ways to support their mission here.
Their in-person store is currently closed to the public, but you can shop their online store here!
Image Source: @crossroadsartcenter
Crossroads Art Center
We could spend hours wandering around the cozy, creative space that is Crossroads Art Center. This spot exhibits the work of emerging and established mid-Atlantic artists, promoting awareness and understanding of art forms ranging from crafts to fine art and beyond.
Crossroads represents more than 225 artists (!) and in addition to their in-person gallery, also hosts an online store for artists, designers, and pre-owned art.
You can check out their current and upcoming exhibitions here — and they host classes and workshops, too, which you can find here. So many options!
Image Source: @richmondartgarage
Richmond Art Garage
Briefly open in 2020 with the tagline “fine art for most people,” Northside’s new spot Richmond Art Garage has closed its doors until springtime. We’re anxiously awaiting the day they reopen to once again feature new, original work from emerging, socially conscious artists.
The variety of galleries within this gallery (gallery-ception?) is astounding:
The main gallery, in what was once the waiting room and service bay of a 1960s-era gas station, has three distinct display spaces.
The front gallery has 35 linear feet of display space, room for multi-dimensional work, and offers clear sightlines to the street.
The back gallery has 33 linear feet of display space and 8 feet of space for projection (complete with a wireless, ceiling-mounted projector).
There’s also a small works space with 20 linear feet.
The grounds gallery has room for sculpture and other weather-friendly works, and they make use of a variety of flat surfaces for projection-based art.
In the container gallery, aka display space they hope to build into seven shipping containers on two levels pending city approval, they’ll show more experimental work and host theme-specific shows and talks each month. (Emphasis there on “pending” — this is more dream than forthcoming reality at the moment.)
Once reopen, they’ll schedule performing and other non-traditional arts in all three galleries. The container gallery will also include class, studio, and workshop space. Keep them on your radar!
Keep the love alive:
Thank you to the Richmond Symphony for powering this City Guide!