Our Mission
James River Arts is dedicated to strengthening and enriching the creative capacity of the Greater Lynchburg community by promoting the love of art in all its forms and its importance in supporting cultural growth and diverse human development of all community members. We will facilitate and promote communication, cooperation, and support of the arts through partnerships with businesses, government, educational entities, and individuals.
Throughout our 10+ years as a non-profit in the Lynchburg community, James River Arts has helped establish a variety of public art initiatives and projects. We continue to be active in supporting new ideas and creating opportunities for local artists in the area.
We welcome art installations of all shapes and sizes, even performances, through out Lynchburg and the surrounding counties. Decorate your front yard, driveway, balcony, or windows- as long as your public art is visible from the road or sidewalk!
The streets and sidewalks of Lynchburg are connected to the James River by a network of over 15,000 stormwater drains. Whenever it rains, all the water—and whatever else is in the drain, including trash, oil, gasoline, and natural debris—is carried directly to the James River.
Simple rules, tons of fun! Take a hand-held power tool, turn it a custom racing machine, and compete with your friends and neighbors. Don’t forget to decorate your racer and give it a bold name. Compete for prizes and bragging rights!
Art on Main was an annual project that began by showing local art in the windows of vacant buildings on Main Street in Lynchburg between the 700 and 1300 Block. The project expanded over the course of several years to feature occupied businesses as downtown grew!
Catching Up with Krys Kinsel. Krys has always been the artsy type. She started selling hand made comics during lunch in high school to buy chupa chips and still makes comics. Krys stays busy with being the host of Zineville, an immersive youtube channel about zines, art projects and getting their community excited about zines.
Ella Morrison is a Filipino American multimedia designer based in Central Virginia. She collaborates with a wide range of clients on projects such as illustrative portraits, merchandise design, and digital marketing but also just loves to doodle out of sheer enjoyment.
There are a number of ways to get involved with James River Arts, whether it be as an artist, organization, or patron. See below for opportunities to help support our mission to bring arts to the Greater Lynchburg community.
Have an idea that aligns with JRA’s goals, timeline, and budget? Submit a preliminary proposal for a public art.
Several times a year we need an extra set of hands to help support public art projects in the community.
We're a volunteer organization with a small budget -- so every donation helps us bring art to the greater Lynchburg area.
We have a variety of opportunities for organizations to support projects that align with your arts priorities
Isabel Kidd is a British American born and raised in Lynchburg, VA. I’m a self-taught multimedia artist/photographer and finally started up my small business a couple of years ago-Isabel Kidd Art. Though I love creating with anything I can get my hands on, recently I’ve been enjoying making drip-pour paintings, abstract paintings, dioramas, and resin/clay/wire jewelry.