Friday 5/2
Charlottesville’s newest creative space, Milkweed Clay Studio, launches its venture with a grand opening celebration. Tour the studio, meet with member artists, take in pottery demonstrations, and shop locally made ceramic works while enjoying the company of fellow fans of functional ware and artworks on May 2, from 5–8pm. The studio will also host a ticketed Mother’s Day workshop where you and your mother, mother-in-law, dear friend, or chosen family member can choose a handmade ceramic vase to fill with fresh flowers while enjoying refreshments and meaningful connection on May 11 from 10am–2pm. Milkweed Clay Studio, inside the Silk Mills Building, 700 Harris St., Ste. 101. milkweedclaystudio.com
Atlas Coffee 2206 Fontaine Ave. Extended. “Spring Bouquets in Oils,” an annual exhibition serving as a vehicle for studying color and exploring fresh new techniques in painting. Showcasing 75 smaller works housed in up-cycled frames. Through May.
The Center at Belvedere 540 Belvedere Blvd. “Artful Gardens Bouquet Display,” a collaboration between the Mid-Atlantic Pastel Society, the Art Guild of Greene County, and Charlottesville Garden Club featuring pastel works and paintings displayed alongside fresh floral bouquets inspired by the visual artwork. Artworks on view May 1–June 30; bouquets on display May 14–17. Reception May 15, 5–7pm.
Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. In the micro gallery, “Near and Farther Places,” featuring intimate and beautiful small-scale still life studies by Charlottesville artist Blake Hurt, in a two-part exhibition. In the Great Halls of Vault Virginia, “Near and Farther Places,” larger landscape paintings from a recent trip to Portugal in the second part of artist Blake Hurt’s extended exhibition. Through June 27.
Create Gallery at InBio, Inc. 700 Harris St., entrance off Dale Ave. “1 x 4 Show,” a vibrant showcase of creative art quilts where each piece measures 1×4 feet. Featuring 16 artists from the Fiber & Stitch Art Collective of Central Virginia. Through May 30. First Fridays event 5–7pm.
Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “A Moment in Time,” plein air paintings by Penelope Matallana in oil, watercolor, and acrylics. “Hippos and Other Nonsense,” whimsical ceramic works by Jane Angelhart. Both shows run May 1–31. Meet the artists event May 17, 11am–1pm.
Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival Claudius Crozet Park, 1075 Park Rd. Featuring more than 130 fine artists and contemporary craft artisans from around the country in a juried fair, with live music, food and drink vendors, and kid’s activities. Ticketed entry. May 10, 10am–5:30pm and May 11, 10am–5pm.
C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Enchanted Forest,” featuring mixed media masks and paintings inspired by a love of nature, folklore, and fairy tales by Sigrid Eilertson. May 2–31. First Fridays reception with the artist 5–8pm.
Fairhaven Guesthouse 413 Fairway Ave. The fifth annual “Art Transforms Life” art show and open house, featuring diverse, original artworks and locally-made crafts by Flame Bilyué, Petra Monaco, Albert Moore, and Ed Mundy. May 3 and 4, noon–7pm.
The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd. “Structures,” a selection of 20th- and 21st-century works exploring the ways that art can speak to or question the formal, physical, environmental, social, and institutional structures of our world. “Celebration,” features works by five African American artists highlighting the ways these artists honor history, culture, and heritage through various media. “Joan Mitchell: Uncovering 100 Years,” Abstract Expressionist paintings. “Between Hand and Scroll: Torah Pointers from the Barr Collection,” a selection of more than 80 Torah pointers (yads) made of gold, silver, pearls, jewels, and additional materials. “O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell,” contemporary pottery from Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico). Through June 15. All shows run through July 20, 2025, unless otherwise noted.
The Gallery at Studio IX 969 Second St. SE. “People and Trees: Studies Through Color and Movement,” featuring a rainbow of portraits painted from life by Eliza Evans and scenes from the natural world painted by Allie Kelly. May 2–30. Opening reception May 9, 5–7pm.
IX Art Park 522 Second St. SE. “The Looking Glass,” an immersive art space featuring a whimsical enchanted forest and kaleidoscopic cave. Ongoing. “Art Mix at IX,” a fun night of art, music, and drinks where you can spark new ideas, make awesome connections, and celebrate the local art scene with fellow cool cats. First Fridays, 6pm–midnight. The Charlottesville Art Festival, featuring 50+ artists, artisans, and vendors in a celebration of creativity, diversity, and community. Ticketed entry. May 24, 3–8pm and May 25, 10am–6pm.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA 400 Worrell Dr. “Milpa: Stop-motion animation by Spinifex artists,” animated films from the remote Western Australian town of Tjuntjuntjara. Through June 15. “In the Beginning: Paintings by Senior Artists of the Spinifex Arts Project,” presents the bold, dynamic work of internationally renowned artists from the Spinifex Arts Project. Through March 8, 2026.
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center 233 Fourth St. NW. “A Constellation of BLACKTIVISTS,” an exhibition exploring themes of gender and global racial histories by Veronica Jackson. May 10–August 9. Opening reception May 10, 6–8pm. Permanent exhibition, “Pride Overcomes Prejudice,” exploring the history of peoples of African descent in Charlottesville. Ongoing.
The John P. & Stephanie F. Connaughton Gallery at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce McIntire School of Commerce, Rouss & Robertson Halls third floor, East Lawn. “Parallel Dimensions in Color,” paintings and mixed media works by Lee McCraw-Leavitt and Laura Thompson. Through June 16.
Les Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Material/Mater/Mother,” a solo show of new works by Michelle Gagliano. May 9–June 29. Opening reception May 9, 5–7pm.
McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Sarah B. Smith Gallery, “The Space Between Sound,” layered paintings occupying the liminal space between figuration and abstraction by Karen Eide. In the First and Second Floor Galleries, the “Charlottesville Area High School Show,” featuring works by students from Albemarle High School, Charlottesville High School, Renaissance School, St. Anne’s-Belfield, Tandem Friends School, and Western Albemarle High School. In the Associates Gallery, a monthly rotation of works by Associate Members. All shows run May 2–June 1. First Fridays reception including Associate Members pop-up shop, 5:30–7:30pm.
New City Arts 114 Third St. NE. In the Welcome Gallery, “one hand washes the other,” a meditation on inheritance, reciprocity, and the everyday gestures of devotion by interdisciplinary artist Vibha Vijay, touching on the themes of memory, labor, and belief through Tanjore painting and textile-based works. May 2–28. First Fridays opening reception 5–7:30pm, with an artist talk at 6pm.
Northside Library 705 Rio Rd. W. A special photography exhibit in celebration of the Charlottesville Camera Club’s 30th anniversary, inviting visitors to explore the diverse talents and visions of local photographers. May 2–31. In the Quiet Room, a spring art show featuring collage works by Renee Blue O’Connell. Through June 4.
The PVCC Gallery V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. The 2025 Student Art Exhibition, featuring ceramics, photography, printmaking, drawing, graphics, and more from a diverse range of PVCC classes in art and design. Through September 6.
Ruffin Gallery UVA Grounds, Ruffin Hall, 179 Culbreth Rd. Department of Art Fourth-Year Thesis and Aunspaugh Fellowship exhibitions, featuring digital art, film, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Through May 9. Exhibitions change weekly, with receptions on May 2 and May 9, 5–7pm.
Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. In the Main Gallery, “HOME,” an interdisciplinary group exhibition of works exploring the rich and varied interpretations of “home” within Black communities, curated by the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective. In the Dové Gallery, “Charlottesville Porch Portraits,” featuring images of local residents captured during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic by photographers Ézé Amos, Tom Daly, Kristen Finn, John Robinson, and Sarah Cramer Shields. Both shows run through May 23. Family Studio Day, May 10, 10am–2pm. “Charlottesville Porch Portraits” Artists in Conversation gallery talk, May 21, 5:30–6:30pm.
Visible Records 1740 Broadway St. “seeds of connection: dreams of freedom,” weaves together multidisciplinary abolitionist project The People’s Paper Co-op and an ongoing abolitionist community project at Visible Records. Featuring interdisciplinary works by incarcerated artists from across the U.S. Through May 31. Prison in Twelve Landscapes film screening and grill out in the garden, May 1, 7pm. Blue Ridge Bail Fundraiser Show featuring Public Acid, Spicy Meatball, and Blue Spring, May 2, 7pm. Prisoner letter writing event, May 8, 6–8pm.
Images courtesy of the galleries and/or artists
