Charlottesville Black Arts Collective

03/06/2026

✨ Artist Spotlight: Lizzie Brown

Richmond-based artist Lizzie Brown, owner of From The Core Art Studio, creates vibrant color-blocked mixed-media portraits that celebrate the joy, resilience, and beauty of African Americans.

For Lizzie, both teaching and creating are a form of ministry. Her work is meant to uplift, empower, and expand how we see Black identity.

Visit her website to see more of her beautiful work!

02/20/2026

While the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective takes a pause, our commitment to uplifting Black artists continues.

During this time, we would love to use our platform to spotlight emerging Black artists in our community and beyond.

Want to be featured?

Please send:
• 1–3 images of your work
• Your Instagram handle
• A brief bio (3–5 sentences)
• Title, medium, and dimensions of the work

Submit via the form in our bio

Still we create. Let’s keep celebrating Black creativity, brilliance, and vision. We can’t wait to share your work.

05/21/2025

Only 2 days left to experience the Home Exhibit!!!
Don’t miss your chance to see this powerful collection and support amazing artist before it closes!

Final day to visit: May 23
2nd Street Gallery
Photos courtesy of

05/01/2025

April was a beautiful, busy month for Home—from preparation to powerful moments of connection and creativity. Here’s what went down:

🖼️ Installation + Prep
We kicked off the month bringing vision to life—walls, lights, final touches. Every detail set the stage for what was to come.

🎉 Exhibit Opening
The energy was electric! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate these powerful works and the artists who created them.

🎨 Family Studio Day
We opened the doors wide for families to create refrigerator art together. Laughter, drawing, and fun filled the space.

🗣️ Artist in Conversation
A heartfelt dialogue exploring the meaning of home—intimate, layered, and real. Grateful to our featured artists for sharing so vulnerably.
CBAC is filled with gratitude! There is Still Time to Visit! Home remains open through May 23—come experience the art, the stories, and the space for yourself.

📍2nd Street Gallery


Let me know if you’d like a version with a more personal tone, or if you want to tag specific artists or contributors!

04/09/2025

If you missed the opening of “Home”, there is still time to experience the soul and storytelling of this beautiful exhibit. The show runs through May 23, 2025 at Second Street Gallery.
Learn more about the artist by viewing the e-catalog (link in the bio), and explore/purchase available pieces through the Second Street Gallery website.

04/04/2025

04/03/2025

✨ Art, like home, nourishes the soul. ✨

Welcome to HOME at 2nd Street Gallery—an exhibit that explores belonging, identity, and the many ways we find comfort and connection through art. Featuring powerful works from a diverse group of artists, HOME invites you to reflect on what home means to you.

Join us in celebrating creativity, culture, and storytelling. Come see the exhibit and let the art speak to your soul.

📍 2nd Street Gallery
📅 April 4, 2025

04/02/2025

Introducing Kevin Jerome Everson to Home 🎥✨

Artist and filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson brings a prolific and powerful body of work to Home. With over 250 films, Everson masterfully captures the nuances of everyday Black life, labor, and history. His films have been showcased at major festivals and institutions worldwide, from MoMA to Venice Film Festival, and are recognized for their unique storytelling and visual poetry.

Introducing Jadea Knight to Home 🎥📸

Director and multidisciplinary artist Jadea Knight explores identity, transformation, and connection through film, photography, and storytelling. Her work captures quiet yet profound moments of self-discovery, weaving narratives that resonate both personally and universally. From solo exhibitions to film festivals, Jadea’s artistry preserves and inspires, reflecting the beauty of change and community.

04/01/2025

Introducing Somé Louis to Home ✨🧵

Charlottesville-based conceptual artist Somé Louis explores memory, home, and identity through the rituals of daily life. Using embroidery, found textiles, and minimal drawing, she preserves the intimate gestures of her Caribbean childhood, weaving connections to family and ancestors. Her work transforms domestic materials into deeply personal archives of self and belonging.

Introducing Sam Christian to Home ✂️🧵✨

Richmond-based fiber artist Sam Christian (they/them) honors Black and q***r stories through layered, tactile storytelling. Rooted in Southern traditions, ancestral wisdom, and lived experience, their work weaves memory, liberation, and community care into every stitch.

Introducing Felicia Reed to Home 🌀✨

International award-winning fiber artist Felicia Reed uses the ancient technique of Wet Felting to craft powerful, healing works of art. A survivor, advocate, and speaker, her mission is to inspire transformation through creativity. Based in Maryland, Ms. Reed exhibits widely across the U.S., including solo shows and prestigious juried exhibitions like Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

Introducing Martryce Roach to Home 🎨✨

Artist and advocate Martryce Roach constructs surrealistic art stories that explore human experiences and relationships, deeply rooted in African American culture. With a background in Public Health and Social Work, her work is a tool for social change, transforming public spaces and uplifting communities. From murals to museum exhibitions, Martryce’s impact is both visual and deeply meaningful.

03/28/2025

🎨 Meet Sarah Jones, a self-taught visual artist with a studio practice in Virginia. With a background in pastry arts and business, Sarah infuses her work with the same creativity and precision she honed in the culinary world, pushing artistic boundaries through texture, material exploration, and cultural inspiration from her travels.

Guided by her father, painter Jerome Jones, Sarah’s work weaves together nature, heritage, and unconventional techniques. Now a full-time artist, she also shares her craft through instructional sessions and dedicates her talents to causes that inspire change. Experience her artistry in HOME at 2nd Street Gallery.

🌍 Meet Russell Hamilton, a sculptor, educator, and community artist with a global impact. Holding an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Washington, he has exhibited his work across the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East. A former Artist-in-Resident at the Studio Museum in Harlem and a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, Russell’s work is deeply rooted in cultural exchange, identity, and place.

With teaching roles at institutions like Wayne State and Zayed University in the UAE, he has mentored artists worldwide while continuing his own creative practice. Now based in Minneapolis, he remains dedicated to art’s power to shape communities.

Experience their artistry in HOME at 2nd Street Gallery, April 4.

03/27/2025

🎨 Meet Ian McGregor —a multidisciplinary artist navigating the spaces between Richmond and Harrisonburg, VA. Blending cultural codes, bold palettes, and expressive imagery, Ian’s work transforms personal experiences into vivid, physical manifestations. Currently completing his BFA at James Madison University, he explores the intersection of imagination, identity, and environment.

🎨 Meet Demarcus McGaughey - a Texas-born, New York-based artist whose vibrant mixed-media works celebrate the essence of people of color. Inspired by Barkley Hendricks and pop art, he weaves acrylics, photography, collage, and fabrics from his grandmother’s quilts into powerful portraits of self-actualization and empowerment. His work has caught the eye of icons like Beyoncé and has been showcased worldwide.

Experience both of their dynamic visions in HOME at 2nd Street Gallery on April 4.



Experience his dynamic vision in HOME at 2nd Street Gallery.

03/25/2025

Meet two great artist exhibiting in HOME. ✨Angelica Credle is a visionary artist exploring Black existence, identity, and liberation through painting and collage. A VCUarts alum, she merges Afrofuturism and Afropessimism to reimagine futures beyond oppression. Inspired by Drexciya and Invisible Man, her work plays with inverted colors, challenging visibility and perception. Beyond the canvas, she nurtures young creatives as an elementary art teacher. Come see her powerful work. ✨ Brianna Dowd is a North Carolina native and Tennessee-based artist blending fine art photography with graphic design. A graduate of UNCG (BFA) and SCAD (MFA), Brianna explores memory, loss, and identity through historic photo printing techniques like cyanotype and van d**e, merging tradition with digital innovation. Her work is a visual dialogue—evoking emotion, storytelling, and connection.

Beyond her artistry, she is the founder and CEO of Butterfly Visuals, LLC, a media company dedicated to empowering creatives through photography, branding, and design. Experience her captivating work in HOME at 2nd Street Gallery.