The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts is the only museum of its kind, scope and size in our service area. Our commitment to improve the quality of life in the region by providing full access to the visual arts is at the heart of our mission.
At the LCVA, we believe there should be no barriers to exploration of the visual arts. Admission to the LCVA and its programs is – and always has been – free for everyone.
In addition to presenting inspiring and conversation-starting exhibitions within our walls, we take the LCVA on the road to bring our programs to more than 60 public, private and homeschools in 12 South Central Virginia counties. Our educators travel 2,000+ miles annually to bring the visual arts to thousands of pre-K-12 students in the community!
While the LCVA is generously supported in part by Longwood University, approximately 60% of our operating budget is derived from private individuals, businesses, and charitable foundations. We also rely heavily on our volunteers. Through their unwavering support, our organizational capacity has been able to keep pace with our goals.
Our Vision
We envision the LCVA as a place for everyone, and we take that “place” wherever we go. Our donors help us extend our vision. We are a place of welcome and hospitality, no matter where we are: a classroom in Buckingham county, a building on Longwood’s main campus, a nationally distributed book, an LCVA-curated exhibition on view in another town (or country), and, of course, our vibrant downtown galleries in historic Farmville.
What We Do
- We strengthen the fabric of our community by providing meaningful art engagement experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds.
- We develop strong partnerships with those who share our passion and vision for the betterment of our community.
- We bring engaging art experiences to the classroom, break down psychological barriers and preconceptions about museums, and bring thousands of children to our Farmville galleries every year.
- We collect and preserve excellent examples of art, with a particular focus on Virginia artists and American art. We also advocate for the fair and professional treatment of artists.
- We curate and present engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions, and we share them with museums outside our community.
How To Help
There are several ways you can become more involved with the LCVA.
Giving Opportunities
We believe that access to the transformative power of art should not be curtailed by economic or geographic circumstances. This belief is at the core of our commitment to provide completely free art education to the school children of South Central Virginia.
In 2011, the LCVA embarked on a challenge to raise $350,000 towards an endowment to permanently fund a school programs educator position. We are now within $10,000 of this goal.
Our creation of this endowed position was motivated by the needs of the underserved rural region where we are located and the increasing number of requests for assistance from area schools.
Join us in a special campaign to meet this challenge. Gifts can be given outright or pledged over a four-year period. For more information about the campaign, contact LCVA Executive Director Rachel Talent Ivers at the link below.
Collections Care
- Collections care has been identified as a key element in fulfilling the priorities set forth in our current strategic plan. Storing art is a challenge for all museums due to the need for humidity, temperature control, and fire protection to preserve the integrity of pieces for future generations.
- Gifts in support of improvements to our physical infrastructure to help us meet best professional practices, ensuring that our collections are optimally preserved for future generations.
- Collections endowment contributions support collections care, including preservation materials, conservation, and critical curatorial research.
Programming
Gifts to the LCVA program endowment provide annual support for the LCVA’s vibrant and innovative activities.
Those gifts also support staff in their research and development of new and responsive programs to reach those in our community who are underrepresented in our current program initiatives: homebound seniors, individuals with autism, and the very young.
Questions about getting involved?
*The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts is a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions may be tax-deductible.