Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

Why do artists from around the world leave their studios behind to come to the VCCA? It's all about the work. Many of our artists find they accomplish more in a matter of weeks or months than they can in a year. The VCCA offers a chance to work far from the distractions and disruptions at home of everyday life in quiet, spacious, light filled studios. The commute's not bad either: a short walk from the Fellows' Residence up a gravel path, the mountains of the Blue Ridge hazy in the distance, cows placidly grazing in the pasture. If you are running low on contact with the natural world, you can find it here.

Artists at the VCCA
For 35 years the VCCA has attracted renowned artists working at the top of their powers, along with talented younger artists at the beginning of their professional careers. Admission is highly competitive. Each year we support the work of more than 300 artists in music, literature, sculpture, and visual arts. Here you typically find 22 Fellows in residence at one time. Recent Fellows in Pulitzer Prize winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and recipients of National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships as well as luminaries such as Cy Twombly, David Del Tredici, and Naomi Wolf.

Residency experience
Residencies last from two weeks to two months. Artists stay in a private room in a comfortable, modern residence building. To promote a sense of community, and to provide the opportunity to meet and talk with other artists, breakfasts and dinners are served to the Fellows family style in the residence dining room. To provide a chance to work uninterrupted for long periods of time, lunches are brought to the studio. Just show up ready to work. We'll take care of the rest.

For Artists Affected by Katrina
The VCCA is establishing a fund to support the residencies of artists affected by the devastating hurricanes of 2005. If you would like to apply for such a residency, please submit a regular application and note "Hurricane Fellowship" on your application. If you would like to contribute to such a fund, please make a check payable to the VCCA and note that it is for the Hurricane Fellowship or call to have a charge placed on your credit card.

Click here for information about the Alliance of Artists Communities "Gulf Coast Artists Hurricane Relief Program."

Pictured Above: The work of VCCA Fellow Deb Mell in studio VA 7. Photo by Amy Allen