Erected in the early 1900s, the building at 201 2nd St., NW in Charlottesville served as an elementary school for over five decades. After its closure, the building sat vacant for several years before neighborhood artists and other community members helped to rehab it, ultimately turning it into the home of McGuffey Art Center in October of 1975.
“It’s intended to be a place where artists meet the public,” said Operations Manager Bill LeSueur. “They can walk in and watch someone work, ask them about the process, and be inspired by that communication. Our goal is to spread that creative spark as thoroughly and widely as we can.”
For fifty years, the center has been doing just that, as a space where fifty or more resident artists create with every visual medium from glass, wood, or fiber to oil and watercolor paint, ceramics, metal, and more. Performance artists, including musicians, teachers, and improv groups, are also among the center’s tenants. Additionally, the center hosts 130 associate artists who take part in community engagement and exhibit at the art center, too.
McGuffey Art Center’s artists also host classes that community members of all ages can enjoy. LeSueur says that the most popular class is Life Drawing, but there are numerous other options, including sculpture, stone carving, painting, dance, and more. Even the youngest community members can get involved, with an experiential music class for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
While some of the artists at McGuffey Art Center have been there for 30-40 years, there are spaces for new members, as well. Three times a year -- in January, May, and September -- the center’s current artists jury the work of prospective new members for both associate and resident status. In addition, it offers an incubator program to support newer creators.
“Our incubator program is one of the things we’re most proud of. One of the large studios is divided into six smaller studio spots, and we give those to younger folks for them to get their first studio experiences -- there are half-price leases on those,” LeSueur said. “They get that first studio experience, having a dedicated space to do their work, and in the building with fifty other artists, and the ability to communicate with them or be mentored by them.”
McGuffey Art Center supports the community in other ways as well, routinely welcoming visitors like theater groups or Piedmont CASA. Additionally, the center works closely with the non-profit International Neighbors, offering newly settled refugees the opportunity to pick out artwork for their homes.
The center is planning a celebration of its fifty-year milestone in September and hopes to continue fulfilling its mission in Charlottesville. “Fifty years is a long time,” LeSueur said. “It’s a democratic experiment being a member-run organization, and there’s a lot to be proud of in terms of who has been involved and who we have helped. I hope for another fifty years or more!”
They can walk in and watch someone work, ask them about the process, and be inspired by that communication. Our goal is to spread that creative spark as thoroughly and widely as we can.