VisArts

Sewing isn’t just a skill—it’s an art, a superpower, and a little bit of magic. Whether you’re stitching by hand, mastering the machine, or finally decoding commercial patterns, our classes for all ages make it easy (and fun) to bring your ideas to life. From first stitches to flawless finishes, we’ve got you covered. Here are our upcoming sessions: 🪡 Sewing (Ages 11-17) Tuesdays, March 4-April 22 | 4:30-6 PM 🪡 Sewing (Ages 8-12) Fridays, March 7-April 25 | 4:30-6 PM 🪡 Advanced Sewing (Ages 14+) Mondays, March 10-31 | 1-3 PM 🪡 Introduction to Sewing (Ages 14+) Tuesdays, March 11-April 1 | 2-4 PM 🪡 Getting Started With Your Sewing Machine (Ages 14+) Wednesday, March 26 | 10:30 AM-12:30 PM SEW much fun awaits at VisArts 🧵 learn more and sign up today at https://ow.ly/lshh50V82U6!

Meet VisArts’ 2025 Gibbs Street Resident, Kat Thompson! Thompson is an interdisciplinary Afro-Jamaican American artist and educator based in Virginia. She works with photography, textiles, sculptural collages, and installations, combining these mediums to explore notions of Black selfhood within the African diaspora. Being of Jamaican heritage, Thompson examines her dual identity through recent projects that trace her family’s journey using personal and found materials. Her work seeks to uncover stories that reflect our histories, current realities, and future possibilities. Her work has been exhibited at Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, Virginia; Visible Records in Charlottesville, Virginia; Fenwick Gallery and Gillespie Gallery at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; and Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston, Virginia. She was the 2021-22 recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Award from George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. Thompson is currently a 2023-25 Hamiltonian Artists Fellow in Washington, D.C. She holds a BFA in photography from George Mason University and an MFA in photography and film from Virginia Commonwealth University. Be sure to keep an eye out for her solo exhibition at VisArts in January 2026! [Image: Courtesy of Kat Thompson]

Less WiFi, more DIY! At VisArts’ Spring Craft Day Camps, kids turn off screens and turn on creativity! Campers can look forward to days filled with big ideas, bold colors, and the best kind of mess as they: 🖌️ Paint, draw, and design with recycled materials 📚 Learn from inspiring teachers 🍦 Chill with friends (and ice cream!) 🌸 Make springtime masterpieces to take home Camps run from 8:30 AM-4 PM on March 31, April 16-18 (three-day camp), and April 21. Our Spring Craft Day Camps sell out quickly - get your child in on the fun before they fill up: https://ow.ly/sh9S50V5Ncy!

One week left! VisAbility Art Lab’s “Annual Exhibition” is on view in our Concourse Gallery through next Sunday, March 2 - come check it out before it closes! The “Annual Exhibition” features works in a range of media, including ceramics, drawing, digital, graphic design, glass, mixed media, painting, and sculpture, created by neurodiverse adult artists who participate in VisArts’ supported studio program. Learn more at https://ow.ly/VegT50V51jw. [Photos: Vivian Marie Doering Photography]

Join 2024 Bresler Resident Kiara Rivera on Sunday, February 23 from 1-2:30 PM for coffee and conversation (plus pastries!) about her current exhibition and experiences! Rivera’s “Entropy” (Common Ground Gallery through March 2) reimagines the idea of home by replacing familiar objects with empty spaces, inviting reflection on what’s missing. The materials used challenge viewers to consider how shifts in familiar spaces alter our perspective. Learn more and RSVP for this free event at https://ow.ly/tFNK50V3eH5!

Join 2024 Bresler Resident and Montgomery College Artist-in-Residence Anna Kroll on Sunday, February 23 from 1-2:30 PM for coffee and conversation (plus pastries!) about her current exhibition and experiences! Kroll’s “As You Need” (Kaplan Gallery through March 2) combines poetic text, sculptural wax, and the ticking of metronomes to invite you into a space of layered rhythms, suspended time, and colliding desires. Learn more and RSVP for this free event at https://ow.ly/Qa4J50V3ezN!

Looking for a date night spot? Planning a group activity with friends? Getting the family together to catch up? Join us for Cocktails + Canvas! We’ve got workshops on February 21 + 22. Whether you’ve never held a paintbrush or you’re looking to brush up on your skills (see what we did there?), our wonderful instructors will guide you, step-by-step, through painting your very own masterpiece (or at least a pretty good copy of one) on a partially sketched canvas. We’ll also provide complimentary sodas and snacks and, if you bring your ID, you can buy wine or beer! Learn more and sign up at https://ow.ly/rZ0e50V1H4H.

Never been to an art gallery? Perfect! Gallery Explorers is all about fun—stories, crafts, and a scavenger hunt on Feb 22, 11 AM–1 PM. Come explore with us! Just $5 for one adult + one child. Learn more and sign up at https://ow.ly/CFUt50UZRFt! [Images: Vivian Marie Doering Photography]

Update: Galleries will also be closed today, February 12, due to weather. Have a safe snow day! ❄️

Join artists Kiara Rivera and Anna Kroll on Sunday, February 23 for coffee and conversation (plus pastries!) about their current exhibitions and experiences as 2024 Bresler Residents. Rivera’s “Entropy” (Concourse Gallery through March 2), welcomes you to consider the domestic outside of its usual context, where kitchenware, home decor, and family trinkets are replaced with vacancies. Kroll’s “As You Need” (Kaplan Gallery through March 2) combines poetic text, sculptural wax and the ticking of metronomes to invite you into a space of layered rhythms, suspended time, and colliding desires. Learn more and RSVP at https://ow.ly/GF1L50UY6AX.