By Daniel Jones, Tri-Cities Program Manager at CultureWorks
Chesterfield County offers a variety of arts and culture experiences for everyone. Whether you’re an established artist, looking for a date night dinner and a show, or activities for the whole family, you can find it in Chesterfield County.
Chesterfield’s Arts Community
Chesterfield’s proximity to Richmond makes the County an ideal home for artists. Richmond’s art scene is legendary. From its globally famous collection of murals and public art to music, the Richmond region has long attracted artists from around the country and the wider world. The Chester Artists Association provides a home for a variety of artists working in many mediums. Painters, photographers, ceramicists, and more, meet monthly as a creative social club and host two luncheons a year at the Chesterfield Central Library. The Chesterfield Central Library also offers arts programming including dance, fiber arts, and reading groups, to name a few.
Performing Arts
Those interested in the performing arts must visit the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education and the Swift Creek Mill Theatre. The Perk, as it is known locally, is a state of the art performing arts center boasting numerous stage shows throughout the year including music, comedy, dance, and theater. Kadencia, an Afro-Puerto Rican fusion band on the Virginia Commission for the Arts touring roster, is proud to call the Perk their home playing two shows there a year. Other notable visitors include the world-class Richmond Symphony, European Royal Classical Ballet, River City Taiko, and more. In addition to the performing arts, The Perk also houses a gallery with rotating exhibitions from visual artists around the region. If you are looking for a traditional theatre experience, plan a visit to Swift Creek Mill Theatre. Swift Creek is a professional theatre company offering stage plays, musicals, cabaret nights, summer camps, and wine dinners. They take great pride in hiring directors, performers, musicians, designers, and technicians from the local area. In addition to their stage productions, Swift Creek also has a full restaurant and resident chef, perfect for dinner and a show. Patrons can also peruse and purchase work by local artists on display before showtime.
Youth Arts Programs
Fostering creativity in our youth is important. Those with kids should check out Alma Bella Academy, an arts education center offering day and after-school enrichment programs. Their mission is to provide a nurturing and inclusive environment for beautiful souls through education, art, and community where students can thrive academically and artistically. Open to the public at select hours, kids can learn crochet, pottery, stained glass, and much more. The Art Factory & Party Place also offers open studio hours where little ones can try their hand at a variety of creative endeavors. Choose a self-guided project or sign up for a class and learn something new. Their party rooms are also an excellent idea for special occasions and the on-site café offering locally roasted coffee keeps those creative juices flowing.
Arts and culture are alive and well in Chesterfield County with options for everyone. For more arts and culture in Chesterfield and the region, visit our CultureWorks Calendar and browse thousands of experiences by category, location, organization, artist, and venue. Dig in!
Daniel Jones is the Tri-Cities Program Manager at CultureWorks, an organization dedicated to strengthening artists and arts and culture organizations to increase their impact on the Richmond region. Thank you to Daniel for authoring this guest blog post for Experience Chesterfield. To get in touch with Daniel, send him an email at daniel@richmondcultureworks.org.
Experience Chesterfield promotes and celebrates all the things to see, do and experience within Chesterfield County. The website is not paid to endorse individual businesses or events and any that you may see mentioned are just a sampling of the many wonderful places to visit in Chesterfield. If you operate a hospitality related business in Chesterfield, please be sure to reach out to our partners at Richmond Region Tourism to create a business listing for our website. You can also reach out to Virginia Tourism Corporation to create a business listing on their site for additional exposure.