To spot the Piedmont Arts Association, just look for a bright, modern white building with a striking orange-red abstract sculpture near the entrance and a large sign that reads "Piedmont Arts"-if you see that sharp sculpture curling like a musical note, you’re in the right place!
Welcome to Piedmont Arts! If you listen closely, you can almost hear the sound of footsteps and excited voices buzzing in and out of the galleries, especially when a new exhibit opens. This isn’t just any museum-this is a creative heartbeat of Martinsville! Imagine it: the year is 1961, and a small group of passionate local artists, inspired by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, gather here with a dream. They want to share art with everyone-yes, even the neighbor who’s pretty sure their stick figures are advanced drawing.
They started by exhibiting regional works in the old Lynwood House, thanks to a generous lease from the DuPont company-imagine artists rushing around, propping up canvases and setting up sculptures while the smell of fresh paint fills the rooms. Their vision kept growing, turning them into the Piedmont Arts Association in 1976. And then, like a plot twist in a good movie, they were gifted the beautiful Schottland Estate in 1981, which gave this creative crew a permanent home-perfect for building dreams and displaying masterpieces.
Fast-forward to the 1990s and Piedmont Arts decided to get even bigger! They launched the Shared Vision Campaign and built a new wing-to the sound of hammers and saws, of course. They turned their ambition into real walls, gallery spaces, a classroom, and even a performance hall. It was a place where music, theater, and art all come alive. Accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 2004 was like a gold star for all their hard work-you could almost hear the applause from the community that day.
Right now, Piedmont Arts hosts exhibitions that feature everything from local student artwork in the Foster Gallery, to national and international artists. Galleries like the Hooker-Garrett and Lynwood Artists Gallery are always changing, so each visit is a new adventure. Outside, their Art Garden calls to you with vibrant sculptures and towering trees-one of them over 100 years old! And if you’re really lucky, you might stumble on a school group giggling through a treasure hunt, or local kids showing off their masterpieces.
And you know what’s really cool? Piedmont Arts doesn’t just keep the fun inside. They spread artistic joy all over Martinsville, filling Uptown with murals, mobiles, and sculptures. In fact, if you see one of those wild mobiles spinning in the wind, that’s their handiwork! So take a deep breath and enjoy-because here, art isn’t just a thing you look at, it’s a thing you live.
Want to explore the visual arts, r.p. gravely-a.j. lester art garden or the performing arts in more depth? Join me in the chat section for a detailed discussion.
