Two Hampton Roads arts nonprofits see increasing post-pandemic attendance with popular events, exhibits

Keeping the arts alive and thriving in Hampton Roads takes work by local nonprofits that know the return on investment is the culture of the community.

Tricia Hudson has been executive director of the d’Art Center for the past five years. The nonprofit community art center, located in Norfolk’s NEON district, offers classes, studio space, exhibitions, art events and a venue.

Founded in 1986, d’Art Center has had several locations throughout the past 38 years: College Place, Selden Arcade, the Duke Grace building and, since 2021, the Atlantic Permanent building on Boush Street. The latest move meant relocating from 4,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet — more than doubling the center’s budget.

“We’ve had to recover from that — being in a new space that required additional dollars and coming off an international pandemic,” Hudson said.

The d’Art Center’s annual budget is $550,000. The city supports the center with $10,000, or 2% of its budget.

Classes, below market rate rents, exhibitions, summer camp, the retail store, art sales and venue rentals contribute funding, but the nonprofit still seeks fundraising for more than half of its budget, Hudson said.

“We rely on our partners — corporate, individual and organizations — to help us every year,” she said. “They make contributions, purchase memberships, rent our venue, provide scholarships and much more.”

Overall, Hudson said 2023 went well with more than 4,000 people coming through the center.

“I would say that, particularly now, as we continue to get further away from COVID, more people are coming out, coming to events and doing things,” Hudson said.

The center has experienced a steady rise of children and families, she said. Last year’s summer camp program hosted 213 kids.

The d’Art Center had more than 20 free activities open to the public last year plus ticketed classes and special events that all drew in large numbers of attendees, she said.

“We have nine national exhibitions every year, so we rotate our gallery every 27 days,” Hudson said.

Each new exhibition has an opening reception, which Hudson said continues to grow with more than 100 people in attendance.

As one of the anchors in the NEON district, Hudson said d’Art Center developed 24 new partnerships last year to maximize opportunities without duplicating services. For example, throughout 2024, the center is partnering with Eastern Virginia Medical School’s art therapy program.

“We’re here for the region,” Hudson said. “We’re available for everybody to come and visit, appreciate the visual arts and learn and create through classes and camps.”

2023 was a great year for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, director and CEO Gary Ryan said.

“We had record attendance in our galleries and at our programming and special events,” Ryan said.

Last year, more than 20,000 art lovers flocked to the museum — hundreds making their inaugural visit — located near the Virginia Beach resort area. Philanthropic donations enable the museum, called MOCA, to offer free admission to Virginia residents.

“They came to see and feel art, to share it with a friend, to use it to help explain the world to their children, to learn a new technique from an artist or to enjoy a quiet moment of reflection,” Ryan said in a video.

Last year, the museum showed contemporary art by 150 renowned artists and hosted more than 140 programs, events and lectures. In addition to its 67th annual Boardwalk Art Show, it also provided educational tours and programming for more than 3,500 children K-12 from throughout the region.

Looking ahead to all that 2024 has to offer, the museum’s first exhibition of the year opened on Feb. 9: Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman’s “Journey to Nature’s Underworld.” In July, the second “Made in VA” exhibition will open and Ryan said she anticipates, based on the success of the first one last year, that it will be well received.

MOCA’s annual budget is roughly $2.5 million with about $2 million obtained via fundraising, a spokesperson said. The museum plans to move to a new facility on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University within the next two years. Construction is expected to start in September pending city approval, according to the university.

Fundraising continues to be steady, but as is the case for nonprofits, Ryan said more donations are always needed and appreciated.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com