Current Art Fair

COLLECT.CREATE.CULTIVATE.

The CURRENT Art Fair returns October 24-27, 2019

The Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Camp l LEVEL 2
2401 W. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Richmond, Virginia has blossomed into a food and cultural destination and come October it will host the only contemporary art fair in the Commonwealth. CURRENT kicks off with a VIP Preview on Thursday, October 24 and opens to the public October 25-27. CURRENT will be chock full of art-centric activities including a massive exhibition space, a dozen presentations in the Current Theatre, an outdoor interactive area and The McKinnon and Harris Current Lounge where you can sit back, relax and take it all in.

COLLECT.

CURRENT will feature commercial galleries alongside non-profit institutions and 20 exhibitors will bring contemporary works by young, emerging and mid-career artists. The fair emphasizes accessible opportunities to collect art and features works from local, national and internationally recognized artists. CURRENT presents art for collectors of all levels, from new to seasoned, and features special access to many of the areas gallerists and curators.

CREATE.

Expanding on the fair this year is the addition of the MIDWAY. You can create art in a multitude of disciplines with Richmond’s finest artists at our CREATION STATIONS by 1708 Gallery, S23 To-Go Print Truck, Art on Wheels, The Visual Arts Center or Richmond, RVA Street Art Festival, Oakwood Arts, RVA Makers, Jonathan Lee, The University of Richmond Downtown, and Boatwright Library’s Book Arts Studio and some choice food trucks to boot! This interactive area will allow anyone young and old to create artwork or watch a demonstration. Also in the MIDWAY you will have the opportunity to experience the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s Art Mobile featuring work from past recipients of The VMFA Fellowship Program.

The VMFA Art Mobile will be exhibiting past recipients of the VMFA Fellowship. One of the many interactions taking place in The CURRENT Midway!

CULTIVATE.

Another exciting addition to the fair this year is The CURRENT Theatre! More than just panel talks, the multitude of offerings will enrich the experience for all attendees with this inspiring and fun programming scheduled all weekend long!

Programming Schedule in CURRENT Theatre

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25TH

3PM & 4PM The Art Scene

Experience the unique personalities and organizations that comprise Central Virginia’s art scene. In its premiere season, “The Art Scene” offers an inside look at some of the region’s most interesting theatres, galleries, studios, and arts education groups. The program is hosted by actor Haliya Roberts with segment hosts Bianca Bryan, Douglas “Roscoe B” Powell, and Noah Scalin. A co-production of VPM and 19RED.

5PM This Art’s For You

A fun and demystifying presentation about finding the art you love and feeling confident about acquiring it. This discussion will be led by Susan Jamieson founder of Bridget Beari with panelists Janie Hall Associate of Reynolds Gallery, Maggie Flanigan Director of Page Bond Gallery, Ashby Nickerson Director of Candela Books + Gallery and Stephanie McGrath founder of Pearls & Planners and Alex McGrath former President of The VMFA Council.

7PM The Builder-

A documentary produced by Shockoe Artspace about building and collecting. This doc features many luminaries of the Richmond Art Scene including and centering on local contractor Don Childress who is also passionate about the Visual Arts. This is a world premier!
SATURDAY OCTOBER 26TH

11AM Meditation Sound Concert w Natasha Foreman (Ticketed Event)

Healing sounds from 18 hand-hammered Himalayan singing bowls will fill you with calming vibrations to help reduce stress and induce full-body relaxation. Walk out of the session renewed and ready to experience the art exhibition on a deeper level!

1PM Modern Richmond 10 Years

Modern Richmond celebrates 10 years of touring the most breathtaking contemporary homes of RVA. This presentation is walk down memory lane in honor of the release of MR’s commemorative beautiful hardbound book.

3PM Ken Farmer-Tales from the Road

Since his teenage years Ken has been a musician and singer of traditional Appalachian and American Roots music. As a performer he became interested in the songs, history, objects and stories of his native Southwest Virginia. That led to him working in the antiques business for over 40 years. He appears regularly on the popular VPM program “Antiques Roadshow” which in this talk he’ll share his experiences and take questions.

5PM Marlowe Emerson presents Abstract Art Spirit and Meaning

What does abstract art mean? How is it relevant in a world of memes, murals and activism? As we scroll through our #abstractart Instagram feed, it’s easy to forget that abstract painting began as a quest for a pure and direct expression of truth, an exploration of the workings of the universe and our place in it. This session will explore the spiritual origins of abstract art through the work Hilma af Klint and Wassily Kandinsky, as well as many New York Abstract Expressionists. We’ll look at their inspirations, motivations, and their impact on artists working today.

6:30-8:30 PM Curated Films w/ Enjoli Moon-

Enjoli is the founder and creative director of the Afrikana Independent Film Festival that just celebrated its 4th year and will bring to Current some of her favorite selections from the 2019 installment. AIFF celebrates filmmakers and stories by and about people of color from around the world with special emphasis on the global black narrative. This festival has grown to present almost 40 film in four days including Academy Award Winning artists.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27TH

* 10:30 Jazz Brunch in The McKinnon & Harris Lounge (Ticketed Event)*

12:00 PM Noah Scalin Creative Sprint

Join national recognized artist and segment host of VPM’s, The Art Scene for an energized kickstarter to creativity! If you are intimated by making art or feel you don’t you don’t have a creative bone in your body, this presentation is for you!

1:30 The Builder

A documentary produced by Shockoe Artspace about building and collecting. This doc features many luminaries of the Richmond Art Scene including and centering on local contractor Don Childress who is also passionate about the Visual Arts. This is an Encore presentation.

3PM The Artist’s Studio and Other Horror Stories

A diverse group of working artists share insights on studio habits and share some horror stories. The panel will also discuss how certain interests in their personal lives inform their creativity. This panel talk will entertain and tug on the heartstrings is led by Josh George of Glave Kocen Gallery with Sayaka Suzuki of Page Bond Gallery, Aimee Joyaux of Walton Gallery, Ron Johnson of Reynolds Gallery, Kristin Skees of BOJUArt, and Russ Warren of Les Yeux du Monde.

CURRENT.

In the fall of 2015, several local gallery owners and directors, from 1708 Gallery, ADA gallery, Candela Books + Gallery, Glave Kocen Gallery, Page Bond Gallery, Quirk Gallery, and Reynolds Gallery, joined together to establish Richmond’s first contemporary art fair. Coined CURRENT (a nod to the nearby James River, the idea of the new, and the notion of an electric spark), the fair is held yearly in the fall.

Tickets are available online or at the door. Seniors get 50% off. General Admission Ticket usually $10.00. Seniors $5.00