ArtsCCC Selects Visual Artists of Richmond
As A District Arts Partner For A Second Year!
Our deepest thanks to ArtsCCC (Arts Contra Costa County) for selecting us a second time as a District Arts Partner grantee! This grant is an investment initiative to support artist-led organizations that provide vital community art services in Contra Costa County. Grants are awarded to Contra Costa based art organizations that provide meaningful support for artists such as exhibitions, directories, opportunities, advocacy, and community partnership. Visual Artists of Richmond used the 2025 District Arts Partner funds to support Richmond Open Studios.
The District Arts Partner grant program seeks to strengthen and empower art organizations who fill gap services by acknowledging their important work. ARTSCCC recognizes recipients as important community partners and leaders in the Contra Costa arts ecosystem.
This program is administered by ARTSCCC and their fiscal sponsor Independent Arts & Media. Funding is made possible through funding from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, and Contra Costa County. Each organization received a $2000 grant for general operations support for the 2026 year.
Hoping You Can Join Our January Artist Gathering a Bit Earlier!
Please notice we are meeting a bit earlier this time: 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We will meet at the Richmond Art Center’s South Gallery. The heater will be on. If you can help us, come a bit early to help us set up, or stay a bit after 7:30 to help us put the chairs away. As is our custom, we will have time to chat in groups and get to know each other. Rebeca and Brian will report on the latest from VAR. Bring announcements to share with other artists. Our artist gatherings are open to the public - all artists are welcome to join us! Please spread the word and RSVP so we can pull out the right number of chairs!
A grassroots community of artists in Richmond, California.
Our overall goal is to create opportunities to celebrate and promote our work, share resources, and support each other's art practices via two projects:
Six artist gatherings per year let us network with other visual artists, learn of new opportunities and discuss topics of relevance to artist living or working in this community.
An independent online directory, free to artists who live or work in Richmond. This directory serves as a single source of artists in our area, allowing potential clients, collectors, colleagues and organizations to learn more about the art made within our city.
An annual Richmond Open Studios, enabling almost 50 participating Richmond artists to sell directly to the public and giving art lovers in West Contra Costa the chance to learn about the visual arts thought studio visits and conversations with artists.
January Artist Gathering at Seaport Studios
2024 Preview Exhibition at the Richmond Art Center
E Bond. Letterpress Experiment.
Visual Artists of Richmond (VAR) brings together more than 132 visual artist members living in or working in Richmond, California. Our fiscal sponsor is Independent Arts and Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We welcome, fabricators, muralists, animators, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers, ceramicists, sculptors, printmakers, painters and designers.
In our group there is cultural and ethnic diversity, various age groups, high and low socioeconomic levels and emergent as well as established working artists.
VAR was started to promote artists making their art in Richmond and its unincorporated areas, to expand the opportunities available to visual artists in Richmond, and to support such artists through advocacy.
Artists: Get Promoted!
If you have a profile in our directory, we’ll be happy to promote your shows or art classes! And if you are an artist but not a VAR member, listings are just $10. Listings are free for our community partners!
All you need to do is fill out our form and email us your images with captions:
Marvin Perry Mann. Cherry Tree. Oil on canvas.