Studios, galleries &amp; creative organizations

All Hands Pottery

Norfolk

A community ceramics studio in Norfolk offering wheel throwing, handbuilding, teen pottery classes, open studio hours, and private events.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

American Classic Tattoo (Newport News)

Newport News

Anavrin Tattoo & Body Piercing

Newport News

Ancient Art (Hampton)

Hampton

Ancient Art Tattoo (Virginia Beach)

Virginia Beach

Andrews Gallery

Williamsburg

William & Mary's Art & Art History Department gallery, showcasing current student and faculty work in ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, architecture, sculpture, and photography, alongside roughly a half-dozen invited-artist exhibitions each year.

Current or upcoming program

Arcane Tattoo

Suffolk

Art Central Gallery

Hampton

A gallery in Historic Phoebus with two sections — one showcasing owner Everna Lee Taylor's own folk art, the other featuring work from roughly 15 other local Hampton Roads artists, including photography, oil and acrylic paintings, mixed media, and woodcarving.

Artisans Guild of the Eastern Shore of Virginia

A member guild of working artists and makers across Accomack and Northampton Counties (the Eastern Shore of Virginia), publishing a directory of members' crafts and contact information.

Arts of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City

A 501(c)(3) regional arts council serving Pasquotank and Camden counties, operating four galleries (the Nance, Jenkins, Gutman, and Hull-Everist Galleries) showing rotating exhibitions of regional artists' work, alongside a School of the Arts offering classes, private lessons, and workshops, and a performing-arts season in the on-site Maguire Theatre.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Banshee Tattoo Co.

Columbia

Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries

Norfolk

Two 2,600-square-foot galleries at Old Dominion University exhibiting nationally and internationally recognized self-taught artists, contemporary artists across all media, and local/regional artists connected to ODU, alongside a permanent collection of over 1,500 works.

Current or upcoming program

Barry Art Museum

Norfolk

A museum at Old Dominion University presenting the Barry family's gifted collection: glass sculpture, American modernist paintings, works on paper, and historic dolls and automata.

Current or upcoming program

Bertie County Arts Council

Windsor

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit fostering the arts in Bertie County through promotion, funding, and education, operating a gallery in downtown Windsor where artist members exhibit and market their work, and organizing community public-art projects including downtown Windsor's mural program.

Current or upcoming program

Blue Skies Gallery

Hampton

A member artist cooperative gallery in downtown Hampton, established 1990, displaying work from painters, weavers, photographers, potters, and poets. Also offers venue hosting for private events and painting classes, including wine-and-paint nights.

Bond Millen Gallery

Richmond

An art gallery and art advisory in Richmond, Virginia, known for curating and exhibiting a broad range of contemporary art. Its stated mission is to support and promote the work of living artists, introducing them to collectors and fostering a connection to the arts community at large.

Current or upcoming program

Cary Street Tattoo

Richmond

Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission

Chesapeake

A City of Chesapeake municipal commission, established in 1968, that acts as a coordinating body for the city's various fine arts groups, promotes participation in and appreciation of the fine arts, and studies the cultural facility needs of Chesapeake citizens.

Chowan Arts Council

Edenton

A member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976, sponsoring and encouraging participation in the visual, literary, and performing arts in Chowan County. Its waterfront gallery (relocated to its current location adjacent to Colonial Park in 2019) sells paintings, pottery, sculpture, furniture, jewelry, and other locally- and regionally-made work, with displays changing almost weekly.

Chrysler Museum of Art

Norfolk

An encyclopedic art museum in downtown Norfolk with a collection spanning roughly 5,000 years, including an internationally recognized glass collection and the Perry Glass Studio.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Colley Ave Tattoo

Norfolk

Commonwealth Tattoo

Norfolk

Current Reflections Fine Arts Gallery

Accomack County

A collective of practicing artists exhibiting work inspired by the light, texture, and coastal beauty of Wachapreague and the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Also periodically hosts multi-day paid plein-air painting workshops with visiting instructors.

Currituck County Arts Council

Moyock

A nonprofit community arts council serving Currituck County's mainland, grown out of the county school system into a community organization with nearly 200 members. Hosts a gallery inside the Moyock Library, organizes free community concerts and school-based arts programming, and displays member-donated artwork at the County Commissioners' meeting room. Opened January 20, 2009.

d'Art Center

Norfolk

A nonprofit community art center in Norfolk's NEON District where resident and associate artists work in on-site studios and sell original art directly to the public, alongside classes and curated exhibitions. Open since 1986.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Dare County Arts Council

Manteo

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to encouraging the arts in Dare County through advocacy, enrichment, and opportunity. Operates a juried gallery of over 100 local and regional artists on the first floor of the historic 1904 Dare County Courthouse in downtown Manteo, alongside classes and workshops in visual arts, music, and literature, and programs including the Artrageous Kids Art Festival, a plein-air painting event, and monthly First Friday exhibitions.

Current or upcoming program

DNA Tattoo

Portsmouth

Electric Umbrella Tattoo

Virginia Beach

Electromagnetic Tattoo

Chesapeake

Envision Tattoo Gallery

Virginia Beach

Fable Tattoo Gallery

Richmond

Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester

Gloucester County

A fine arts museum in Gloucester Courthouse operated in association with The Cook Foundation, presenting rotating exhibitions — its exhibition current as of this capture, 'The Art of Collecting: A Decade in Plein Air,' celebrates a decade of the Gloucester Arts Festival with over 120 paintings by more than 75 plein-air artists. Also offers its space for private event rentals.

Current or upcoming program

Foundation Tattoo

Hampton

G's Tattoos

Newport News

Gallery @ COIL

Chesapeake

A rotating art-exhibit gallery inside the Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Outreach & Innovation Library, part of the Chesapeake Public Library system. Open to any artist or curator through a formal application process (work samples, biography, and an exhibit statement), reviewed for artistic merit and suitability for a library setting.

Gallery at York Hall

York County

A volunteer-run gallery and welcome center in Historic Yorktown, a partnership between the Celebrate Yorktown Committee and York County, featuring paintings, jewelry, stained glass, pottery, quilts, and other work from more than 300 local artisans.

Current or upcoming program

Glass Act Stained Glass Studio

Virginia Beach

A stained glass studio and retail shop in Virginia Beach offering custom stained glass, repairs and restoration, custom glassblowing, art glass and fusible glass supplies, and a full slate of stained-glass classes from beginner through advanced.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Gloucester Arts on Main

Gloucester County

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts center founded in 2011, operating a 4,000-square-foot gallery in Gloucester Courthouse with monthly rotating exhibits (opening receptions the first Friday of every month), alongside a regular schedule of art and art-education classes and workshops for all ages.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Greg's Tattoos LLC

Portsmouth

Hampton Commission on the Arts

Hampton

An 11-member advisory commission to Hampton City Council that promotes the development and awareness of artistic and cultural programs in the city and coordinates city support of cultural organizations and programs.

Founding sponsorTattoo Studio

Hampton University Museum

Hampton

Founded in 1868, the nation's oldest African American museum and one of Virginia's oldest museums overall, holding more than 9,000 objects with particular strength in African American, African, Native American, and Asian art — including the largest existing museum collection of works by John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, and Samella Lewis. Advances its educational mission through permanent and changing exhibitions, a Children's Curiosity Room, the Center for African American History and Life, publications, lectures, and art and teacher training workshops.

Inkcredible Tattoo Studio

Virginia Beach

James City County Recreation Center

James City County

A James City County-operated public recreation center with an arts and crafts area including pottery wheels and kilns, alongside its aquatic, fitness, and gymnasium facilities.

James River Tattoo

Isle of Wight County

Jars of Dust

Virginia Beach

A handmade-ceramics shop and teaching studio in the ViBe Creative District, selling functional stoneware pottery made on-site and offering pottery classes taught by its resident ceramic artists.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Judgment Day Tattoo

Newport News

Lemon Tree Gallery and Studio

Northampton County

A curated fine-art gallery and performance venue in Cape Charles, anchored by three resident artists (Clelia Cardano Sheppard, oil painter; Thelma J. Peterson, watercolorist; David Turner, bronze sculptor) alongside roughly 100 additional represented local and regional artists. Also hosts a recurring Friday-evening live-music series.

Current or upcoming program

Little Stitch Studio

Norfolk

A sewing and fashion-design studio in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood offering classes, summer camps, and private lessons for children and teens, emphasizing technique, garment construction, and fashion studies.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Loose Screw Tattoo

Richmond

Low Key Designs

Chesapeake

Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center

Newport News

An 83,000-square-foot non-collecting arts center at Christopher Newport University with four rotating-exhibition galleries: the Anne Noland Edwards Gallery (national/international artists), the William M. Grace Community Gallery (local/regional work), the Academic Gallery (student/alumni work), and the Microgallery (experimental projects).

Current or upcoming program

MATTIE Arts Center

Swan Quarter

An arts-and-crafts learning institution and exhibition gallery in Hyde County's Historic 1854 Courthouse in Swan Quarter, offering ongoing classes and workshops and showcasing local and regional artists. "MATTIE" stands for "Mattamuskeet Artisans — Teaching, Training, Instructing, and Educating." Opened October 2012; proceeds from consigned work support the nonprofit Friends of Hyde County's Historic Courthouse.

Muscarelle Museum of Art

Williamsburg

The art museum of William & Mary, holding nearly 8,000 objects in one of the oldest campus-based collections in the United States, spanning American and English Colonial art through modern works. Underwent a major expansion in 2023–2024 that tripled its size.

Current or upcoming program

Newport News Community Gallery

Newport News

A gallery inside the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center that displays exhibits throughout the year featuring the works of local, national, and international artists, and hosts multiple student exhibits.

Current or upcoming program

Newport News Public Art Foundation

Newport News

A nonprofit foundation dedicated to making Newport News an appealing place to live, work, and visit by placing monumental-scale sculptures by respected artists throughout the city. Maintains a freely accessible collection of 23 contemporary sculptures in parks, green spaces, and streetscapes, and offers public education through its "Look and Learn" tours and audio guides.

Norfolk Ink Gallery

Norfolk

On the Hill Gallery

York County

A nonprofit community gallery in Historic Yorktown, operated by the volunteer-run Yorktown Arts Foundation since 1975. Sells original paintings, pottery, jewelry, and other handmade work from local artists and offers art classes and workshops for children and adults; hosts the annual Yorktown Art Stroll, a photography show, and seasonal exhibitions.

Perquimans Arts League

Hertford

A nonprofit arts organization founded in 1995, operating a gallery and gift shop in Hertford's Historic District that features and sells paintings, photography, handcrafted jewelry, pottery, fiber art, glass, and woodwork from nearly 100 local artists and craftsmen, alongside workshops and community public-art grants.

Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft

Columbia

A nonprofit craft school in Columbia offering on-campus and online workshops in ceramics, metals, mixed media, and other crafts, alongside community and youth classes, open studio sessions, artist residencies, a gallery with an online shop, and event/retreat facilities.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Poquoson Art League

Poquoson

A local arts organization that runs an annual holiday gallery selling fine art, crafts, paintings, and jewelry from area artists, and separately hosts a Juried Arts & Crafts Show at the Poquoson Seafood Festival.

Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center

Portsmouth

One of Portsmouth's five city museums, housed in the 1846 Greek Revival former Norfolk County Courthouse in Olde Towne. Two galleries of rotating exhibitions by regional and world-renowned artists, plus a Gallery Shop selling work by Hampton Roads artists and artisans in photography, glass, pottery, ceramics, and jewelry.

Current or upcoming program

Red 5 Tattoo

Virginia Beach

Richmond Potters' Club

Richmond

A member pottery guild operating a studio on the second floor of the Richmond Cultural Centre, offering adult hand-building, wheel-throwing, and glazing classes four times a year (January, April, July, and September), registered through the City of Richmond's Parks and Recreation system.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

River City Tattoo & Piercing Co. (Scott’s Addition)

Richmond

Sabs Saylor Tattoos

Portsmouth

Salt Water Tattoo

Virginia Beach

Salvation Tattoo Gallery

Richmond

Sandbridge Tattoo

Virginia Beach

Silver Bonsai Gallery

Manteo

An artist-owned gallery on Roanoke Island founded in 1998 by husband-and-wife jewelry artists Ben Stewart and Kathryn Holton Stewart, home to their on-site "Modern Heirloom®" hand-engraved silver, gold, and platinum jewelry studio (visible to visitors), alongside a broader collection of regional fine art and craft (woodwork, ceramics, glass, painting) and a bonsai garden.

Slow Ride Tattoo & Gallery

Norfolk

Stray Cat Tattoo

Chesapeake

Studio evoLve

Virginia Beach

Suffolk Art Gallery

Suffolk

A community fine-arts gallery in Suffolk's historic Lakeside neighborhood, housed in a former library, operated by the member-based nonprofit Suffolk Art League. Offers changing exhibits, youth and adult art classes, open mics, artist demonstrations, and the annual Suffolk Plein Air Festival and Bosley Artist Market.

Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts

Suffolk

An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization housing two second-floor galleries, the BB&T and Norfolk Foundation Galleries, which together have featured more than ninety exhibits of local, regional, and national fine art, from emerging to internationally recognized artists.

Current or upcoming program

Temple Tattoo & Body Piercing Studio (North)

Chesapeake

Tender Heart Tattoo

Norfolk

The Artful Navigator

Manteo

A boutique-style gallery and gift shop in downtown Manteo, owned and operated by married artists Scott Geib and Anne Burroughs, featuring their own original art, photography, and vintage remasters — Scott working primarily in photography and mixed media, Anne in drawing and painting — reproduced on cutting boards, mugs, notecards, coasters, puzzles, and wall hangings alongside original pieces.

The Arts Center @ 319

Isle of Wight County

A nonprofit arts center in Smithfield's historic district, operated by the Isle of Wight Arts League, in a renovated hardware store co-located with the Smithfield Visitor Center. Hosts eight resident-artist working studios, rotating local/regional exhibitions, adult and youth art classes, and a member-artist gift shop.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center

Hampton

The City of Hampton's visual arts center, built in 1925 and formerly the city's public library. Presents seven rotating exhibitions a year of Virginia and Mid-Atlantic artists, hosts the Hampton Arts League, and offers classes and workshops across disciplines.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

The Collective Tattoo & Body Piercing

Virginia Beach

The Contemporary Arts Network

Newport News

A Newport News nonprofit arts organization (the CAN Foundation) that runs the Newport News Street Museum, an official city-wide mural program bringing work by regional and national muralists to locations throughout Newport News, in partnership with the City of Newport News.

The Garage

A converted shipping-container studio and art space on 17th Street in the ViBe Creative District, home base of muralist Tessa Hall Duquette and monthly host site of CreativeMornings Virginia Beach.

The Hermitage Museum & Gardens

Norfolk

A 12-acre waterfront estate museum along the Lafayette River, featuring the Sloane Collection spanning roughly 5,000 years of Asian art, paintings, decorative arts, sculpture, and textiles, alongside historic gardens and architecture.

Current or upcoming program

The Original Folk City Tattoo

Suffolk

Thriller Street Tattoo

Chesapeake

Tidewater Wooden Boat Workshop

Norfolk

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit teaching Hampton Roads youth (ages 12–24) wooden boatbuilding and other nautical skills — carpentry, rowing, sailing, and environmental science — at no cost to families.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Underdog Tattoo

Hampton

Valhalla Rose Tattoo and Piercing

Norfolk

Village Craftsmen

Ocracoke

An artist-owned craft gallery on Ocracoke Island, founded in 1970 by Philip and Julie Howard as "The Tipi Shop" and renamed Village Craftsmen in 1973. Sells locally and regionally made crafts alongside Philip Howard's own pen-and-ink and watercolor sketches of island scenes; owned by Philip Howard, with daily operations managed by his daughter Amy Howard since 2017.

Virginia Beach Art Center

Virginia Beach

A nonprofit community art center in the ViBe Creative District — known locally as "the Purple Building" — offering monthly exhibitions, art and pottery classes, and public access to over 50 resident and exhibiting artists working in their own on-site studios.

Current or upcoming program

Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

Virginia Beach

A non-collecting contemporary art museum, established 1956, presenting rotating exhibitions of living artists' work and organizing the annual Boardwalk Art Show and the Made in VA Biennial. Relocated in 2026 to a new building on the Virginia Wesleyan University campus.

Current or upcoming program · Offers classes

Whiskey River Tattoo (Virginia Beach)

Virginia Beach

Williamsburg Area Arts Commission

Williamsburg

A joint municipal arts commission, funded in partnership by the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and a Virginia Commission for the Arts state grant, that supports and stimulates excellence in the arts across the Williamsburg area. Administers an annual grant program for 501(c)(3) arts organizations (approximately $159,000 in FY26) and hosts professional-development forums on marketing, board development, and grant writing for member organizations.