PWAS Wants a Gallery Space
Updated as of February 18, 2025
The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is an art group in Virginia, that began in 1971 in Prince William County. The group is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of artists from in and all around the county. The art group meets monthly, hosts and attends art events, arranges workshops, occasionally has a field trip, has members that get together and paint outdoors, and promotes art throughout the area. There's one thing missing in their repertoire. An art gallery home.
PWAS History
PWAS has an interesting history that you can read about here. As events have happened, this post has been updated to show some major milestones. See
Post 1: About PWAS - A History of a Prince William County Art Group
Editorial What I Would Like to See at PWAS - thoughts from some PWAS members about the future of the art group.
The Arts
One
thing that PWAS has seen over the years in Prince William County is the
lower emphasis in the visual arts in the area. The Arts is a huge subject much like an English muffin with LOTS of nooks and crannies.
Have a look at Britannica's description of The Arts: "...modes of expression that use skill or imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.
Traditional categories within the arts include literature (including poetry, drama, story, and so on), the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.), the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), the decorative arts (enamelwork, furniture design, mosaic, etc.), the performing arts (theatre, dance, music), music (as composition), and architecture (often including interior design)."
It seems that more attention is put in the direction of the performing arts of music, dance and theatre in Prince William County than is placed on the visual side. Yet, on the walls in most people's homes, what do we find on our walls where we live? Artwork we love. And where do you go to find artwork created by local artists? Good question here in Woodbridge, Virginia.
The Prince William Art Society wants an art gallery. Our artist members are creating art every day that we want to share with you. We want an art space to call our own, preferably on a long-term basis. And by 'our own' I mean not only the art group, but the we the people of Prince William County.
What Makes a Great Spot for an Art Gallery?
There are various business models for art galleries such as a Nonprofit Gallery, a Commercial Gallery, Artist Cooperatives, a Pop-up Gallery, and there are Online Galleries. PWAS understands the need for their niche in a nonprofit gallery focusing on local visual artists with a target market for art buyers needing a supply of art sources in Prince William County.
Art Audience - will include individuals and tourists, art collectors and investors, designers and architects, schools and educational institutions, corporate entities and hospitals looking for art decor, and the possibility of businesses searching for beautiful spaces for their corporate events.
- How about going for a walk with a date and visiting an art gallery?
- What about having an art event for your business with great art set as your background?
Location
- an art gallery is a building to house the art within, to the extent
and degree of all The Arts that it can hold and the administrators of
that space can manage under one roof. There is a question of a free
standing space 'out somewhere' as opposed to a space with a lot of
visibility within or near other businesses. We live here in Northern
Virginia - where all real estate is expensive.There could be pros and cons with any space or building, but find it we must. A compromise of some sort is more than likely where we will end up.
- Might the location consider allowances for a 501(c)3 non-profit organization?
- Will the location be a temporary popup art show space for a set limited time?
- Can the art group negotiate a permanent location as an art gallery?
- Does the location have room for growth?
- Can a building fund be engaged for a gallery?
Access and Exposure - ease of getting in and out of the area is a consideration as well as if you can see it from the road or main traffic areas.
Parking - the availability of having space to park plenty of vehicles is needed for a good gallery space to hold art receptions and events, meetings, have classes and workshops, have the possibility to be multi functional, so that artists and art lovers have plenty of parking.
Foot Traffic - ideally, having pedestrians walking around to shop, go out to eat, and just do all the things that draw people to a location helps a gallery to promote itself.
Growth - having an art space that can grow and expand with the artistic needs of the art group and the county would be an amazing thing. Being able to host annual art competitions, evolving art exhibits and more creatives, well you know creative people see beyond limitations.
The Prince William Art Society wants enough space for growth to:
- Hang monthly art shows, and even overlapping art shows and competitions as well as large exhibits and mixed media.
- Give art classes, workshops, and demos - if not daily, at least weekly with decent class sizes.
- Have art merchandise for sale along with the art on the walls, maybe even art supplies for recycling.
- Hold art meetings, have space for rental purposes for other organizations.
- Hold art receptions, meet the artists, and other activities for the public or private groups.
- Schedule visits from local student group field trips to tour our gallery space and more.
- Storage space for PWAS art equipment for shows like our gridwalls, tents, etc.
- This list can grow too!
What Can You Do to Help PWAS Find a Home?
One thing that you can do while traveling, shopping, visiting, and wandering around Prince William County is keep your eyes open. As a PWAS member, we ask that you let the PWAS Board know if you see a building or a space for lease or rent. Please do this:
- Take pictures (of the front, the area)
- Get the phone number!
- Get the address, shopping center, location!
- Get the leasing agent name, company (snap a pic of the signage)
If you are able to actually look in the windows, describe what you see. Although art galleries need walls to hang said art, depending on the space, there are ways to create temporary walls that may work as an alternative to lots of windows, small rooms, or other challenges.
Alternatively, if you know someone who knows someone that knows someplace, let us know.
board@PrinceWilliamArtSociety.com
Send the information to the PWAS Admin and they will take the info from there and do the work of making contact and exploring the potential spot.
For Further Reading:
Let us know what you think and please, let us know if you see a potential spot!
AND join us if you want to help make the arts even more visible right here where we live! https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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