Welcome to James River Art League

​News & Events
Next Member Meeting
Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
Program TBD 
get more information
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER
Visit our current exhibit
in the JRAL Gallery
at Crossroads Art Center
​May 6 - June 29, 2025
get more information

About Us

James River Art League (JRAL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of more than 150 juried member artists from throughout Central Virginia. Our goal is to encourage the creation and appreciation of the visual arts. We provide our member artists with inspiration, professional and social association, and continuing education through programs that feature exceptional and often nationally acclaimed artists and art professionals, and we provide opportunities for members to exhibit and share their art with our community in venues throughout the Richmond area.
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JRAL artists work in a wide range of art media, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphite, pen & ink, collage, silk screen, scratchboard, photography, sculpture, and more. Please visit our Art Gallery to see a sampling of members' paintings.

History of JRAL

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James River Art League is one of the oldest art groups in Richmond and was organized in 1964 by members of a painting class taught by Helen Hull Bailey. Through her persuasion, an art league was formed south of the James River; early meetings were held in a small white house on the grounds of Westover Hills School.  The membership grew and soon the League included artists from both sides of the James River.  Today, JRAL remains anchored in Greater Richmond, although we have members from throughout Central Virginia.

We celebrated our 60th anniversary in 2024 with events and activities throughout the year, including special exhibitions, celebration gatherings, member art events, and more. Click here to learn more about our year-long celebratory events and commemorative items!

In 2014 we celebrated our 50th anniversary with a year long calendar of events.  Visit our 50th Anniversary News page for more information about our celebratory activities.  We also published a commemorative book, James River Art League: 50 Years of Art of Art, that chronicles JRAL's history for our first fifty years.

Meetings & Programs

We welcome guests to join us at our Program/Business meetings in September, November, January, March, and May.  Field trips and special programs for members occur in October, December, February and April.  Please visit our Meetings/Programs page for full details on dates and location.

Become a Member

JRAL welcomes all interested artists aged 18 and older to apply for membership. We jury in members in November and March. Click here to find out more about how to apply for membership.

Contact Us

Click here to contact us for more information about James River Art League.