About James River Art League
OverviewJames 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.
JRAL artists create in a wide range of art media. Visit our Art Gallery to see a sampling of our members' art. History of JRALJames 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. 
In early 2026, we launched a refresh of our brand identity, to include a new logo. Learn more about it here.
Community Outreach
Since the inception of our Community Outreach program in 2013, JRAL has focused on working with Richmond Public Schools (RPS) and its art programs, which allows us to foster the creative artistic expression of local students and their teachers. Beginning with George Wythe High School and later expanding our focus to be city-wide in conjunction with RPS Fine Arts, we have sponsored art demos, student art awards, and teacher appreciation recognition.
Currently, JRAL's Outreach program is focused on student and teacher recognition based on the art featured each academic month at the RPS Gallery at Art Works. Our member volunteers select a student artist from each school to receive an award and art supplies, while their teachers receive an Amazon gift card. Both students and teachers receive hand written notes of praise and encouragement. This program has grown from highlighting one student each month at the JRAL Gallery at Crossroads Art Center in 2023 to highlighting four students and five teachers per month at Art Works in 2026. JRAL is also invited to judge elementary student art at the annual Spring RPS Art Fair. This event is always a favorite of our member volunteers for the inspiration and fun gained from seeing the talent and creativity displayed by our youngest local artists. Meetings & ProgramsWe 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 MemberJRAL welcomes 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 UsClick here to contact us for more information about James River Art League.
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