Our Story

The Charlottesville Black Arts Collective (CBAC) is an impassioned group of artists and arts organizers who are committed to creating opportunities for Black artists to exhibit their work and connect to other Black artists and the greater Charlottesville Area community.

The collective formed in 2020 to curate, Water: The Agony and Ecstasy of the Black Experience, a group exhibition at McGuffey Arts Center featuring art from over 25 Black artists from the state of Virginia. The exhibition allowed for poets, painters, filmmakers, writers, photographers, luthiers, fiber, mixed media artists and their work to all be in powerful conversation with each other both within the gallery and outside. This first exhibition became a catalyst for the collective to continue finding ways to center Black artists and their work.

CBAC aims to support Black artists by continuing to curate exhibitions, provide workshops for artists to both share skills and learn from each other, as well as create opportunities for Black artists to sell their work. The collective also seeks to form connections with community partners to expand the reach of Black artists into the greater Charlottesville Area community as well as to collaborate on programming that centers Black artists, their work, and their voices.