Lynchburg’s Riverviews Artspace Exhibits Local Art From Around the World

Riverviews Artspace, located in the middle of downtown Lynchburg, is much more than just a gallery. Inside the warehouse-turned-exhibition space, there is a media lab, studios for all types of creating and podcast production that features various art curators, as well as exhibits that range from live music performances to poetry slams. 

Founded in 1998 and opened in 2003, Riverviews is appropriately named: it sits eye-to-eye with the James River on Jefferson Street in downtown Lynchburg. As a non-profit, Riverviews keeps all its exhibits free to the public. The Artspace was founded as part of an effort to revitalize downtown Lynchburg and to bring in art from all around the country — and even the world — to the city. 

Exhibits run for six weeks, then the galleries are closed for two weeks to allow for removal of exhibits and installation of new exhibits. 

One of the more interactive resources the Artspace provides is the Sparks: Art & Digital Media Lab, which is open to all artists and creative individuals. The lab contains equipment, such as printers, that can be used to create different types of art. 

Kim Sorensen, executive director at Riverviews Artspace, said Sparks is a resource used to not only foster creativity, but to serve the community as well. 

“We have a partnership with Lynchburg City Schools and economic development, that we would use that room to have classes to learn the basic digital skills, [so] that once [the students] do graduate, they can have a better jump to a career,” Sorensen said. 

However, during the pandemic, the lab became a lot more than just a space for classes. 

“During COVID, what was interesting — we utilized our lab to the fullest,” Sorensen said. “It was open to all artists — and still is to use — so we can level the playing field.” 

The lab is an exciting step forward in a world that is growing increasingly digital. 

“It is kind of a merger of art and technology,” Sorensen said. “We are kind of leveling the playing field here a little bit between artists who have the funds to invest into the equipment and artists who don’t.” 

Riverviews features many artists from the United States and around the world, many of whom have shown their work in numerous countries. One of those artists is Edgar Endress, a Latino-American artist whose work has appeared in Germany and Washington D.C. 

“Our artists of the past have been of a very strong caliber,” Sorensen said. “What it does, it brings this unique, contemporary perspective to Lynchburg, in the middle of Central Virginia, where normally you would have to go to a more urban environment, a city like D.C., to see art like that.” 

Like many non-profits, Riverviews has been challenged by the pandemic. However, they were able to move their exhibits online during the shutdown and even displayed some art in outdoor public spaces for the community to enjoy. 

“Normally, April is poetry month, and what we do, normally we have a lot of poetry slams at the space,” Sorensen said. “Because that was not possible, we still had 30 poems and printed them, and we partnered with the City of Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, and we had 30 poems displayed throughout the Blackwater Trail System.” 

As unprecedented times have called for widespread innovation and flexibility, Riverviews has proved itself to be an essential hub for art and creativity in the Lynchburg community. 

Jordan Smith is a Feature Writer. Follow her on Twitter at @jssmith_jss.