2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 297

Commending the McGuffey Art Center.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 10, 2026

Agreed to by the Senate, March 12, 2026

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, one of the oldest artist-run cooperative art centers in the nation, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025; and

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center opened on October 11, 1975, and quickly became a vibrant art space with an environment that was conducive to artistic growth and expression; and

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center was established in the historic McGuffey School, which was named after William Holmes McGuffey, a University of Virginia professor who wrote several of the McGuffey Readers, the first reading primers widely used by students in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center is supported by the McGuffey Association, which currently includes 50 resident artist members, 100 associate artist members, and six incubator artists; and

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center provides affordable studio space to enable its artists to thrive without the pressure and constraints posed by commercial concerns and cultivates a creative community in which artists feel empowered to fully express their visions; and

WHEREAS, the McGuffey Art Center's artists support the broader Charlottesville community through a number of endeavors, including classes, workshops, exhibitions, and other outreach activities and events; and

WHEREAS, as a pillar of the Charlottesville arts scene for the past 50 years, the McGuffey Art Center has made a profound and lasting impact on countless lives; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the McGuffey Art Center on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the McGuffey Art Center as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its contributions to Charlottesville and the Commonwealth.