EXHIBITS & EVENTS
CURRENTLY AT PAAL
Experience Art Beyond Sight with John Bramblitt
Join internationally acclaimed blind painter John Bramblitt for a powerful day of creativity, connection, and inspiration. John will kick off the weekend by attending the opening reception for Art Beyond Sight. Then the following day begins with an inclusive hands-on workshop open to both sighted and visually impaired participants—sighted guests will be blindfolded to explore painting through touch, texture, and imagination. In the evening, hear John’s remarkable story during an artist talk that traces his journey from vision loss to becoming a global artistic force. Discover how art can transform lives, bridge experiences, and reveal new ways of seeing.
Shake it up!
Shake It Up!
A Juried Exhibition of Multi-Media Artworks That Shake Things Up
On View: August 8 – September 12, 2025
Petersburg Area Art League | 7 E Old Street
Join us for “Shake It Up!”—a juried multimedia art exhibition that challenges the norm and celebrates the unexpected. From collage and sculpture to digital installations and beyond, this show features work that pushes boundaries, flips conventions, and invites viewers to see the world through a more daring, expressive lens.
Lasting Impressions
Join the Petersburg Camera Club for this year’s stunning photography exhibit and contest, People, Places & Things — celebrating the beauty and diversity of the world through the lens.
Opens Friday, August 8, 2025
📍 2nd Floor Gallery at the Petersburg Area Art League
Don’t miss this powerful collection of visual storytelling!
Plunky + Oneness Live at the Art Park!
In partnership with Friday for the Arts
Join us for a high-energy, soul-stirring concert with Plunky & Oneness, led by legendary saxophonist James “Plunky” Branch. Blending Afro-centric jazz, funk, and spiritual grooves, this free community event promises great music, local vendors, food trucks, and a full bar.
This concert is part of the Play in the Park series and proudly sponsored by Bank of Southside Virginia, The Cordish Companies, and Appomattox Event Center. Proceeds support PAAL’s arts programming and outreach.
Free admission. All are welcome!
Play in the Park 2025
May- August
Play in the Park is Petersburg Area Art League’s signature summer series, bringing live music, open mic nights, and cultural performances to the heart of downtown Petersburg. Held in the PAAL Art Park, this free, family-friendly series celebrates creativity, community, and the joy of experiencing art under the open sky.
From high-energy local bands and singer-songwriters to poetry and open mic talent, each evening offers something new while staying rooted in connection and community spirit. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, enjoy food trucks and refreshments, and unwind with neighbors and friends in a relaxed, artistic setting.
Play in the Park runs from May through August, with performances held from 7–9 PM. Whether you're a longtime supporter or a first-time visitor, we invite you to join us and be part of a growing tradition that uplifts the arts and brings people together all summer long.
UPCOMING
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
PREVIOUS
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
Serenade to the Supernatural
Showcasing our Members
Austin “Auz”Miles - Kindred
Exhibit June 9 - July 8
Artist Bio:
Andrew Samuel Harrison is a self-taught artist recently relocated from Richmond, VA to New York City, where he awaits the start of the MFA Fine Art program at Parsons School of Design. 'With The Bulls' refocuses his mixed technique practice on raw mark-making and spontaneous composition as an ongoing, iterative method of coding his visual language. Recalling his writing background, the resulting gestalt annotates his rejection of the insider-outsider art world binary he gleans from living with a limb difference.
Our featured artist for the month of April is Richmond based artist, Pedro Ledesma III. The show opens during Friday for the Arts, on April 14th, 2023 from 6PM-9PM, and will run during PAAL’s open hours (Wednesday - Saturday 10-5) until May 6, 2023.
Image is of Dr. George W.C. Lyons, Jr. at Gillfield Baptist Church, 2023, photographed by Pedro Ledesma.
February 10 - March 4, 2023
Our featured artist for the month of February is contemporary artist, Dathan Kane. Kane was born in Hampton, Virginia and presently works and lives in the Tidewater area. He graduated from Virginia State University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art & Design. His focus is on emphasizing organic black/white abstract shapes to create bold compositions on the choices we make, and the duality of such conventional or unconventional decisions.
Dathan Kane: Shapes Were Seen
January 13 - February 4, 2023
PAAL Members Art Exhibit
This exhibition is the premier showcase for artists residing in the Tri-cities region and is a celebration of the tremendous quality and unique diversity of visual art being produced currently. The show debuts Friday for the Art, January 13th and runs through February 4, 2023.
Bill Nicholson is the President of PAAL and has been on the board of the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center for over 10 years. Through PAAL, Bill is merging his two great passions, the arts and the welfare of children, giving a voice to children who feel they are not heard. The BSCC has created animated videos to help teach children how to identify predators and to protect themselves. These videos have surpassed over 1 billion impressions and over 102,000,000 (One hundred two million views.) One of my goals is to get these into all local schools.
A collection of art therapy works created by abused children who received treatment through the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center.