Academy Center of the Arts

The Academy Center of the Arts is Greater Lynchburg’s center for arts, culture, and community building. Our mission is to serve our community through arts and culture, and we believe that our programming is essential for a thriving community, as it can lead to improved grades for students, increased memory retention rates for seniors, and a decreased poverty rate. Each year, the Academy engages tens of thousands of Central Virginians through stage events, arts education, facilities rentals, outreach, and galleries exhibits, which result in a significant economic impact on the Greater Lynchburg area. The Academy’s Values - We hold ourselves accountable to our mission with three core values: community, creativity, and equity. These values help ensure that our arts programming is accessible to everyone in Central Virginia. Community - We are a community of people from different races, ethnicities, classes, gender identities, sexual orientations, belief systems, and physical/mental abilities. We value the diversity of our community members and strive to serve them through the arts. Creativity - We use the arts to empower others by encouraging self-expression, thought, and engagement within a safe space. In its many forms, art broadens our perspectives, provides us with numerous ways to communicate, and enriches our quality of life. Equity - We aspire to be an inclusive organization for all by understanding our role in minimizing the barriers faced by many in our community. We will uplift marginalized individuals through intentional arts programming designed according to their needs. When you come to the Academy you will become a part of a growing and thriving community here in Lynchburg, Virginia. At the center of any great city is great culture. Culture provokes self-expression, thought, and engagement. Whether experiencing a gallery show in one of our art galleries or by enrolling your child in one of our youth theatre programs, you will become a part of a community of people committed to enriching this city along the James River. We encourage you to explore our website and see our many offerings. Our facility includes a flexible black box theatre with programming year-round, classes in the visual and performing arts, multiple galleries, a pottery studio, and a restored 800 seat historic theatre. The Academy has something for all ages and is here for local residents and visitors alike.