The Art Show began 38 years ago and was so successful that four years later the Heart of Virginia Festival grew around it. It has remained the mainstay of the Festival, drawing artists from up and down the east coast and providing high-quality art to Festival goers from throughout central Virginia.

Situated along High Street on the shaded lawns in front of the Longwood University Rotunda, the 38th Outdoor Arts Show begins at 9am.

Changes are afoot for the 2013 Heart of Virginia Festival Outdoor Art Show
In order to make the festival experience more diverse and informative, as well as to return to the original purpose of the Outdoor Art Show, the Heart of Virginia board has elected to make some changes and additions to the Festival’s upcoming art show. We hope you are as excited about the changes as we are!
What’s new this year?
-    Reduced application/booth fee for vendors
-    More focus on the materials, tools, and processes of each Artist’s medium and individual works
-    Interactive, educational elements to the artist booths
-    More focus on education
-    “Artist Talks” throughout the day
What’s different from last year?
-    Less focus on sales and prizes
-    3 awards: Best in Show, Best Exposition of Artistic Process, and Best Individual piece
-    More opportunity for purchasing additional booth spaces
-    More distinction from the craft show
What’s required of the Outdoor Art Show participants?
-    The new application is available online and it outlines the expectations for the artists
-    There is a desire for and expectation of artists displaying “works in progress” and items in the various stages of development
-    Displays and explanation of the different tools associated with your craft is needed
-    If participants would like to be considered to give a 20-30 minute “Artist Talk” at some point in the day, there is a section on the application to indicate that
-    Artists who wish to be able to sell more than the limit of items in the Outdoor Art Show booths may apply to run a separate Craft Show booth, but the craft show booth should be staffed by someone other than the artist.