Holiday Sweater Party to bring cheer, art and community together

Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor 

anne’s Visual Art Studio Gallery will bring the holiday season and cheer together again this year with its annual Holiday Sweater Party. Full of glitter, jingle bells and itchy fabric, the event encourages guests to wear their best — or worst — holiday sweaters while enjoying art, refreshments and live music by the band “Aurika.”

Set during First Friday, the fun and festivity-filled evening will be held on Dec. 5, from 6-9 p.m. at anne’s Visual Art Studio Gallery. It comes as part of the gallery’s continuing “Art2Go26!” exhibition — the gallery’s 26th Annual Artistic Gifts Mixed Media Small Works Group Exhibition Fundraiser — that began on Nov. 7 and will run to Feb. 12. 

The exhibition showcases original artwork from more than 50 Richmonders. 

Hundreds of pieces are on display, with all prices equal to or lower than $299. A majority of the works are below $100. The gallery is designed to be accessible with its affordable prices and allows buyers to take the artwork home with them immediately. 

Proceeds are split evenly between the artists and the gallery to help keep the gallery open. 

Anne Hart Chay, the gallery’s owner and founder, said the exhibition gets better and better each year.

“Artists have challenged themselves to create imaginative yet affordable small pieces,” Chay said. “They all know competition is fierce, not just with other options in the show but the ever growing options throughout RVA.”

The competition does not end on the artwork side of things, as the Holiday Sweater Party is true to its name by putting on a silly sweater contest.  

“They’ll be random drawings for those dressed to impress and someone will take home our soon to be coveted artfully made trophy,” Chay said. 

The exhibition and event are meant to help artists and keep art accessible during the holiday season. Artists are never charged to submit their art or turned away, Chay said. 

“In order to be able to accommodate everyone, the only stipulation was the size, and I decided the holidays were a perfect time for artful giving,” Chay said. 

The Holiday Sweater Party is both free and open to the public, giving Richmonders a chance to find unique gifts for the season while supporting local artists and galleries.