Dear Friend,
In September 1978, 1708 Gallery was born and the art scene in Richmond, Virginia, would never be the same. Richmond’s artists needed a space that could act independently without concern for commercialism, censorship or the vagaries of political agendas. They wanted a space that was courageous and fearless and that would advocate for art work that, because of content, size or politics, was being excluded from Richmond’s other exhibition venues.
So a group of artists (myself included), made the commitment to create what has become one of the oldest artist-run non-profit galleries in America. One of our proudest early moments came when the state’s Attorney General shut us down for displaying a work of art he found to be obscene!
The excitement generated by this bold new venture provided the spark that led to the rebirth of Shockoe Bottom. Similarly, our move to 319 West Broad Street helped spark a movement for the designation of this area as an Arts and Cultural District.
Location is the only thing that has changed about 1708 since that 1978 opening. We’re still a vibrant place for artists to show their works and for the public to engage with new art. We’re still an artist-run gallery. We still educate audiences about new art by presenting work they would not see elsewhere. And we still push the parameters of what’s “expected” in the city.
Perhaps most important of all, however, we still treasure the relationship between the gallery and our supporters. We could not have survived for 33 years without the support of so many people. And we cannot survive in the future without that continued support.
I’m asking you today to support 1708 Gallery by becoming a Member and help us continue to expand the understanding, development, and appreciation of contemporary art as well as the incubation of new art and new artists.
The many great benefits of Membership are listed on our website www.1708gallery.org. Selfishly however, I think the greatest Membership benefit of all is the opportunity to not only see some of the most exciting new art created in the country but also to establish relationships with the artists who are creating it!
I hope you’ll accept this invitation to join 1708 and I look forward to seeing you at the next opening!
Sincerely,
Joe Seipel
Dean, VCU School of the Arts
