Bower Center for the Arts is a hub for artistic and creative activities.  Whether you are interested in viewing artwork in the gallery, attending events and concerts, or just taking a class that helps you explore your creative side, we have a little bit of everything for everyone. 

CAB Kids is a community-driven initiative by Bower Center for the Arts designed to bring the joy of creativity to youth and families. Through free Family Art Days at Bower Center and participation in local events, CAB Kids will provide opportunities for hands-on artistic exploration in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Thanks to support from the Al Stroobants Foundation and the Greater Lynchburg Commuinty Foundation, we've created a program that aims to introduce families to the arts in an accessible, engaging, and safe space—encouraging creativity, connection, and lifelong appreciation for the arts. Whether through painting, sculpture, music, or other creative activities, CAB Kids fosters a love for artistic expression while making the arts available to everyone.

Join us for our first Family Art Day on May 24!

This past Saturday, we had two different booths set up to bring arts outreach to the community.  Susan and John hosted a booth the the D-Day Memorial's Family Day.  Emilie manned a booth at the Wharton Gardens for the Bedford Public Library's Welcome Spring Event. 

Des and his crew continue to work on our new Outdoor Learning Center and Gathering Space. This weekend, the deck boards were laid.  Today, they started installation of the hand rails. Things are moving quickly around here!  It's hard not to notice as you drive by! 

When completed, this 440 sqare foot deck will serve multiple purposes: a safe place for participants in our summer youth camps, an outdoor space to work with folks in our heARTworks programming, an additional location for classes, a place to step outside for a breath of fresh air during a Bower concert or event,  or simply a place for the folks in the community to relax with a cup of coffee or lunch.  

We hope to complete the entire project by the end of May, with a ribbon cutting and ceremony sometime in June.  

Summer at Bower is Back!
Each summer, Bower Center for the Arts hosts a variety of creative camps designed for the youth in our community. Led by our talented teaching artists, this year’s lineup includes five unique, week-long morning camps, each with its own artistic or imaginative theme. Camps run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the cost for each week is $175.

New This Year: Art Explorers – Afternoon Adventures!
Thanks to generous support from Centra and the Al Stroobants Foundation, we’re thrilled to introduce Art Explorers, a new afternoon program focused on community engagement. These camps include walking field trips and hands-on projects with local partners like Bedford Public Library, Bedford Urban Gardens (BUG), and Wharton Gardens. Each week brings a new collaboration and experience! Afternoon sessions are held Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for just $75 per week.

Campers can mix and match—join us for just the morning, just the afternoon, or both for a full day of summer fun at Bower!

Want to Help a Child Attend Camp?
A limited number of scholarships are available. If you’re interested in sponsoring a child’s camp experience, please contact Executive Director Susan Martin at s.martin@bowercenter.org.

A very special thank you to all the volunteers from Liberty University's Serve Lynchburg program who came to the Bower and volunteered their time to sprucing up our space.  Your positive attitude was truly contagious!

Our galleries are full of artwork created by the high school students of Bedford County.  Stop by and see how talented these aritsts are before this exhibit closes this weekend!

Our next exhibit, opening May 6, will be a dual exhibition.

The Braaten Gallery will feature the works of Kaye Lipscomb in her exhibit titled "Inside/Out."  Lipscomb was awarded Best in Show in our National Juried Paper Arts Exhibition in 2022.

In the Terrace Gallery, we will have the exhibit "Limited Edition." These works were completed by artists who are members of the Bower Center family.  This includes studio artists, staff members, Bower Center instructors,  board members, and committee members .

Reception for these exhibits will be held on Friday, June 13 at 5:00pm.  At this reception, we will also formally introduce our 2025 Suzie Viemeister Artist in Residence, Andrea Wild.  The reception is open to the public.  As always, admission to our galleries are free!

Early bird registration is open for the 13th Annual National Juried Exhibit.  The deadline for our Early Bird registration is July 12, 2025.

Fabulous Nuno-Felt Scarves

• One-Day Workshop: May 9
• 9am - 4pm
• Instructor: Dawn Edwards

Clay Works: Adult Hand-Building and Wheel-Throwing

• Tuesdays, May 27 - July 1
• 6pm - 8pm
• Instructor: Thomas Kilian

The Clay Craft Intensive: Form, Function, and Finish

• 5 Day Intensive Workshop, July 14-18
• 6pm-8pm
• Instructor: Thomas Kilian

Have the training, but are looking for the space, time, supplies, and guidance to work on sharpening your skills?  Dotti and Thomas host an array of Open Studios in mosaics and clay for artists to work here at Bower Center for the Arts.  Check the course schedule for available Open Studio times. 

Liz Chidester and Nilko: Folk Duo

• May 24, 2025
• 6:00-8:00pm
• Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Folk. Jazz. Rock. Pop. Blues. Funk. Country. Disco. Liz’s power is in her versatility. 

Singing for over a decade with multiple bands of different genres on stages all over the US, Europe, and sea on Virgin Voyages, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Holland America Line, she's now poised to grace the stage at the Bower Center with speical guest, Nilko. 

To see a full list of all events and gallery receptions here at the Bower Center click on the button below!