Ending the "Starving Artist" — one business at a time.
RVAC gives artists in the Roanoke Valley the business education, community, and studio space they need to build truly sustainable creative careers.
The Roanoke Valley Arts Collective mission is to end the "Starving Artists" by helping artists start and reform their businesses to be sustainable. The collective aims to build an inclusive network of regional arts, develop programs, workshops, and socials for new and emerging artists, local business owners, and supporting patrons.
Practical workshops on pricing, finance, legal basics, marketing, and more — taught in the context of the creative economy.
A growing open studio and makerspace equipped with ARTSMARTS tools, plus gallery space to exhibit and sell your work.
Socials, critique circles, and direct connections to regional advisors including our SBDC partners — because no artist builds alone.
Quarterly workshops tackle the business side; monthly classes build your practice and your community. All experience levels welcome.
Workshop schedules and registration announced via newsletter. Join free to stay informed →
RVAC gallery space gives Working Members a place to exhibit and sell their art — with real experience negotiating, pricing, and presenting work to a public audience. 10% of sales supports the collective.
Gallery space is available to Working Members. Upgrade your membership to exhibit and sell your work in RVAC gallery space.
We built our tiers with one goal: no artist should be priced out of the support they need. Any artist, at any experience level, is welcome.
Sebastian co-founded RVAC in 2024 after examining the gaps between creative talent and business viability in the Roanoke Valley arts community. He leads programming development, business consultation, and the RVAC advisory infrastructure.
Gabrielle brings deep experience as a practicing artist and business owner (The Slap Shop LLC) to RVAC's operations. She leads community programming, studio operations, and artist consultation alongside Sebastian.
ARTSMARTS is the equipment and supplies partner powering the RVAC studio and makerspace. Through this partnership, RVAC members have access to professional-grade tools to create, experiment, and build their business — without the overhead of owning it all themselves.
"We built RVAC because we believe every artist deserves a sustainable creative career — and the community to help them get there."