Ix Art Park Foundation

IX ART PARK FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS "SPARKING CREATIVITY AND INSPIRATION IN PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY LIVES." WE PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE ART AND CULTURE ON OUR GROUNDS AND IN OUR PROGRAMMING FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS, OLD AND YOUNG, RICH AND POOR, REGARDLESS OF RACE, ETHNICITY OR PERSUASION. WE AIM TO GATHER AND CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY. WE BELIEVE CULTURAL INTERACTION CREATES BEHAVIORAL AWARENESS. WITHIN AN INFRASTRUCTURE OF IMMERSIVE VISUAL ART, WE CREATE ARTS EDUCATION PLATFORMS AND PROGRAM MULTI- CULTURE, MULTI-GENERATIONAL PERFORMANCE EVENTS WITH LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS. THE IX ART PARK SITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE'S STRATEGIC INVESTMENT AREA ("SIA"), A NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATED IN AN OPPORTUNITY FUND ZONE THAT PRIMARILY CONSISTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS. THE ART PARK HELPS TO ACHIEVE THE SIA'S GOAL TO CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE ART, IN ALL ITS FORMS, THEREBY CREATING A HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD.

COMMUNITY AND DIVERSITY - THE IX ART PARK WAS SPECIFICALLY FORMED TO BRING NEW ENERGY TO AN UNDERSERVED AND LARGELY MINORITY NEIGHBORHOOD. MULTI- CULTURAL AND MULTI-RACIAL PROGRAMMING HAS BECOME A KEYSTONE TO OUR IDENTITY, ALLOWING US TO PRODUCE MORE DIVERSE PROGRAMMING THAN ANY OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATION IN TOWN. FOR EXAMPLE, WE BOOK AN ARRAY OF BLACK TALENT IN R&B, GO GO, REGGAE, AND HIPHOP. WE HOST AN ANNUAL BLACK BUSINESS EXPO TO SHOWCASE MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES, AND AN ANNUAL SOUL OF CVILLE FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE BLACK EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS. WE ALSO BOAST A STRONG LATIN AMERICAN FOLLOWING THROUGH OUR A) BI-WEEKLY SALSA AND BACHATA DANCE EVENTS, B)CVILLE SABROSSO, OUR ANNUAL FOLK FESTIVAL CELEBRATING FOOD, DANCE, AND MUSIC FROM A DOZEN OF LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, AND C) DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, A TRIBUTE TO THE DAY OF THE DEAD ALLOWING PEOPLE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THEIR PASSED LOVED ONES. WE PROGRAM EVENTS FOR THE LGBTQIA COMMUNITY, INCLUDING A) ACTIVITIES CELEBRATING PRIDE FEST, B) DRAG SHOWS, C) A QUARTERLY WOMEN'S ONLY DANCE, AND D) A TRANSGENDER COMEDY SHOW. WE HOST ZALTANDI, AN ANNUAL DANCE FESTIVAL THAT SHOWCASES DANCE STYLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES - THE IX ART PARK HOSTS OVER 200 EVENTS EACH YEAR SPANNING MANY GENRES OF MUSIC, DANCE, FILM, THEATER, CRAFTS AND VISUAL ARTS, AS WELL AS FAMILY FRIENDLY FESTIVALS, WELLNESS-ORIENTED EVENTS, AND EVENTS PROMOTING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. THE MAJORITY OF OUR EVENTS ARE EITHER FREE TO THE PUBLIC OR OFFERED AT AFFORDABLE PRICES (TYPICALLY 5 TO 15 PER TICKET). THIS ALLOWS PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING. BUSINESS, COMMERCE, AND THE ARTS ECONOMY - OUR MEASURED IMPACT ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY HAS BEEN DRAMATIC. IN 202, WE WELCOMED MORE THAN 340,000 PEOPLE TO THE IX ART PARK TO VIEW THE ART, ATTEND EVENTS OR SIMPLY RELAX IN OUR BEAUTIFUL PARK. IN RECENT YEARS, PUBLIC DESTINATION TENANTS HAVE ALSO FLOCKED TO THE PROPERTY, INCLUDING 4 RESTAURANTS/BREWERIES, A FITNESS STUDIO, A CO-WORKER SPACE, A COFFEESHOP, A MOM AND POP PET STORE, AND A 700 MEMBER NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHURCH. DURING THIS SAME TIME, REAL ESTATE TAXES FOR THE PROPERTY INCREASED OVER 500%. WE HAVE ALSO WON MANY AWARDS, INCLUDING "BEST PLACE TO BE CREATIVE", "BEST KIDS PARK, "INSPIRATIONAL CREATIVE SPACE, AND " BEST GALLERY". IN 2019, THE IX ART PARK BEGAN BUILDING THE LOOKING GLASS, VIRGINIA'S ONLY PERMANENT, IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE ART SPACE - A 3,000 SQ FT ENCHANTED FOREST BUILT BY 13 LOCAL, COMMISSIONED ARTISTS. THE LOOKING GLASS, WHICH OPENED IN JANUARY 2020, IS AIMED AT VIRGINIA'S VIBRANT TOURISM INDUSTRY.