WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SEPTEMBER WITH FALL ART TOUR VENUES AND ARTISTS!

Just two months until this year’s Fall Art Tour! The 20th Annual Fall Art Tour of the Artists or Rappahannock is November 1-2, 2025 – we hope to see you there! Maps will be available the week before the Tour here on our website, or subscribe to our newsletter to get the maps and other news directly to your inbox!

Come out to Rappahannock this month to enjoy world-class local fine art art – there are fabulous exhibits at all of our galleries! It’s a wonderful time of year to come out to the County for the day or weekend, do some shopping in all of our galleries and local shops, and enjoy our wineries, micro-breweries, farm stands and markets.

There are so many options to indulge yourself in Rapaphannock! Incredible art and local shops, of course, but also many spas in the County offering all kinds of wonderful services. Add hiking in the Shenandoah National Park, wineries and micro-breweriesamazing restaurants, and overnight accomodations and you have all the makings of a wonderful get-away from the city!

There’s something for everyone in Rappahannock!

Here’s what’s happening this month:

Click all images to open them in lightbox.

JASON GOLDMAN

Shop All Fall Market

September 6, 2025

8356 W. Main Street
Marshall, VA 20115
at half past moon coffee buzz

Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

 

MIDDLE STREET GALLERY

“STONES AND MEMORIES”
Robert Bouquet

September 12 – October 19, 2025
Artist Reception: September 13, 2024, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Middle Street Gallery
311 Gay Street, Lower Level, facing Main Street & across from Ballard’s Gallery
Washington, VA 22747

Hours: Friday – Sunday, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

 

I am a self-taught sculptor working in the “taille-directe” or direct carving method.  I do utilize some power tools for rough cutting; however, I try to use hammer and chisel and other hand tools as often as possible.  The physical effort of carving stone is part of what has drawn me to this form of art.

I have been sculpting for about 40 years, originally using wood as my medium.  Switching to stone about 25 years ago, I now work mostly in black soapstone (quarried in central Virginia) as well as Italian marble and alabaster.

The subject matter for most of my work is the human figure or animal life.  I have also done some abstract pieces emphasizing organic forms.

My work is in a number of private collections as well as galleries in Middleburg, Sperryville, and Washington, Virginia.  I have also been in various juried shows throughout Virginia and have participated in several auctions for charitable fund-raising events. 

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS:

MIDDLE STREET GALLERY

Hans Gerhard and Susan Raines: Angles, Circles, Curves, Ovals, Rectangles, Spirals, Squares, Triangles in Paintings, Photography, and Sculpture

August 1 – September 7, 2025
Opening Reception with the artists: August 2, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm

311 Gay Street
Lower Level, facing Main Street & across from Ballard’s Shop & Gallery
Washington, VA 22747
(540) 227-5066

Hours: Friday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm

 

 

Images from top to bottom:

Sculpture by Hans Gerhard
Photograph by Susan Raines

GAY STREET GALLERY

Patricia Brennan, Barbara Heile and River District Potters Sara Adams and Nancy Nord

August 9 – October 8, 2025
Opening Reception with the artists: August 9, 2025, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

337 Gay Street
Washington, VA 22747
(540) 227-5100

Hours: Friday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm or by appointment (540) 316-8898

Gay Street Gallery is also happy to help you by phone (540) 227-5100 or email office@gaystreetgallery.com.

This exhibit features new work by Patricia Brennan, Barbara Heile and River District Potters Sara Adams and Nancy Nord, with new items from the personal collection of the Gallery owners and items from the archives of Kevin H. Adams.

 

Images from top to bottom:

Patricia Brennan
Barbara Heile
Sara Adams
Nancy Nord

SPERRYVILLE ARTIST COOPERATIVE & GALLERY

Benjamin Mason

through December 31, 2025

Sperryville River District
3 River Lane
Sperryville, VA 22740
(540) 227-6509

Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm

Ben Mason is an accomplished musician and artist. His mixed media constructions and paintings are influenced by the philosophy of Aboriginal and Tribal art and contain artifacts, found objects, and pieces from nature that present a deeper calling.

Meet the artist at the gallery on the second Saturday of each month, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Check out the permanent collections at these local galleries as well as the current exhibitions featured above:

Artful Friends Gallery: Located in the new Marketplace in Sperryville, this gallery is a partnership of six artists and longtime friends (including two sisters). In alphabetical order, we are: Holly Flowers, Mary Berk Gidzinski, Nancy Kline, Patricia Reid, Beth Schmaltz and Jacque Towner. Every item for sale in this gallery is hand made by one of the artists. You’ll find an eclectic bunch–there are fine art mosaics, creative and original textile pieces, watercolors, wearable art, jewelry, repurposed and unique functional items, and much more.

R.H. Ballard Shop & Gallery: Housed in a 1930’s building on Main Street in Washington, VA, since 1996, Ballard’s includes both a beautiful art gallery in its downstairs space as well as an award-winning shop upstairs featuring one-of-a-kind finds, table wares, European & vintage items, women’s accessories, and so much more. Ballards has won many awards and accolades, including “Best Shops in the South” by Southern Living Magazine, “Best Shops in Virginia” from THE SHOPKEEPERS, and in the press in the Washington Post and Washingtonian Magazine among others. It has also been awarded 5-stars and touted on TripAdvisor by loyal fans and clientele.

Gay Street Gallery: Located in picturesque Washington, Virginia, Gay Street Gallery sits centrally within two blocks of restaurants, shops, entertainment and lodging.  An adjacent courtyard makes the perfect place for a picnic lunch, and in the Fall, our outdoor fireplace is a good spot to warm hands! Gay Street Gallery presents the work of select, award-winning artists from Virginia and around the country.  With a focus on representational landscape and figurative paintings, the Gallery also shows sculpture and other three-dimensional art, and also hosts exhibitions of contemporary work in various media.

Haley Fine Art: Established in 2000, Haley Fine Art (HFA) presents its collection in Sperryville, Virginia. Ensconced in the Blue Ridge Mountains, HFA provides a quiet natural space for collectors and artists to connect. The gallery offers two to three shows annually, typically on the second Saturday of May, October and December. Decades-long relationships are the norm, Chris Stephens, Robin Purnell, Patton Wilson, Drew Ernst, Michael Fitts, BK Noh, Woody Blackwell, and Tom Mullany are among the artists represented by HFA for more than twenty years. HFA features works sold for each artist on the website—a testament to lifelong commitments.

Middle Street Gallery: The Middle Street Gallery is an artist-owned gallery run by its members. It was established in 1983 and is located at 311 Gay Street, Lower Level, facing Main Street & across from Ballard’s in the town of Washington, Virginia. The Gallery’s mission is to support quality and innovation in the arts and to promote its members work. As a non-profit cooperative, it also strives to foster interaction and collaboration among members and non-member artists and the general public. Members’ work includes all aspects of the fine arts: drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, mixed-media, photography; the gallery also embraces new developments in art-making.

SPAC Gallery: Sperryville ARTist Cooperative/SPAC Gallery is an artist-owned studio, gallery and event showcase that features, emerging, and established fine artists, and craftsmen who celebrate the natural beauty and farmland heritage of Virginia’s Piedmont Region. This rustic yet inviting artist-operated gallery exhibits an enticing collection of multidimensional, paintings, mixed media, photography, and art of social commentary. Considered a welcoming center for the River District area, Sperryville ARTist Cooperative, now located inside the Marketplace, Sperryville VA provides visitors with a unique and personal experience.

Thornton River Art is a collaboration of three Rappahannock County artists: Patricia Brennan, Heidi Morf, and Martin Woodard. Located on Main Street in Sperryville, it features the work of 30 local artists.