Palmyra Arts Fest founder Erika Mitchell sees growth of Fluvanna arts as “something magical”
Fluvanna County’s rural roots are hiding an extensive underground local arts scene that locals believe to be growing.
“There’s something magical happening here,” said Erika Mitchell, owner of SweetArt Emporium.
She ought to know. She’s the owner of an arts-focused business and a founding sponsor of the Palmrya Arts Fest, the quarterly festival celebrating local art, music, and history. Erika has herself become a hub for the small-town community, as new programs, events, and opportunities drive connections and uncover the rural community’s emerging arts scene.
That artistic spirit of Fluvanna will be on display on September 14, when the county has a full slate of creative endeavors that won’t disappoint!
September 14 events in Fluvanna Arts:
- The Palmyra Arts Fest runs from 10 am to 4 pm, with a rain date of September 15. Free admission.
- Groovin at the Grove, a monthly concert series at the county’s beautiful Pleasant Grove Park, will be held from from 5 pm to 7 pm. Joe the Spy, a blues-based R&B band with Latin flair, will be on stage, and the event features food trucks and a beer garden. Free admission.
- Fork Union Day, organized by Fluvanna Leaders for Race & Diversity and Community Partners will be held from 9:30 am to 3 pm, featuring live music, food, a car show, and vendor booths, and a parade which starts at 9:30 am.
- Fluvanna County Arts Council will host Tom Teasley’s Jazz Soundscape- Silent Film Scores at Carysbrook Performing Arts Center at 7 pm. Tickets are available for $10 and can be purchased online at Carysbrook.org or in person at the box office on September 14.
Since opening in 2019, SweetArt Emporium has grown twice. Mitchell recently took over the space next door to her shop near Lake Monticello, allowing her to separate her studio and retail elements, giving more floor space to each. On the retail side of the house, SweetArt sells art from about 70 local artists (60 of whom are Fluvanna residents), as well as candy from around the state. The SweetArt studio provides space for Mitchell to offer a wide range of art experiences, from painting to pottery to crochet to crafts of all kinds. Studio visitors can enjoy drop-in ceramics and painting, classes, artist demonstrations, and more.
“It’s been really amazing,” she said of the success of SweetArt. “I started off just trying to find a place to put my own artwork. I realized there wasn’t one. I was at a moment in my life where I needed a career change, and I started this. I never dreamed of it growing to this size.”
Now Mitchell is on a mission to help other artists and art lovers in much the same way, cultivating connections and building awareness.
“It’s such a wide variety of artists and people, which is part of what makes me happy,” she said. “Just yesterday, two people from very different walks of life crossed paths here and discovered they had similar artistic interests. That connection is what makes me say, ‘Yes, this is what I want to be doing.’”
In 2020, the pandemic disruption to her business led to the founding of the Palmyra Arts Fest. Bringing together art and music outdoors was an immediate hit.
“People loved it,” she said. “They loved it so much, we needed to find a way to have more artists there.”
The festival found a more spacious home on Stone Jail Street, in the heart of Palmyra. The Fluvanna County Historical Society also joined in, opening the Old Stone Jail Museum and Maggie’s House to the public during the fests.
With local arts, local music, and local history all on display, the Palmyra Arts Fest is Fluvanna’s regular touchpoint for the arts- and Erika has become a driving force behind it.
Looking for more of Fluvanna’s arts-related events? Mark your calendars for October 19 & 20, as the Arts of Fluvanna County presents their Studio Tour, now expanded to two days for its third year. Dozens of local artists across every medium will open the doors to their studios for the public to learn more and engage with artists.
