City of Arts

City of Arts Logo Image

The City of Norfolk is home to some of the most widely recognized and outstanding arts and cultural offerings in the Mid-Atlantic region. To better highlight these valued amenities before its residents and visitors, the City has launched an awareness campaign titled “Norfolk – The City of Arts.” 

This multimedia effort’s first phase highlights the images and sounds of five of Norfolk’s most prominent arts and cultural assets: Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company at the Wells Theater and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. These five organizations comprise the Norfolk Arts Roundtable, a group of quasi-city partners whose content ranges from paintings and ornate glass sculptures to world-class plays, concerts and operas. 

Throughout the year, the City will release deeper dives into these and other organizations showcasing how they have enhanced the quality of life within the city and across Hampton Roads for decades and will continue to do so going forward. Some offer free admission, and each organization supports various educational programs to help create the next generation of enthusiasts and patrons of local museums and performing arts offerings. 

Norfolk owns and operates a number of venues that regularly welcome the performing arts including the Attucks Theatre, Chrysler Hall, Harrison Opera House, Scope Arena and Wells Theatre. The City budgeted more than $6.5 million toward its Cultural Facilities, Arts and Entertainment in its 2023 fiscal year, with a projected increase to nearly $6.9 million included within the City’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget.

Chrysler Museum of Art Image Link
Virginia Arts Festival Image Link
Virginia Opera Image Link
Virginia Stage Company at the Wells Theatre Image Link
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Image Link


"The Soul of Norfolk" is now on display in Park Place! Muralist, Trevor Lucas of Anomaly Studios, was selected by Norfolk Arts to put the neighborhood's rich history in art form here on the corner of 35th Street and Colley Avenue. Residents and business owners of Park Place gathered on the day of completion to celebrate Norfolk's newest piece of public art!      



"We make a lot of data-driven decisions in our daily lives... and having an intersection between art and data makes it more relatable to people."

📊 Learn more about the project and the datasets represented on the Open Data Portal here ➡️: https://www.norfolk.gov/artofdata