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.