Oakwood Arts

Oakwood Arts is a 501(c) nonprofit founded in 2017 with the mission to make art and creative careers accessible to all through community engagement, inspiring programming, and experiential education. Based in Richmond’s rapidly-changing East End neighborhood, Oakwood Arts aims to provide our community with an inclusive space where students, families, and community members come together to pursue their creative passions, engage in technical training, workshops, and networking, and develop their artistic and professional skills. Our programs include classes and workshops that focus on the digital and technical skills students need to succeed in the creative workforce.

Oakwood Arts’ work encompasses creative workforce development and community-oriented programming. Our workforce innovation programs range from our long-running Arts & Technology courses and workshops led by college-age mentors to individualized training and mentoring that prepares Richmond-based high-school students, recent graduates, and college students to embark on creative careers in fields like film, creative advertising, and professional photography. Oakwood Arts’ community programs are adaptive: through this work, we meet the immediate needs of local students, parents, families, and community members, as well as provide free, engaging creative activities and programs. Our facilities include our building and the Oakwood Arts Park, an outdoor space for East End students and neighbors, equipped with seating, free WiFi, and giving libraries filled with school supplies and art-making projects.

OA JET, which stands for Oakwood Arts Job Education Training, is a training and job placement program for emerging creatives who are currently underrepresented in many creative industries. This program has created an education-to-employment pathway to positions in television, film, and other creative industries for youth and young adults who have an interest in—but not the opportunity—to work in the film industry. Major film and television studies that OA JET participants have worked for include: AMC, Hulu, Showtime, Paramount, Apple TV +, and Netflix. This training program is conducted via small workshop-style settings where we have in-person meetings and training sessions tailored to provide support while OA JET participants are working on their first production jobs. In addition to our PA Training program we will also invite OA JET program participants, as well as OA’s Intern Team, to work on annual short film training projects and smaller scale projects, such as American Aria. In those projects, OA JET participants work alongside seasoned industry professional crew members and professional artists to hone their skills. Additionally, this program provides participants with soft skills such as resumes, how to build credit, and how to get past barriers that might prevent you from moving forward.

Please check out our website to learn more!