Art Project Roanoke was born in 2025 from one powerful act of generosity: a downtown building donated by someone who believed the arts could bring healing, connection, and new life to the city.

With that gift, Roanoke artist Ann Glover stepped in to imagine what the space could become.

Ann grew up in Roanoke, explored the arts for years in California, then returned to cultivate creativity here at home. Ann is a co-founder of Market Gallery, and of Roanoke’s Open Studios Tour, the citywide event that brings hundreds of people into artists’ workspaces each year. From mixed-media work to beloved public pieces — like her whimsical dog statue outside the Grandin firehouse — Ann has spent years making Roanoke brighter, one project at a time.

Recognizing the potential of the donated building, Ann began exploring how to expand its impact and bring more people into the process of making art. What started as a simple idea—affordable studios upstairs and workshop + gallery space downstairs—quickly grew into a community-driven vision shaped by conversations, collaboration, and a shared desire to create more opportunities for Roanoke’s artists and neighbors.

That vision is rooted in three core beliefs:

• Creativity builds confidence.

• Community grows through shared experiences.

• The arts should be accessible to everyone.

Today, Art Project Roanoke is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and burgeoning community art hub at 101 Campbell Ave SW building out affordable studios, a schedule of workshops, classes, events, and a welcoming space where neighbors of all ages can gather to make, learn, and belong.

We’re building a creative home for Roanoke. And we hope you’ll join us.