The Gallery on Valley began because of a love for art, and it continues to grow as more community members come on board to share that love with the rest of the community. Last week, we shared the Gallery’s newest venture with Chartula.
What started as a wholesale stationary business now has its own space inside the Gallery. Chartula is a specialty shop offering fine paper goods, fountain pen inks, select paints and art supplies, books, puzzles and curated art kits for writing, art-making and creative exploration.It’s a welcoming place to take a break, spark your curiousity, challenge your mind and enjoy moments of creativity and discovery.
But Chartula founder, Marti Spaulding, envisions it as more than a retail store. She wants Chartula to be a place where someone who has never painted, drawn or worked with a fountain pen can walk in, ask questions and try something new without feeling overwhelmed by the choices or cost of art supplies.
Spaulding remembers that feeling herself. When she first began working with watercolor, she invested in expensive paper without fully understanding why it mattered.
“I was trying to do these gradients and I was like, ‘Wow, my gradients just aren’t that smooth,’” she recalled. “I eventually realized that the inexpensive paper I’d been practicing on was part of the problem. That’s when I started to understand why paper quality mattered.”
That experience helped shape part of Chartula’s vision to help people understand the value of the materials they use. Future classes and workshops will give people an opportunity to learn not only how to create, but why certain papers, paints and other materials perform differently. Spaulding also plans to work with artists to test products and share those experiences with customers.
“That’s what Chartula is all about,” Spaulding said, describing the importance of being able to hold a pen, feel the paper and actually experience products that can be difficult to choose online. “Chartula is also a place to keep your mind curious and engaged. Through puzzles, art supplies, journals and other thoughtful finds, we offer ways to explore new interests, spark your imagination and challenge yourself. So much of our attention goes to our phones and screen these days. Chartula is a place where anyone can step away from scrolling and discover the joy of solving, making, writing and trying something new.”
The shop will eventually offer courses for both children and adults, although some of that programming may not begin until 2027. For the upcoming holiday season, the focus will initially be on retail.
For Spaulding and Gallery manager Stevie Loebs, the connection between Chartula and the Gallery is natural. One space introduces people to the work of artists, while the other provides the materials and inspiration to try creating something themselves. It also creates an opportunity for Gallery visitors to talk with artists and volunteers about the products they use, while Chartula customers can discover the exhibitions and creative programming happening just steps away.
“It’s for the community of Scottsville,” Loebs said, adding that thirty percent of Chartula’s proceeds will go toward Gallery operations, helping sustain the volunteer-run space and its programming. “It helps keep everything running. It’s another really great opportunity for everyone to give back by simply making a purchase for themselves.”
The early response has already been encouraging. During Chartula’s soft launch, Loebs said traffic into the Gallery more than tripled over a two-day period. Both Loebs and Spaulding are encouraging the community to help shape what comes next. Suggestions for classes, exhibitions, creative activities and products are welcome as the Gallery and Chartula continue to develop their offerings. The Gallery’s future is ultimately tied to the community that surrounds it. Volunteers, artists, visitors, donors and local businesses all play a role in keeping the doors open and the creative energy moving.
“We all love Scottsville. We all want to make it better,” Loebs said. “We’re very excited for the changes to come. It’s very interesting to see what is happening.”
And as Valley Street continues to evolve, the Gallery on Valley is positioned to remain an important part of that story as it provides a place to see art, meet people, learn something new and simply spend time together.
The Gallery is intentional about the artwork it presents, Loebs said. Approximately 90 percent of the art goes through a jury process, with an emphasis on providing unique, new and family-friendly experiences. School groups and the Boys & Girls Club have visited for tours, and the Gallery has welcomed people of all ages through its doors. Visitors can also experience the space outside of regular gallery hours through private tours, book clubs and meetings. Victory Hall and the SCAN land are also available for rentals.
The organization is continually looking for ways to make the Gallery more accessible and useful to the community. Plans for the coming year include working toward becoming fully handicap accessible and expanding the number of classes and creative programs offered, with a stronger emphasis on art-based and creative programming and more opportunities for artists and visitors to connect. The upcoming exhibition schedule reflects that commitment.
In November, the Gallery will present The Art of the Quilt, featuring the lifelong dedication to quilting of Christine Jacoby. Several of Jacoby’s art quilts have been donated for a silent auction benefiting the SCAN endowment fund. The proceeds will help build a fund that can provide ongoing support for SCAN through the interest it generates. The Main Gallery will also feature the Winter Wonderland Holiday Arts Market, bringing together artists from the town of Scottsville as well as from the counties of Fluvanna, Buckingham and southern Albemarle. There are other ideas in the works, too, including a possible winter nighttime event focused on the dark skies over the SCAN land and astro photography.
With Chartula joining the creative landscape, there is now another reason to stop, look around and stay awhile. The Gallery and Chartula may be offering different sides of the creative experience, but together they are helping create something that Scottsville has been building toward all along: a community where art is not simply something to look at, but something to experience, share and make part of everyday life.
