At first glance, small towns like Blacksburg can seem boring. Most newcomers, including students, don’t know what opportunities to look for and partake in. Many of us think of Virginia Tech rather than the actual town when we hear “Blacksburg, Virginia.” The public university can overwhelm the town of Blacksburg, leaving residents and college students unaware of hidden gems. But looking past Drillfield Drive, Burruss Hall and the Pylons, there are many interactive and communal opportunities full of art and culture waiting to be explored.
Art and cultural centers are important to any city or town because they provide an outlet for artists to express themselves, for patrons to enjoy something inspirational and for enlightening and overall enhancing the neighborhood’s atmosphere. They can also shine light on marginalized and underrepresented groups and histories. These institutions build a stronger sense of belonging, shared interest and multicultural understanding. All these positive aspects are what make a town ten times better; especially small towns like Blacksburg.
Having centers for the arts in a small town brings direct positive impact and change. Blacksburg is special because there are many ways to get involved artistically in a seven square mile radius that other towns do not prioritize or promote as heavily.
The Moss Arts Center is known for hosting many exhibitions and performances, like most performing art centers are. In February, there were performances by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and Kodo, which are not events many expect to witness in Southwest Virginia. Also recently, “The Book of Mormon” came to Moss and was a huge hit. A significant, unique aspect of Moss is that they also provide Q&As, school-day performances to public school students and workshops with the featured musician or artist around their performance date. This dives deeper into the rich history, culture and creation of their designated art and a chance for patrons to get more one-on-one involvement outside of their performance or exhibit.
Ruth Waalkes, associate provost for the arts and executive director for the Moss Arts Center, provides insight on how Moss cultivates opportunities for the student body and public.
“Our goal is to be serving students of the university — a very important audience — as well as the broader community,” Waalkes said. “Our goal always was that it would complement what was already existing in the community and really add to the opportunities for everyone. And I think we’ve done that.”
Just across Alumni Mall is the Squires Student Center. While it is affiliated with Virginia Tech, there are many options for the public to participate. Inside the building, there are three venues to check out: Studio Theatre, Haymarket Theatre and the Perspective Gallery. Outside of classroom lectures, the faculty-designed Studio Theatre holds concerts from various performers with a wide spread of instruments and themes. The Haymarket Theatre is similar; many presentations and productions are held for students and the public to attend, like the annual VT student-led Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Perspective Gallery displays diverse visual arts and photographs on a rotating basis, featuring multiple student artists throughout the year.
The Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation has been a staple in the community for over a decade. Its goal is to “preserve, interpret, and promote Blacksburg’s art, history and cultural heritage.” This institution maintains and operates programs through the Alexander Black House and St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, which can be found minutes from downtown Blacksburg. They host tours of historic buildings, galleries, market jams and lecture series. This is one of the few museums that can be found in Blacksburg, which is what makes it so special and rich in historic value.
Lastly, the XYZ Art Gallery is another key organization that promotes art and performance to students and the public. They are the only student-led art gallery in Blacksburg that hosts rotating exhibitions, live music every Friday from local bands and other social events. XYZ is a great venue for artists to display their art because there is no entry fee, and most exhibit submissions are accepted through the board.
Quin Campbell, vice president of the XYZ Art Gallery, shared why the gallery is an important and impactful asset for everyone and what some people may not know about it.
“Anyone can come play music, anyone can come show their art,” Campbell said. “We are not discriminatory or limited to ‘high end’ artists.”
There are many other establishments devoted to arts and culture throughout Blacksburg, including the Lyric Theatre, Smithfield Plantation, Armory Art Gallery, Hahn Horticulture Garden and more.
Waalkes also shines light on the overall goals of her and her team.
“Adding to the overall cultural life here is a big piece of what we hope to do,” Waalkes said.
Not only does Blacksburg offer a variety of places promoting the art life and cultural scene, the 2025 Best of Blacksburg survey supports what some of the residents actually think about their town. According to the survey, The Milk Parlor took the title of Best Live Music, Top of the Stairs, also known as TOTS, won Best Karaoke and finally, WUVT-FM won Best Radio Station.
Institutions and organizations that promote the arts can sometimes get lost in big cities or with insufficient media marketing. That’s why Blacksburg has the best art and culture programs. The town is small enough for residents to know what is going on through signage around the streets or word of mouth. Many residents and college students are passionate about Blacksburg’s art success and prosperity. Plus, no event goes unnoticed, with constant media coverage on GobblerConnect, Next Three Days, local government calendars, Step Into Blacksburg and more. There truly is no town comparable to Blacksburg, Virginia.