(Urbanna, VA) – Bay Transit, the public transportation division of Bay Aging, and the RAL Art Center have announced the dates for the fifth annual Art in Transit competition. Artists from across the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and Richmond region will be invited to participate in the fifth edition of the regional Art in Transit competition when the call for entries is announced in January. The deadline for entries and artwork submissions to the RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock has been extended to several dates next April to encourage participation. Artists can submit their artwork beginning Saturday, April 26.th2025, and Sunday, 27 Aprilthor Monday, April 28thfrom 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. “Every year we receive more submissions from across the region and want to make it easy for people to drive to Kilmarnock to submit them,” said Stephanie Brown, executive director of the RAL Art Center.
In 2025, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has also committed to being a Gold Sponsor and helping to evaluate Art in Transit submissions. This year, Jeffrey Allison, VMFA’s Director of Statewide Programs and Exhibitions and Paul Mellon Collection Educator, served as one of the art competition’s judges. “We are thrilled to be able to support Art in Transit again next year,” said Mr. Allison. “The opportunity to support public transit in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula while increasing access to the arts in the region is exactly the type of initiative VMFA is excited to be a part of. My colleague Celeste Fetta, VMFA’s Director of Education Joan P. Brock and Associate Director of Arts and Education, will serve on the judging duties next year,” Allison added. “I know what an honor and challenge it has been for me this year, and I am confident that Celeste will feel the same in 2025.”
Jenni Kirby, mosaic artist and owner of the Crossroads Art Center in Richmond, will serve as the second juror in 2025. In 2002, Jenni and fellow artist James Bassfield (retired for 8 years) opened the Crossroads Art Center in Richmond, VA. Over the years, the art center has grown to 25,000 square feet and over 225 artists.
Next year’s winners will be honoured at the 2025 Art in Transit Reception and Awards Ceremony at the RAL Art Centre in Kilmarnock on Friday evening 30 May.th2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. “In 2025, the first prize will again be $1,000, the second place winner will receive a check for $750, and the third place winner will receive $500,” noted Ken Pollock, director of Bay Transit. “Over the past four years, Art in Transit has grown into one of the premier art competitions in the region. I am grateful to the VMFA for their continued support in judging. There are always so many incredible entries, it’s nice to have professionals judging the artwork,” added Pollock. The climax of the awards ceremony will again be the unveiling of a copy of the first place entry on the side of a Bay Transit bus.
For more information about Bay Transit, visit www.BayTransit.orgFor more information about the RAL Art Center, please visit www.RalArtCenter.com.
