Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation

Blacksburg en Blanc
2026-08-22 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Blacksburg en Blanc Returns on August 22!
Purchase your ticket now for this elegant picnic and fun community event! The concept is simple and will be the same as in years past.

We provide:*a professional tent on our lawn with cafe lighting*tables*tablecloths*chairs*a few table decorations (we also encourage your creativity in bringing your own!)*music entertainment from the Nickel’n Dimers*a silent auction – proceeds benefit the various programming that our foundation brings to our community*trash cans and indoor restrooms
You provide for yourself or your group:*food*alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic drinks*cutlery*napkins*think about a picnic in the woods – you pack it in, you pack it out
*Lastly, please wear white as diners do across the world! It adds to the summer ambience!

THE HISTORY of Dîner en Blanc:

The concept began in Paris in 1988 when François Pasquier invited a group of friends to an elegant outdoor dinner at the Bois de Boulogne, asking them to dress in white so they could find each other. It is now a worldwide annual event spanning six continents. Diners are required to provide their own food, tables, chairs and tablecloths. Only a select number of participants who have previously signed up are made privy to the location the day of the dinner, and generally converge in an iconic urban location.
10% off for museum members at the Supporter, Curator, Historian, Patron, and Benefactor Levels with code benb2026. Want to become a member? Click HERE!
Ticket sales close Friday, August 8!

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16 Squares Walking Tour
2026-08-13 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-08-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-07-30 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-30 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-07-16 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-16 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-07-02 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-02 12:00 - 13:00 and 3 more dates | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Meet us at The Alexander Black House every other Thursday and then explore the historic streets within the original 16 Squares of Blacksburg and learn the rich history and stories behind many of the buildings and landmarks throughout town that may go unnoticed. You may also schedule this tour by appointment if Thursdays don’t work for your group.
The tour takes a little over an hour. Since this is a walking tour, please wear appropriate shoes and clothing for outdoor excursions.
Please RSVP by email to info@blacksburghistory.org. Tours limited to 4 people – for larger groups, please inquire and we will plan with you.

Genealogy Saturday
2026-08-01 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-04 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-06 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-02 09:00 - 12:00 | VA
Join Carol Smith and Don Braffitt in the Ronnie and Faye Marcum Blacksburg History and Genealogy Room at The Alexander Black House for our monthly Genealogy Saturday the first Saturday of each month. Carol and Don will be on hand to assist you as you explore your family tree. They will be able to demonstrate starting your family tree or help you conduct a deeper dive into specialized areas of genealogy. Come with questions about research and discovering your roots or come with no knowledge of your family and let them guide you. Just Come! Free and open to the public. For helpful family tree templates, visit our Genealogy Page.

Exhibit Opening Reception: BRAA Annual Theme Show - We The People
2026-07-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Join us for an opening reception and awards ceremony with the artists. This year’s judge is Donna Cruce Kocka.
This year’s Blacksburg Regional Art Association Theme Show, We The People, explores the living meaning of a phrase that is at once historic, intimate, and unfinished. During the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, artists are especially central to reflecting the shared life of a nation as something lived, inherited, contested and continually reimagined: nostalgic Americana; the tensions of the present moment; simple celebrations of humanity; deeper explorations of political power and participation. Work in this show will depict how individuals understand themselves as part of something larger, how stories are passed on, how belonging is felt or denied, and how a people recognizes itself over time.

Table to Scene Dinner
2026-06-24 17:30 - 21:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Art, Food, and Film!
Check out Soil to Soul, the museum’s community art show of 16 artists whose work focuses on agrarian and gardening culture, sample food from local restaurants, and then head over to The Lyric Theatre for a screening of Italian Wannabe, a documentary that celebrates the connection between food and community. AND, the film’s director, Steve Dabal, will be coming in to join us from New York for a special Q&A following the film screening. See more information about the film HERE.
June 24 also marks the last full day of the Community Foundation’s annual NRVGiveLocal campaign, so please consider giving back to your community further by donating to both the museum and theatre. Your assistance helps us keep three important downtown historic buildings operating – The Alexander Black House, St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, and The Lyric Theatre.
So that we can give our restaurants enough preparation time, tickets will close on June 20 after the Summer Solstice Fest.
Tickets are now closed.

A very special thank you to all our generous participating food partners!

Community Pride Blacksburg Free Clothing Fair
2026-06-10 11:00 - 14:00 | VA
Support Community Pride Blacksburg as it hosts its free clothing fair at the museum as part of Pride Week!
For a full listing of weeklong events, visit the Community Pride Blacksburg Facebook Page.

New Town Festival Gospel Sing
2026-06-06 08:00 - 13:00 | St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, 203 Gilbert Street, Blacksburg, VA, 24060
Join us for the 10th annual Gospel Sing, part of our New Town Festival Series, Saturday, June 6 from 12:00 to 5:00pm. Kirk’s Famous Smoked BBQ will bring the food truck again this year, so come hungry!
This is a FREE event, though donations are encouraged.

Exhibit Opening Reception: Soil to Soul
2026-06-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Join us for an opening reception with the artists!
Soil to Soul is a community show with thirteen local artists that explores themes of sustainable living, homegrown food, and support for local farmers. Using a variety of mediums, the artists in this exhibit highlight our rural Appalachian community while emphasizing the importance of supporting our neighbors.

We invite viewers to take a closer look at these works depicting the everyday scenes and traditions we sometimes take for granted, and to consider this question: what would Blacksburg look like without them?

Soil to Soul hopes to inspire patrons more broadly to support their neighbors, local businesses, local farmers, local artists, and local museum. We envision this community art show becoming and annual exhibition fostering future collaborations that celebrate the values that define our community.

Show runs June 5-30

In the Main Gallery: Soil to Soul
2026-06-04 - 2026-06-30 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Soil to Soul is a community show with thirteen local artists that explores themes of sustainable living, homegrown food, and support for local farmers. Using a variety of mediums, the artists in this exhibit highlight our rural Appalachian community while emphasizing the importance of supporting our neighbors.
We invite viewers to take a closer look at these works depicting the everyday scenes and traditions we sometimes take for granted, and to consider this question: what would Blacksburg look like without them?
Soil to Soul hopes to inspire patrons more broadly to support their neighbors, local businesses, local farmers, local artists, and local museum. We envision this community art show becoming and annual exhibition fostering future collaborations that celebrate the values that define our community.

Show runs June 5-30

GiveLocalNRV 2026
2026-05-31 - 2026-06-25 | VA
Since its inception in 2013, The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation has sought to serve the community through its mission to preserve, interpret & promote Blacksburg’s historic, artistic, and culture.
Through the programming & operations of our two historic venues – The Alexander Black House and St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, we have been able to provide innovative exhibits, programs and events to engage, educate, and build community.
This year, we hope to raise $10,000 to

expand and enhance our programming
complete important archival work
offer quality exhibits
continue the preservation of our two historic sites with a special focus on our exhibit redesign at the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall

As a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization, we rely on the support of our donors to continue operations. Please join us in our ongoing efforts to preserve, interpret & promote Blacksburg’s historic, artistic, and cultural heritage by donating to The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation.
PLEASE NOTE: “Friends of St Luke, Odd Fellows & Household of Ruth, Blacksburg VA” is not associated with The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation. Only funds donated to the Blacksburg Museum will help redesign and renovation efforts at the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall.
Your support is deeply appreciated!
Please consider our organization at Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation | GiveLocalNRV when you give this year!

Musical Performance by Sana Illahe
2026-05-19 13:30 - 14:30 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Join us for a special evening of Pakistani music! Sana Illahe is trained in Pakistani (Hindustani) classical genre. She sings classical, semi classical and folk songs that are centuries old and are passed on to her by her music guru in Pakistan through the oral tradition. She also sings her own compositions and plays instruments such as the harmonium, surmandal and tanpura during her performances. Dr. Illahe is also a professor of Sociology at Virginia Tech.

Cayambis String Quartet Concert
2026-05-13 14:30 - 16:30 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Committed to its objective to deliver a full spectrum approach to the performance of the classical music of the Americas, the Cayambis Institute (CILASiM) is pleased to announce the first concert performance and fundraiser of its newest ensemble, the Cayambis String Quartet. The event, free and open to the public, will be held at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 13, on southwest Draper Road in Blacksburg.
The Quartet consists of the principal players of the Cayambis Sinfonietta string section: Charley Shafer and Julian Smart, violins, violist Dave Phillips and María Paula Casas, cello. They will be performing works by composers from throughout Latin America, such as Venezuelan Teresa Carreño, Cuban Ignacio Cervantes and Puerto Rican Johanny Navarro.
An additional component of this event will be to fundraise for the October concert of the Cayambis Sinfonietta, which is our organization’s principal performing ensemble. On this event, the Sinfonietta will be premiering several recently-composed works from Latin America, as well as John Walker’s setting of a Civil War story by American author Ambrose Bierce.
About the Cayambis Sinfonietta: Founded in 2022, the Cayambis Sinfonietta is a seventeen-member chamber orchestra based in Blacksburg, Virginia. It serves as the principal performance arm of the Cayambis Institute for Latin American Studies in Music (CILASiM), which seeks to strengthen the awareness and appreciation of Latin American classical music by developing a full spectrum approach to its creation, performance and scholarship, and in so doing, cultivate bonds of goodwill and unity among the peoples of the Americas.

Market Jam at the Museum
2026-05-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Market Jams at the Museum are back for the cold (and fluctuating!) weather months in 2026! This jam will feature Mike Gangloff on fiddle with Eight Point Star.

Exhibition Opening Reception: Gilbert Linkous Art Students
2026-05-09 08:00 - 10:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Our Children’s Gallery features art from Gilbert Linkous Elementary School. Art teacher Shaun Whiteside has curated a beautiful collection of his student’s work from grades K-5. Each class learned about a famous artist and modeled art in their style. Artists Henry Ossawa Tanner, Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Munch, Hannah Hoch, Raoul Hausmann, Aaron Douglas, and Claude Monet are all represented in the array of pieces. Light refreshments will be available.

Exhibition Opening Reception: Just Using Our Imaginations
2026-05-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Join us from 5-7pm for an opening reception of “Just Using Our Imaginations” with Larry Bechtel and Ann Shawhan who have curated sculptures and mosaics that promise to fill our gallery with movement, color, and eccentric fun, including some pieces that require your assistance to complete!
Light refreshments will be available.
From Larry and Ann’s exhibition statement: “We tried to winnow this exhibit to a theme and found what unifies our work in each in our own way is the slant we bring to our mediums. Both sculpture and mosaic art have a lot of technique and logistics involved in the making of a piece which in itself can be an intimidating challenge, but it is what we have at hand, how we put it together in the way we do that is the mystery and the fun of creative endeavor. Who could imagine given our careers that we would be full tilt creatives? We just keep using our imaginations, keep playing with material, and that seems to keep us out of trouble. And in this show we hope to share with you the fun and wonder we enjoy in the making.”
For more information about their work, visit https://www.bechtelsculpture.com/ and https://amoremundoarts.com/

In the Main Gallery: Just Using Our Imaginations
2026-05-04 - 2026-05-30 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
An exhibition of Larry Bechtel’s sculptures and Ann Shawhan’s mosaics.
For more information about their work, visit https://www.bechtelsculpture.com/ and https://amoremundoarts.com/

Movie Screening: Pulling Threads
2026-04-30 15:00 - 17:30 | Alexander Black House, 204 Draper Rd SW, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, United States
Whether you’re a student, parent, teacher or community member, you won’t want to miss this special film screening opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, woven through powerful threads of personal stories, self-determination and authentic portrayals of disability.

Hosted in collaboration with the I’m Determined Center at James Madison University.

View the trailer HERE
Written by Alex Kent & Patrick Fitzgerald
Directed by Patrick Fitzgerald
Produced by Alex Kent, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jesse Rodriguez, Kendal Swartzentruber
Starring:
Chloe Sutterfield
Alex Jesus Burgos
Ariana Caldwell
Havon Baraka
PLEASE NOTE *This film portrays the realities of teenage and young adult life and the challenges and tensions that can arise within relationships. Families are encouraged to consider the maturity of its themes for younger
viewers.*
Movie starts at 7:30pm, but you are encouraged to come at 7:00pm for snacks and refreshments.
RSVP below for this free screening! The event is capped at 50. If full, please email info@blacksburghistory.org to be added to a waitlist.
