Building community takes art. Music. Food. Laughter. A willingness to work together. Most of all, it takes vision.

For almost 30 years, Hope House has been the vision behind the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. And now, the free event is a community tradition, drawing more than 50,000 visitors annually.

Twice a year, on the third weekend in May and October, people flock to Stockley Gardens in Norfolk’s historic Ghent neighborhood to browse through jewelry, pottery, paintings, and other works of art by approximately 130 artists. The park is full of strollers and dogs and tantalizing smells. Music drifts from the stage. Friends stop to chat. And throughout the weekend, there is a feeling of hope.

The money raised during these events helps pay for housing, transportation, medical care, and more for people with intellectual disabilities. But the events themselves benefit the entire community.

Each year, a nationally recognized artist or curator judges the artists, who compete for cash prizes. There are special exhibits and prizes for college students in the fall, and high school students in the spring. Award winners are announced during the Artists’ Reception, which is held Saturday evening on the Main Stage.

We’re proud to give the community one of the best outdoor arts festivals in the area. In fact, the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival has been voted one of the top two art festivals in eastern Virginia by Virginia Living Magazine readers four years in a row, so don’t miss the upcoming Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. It’s a good time, for a good cause.