
Port Warwick Foundation
The Port Warwick Foundation is a public non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization with the purpose of organizing and managing regional arts and entertainment events located at Styron Square in Port Warwick, Newport News, Virginia. Currently the Foundation hosts the Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival, held on the second weekend in October of each year, the Port Warwick Summer Concert Series, a free outdoor series of concerts held each Wednesday evening from May through August, a Jazz Series every Sunday in April and September and a Holiday Tree Lighting in late November.
The Port Warwick Art and Sculpture Festival is in its 18th year and is the Virginia Peninsula’s premiere outdoor juried art show. The Festival has over 80 selected artists who come from all over the United States, live music, food vendors, and children’s activities. The Festival has drawn over 18,000 people and art sales totaling over a million dollars since its inception.
The Port Warwick Summer Concert Series is in its 17th year, and was the first free outdoor summer concert series in the area. It has become the most popular and well attended of such events and is currently the only outdoor venue in Newport News with weekly concerts. The concerts are composed of a broad musical variety with such types as jazz, blues, rock and roll, samba and folk. Something for every musical taste! Each concert draws from 1,000 to over 3,000 people, based on the music and weather of any given concert. The attendees come from all over the Virginia Peninsula and beyond.
The Port Warwick Holiday Tree Lighting is an old-fashioned and festive holiday event for the whole family. The kids love visiting with Santa while choral groups provide live entertainment – all leading up to the lighting of the holiday tree!
Jazz on the Square is a jazz concert series held every Sunday in April and September.
The Arts Festival, Jazz on the Square, Summer Concert Series, and Holiday Tree Lighting contribute significantly to the quality of life on the Virginia Peninsula, making the area a better place to live and work. These events cannot happen without the generous support of our sponsors and donors. While the Arts Festival charges artists to participate and also receives some funding from the City of Newport News, these revenues make up only 25% of the actual cost to run the festival. While the Summer Concert Series receives a significant contribution from the Port Warwick Conservancy, the property owners association of Port Warwick, this contribution covers less than half of the actual cost to put on the series. Without the generous support of individual and business sponsors and donors these events would not be possible.
Port Warwick Foundation 2022 Board of Directors:
NAME |
TITLE |
---|---|
Derry L. Haywood, II | Chairman |
Mary Crowder | Board Member |
Joanne Palmeira | Board Member |
Genine Pettitt | Board Member |
Tu Ritter | Board Member |
Ray Suttle | Board Member |
Howard Waters | Board Member |
Jesse Young | Board Member |