As I enter my final months leading the Academy Center of the Arts, I find myself taking stock of what is worth leaving behind. Of course, there is the practical knowledge such as login credentials, donor histories and even my secret go-to parking spot for shows. But I also feel a responsibility to share something with the wider community. What has happened here in Lynchburg through the Academy is extraordinary, and we must never take it for granted.
On countless nights throughout the year, the Academy’s theatres glow with life. Laughter and applause echo from the balconies. Students rush backstage for their cue. Families stream into the lobbies to find their seats. It is a scene of vibrancy and joy, of a community gathered together in inspiration. None of this is a happenstance.
The Academy’s journey has been remarkable. Decades of vision and determination brought the Historic Theatre back to life through the collective action of individuals, local businesses, our city government, foundations, and the federal government through historic tax credits. That effort culminated in 2018 when the doors reopened after decades of dormancy. Since then, our organization has grown by more than 400 percent, sustaining an annual operating budget of over $4.5 million in a city of just 80,000 people. For a community our size, this scale is nearly unheard of.
With this, the Academy’s story is also rooted in the legacy of the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center, which opened in 1962 after a successful private fundraising campaign. That facility boasted a 500-seat theatre, art galleries, and studio spaces, and for four decades it served as the city’s primary cultural home. Yet without a large endowment or consistent city government support, the burden of sustaining both programming and facilities became unsustainable. By the early 2000s, the Fine Arts Center merged with the Academy of Music, which was then working to restore its historic theatre downtown. The original Fine Arts Center site is now a hospital parking lot.
That history offers an important lesson for our future. Research from SMU DataArts shows that America’s most “arts vibrant” communities almost always include stable annual city funding for cultural infrastructure. Public investment matters because it provides the strongest foundation, steady support that withstands economic downturns, inflation and shifts in consumer markets. Without it, nonprofit arts organizations remain vulnerable and risk repeating the same cycle the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center experienced. If we want to avoid history repeating itself, we must recognize that public funding for the arts is a community wide decision. It depends on the choices we make at the ballot box and the values we expect our leaders to uphold. Securing consistent city investment is not just about the present but also about protecting and strengthening the arts for the next generation.
Fortunately for us, over the last seven years our corporate community has stepped up, joined by countless Academy Members, to provide a level of support almost unheard of for a city our size. Today, nearly 10 percent of the Academy’s annual budget comes from corporate investment, making it possible for us to operate year-round. That support allows us to present and host hundreds of performances, mount exhibitions across multiple galleries, run classes and camps for all ages, offer outreach programs, and send our “art bus” into Lynchburg neighborhoods and surrounding counties. Each year, the impact is felt by hundreds of thousands: children attending their first live show, local artists exhibiting their work, and national acts drawing visitors downtown. The ripple effect is profound, generating millions in local economic activity, supporting jobs, and fostering the cultural vitality that makes Lynchburg a place where people want to live and invest.
So, l am giving a standing ovation. To every business and Academy Member whose name appears in our Playbill, whose logo is on our posters, and whose support is written onto the walls of our campus: thank you. You are not just sponsors and donors. You are builders of a stronger community. Your commitment ensures the arts are not a luxury in Lynchburg but a central part of our shared life.
As I prepare to conclude my time leading the Academy, I want to leave this message with the community: the strength of the Academy has always been collective. Our city, citizens, donors and especially our corporate leaders have created something rare and powerful. To sustain it, we must continue to rally together when so much pulls us apart. That means supporting businesses that invest in the arts. It means becoming an Academy Member. And it means urging our elected leaders, and choosing future ones, who see the arts as essential to Lynchburg’s health and vitality.
The curtain rises because of all of us. Let’s keep the applause going.
Geoffrey Kershner is the outgoing CEO of the Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg.
