
BRINGING JOY THROUGH ART
TO OUR COMMUNITY
IX ART PARK Foundation
bringing joy through art to our community.
Welcome to the IX Arts Foundation, where art and community converge to create a vibrant space for creativity and connection. We believe art is for everyone and we celebrate the power of the creative process by providing opportunities for everyone to explore their creativity. We invite people of all backgrounds, talents and interests to visit our accessible and welcoming spaces. Our rich array of art representations bring together different perspectives that foster dialogue, understanding, and meaningful connections. More than an arts organization, we are a dynamic hub for inspiration and growth through the transformative power and joy of art.
Our MIssion

Directions
We are located at 522 2nd St. SE, Charlottesville, VA.
Our outdoor Art Park is open daily throughout the year. Our indoor immersive art museum, The Looking Glass, is open on Thursdays,Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and is located in the large building we share with the North American Sake Brewery & Restaurant and Three Notch'd Craft Kitchen & Brewery.


Ix is a place of
We welcome every member of our community to visit, explore, make and relax in the Art Park.

Inclusivity
We believe in the power of place and know a safe space can empower bold ideas.

Empowerment
We believe everyone is creative and celebrate that creativity.

Creativity
We embrace creative partnerships based on mutual respect.

collaboration
Founded in 1919, Frank Ix & Sons was originally based in Union City, New Jersey. In 1928, Frank Ix, Jr. moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to build the third and eventually largest of six mills. He’d only planned to stay a year but liked it so much, he stayed a lifetime.
Known around town as the silk mill, Ix & Sons produced “greige goods”, unfinished fabrics. During World War II, Ix & Sons shifted the emphasis of their output from bolts of fabric to nylon parachutes. Four times, the Undersecretary of War awarded Ix & Sons the Army-Navy Production Award, both for their industry and their contribution to the development of new fabrics such as rip-stop nylon, a true lifesaver for American paratroopers. For decades, Ix & Sons was Charlottesville’s largest employer, known for its fairness and warm family atmosphere. Most employees stayed with the mill at least twenty-five years. Many never worked anywhere else.
But in 1999, the grand old mill bowed to an enemy it could not see; a depressed domestic textile market. Their high of 1,400 employees shrank to only 150. After years of struggling, Ix & Sons finally succumbed to the pressure of foreign competition and closed its doors in 1999.
Why IX [ɪks̠]?
executive BOARD
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Craig Redinger
Treasurer-Attorney

Ravi
Cooper
President, United Way of Greater Charlottesville

Khalilah Jones
Atmosphere Shifter

Katherine nies
Performing Artist, Director, Entrepreneur
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Michael Caplin
Vice-President-Former President, Tyson's Corner Business District

Anne
Hunter
Former Executive Director,
Live Arts

Michelle Corbett
Founder & Art Director at Corbett Creative | Strategic Design + Branding, Print + Digital

Susan
kuttner
Founder + President

Kate Byrne
Secretary, Strategic Growth Advisor, Community and Partnership at Goodlight Capital

David
Gies
Former Paramount BOD, UVA Dean of Spanish