Staff Spotlight: Jeff Ashworth, Development and Grants Specialist

We’re thrilled to introduce our new Development and Grants Specialist, Jeff Ashworth, whose career spans more than 15 years of innovation in print and digital publishing. With experience building high-impact content ecosystems, scaling creative teams, and shaping editorial identities for globally recognized brands, he brings a rare blend of strategic vision, storytelling expertise, and operational leadership to CultureWorks.

He’s bringing that same creativity, precision, and big-picture thinking to CultureWorks by helping us strengthen our funding efforts and support the arts and culture community across the region. In this spotlight, we’re excited to share more about the storyteller, strategist, and problem-solver joining our team.

CultureWorks: What is your role at CultureWorks, and what does a typical day look like for you?

Jeff: Still getting my sea legs, as I've only been with the organization since October 1. The majority of my time has been spent creating/sending our Fall Appeal letter (check your mailboxes!), and talking to area artists and creators about the CultureWorks grant program to have a better understanding of how we can ensure the application process is as effective, efficient, and approachable as it can be. When not pursuing tasks associated with those goals, the rest of my day is spent asking how to use the copier or where to find extra office supplies.

CultureWorks: What drew you to this position and to working in the arts and cultural sector?

Jeff: I have a pretty varied background even though most of my career experience is in publishing. I've spent a fair amount of my life helping other people (and brands) tell their story, helping bridge the gap between what people are actually saying vs what they mean to say. I was excited by the chance to use my skillset as an editor and storyteller, as well as my background in public speaking, to help artists, creative organizations, and cultural institutions connect with potential patrons in Richmond and the Tri-Cities. I'm looking forward to championing the immense value investments in arts and culture have on our community, not just our hearts and minds and collective spirit, but in the concrete and measurable ways they fuel the local economy. I don't want to say it'll be easy, but the facts speak for themselves...so in that way it'll at least be simple. And with a toddler at home, I'll take all the simplicity I can get.

CultureWorks: What part of CultureWorks’ mission resonates most with you personally?

Jeff: Without getting too mushy about it, I firmly believe the more we learn about one another, the more we see and hear one another, the better our community (and state, and nation, and planet) can be. Great art has a unique way of breaking through the noise, creating spaces and topics for discussion. As I grow into the role at CultureWorks, I want to do all I can to ensure that every resident of Richmond and the Tri-Cities has access to the tranformative and transportive power of arts and culture. I want to help contribute to our city's growing reputation as a destination for great art, and will endeavor in all I do to make it a place where artists of all stripes can thrive. 

CultureWorks: How do you see art and culture making an impact in our region right now?

Jeff: This is a broad question, I'll answer even more broadly: I see it everywhere. First Fridays. Artober. The street art that adds character to our buildings, the area museums that offer a space to reflect on history or gain a new perspective on the present. The sound of marching band practice at Union as it carries on the autumn air. If you can name it, there's a pretty good chance there's at least one version of it available to you here. There are artists and organizations dedicated to supporting them that help our region punch well above its weight class in terms of "things to do/see" in the area. As part of my role at CultureWorks, I'm hoping to help ensure those who live here have even more awareness of just how spoiled for choice they are. 

CultureWorks: What’s something you wish more people knew about the creative community here?

Jeff: This region remains home to some of the most creative people I've ever encountered, and I lived in New York City for more than a decade. There's a scrappiness to the culture and a grassroots, get-it-done-now mentality to so many of the artists who live here. A hunger to produce, to matter, to do so in a way that's authentic to who they are and where they live and how they view the world right this second. That energy, that driving pulse and passion, permeates so many aspects of our lives here that a lot of people take it for granted. There's an urgency, I guess, and it's spurring growth and conjuring new outlets for creativity in every corner of this part of the state. You feel it every time you leave the house. (Which I rarely get to do, like I said, because of the toddler.) I'll add on a personal note that the creative community, at least those folks I've had the pleasure of truly getting to know, is one of the most supportive you could ever hope to find. It's rare, and worth protecting.

CultureWorks: If you could take the whole team to one local cultural event or spot, where would you choose and why?

Jeff: This may be my bias showing, but RVA Pro Wrestling is can't-miss entertainment, even if you think you don't like pro wrestling. The crowd is electric, diverse, and a little rowdy, and the storytelling is pure. You'll see acts of physical prowess that are top rope (read: tier), and find yourself chanting along with all in attendance before you know it. I also think Richmond is blessed to have theaters like RTP and Firehouse that are committed to developing new and important work, and theater companies like Cadence and 5th Wall that are generating buzz despite (and arguably because of) their decision to stage complicated/challenging theater.

CultureWorks: If you could learn any new creative skill, what would it be?

Jeff: My daughter is actively teaching me to sculpt and paint and treat every surface as a potential canvas for idle or focused expression. I'm happy to follow her lead.

CultureWorks: What are you excited about in the months ahead—for your work, your community, or your own creative life?

Jeff: I think we have a real opportunity to leverage the passion and power of the creative community here to make Richmond and the Tri-cities a magnet for artistic talent, a destination for culture, and an example of how investments in arts and culture can pay dividends for decades. The CultureWorks grant program should be a piece of that, and that'll be a big part of my role in the months ahead.