Etta and Bernie Edwards Endowment for the Arts, Photography + Film

The Etta and Bernie Edwards Endowment for the Arts was established by Mrs. Etta P. Edwards, who graduated from the School of the Arts in 1970. A photographer, dancer, and painter, Mrs. Edwards’s artistic and financial contributions have had positive and lasting impacts on both her alma mater and the surrounding city. Following her death in 2005, the Edwards family, in conjunction with Richmond’s acclaimed local gallery Artspace, organized a retrospective of works created by Mrs. Edwards during her 60-year career. Each year, 50 percent of the Etta and Bernie Edwards Endowment for the Arts is awarded to students enrolled in the Dance program, and the other half is awarded alternately between Photography and Film students during odd numbered years and Painting and Printmaking students during even numbered years.