Artists United Inc. is an emerging arts nonprofit dedicated to its mission of bringing awareness and visibility to the members of the communities in the city of Hampton. The organization is inspired by and modeled after the famous community-based and ran Karamu House Theater in Cleveland Ohio. While speaking about the Karamu House and how Hampton can benefit, co-founder and President Lawerence A. Dulin emphatically states that “this is what will set us apart, from other arts groups… artists will serve as role models and give training and mentorship to members of the community and be an opportunity for networking for local creatives”. Harmonizing with this vision is Vice President and co-founder Richard Press has hopes that Artists United will put Hampton on the map as a “creative hub” for the arts.

Richard Press and Lawerence A. Dulin met at one of the many “Art Talks” held at the local art gallery Art Central, located in the neighborhood of Phoebus in Hampton, Virginia. Both men saw that Hampton had potential to be a creative hub but needed the leadership and community involvement to do so. This is how Artists United Inc. came to life with the goal of bring a voice, and visibility to the talent within the community that often can be overlooked. Press was no stranger to the effects a lack of recognition being overlooked can mean for potential opportunities and notoriety for local creative professionals. As a well-established painter and arts educator in the Hampton roads he had a chance encounter that shed light on an issue for artists receiving recognition and opportunities in the area. In 2019, the U.S. honored the impact of African slavery had on the US with the 2019 Commemoration of the First African Landing, in Hampton, Virginia. While reporting in preparation for the event, news agencies were not made aware of the black owned galleries and black artists in the area, it was by pure chance that Mr. Press met members from USA today and Ebony magazine and was able to promote the black owned galleries including the one which he was employed at the time Art Central. This chance meeting led to Mr. Press being able to display at an event and have his work used in an article in USA today. “These members of the media were told by city of Hampton officials, that there were no black artists or galleries in the area”, Press lamented, “the opportunity to showcase work commemorating the first landing of slaves in the area almost went to a white artist.”  After this near miss opportunity, Press was determined to make sure that mistake would not happen again.  His goal is to use this organization to make sure that local galleries and artists are recognized by the city and promoted in publications like the tour guides and given first considerations for opportunities to participate in public arts initiatives. He knew this would take an organized effort to bring visibility and awareness of the arts in the community on a grand scale.

Lawerence A. Dulin a long-time member of the theatrical communities around the nation. Moved to Hampton “to be near the beach” and Hampton was ideal. He sees Hampton as rich in history, heritage and talent. After meeting with local artist Richard Press, he saw his new home as an “opportunity to pass on knowledge to others”. The knowledge he brings to the table is years of organizing and starting & running non-profits, his long career in theater as a director and founder of Theater Club LLC. Dulin, says that there are “three tiers of artistic value in every community:”

1. Academic
2. Professional
3. Community

          Dulin theorizes that in every region all three must be present to have a thriving arts community. One academic resource was lost when the major HBCU in the area dissolved their arts program, leaving behind the community college as the major academic component. To Dulin, the city of Hampton lost a major reason to value the arts when the university dissolved the program. He explains that while there are creative professionals in the area they are not “reinvesting” in the community, and many are leaving the area to gain their well-deserved notoriety. The third aspect to his Three Tiers to Artistic value is the community. If members of the community are not seeing art as something to be valued because there is no one telling them “This is important” or answering the question “what can arts do to make the community better?”, Dulin points out, that the arts won’t have value in the hearts of members of the community. Dulin aims to use Artists United to not only bring value to the arts in the community but give the community a place to call home to the arts. His vision is to be like that of the Karamu House and be a space for members of the community to have access to art classes, opportunities to be a part of arts initiatives like; community theater, youth centered programs, community featured exhibits, fundraise scholarships for the arts etc. Artists United will become the organization that Hampton deserves, a home for the arts and an opportunity for individuals in the community to become involved with the arts and have a space to showcase and by bringing awareness and visibility for their talents.

            Dulin and Press are visionaries for the future of the arts community in Hampton, Virginia. They do plan for Artist United to have a brick and mortar home in the future so that way there is a place for the community to come and explore the arts. They will continue to work with different community groups, such as churches, local business and recreational centers to bring awareness to Artists United Incorporated and its mission to build bridges in the community and bring opportunities to an underserved creative community.

Lawrence Dulin Co-Founder Of Artist United