Bridge Builders
The creative force of The Bridge has always been the visionary people involved. The Bridge is our community laboratory for fresh ideas. You can’t grow if you don’t dare. Here, we take the time to spotlight some of the vibrant minds that pull us out of our comfort zones, challenge our imaginations, and create the vibrant experiences that allow Charlottesville to define itself!

Leslie M. Scott-Jones: Connection
Leslie M. Scott-Jones is a African-American southern woman from Virginia, encompassing all that entails. She studied theater education at VCU. Leslie has been writing,... Read More

Federico Cuatlacuatl: Visibility, History & Solidarity
Federico Cuatlacuatl is a Mexican Indigenous artist born in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. Building from his own experience growing up as an undocumented immigrant and... Read More

Cescah Grazioli: Intergenerational Dialogue & Complicated Perspectives
Cescah Grazioli is a local high school student with a drive to make an impact on our community. She was the driving force behind... Read More

Jum Jirapan: The Art, The Bridge, The Self.
Jum Jirapan is a Thai-American artist, making Charlottesville her home since 2016. She was awarded a Collaborative Residency with The Bridge in 2018. She... Read More

Golara Haghtalab: Honesty
Golara Haghtalab and Honesty: Bridge Programming Committee Member presents at Creative Mornings. View her Creative Mornings talk on Honesty here. You may know Golara... Read More

Karina Monroy: Tradition and Connection
Karina’s upbringing as a daughter of Mexican immigrants has led her to seek a life and career dedicated to the social justice and representation... Read More

Charlotte Matthews: Invisible Truths
Charlotte Matthews is a poet, UVa professor and breast cancer survivor. She co-founded Whistle Words, a multimedia project offering free writing workshops to women... Read More

Aerial Perkins-Goode: A June Bouquet for Cville
Aerial Perkins-Goode was born in Charlottesville and raised in Buckingham VA. Her photography has been published in “The Informant” a black owned newspaper in Farmville... Read More

Laura Lee Gulledge: Not Outreach, Artnering
Laura Lee Gulledge is an artist, graphic novelist, and schemer who has recently dived into all kinds of creative endeavors at The Bridge including... Read More

Lance Barrera: Creative Mornings, Connected Community
Lance Barrera is the ambitious soul behind Cville’s Creative Mornings and a member of The Bridge’s programming Committee. Here are a few words from Lance... Read More