The Art Cheerleaders, based in Richmond, Virginia, are a group of artists that use cheerleading as a medium for satirical, political and social commentary on the arts and their place in our society.  The performance piece was originally conceived as the SMFA Cheerleaders at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in the late 1990's. Rebecca Goldberg Oliver, the current squad's capain, was one of the original members of that nationally acclaimed troupe.

The SMFA Cheerleaders performed at venues such as Banned In Boston, a benefit which included city luminaries such as the mayor of Boston, and A Tribute to Click and Clack: Celebrating 20 years of Bad Car Advice. They were featured in numerous publications including the Sunday Boston Globe, the Sunday New York Times, and the August 1997 issue of Playboy.

Richmond's Art Cheerleaders support the arts through the creation and performance of cheers to lobby for the importance of the arts in our society, funding for the arts, and the celebration of creative expression...all through humor and satire!  The Art Cheerleaders feel strongly about the value of our craft and perform for pay.  We also participate in volunteer activities that support our mission.  

The Art Cheerleaders provide a collective voice for a group of people that is traditionally not cohesive, using the captivating medium of cheerleading. We intend to root on the home team, as well as providing the valuable function of social commentary. People listen to you when you're funny!

The group is planning exciting events for the fall season, including a collaboration with XF dance company, an appearance at the VMFA, and kicking off the Visual Arts Center's homecoming parade in December.  We'd love to offer our support for Virginia political candidates. The Art Cheerleaders have no political affiliation; rather, we support any candidate who supports arts funding.  We also are planning the occasional guerilla-style performance, lending some spice to local events in a way that only the Art Cheerleaders can! We'd like to take our new act national, on behalf of national political candidates, major art museums and galleries, and a late-night show, such as SNL, Letterman, or Conan!

You can support our goals in many ways - we fundraise to cover our operating costs by writing cheers for our patrons and providing them with the framed cheer, our photograph, and our autographs! You can also visit us at our bake sale, October 5, in front of Gallery 5, which is hosting a "Carnival Arts" celebration. 

GO ART!!!