Rapunzel's Community Foundation
Board Members
Gayla Mills
President
Phil Boyce, JD
Secretary
Gene Mills
Treasurer
Mitch Russell
Member At Large
Joe DiNardo
Member At Large
Rapunzel's Community Foundation exists to provide the residents of rural Nelson County with ongoing access to the arts and a community space in which to enjoy them. Its business name is Rapunzel's Music and Books, or, simply, Rapunzel's.
Rapunzel’s Music and Books, residing in the historic century-old Lovingston Packing Shed in Lovingston, Virginia, comprises a performing arts venue, book and music store, coffee shop, and social gathering space.
Central Virginia abounds with a wealth of artistic talent, ranging from solo singer songwriters to full bands, from community theatre productions and dance troupes to writers and comics. Rapunzel's Community Foundation (formerly named Rapunzel's Further Ado Foundation) was created in response to the needs of these artists and to the community's need for a welcoming communal space for the literary, visual, and performing arts.
Our foundation provides local artists with performance opportunities and connects them with our audience. We also seek to bring in regional and nationally recognized artists from outside the Central Virginia region so that our fellow Nelson County residents and neighbors nearby will have access to the widest possible variety of music, dance, theatre, comedy, prose, poetry, and art.
Part of what distinguishes Rapunzel's from other venues is that it recognizes the need for new and up-and-coming artists to have a place to present their work; therefore, a large number of the artists we support might still be in the early stages of their professional careers. Our foundation is pleased to have hosted the debut performances of artists who are now performing with nationally recognized acts, many who have been signed with major record labels, and two who have received Grammy nominations.
Rapunzel's Community Foundation is a federal tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. All charitable donations and in-kind donations are tax-deductible under the full extent of the Code.