Alex Bryant’s path has always run through Charlottesville’s creative community. A lover of festivals and of serving the community that hosts them, he served as managing director of the Tom Tom Festival before leading the Ix Art Park Foundation as executive director, where he helped start the Soul of Cville festival. His time at Ix cemented a simple belief: everyone deserves an accessible, welcoming space to make, experience, and simply exist alongside art.

These days Alex is President of FIRST Chesapeake, a STEM robotics nonprofit serving Virginia, Maryland, and DC. The medium changed, but the mission didn’t: building community, opening doors, and helping people discover what they’re capable of creating. Joining the New City Arts board in 2026 is a homecoming, and a chance to put his operations and fundraising experience back to work for the artists and creative community where he got his start.

When he’s not working, you’ll find Alex negotiating with his chickens, waiting on a batch of tepache to ferment, or somewhere on a trail with his wife and two daughters.