Evening in Church Hill next weekend will be a spectacular sight as InLight Richmond showcases the 12th edition of its free lighted public art exhibit from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, in Chimbarazo Park.

And Matthew S. (Steven) “Matt” Spahr is helping ensure the program returns every year as the current board chairman of the 1708 Gallery, the sponsor for the annual show.

A California transplant, Mr. Spahr, 42, has made creativity part and parcel of his life. He makes his living as an artist and sculpture instructor.

But he’s also happy to take a volunteer turn leading the gallery’s board and being involved in the “strategic planning, development initiatives and programmatic activities” alongside the non-profit’s professional staff that stages InLight, among other programs.

He expects this year’s show to be a wow.

He says it will focus on the site’s legacy as a military hospital during the Civil War and as a site where emancipated slaves lived after the Civil War as they experienced freedom.

The show will feature 20 lighted projects created by artists from near and far and will include a Community Lantern Parade at 7:30 p.m. featuring lanterns that individuals have learned to make in workshops that the gallery sponsored. InLight and its public display fits well with the mission of the gallery.

“1708 is a place that supports and facilitates the production, exhibition and engagement of artwork that might not otherwise be made, seen or discussed,” Mr. Spahr says, “and that is a beautiful and necessary thing.”

The gallery takes its name from its address, 1708 E. Main St. The art space was launched in 1978 by 21 art faculty members from Virginia Commonwealth University, Mr. Spahr’s alma mater.

The aim: To showcase “exceptional new art,” according to Mr. Spahr, in a non-commercial space that could help elevate their creators to national recognition.

Mr. Spahr, who settled in Richmond in 2005, was invited to join the board in 2013, and is now serving a one-year term as president, an experience that he says has allowed him to learn the ins and outs of a nonprofit art gallery while working “with some amazing people”

“Volunteering on the board offered and continues to offer an opportunity to simultane- ously invest in and engage with the Richmond community and the larger art world,” Mr. Spahr says.

“Art provides me with the opportunity to flutter between experience and contemplation and to be dazzled,” Mr. Spahr says, “not just by the moment of physical interaction with the art but indefinitely.”

Meet this week’s Personality, Matthew Steven “Matt” Spahr, who is seeking to make art more accessible:

Occupation: Artist, sculpture instructor and small business owner.

Date and place of birth: Aug. 3 in Granada Hills, Calif.

Current residence: South Side.

Education: Master’s of fine arts in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University.

No. 1 volunteer position: Board chairman, 1708 Gallery. Also a member of the Richmond City Public Art Commission.

When and why 1708 Gallery was founded: It was founded in 1978 by artist faculty members from Virginia Commonwealth University,who were looking for a space to exhibit risk-taking work. They started 1708 Gallery at 1708 E. Main St., where they presented a diverse range of projects — alternative processes, large-scale installations, performance and more — that reflected their commitment to provocative contemporary art.

What 1708 Gallery means to me: 1708 is a place that supports and facilitates the production, exhibition and engagement of artwork that might not otherwise be made, seen and or discussed, and that is a beautiful and neces- sary thing. Its mission is to present exceptional new art. 1708 Gallery is committed to providing opportunities for artistic innovation for emerging and established artists and to expanding the understanding and appreciation of new art for the public.

Strategy for achieving the mission: 1708 provides significant resources — like money, space, expertise and networks to young artists—and strives to give even more. 1708 wants to remove financial barriers to being an artist and in so doing, it wants to build up a community of artists.

Significance of the location for the 2019 InLight Richmond: We were interested in the histories of Chimborazo Park and were also interested in selecting a site that was a little less well known than some of our previous locations. We were also interested in using the location to get to know the neighborhood a little better. Through the lantern workshops, we’ve connected with a lot of new friends.

Why art moves me: Art provides me with the opportunity to flutter between experience and contemplation and to be dazzled, not just by the moment of physical interaction with the art, but indefinitely.

Favorite artist: I have a lot of favorites and they change regularly if not daily. At the moment, I really like Ai Wei-wei’s use of Instagram @aiww as a platform for providing alternative media coverage of the Hong Kong protests.

How I start the day: Almost every morning, my cat, Carnelian, perches on my chest as I wake. She wants a massage and it’s a prompt for me to get up and feed her. It is a calculating and manipulative and loving ritual, and both parties are guilty and willing.

If I had more time, I would: I’d like to say sleep, but I would probably do more.

Kindergarten taught me: That I’m not good at sitting still.

Best late-night snack: Fresh popcorn from a cast iron skillet with salt and pepper.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I read poetry to my chickens as a way to practice public speaking, and they re- ally like it.

The person that influenced me the most: The Friends of East End Cemetery have taught me more about Richmond, this country, its history and my relationship to those things than I could have imagined. They are the model of thoughtful, humble and generous perseverance and the closest thing I have ever seen to altruism.

Book that influenced me the most: “The Secret Life of Plants” by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. This was made into a documentary, which I saw first, and Stevie Wonder created the most incredible soundtrack for it.

What I’m reading now:“The Silk Roads: A New History of the World” by Peter Frankopan.

Next goal: My collaborative partner Valerie Molnar and I recently started a small plant and ceramic business and we are both really excited about making functional objects and sharing our love and fascination with plants.