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The Art Issue Volume 5 Issue 3

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A R T the

IS IN EVER Y TH I N G issue

FEBRUARY 2013 5.03 EDITOR IN CHIEF Emily Eason MANAGING EDITOR Andy Tran COPY EDITOR William Lineberry FASHION EDITOR Isabella Althoff DESIGNERS Ying Jun Cheng Sagal Hassan Samantha Wittwer

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This may just be my opinion, but I honestly think that art is seen within everything. People become passionate about certain subjects and hobbies because it fulfills them and makes them happy. That’s all art is; it’s that feeling you get in your stomach when something moves you, inspires you to want to give others that same feeling and this could be accomplished through anything that YOU feel is art.

Never let anyone, no matter how rich and powerful, tell you what is artistically beautiful and what is not. Art is on the walls. It’s in your voice. It’s in the music you play. It’s scribbled on the street. It’s thrown up on huge murals for the world to adore, and it’s even in the trash you throw out.

Everyplace on this planet has artists; it is one of the few alliances that the world can approve on and, that in itself, is a very beautiful thing to me. In this issue, my writers and I bring you what we find beautiful and inspiring around the Richmond area, whether it is urban street artists, beautiful graphic novels, local comic relief, beautiful hand-crafted jewelry, an incredible graffiti-themed fashion shoot, or the legacy of a friendship between artists that keeps you going and gives your life purpose. We all have purpose, and the world around us is constantly reminding you that life is great if you know how to look at it. If you believe in the overwhelming power of art, then please continue reading our art appreciation issue!

Emily Eason

CONTRIBUTING STAFF Brandon Singletary, Jasmine Pendergrass, Anna Shcherbakova, Emily Eason, Cort Olsen, Brittney Barbour, Amanda Hitchcock, Shelby Mertens, Audrey mooney, Daniel Potes, Jacob McFadden, Danica Garner, Jessica Clarke, Ameorry Luo, and Jane Taylor COVER BY Isabella Althoff and Nick Ghobashi ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Mike Rodriguez David Mistler

CORRECTION The previous issue’s “Simple Steps for Hair Wrapping” is credited to contributing staff Jessica Clarke

Executive Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS CAMPUS LIFE VCU Drumline Dorm Room Decor Monument Avenue Reconstructed

ARTS + CULTURE 1 2 3

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Mr. Mason Jones The Man Behind the Needle Obama and Social Media Hardcore Etiquette Ministry of Trash

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INK MAGAZINE and the STUDENT MEDIA CENTER OFFICES 817 W. Broad St. P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, Va. 23284 Phone: (804) 828-1058

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821 Cafe Notes Table Artful Spaces, Disgusting Places Adhouse Books Richmond Architecture Featured Artist: Kay Adams Open-Mics Featured Musician: Sam Reed The Graveyard of Sculpture Hamilton Glass Avenue Q: The Musical Something Unique Fashion Editorial: Living Color

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Ink magazine is a student publication, published quarterly with the support of the Student Media Center To advertise with Ink, please contact our Advertising representatives at inkmagazineads@vcustudentmedia.com Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the VCU Student Media Center. inkmagazinevcu.com All content copyright © 2013

by VCU Student Media Center, All rights reserved.

Printed locally

2/4/13 5:00 PM

Campus Life

VCU Drumline A new student interest group is on this rise here in the Ram community. RVA Drum is an outlet for rudimental drumming-- a specific style of drumming that usually exists in football as the drum line. Currently, VCU has only one athletic band (the pep band) but this organization lacks marching capabilities. While RVA Drum does have specific similarities to the pep band, it focuses on specific sounds, techniques, and precision. With the guidance of faculty advisor Peter Martin, percussion professor, Brandon McConnell and Lucas Vangeison, are looking to get this organization up and marching. Currently, the organization is looking for talented drummers to begin building up membership and to assist in raising money in hopes of purchasing more equipment and gaining sponsorship.

Moving into the future, the group looks to act as a haven for talented drummers, looking to gain more

experience or even those beginners seeking out the drum community for the first time. Music education major and drum member, Alex Cahen, said, “We are looking for anyone who enjoys or has any interest in drumming.� In doing so they’re looking for any individuals that have experience in video production to assist in putting together a promotional video for the group. The organization hopes to one day be able to harbor a large percussion interest group. Once on the move, RVA Drum can anxiously await their participation in future events such as the homecoming parade and hold performances at various venues throughout the city such as Monroe Park during the spring semester. For more information or to donate to the organization visit their kickstarter.com page and like them on Facebook: @RVADrum.

by Brandon Singletary FEBRUARY 2013

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DoRM ROOM DÉCOR If you are a full-time student, chances are you spend more time at school and in your dorm then you do at home. We eat, sleep, play, grow and

become educated here, so why not make it comfortable!? Here are a few ways to transform your dorm room into your home away from home:

1. Turn your Saturday night bottles into vases.

Instead of throwing your empty bottles away, recycle them! Fill them with fake, real or even your own custom made flowers. Replace the water with colorful beads or pennies for fake flowers. Liquor bottle designs are pretty dope but you can take it a step further and decorate the actual bottle with pearls, rhinestones, stickers, buttons, etc.

2. Clocks are something you don’t find very often in a dorm room. So dare to be different and create your own. You can purchase a “do it yourself ” kit and make the clock as huge as you want. You can also purchase wooden numbers and customize each piece. Place it on the wall behind the couch of your living room so it’s the first thing your guests see!

3. Transform your typical dorm room posters into 3D art by cutting Styrofoam pieces to fit to size. Attach the posters with craft glue or double sided tape for a smooth finish. Cover edges with ribbons or colored tape. You can also use wooden squares or old shoe boxes and cover them with fabrics or old clothing to add texture to your wall.

by Jasmine Pendergrass

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Monument avenue reconstructed Ask anyone on VCU’s campus and there is a good chance they can tell you about an art student doing something out of the ordinary. In fact, you’re probably thinking about an experience similar to that right now. From watching a performing arts piece in the compass, to spotting someone installing abstract sculptures all over campus, there’s never a dull moment in the VCU arts community.

At VCU, many students wanting to get into an art major have to complete a year of art prerequisites in a program called Art Foundation (AFO).

It challenges students to explore art through four fundamental courses: time, drawing studio, then surface and space research.

But let’s be honest, there’s a time in everyone’s college career, no matter what the major, where you consider dabbling in the arts. I mean why not?

There are barely any papers, the workload seems easy and art students always look like they’re having a good time! While some of that may be true, I wanted to give you a small glimpse into the sometimes ridiculous world of AFO students.

Recently, my space research class was assigned to collaborate in re-creating a historic part of Richmond using nothing but cardboard. We were each randomly assigned a block on Monument Avenue to reconstruct to scale. Yep, there’s math in art, too.

Armed with X-Acto knives and hot glue guns, we

got to work and who knew there’s no better way to getting acclimated to an area than having to make a scale model of it. A fellow AFO student, Alex Bannan, never considered cardboard to be such a vital art making resource but our class soon realized how versatile this medium can be. Just check out artist Chris Gilmour, who makes life size cars using only cardboard.

After venturing out and investigating every little nook and corner of our perspective blocks for building measurements, everyone’s work began to come together. “It was an interesting concept, it was fun to build and made me appreciate architecture more,” Bannan said. As we lay our street blocks next to each other, our mini model of Monument Avenue came to life. In the end, this collaboration challenged us to work with an unconventional material while exploring the beauty of everyday Richmond architecture.

And while we spend most of our budget at Lowe’s and Plaza Art rather than on textbooks, hopefully the next time you see us scouring the alleys for materials for our next project, you’ll remember that AFO students are just like you, but with weirder assignments.

Photos and story by Anna Shcherbakova

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Contemporary Issues

MR. Mason Jones

“If you need to know the measure of a man, you simply count his friends.”

This piece is dedicated to my friend, my mentor, my teacher, and my brother from another mother, Mason Jones. I love you always and will continue your iconic legacy of positivity and infinite love for as long as I am breathing. Thank you for everything you did for me and for all that you taught me.

There are some people who go their entire lives without receiving a shred of encouragement from the world or from the people around them, shrouding their eyes with ignorance, refusing to see the whole picture because they are scared of what reality brings and I feel extremely sorry for those folks.

Luckily, I am not one of them and part of the reason for my more positive perspective on life is because of my friend, Alex Blanchard, a.k.a Mr. Mason Jones. There are always people out there whom motivate you and fill your mind with knowledge, and he was definitely one of those few individuals who had that special effect on people. You may recognize his name from the many, many shows he served as a DJ at Strange Matter, the Camel, his live artwork for Snoop Dogg at the National and his last live art show for the Canal Club, along with countless 4

others all over the country. He was also a big contributor towards the entertainment company called One Love Massive, designated in the Washington D.C. area. Unfortunately, he is not with us anymore in a physical sense, but I know that he will live on through the myriad of contributions he made throughout his life.

I first met Mason and his fiancée Caroline about three years ago at a house party that my long-time friends were throwing, he was serving as DJ along with my fiancée, and we all hit it off immediately for our mutual respect for music of all genres. I liked him instantly for his liveliness, amazing sense of humor and incredible intellect about almost anything I could throw out at him; he always had a witty and charismatic response. After that, our friendship blossomed into something very special, to the point that I considered Mason and Caroline my family.

I strived to be an artist and Mason was extremely supportive of my dreams, constantly teaching me the ways of the graffiti artist and how to manipulate shape, space and color. They both became regular fixtures in my life and I feel truly blessed that I met them when I did, a shy, 19-year-old, eager to learn

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and desperate for new people who would make her feel important. Amazingly, they conquered these trivial insecurities very quickly and with ease.

Mason also helped me open up to new music; he was the first to seriously introduce me to WuTang Clan, Living Legends and dozens of other musical geniuses that I did not particularly listen to growing up. He was most definitely an urban artist, rebelling against commercialism, his main weapon of choice being his canvas and spray cans.

He felt that people got more out of seeing raw, individualized art pieces rather than huge billboards with some faceless celebrity plastered all over it, and I must agree with him. It is more important to express yourself the way YOU feel is right and not be brainwashed into expressing yourself the way corporations want you to. This message is very vivid in his art, his use of totems and intensified colors are almost transcendental in nature, taking you on an emotional roller coaster, simply just by looking at them. Mason had a knack for making people happy with powerful visual stimuli and he knew it, so he was always constantly making little pieces of art for everyone. It was continuously a gift, waking up after

a long night of hanging out with them in my apartment to my name, scribbled in graffiti letters, and he and Caroline cuddled on my couch. I always made sure to have my markers stocked for occasions such as that.

I consider Mason a modern day Renaissance man, not only was he an artist of many mediums, but he was also a comedian, a dancer and an incredible writer. His way with words would light up a room and caused everyone to stop what they were doing and just listen to what he had to say. In my opinion, he has left a legacy for all of his friends to fulfill, to love everyone, to stay positive, and to never, ever stop. It must remain infinite and it always will because he made it seem so easy with his incredible spirit, his legendary artwork, his beautiful family, and friends that loved him unconditionally. He will live on through us all and I will always feel important because of his friendship and for all the life lessons he opened my mind to.

By Emily Eason

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FOLLOW CREATEATHON facebook.com/CreateAthonOnCampus twitter.com/createathonVCU createathonvcu.org

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The man behind the needle It is no secret that Richmond is one of the most artistic cities in the country. From the graffiti on the sides of the buildings, to the numerous art galleries stretching from East Broad Street to Carytown, traditional art is alive and well, but where Richmond really finds its artistic strength is not with the paint brush or the spray can, but with the needle. Tattooing is by far the most popular form of art in the city, with tattoo parlors on almost every street corner. River City, Lucky 13, Salvation, Enigma and 212 can all be found within the VCU perimeter. How is it that all these shops manage to stay in business with so many of them packed into one location?

With tattooing growing in the eyes of the media, it is no surprise that more and more people are getting the urge to get inked. The question however is: Are these television shows such as L.A. Ink, N.Y. Ink and Ink Master giving an accurate portrayal of what an artist is like as well as how their tattoo will appear: I sat down with Germ, an artist at 212 Tattoo, who says that these shows absolutely do not depict true shops and artists accurately. Germ says, “yes these shows are making tattoos more socially acceptable and are opening up new art styles rather than just the traditional, but what people are failing to understand is that your tattoo is more than likely not going to be finished before the next commercial break. Another problem is that people are

automatically assuming that they are going to walk into a random shop and expect a master piece when it is finished.” This brought me to my next question which was, how do people know what a good shop is compared to a bad one? Germ tells me, “there isn’t so much a good shop or a bad shop; the shops receive their labels based off what their customers experience. There will always be a client that thinks that the work was shitty, their tattoo was too expensive or they think the artist was a dick. I won’t tell people where to go or where not to go, because we as the artists will go to one another’s shops just to see what the others are doing and to bounce ideas off one another. If there are issues between shops, usually it’s just because they are being a little too competitive.”

As I sat and talked with Germ he was tracing out what looked like a phoenix for a client, which led me to ask him if he had a style that he preferred.

As Germ was tracing out the wings he said, “I really don’t have a style that I lean toward, I like cartoons and I like the traditional tattoos, but if a client comes in and tells me what they want, I’ll do my very best to accommodate them. If a client comes to me and shows me something that I know one of the other artists specialize in I will definitely direct them to that artist instead because I know that they will do a better job then I will. An artist should never tattoo someone strictly for the money; the

art should always come first.” Finally, I asked him if someone comes into the shop to get their first tattoo, do you think they should give definite thought to what it is they want? Surprisingly Germ said, “when people come in for their first tattoo usually they tend to over think the idea. People want so much stuff put into one tattoo and that is just not possible. Some people don’t have a meaning behind the tattoo that they want, they just appreciate the art and it’s not my place to tell them what to get or what not to get.”

I hear many people tell me these days that art is dead, but if this city has taught me anything, it is that it most certainly is not. Tattoos are no longer on the bodies of the downtrodden and criminals; in fact, some of the smartest and kindest people are the ones with the sleeves and the chest pieces. Tattoos are becoming more and more socially acceptable with every passing day, and it is only a matter of time until the people running the corporations and even in our government will have tattoos on themselves. In the early years of this country it was not unheard of for our government representatives to be able to paint a canvas or play music; maybe we should take a tip from our founding fathers and let the artists lead the way.

Story by Cort Olsen Photos by Jane Taylor FEBRUARY 2013

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Obama and Social Media Obama can be referred to as the modern day Kennedy, more loved for who he is than what he has done. Since his first campaign, Obama has used social media to connect to the people. Some even believe that was the key to his 2008 success. In the 2012 election Barack’s opponent , Mitt Romney, used social networks to campaign, but Barack and his team dominated the use of digital activity. The president uses sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr to make the world fall in love with him and his family. His use of social media helped to reach one of the harder demographics, young voters. Young voters who spend most of their time on their phones, tablets, and computers could now follow their president on twitter just like they do their friends. He found an affective way to make young adults more interested. Social media did not only help him reach the youth but it also was a way to make people feel a lot more a part of the government than separate from it. Tumblr is another site people go to check

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out Obama. His official site is more politically orientated, with pictures of him signing bills, hugging wounded warriors, inspirational quotes and screen shots of his tweets. There are several other amazing and comical pictures users create and post on other blog pages such as F***YeahBarack, which is a Tumblr page dedicated to him that is filled with a lot more personal pictures like him and the first lady’s wedding photo, drinking beers with some of his supporters and him on Election Day laughing with rapper, Jay-Z. He made it possible for supporters to receive emails from him about special events or topics they need support on by signing up on MyBarackObama.com. Obama’s use of social media has helped to brand him, helped him to govern, and most importantly has made him extremely personable. All his efforts reflect that he is not too much different from the people he protects and governs.

by Jasmine Pendergrass Illustration by sagal hassan

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It’s a Friday night; you’ve just finished your final class of the day, so you and your bros are planning on going to a rock show tonight at a local venue. Before you walk out the door, you clip on your keys to your belt loop, grab your pack of American Spirit Cigarettes and your Zippo lighter for those breaks in between sets. Finally, you meet up with your bros and head into the venue to watch your favorite bands, but before you do that you have to be prepared for what you might face when going to a punk, metal, or hardcore show. Unlike other genres of music, these shows can get very aggressive, very crowded and very messy very fast.

Heading into a venue, it starts off pretty much the same as any other type of concert. You walk in, you pay for your ticket, and the door man checks your I.D. It’s not until the first band goes on stage to start their set does the action begin. Typically, the first couple of bands are usually small time openers for the main performance. There is always going to be those couple of guys that want to mosh just so they can try to get a rise out of the crowd. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what moshing is: It is when people in the crowd run into one another pushing and shoving everyone around them. To someone who has never been to one of these shows one might ask, “why would anyone want to do that?” The only way I can explain it is just that the music gets into you. The pounding of the drums, the high speed guitar solos, and the vicious bass drops really get the adrenaline pumping through your body, and the only way to release is to just, go insane! Now there are people who don’t get that feeling running through them, and just want to enjoy the show. Usually there is a designated spot close to the front of the stage where the “moshers” can burn off that adrenaline called “the pit.” The size of the pit is usually dependent upon how many people are in it. To “open the pit up,” moshers will shove people out of the way to give themselves space. To avoid being shoved you need to be aware of your surroundings. There usually are a few guys that you may notice kind of lurking about, looking very aggressive. As soon as the first guitar rift begins, these lurkers will become violent, shoving people all around them, to give them the space they need to mosh.

If nothing else is learned in this article remember that, nothing at these shows should ever be taken personally. Everyone who attends these shows is there to have a good time. If someone in the crowd gets knocked over by a mosher, it is usually that same person that knocked them over that picks them right back up. The crowd usually polices itself and will recognize when someone is being too careless. There is always that one big guy that will pick on someone smaller than him and will purposely try to coax them into a brawl.

When this occurs, the crowd will try to break up the conflict and either warn the aggressor or, if the problem escalates, remove the person from the show.

This is not so much the crowd trying to protect the little guy, but mainly to keep

the show running smoothly. If things get out of hand the band or the owner of the venue can choose to stop the performance or end the show completely. So if you get knocked over or a beer gets spilled on you, don’t be offended, because like I said, typically that guy that ran into you will be the first to apologize.

Clearly this type of music is not meant for everyone, but for those who do enjoy it most of you should already know what to expect. Over the many years that I have attended metal shows, I have seen camaraderie among the fans which is stronger than I have ever seen with any other type of music genre. Some of my closest friends that I have made over the years have been people that either I met at shows or shared the same taste in music. Anyone who calls themselves a metal-head or punk should wear that name as a badge of honor because this is more than just music, this is a lifestyle that not only teaches you how to act at shows, but how to act as a person in the real world. I believe Jonathan Vigil, vocalist for the band The Ghost Inside, said it best, “with screams over silence taking place of the violence, standing together, we are never alone.”

by Cort Olsen

Illustration by Dan Nacu

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Ministry OF TRASH

You can call him a minister. While churches open their doors to lost souls seeking salvation, 38-year-old Carter Anderson welcomes trash into his workshop “Save the Trash: Recycling Urban Ministry.” It’s a place where junk goes to get “saved.” Anderson bends, breaks, and welds everything from CDs to PBR cans into quirky masterpieces.

“I wish there were more locations like this,” said the Richmond native. Though Anderson’s interest in recycling peaked in the last six years, he has always been passionate about art. In 2001, he got a job teaching industrial arts at West Point Middle and High School. When the program lost funding, he and his students dumpster dove for the materials they needed. It was an unfortunate loss, but the budget cut inspired Anderson to cheaper alternative methods to bring his creations to life. After quitting his job in 2006, he continued dumpster diving and became a resource for local art teachers. And from there, the ministry took off.

Though Save the Trash is currently located on Henry Street, this is the third location since its erection in 2007. Shortly after quitting his teaching job,

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Anderson opened a 5,000 square-foot warehouse in Church Hill to store his materials and create a workspace for local artists.

“It started out that way but people never really came back to finish their projects,” said Anderson.

With its swings and wall-to-wall crafts, the warehouse became more of a party locale than a workshop. He lost the place a year later but found a new, smaller location on Davis Avenue in the Fan District. Here, he became more involved in concrete construction, and his proximity to Fox Elementary School kept him busy with projects.

When that location fell through, Anderson reached out to the founder of Made RVA, a specialty shop that once stood on the corner of Henry and Broad Streets. The founder, Chris, allowed Anderson to set up shop in the garage space behind the store. The move to Henry Street was symbolic for Anderson.

“It’s named after Patrick Henry, the American revolutionary. That should say something or motivate what I’m trying to do here.”

Since his final move, Anderson has made a huge impact on his community. He has participated in many local festivals such as the Vegetarian Fest, Earth Day, Broad Apetit, and a number of summer music festivals. At the festivals, he can return to his teaching roots by setting up craft workshops where

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kids can have “creative time with supervision.”

While adults were getting boozed up at last year’s Wine Fest, Anderson and some kids invented the cube game using glass bottles and boxes.

His biggest project so far has been collaborating with Green Unity, a VCU-based organization.

Green Unity combines efforts from multiple disciplines (artists, engineers, designers, etc.) to promote a more eco-friendly campus. Some of their endeavors include the VCU Community Garden and hosting community bazaars that allow Anderson sell his art and share ideas with other local artists.

Besides being a temple for old junk, Anderson encourages others to use Save the Trash as a haven to create. “I want to be a resource for people who don’t know how or need a place to do it,” said Anderson.

In the small confines of this garage, the possibilities to create are endless. From floor to ceiling, you can find bike parts, scrap wood and metal, tools, bottles, cardboard cylinders, wire, paint buckets, and any tool you can think of. And if you can’t make it to his little shop of wonders, Anderson urges you to start one of your own.

“It’s good to keep your neighborhood clean and the trash can be put to good use. Every little neighborhood needs a place like this.”

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821 Cafe notes table

You open the door into a relatively small space. There are three rows of un-matching tables and chairs. One to your right.

One to your left. One down the middle. You are in a small café with a big attitude, you can tell, by the way a server says, “Hey, you can grab a seat anywhere,” on the exhale as she passes with a plate piled high with the best looking pancakes you’ve ever seen.

Once you sit down, your server’s “What can I get you to drink today, hon?” is so comforting in its familiarity that you relax against the back of your chair and happily order a coffee.

It’s Richmond, a pleasant spin on southern hospitality or the “usual” diner. Home to the infamous Brent Burger, the one-pound patty sandwiched between two grilled cheeses, 821’s menu is definitely a rare find. Peanut butter and bacon grilled sandwiches might throw you off, but don’t give up just yet (they have this really great salty taste that sort of highlights the flavor of the peanut butter in a smoky sort of way…but I digress). There are many things to appreciate about 821 that are a little subtler than the food.

For example, the mugs. The restaurant harbors a variety of personalized coffee mugs. So, while you are sipping your morning cup of Columbian, wondering how and why Nutella-stuffed French toast never occurred to you before as a meal option, you can also contemplate how and why a mug from summer camp in Toronto somehow found its way to Richmond’s humble café.

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Yet, there is something even more secret, even more endearingly, comically delightful that 821 does not reveal to its newcomers. The knowledge of this is something you must acquire by visiting often and varying your seating choices. It is something you gain with time in Richmond (somewhere between the time you invest in a plaid shirt of your own, and the time where you’ve grown so accustomed to the city that clothes cease to stand out unless they are meticulously clean…or ironed). This is something that you have to discover.

And here I am telling you.

But let’s say that you happened to sit at the right table. Let’s say that when you walked in, you sat at

the third table on the right (or the fourth table on the right depending on if it has been moved again), and let’s say you sat in front of the small drawer attached to this table. Now, you might have noticed (but perhaps not, as your Nutella French toast is very distracting), but the other tables in this restaurant do not have drawers, and if they do, the drawers are not operational. But this one, if you are curious enough to try, opens.

So how do you come to open the drawer? Okay, let’s pretend that in your Nutella-delirium, you do not notice the napkins that are placed on the side of your table. In your panic to wipe a bit of syrup from your face, you open this drawer, hoping to find the

napkins that you so desperately need. So you pull it open.

And you find napkins. And papers. And postits. And ticket-stubs. Just about anything that will hold a few seconds worth of ink.

Notes. And plenty of them.

Here you can find poetry. You can find phone numbers, drawings, and even conversations. But, when it comes down to it, you are essentially looking at a drawer filled with people’s thoughts. You can not only read them, but you can respond, hoping that the original writer will return to his abandoned note. You can also add your own, of course.

What seems to have started as a quirky bit of fun remains so but is also elevated into the realm of a sort of therapy. Sometimes people remain anonymous, sometimes they don’t, but in any case some of the more serious notes are tiny outlets. This person had this feeling and wanted to leave it behind.

You down the last bit of coffee from you Vermont-summer-camp mug, and you get up to leave.

For the rest of the day, you leave 821 behind you, and you leave the note table. You leave it all behind, and you free up your seat for someone new to have their own experience. Because, somewhere between the strange amalgamations of mugs, and between the table of abandoned jokes and thoughts, you realized that time does not stop, and that life continues even when you are not present.

Written by Amanda Hitchcock Photos by Anna Shcherbakova

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Artful Spaces, Disgusting Places

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ArtS + Culture

Art is everything, right? Many of the restaurant bars in Richmond boast of unique decorations and designs, but for some, it’s the bathroom that draws the artistic creativity. Whether it’s the owner’s work, or the drawings of the customers, one thing is for sure, Richmonders seem to find much artistic inspiration in the bathroom.

Hamooda Shami, owner of Don’t Look Back, plastered the bathroom walls with old comics, newspaper cutouts, maps and vintage photos from the 60s and 70s. Shami made his deco-patch collage by simply gluing the images to the walls. The art is meant to reflect the overall theme of Shami’s restaurant and the concept of Don’t Look Back.

Shami was inspired by a song called Like Dylan in the Movies off Belle & Sebastian’s album “If You’re Feeling Sinister, “which is hung on the dining area wall. The song references the movie Don’t Look Back, a Bob Dylan documentary from the 60s, which is about being in a new place. Shami grew up in northern Virginia and also lived in Houston, Texas for a while. He once worked for U.S. News and World Report in D.C. He got into the restaurant business when he moved to Richmond.

“Both places were trying to pull me back, career-wise and family-wise, and they are still home…but I fell in love with Richmond,” Shami said. The bathroom

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was used to express Shami’s personal experience with transitioning to a new life in Richmond. Shami says he wanted images that would touch off some memories to tie it in with the theme of the restaurant. “I looked for images that were nostalgic…some are humor, some are sort of semi-profound.” Shami said. Other people have tagged or drawn graffiti over Shami’s images, but Shami keeps extra images around so that when it gets too out of hand, he can just cover it up with more of his art. However, in the women’s bathroom some have written motivational lines, such as “you are so beautiful don’t let anyone make you think otherwise” which Shami keeps.

When Strange Matter opened three years ago, owner Ron Rogers and his staff got a friend to come in and paint the bathroom doors. The men and women bathrooms were originally separated but because of a lack of space they decided to make them unisex, which is played out on the rather bizarre alien-like figures on the bathroom doors. One has a male with breasts and the other has a female complete with a mustache, beard and hairy chest. Roger says the doors represent the artist’s individual style. Inside the bathrooms, restaurant guests and late night concert goers have left their mark. There’s something on just about every inch of the walls. There’s tagging and drawings, with band stickers around the mirrors. “It’s a mixed bag,” Rogers said. “Sometimes it’s art, sometimes it’s not. I mean arts completely subjective, but sometimes it’s just people drunkenly writing on a wall because they’re upset.” Rogers said he is a bit sensitive towards offensive writing because of the occasional families that walk in to his punk bar.

But Rogers isn’t totally against the graffiti in the bathrooms, some of it he enjoys himself and he understands why it occurs. “Every wall we have, there’s something creative on it,” Rogers said. “It only makes sense that when people come

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to a creative place they almost want to express or add to that creativity.” Perhaps the creativity in music inspires concert goers to want to make their own art.

Jason Malhoyt, owner of Kingdom, holds a similar view. He believes the graffiti on the bathroom walls is art. He says he likes the elaborate cartoonish figures that get drawn on the walls. “I want the atmosphere at Kingdom to be fun and laid back,” Malhoyt said. “We are a very diverse music venue that brings in bands of all genres. If drawing on the bathroom walls can be fun and creative then go for it.” Malhoyt even went as far as to say that he may put chalk paint in the bathrooms this year in order to encourage people to draw and express their own creativity.

However, not all Richmond restaurant and bar owners consider the tagging and graffiti in their bathrooms as art. Cous Cous owner Alex Copeland sees it more as a nuisance. The tagging and graffiti started shortly after Cous Cous opened six years ago. Copeland says the bathrooms get tagged mainly during the night by drunken guests. Most of what gets in there are tags. Copeland says he paints over it about every two to eight weeks. He says that the older Cous Cous customers don’t appreciate it and that he wants the restaurant to look respectable.

But when it comes to art, it’s safe to just say “to each his own.” Bathroom art comes in all different forms, from a drunken scribbling of cartoon figures on a wall to a professional artist painting a mural on a door. The value of art is in the beholder. Bathroom art in Richmond comes in a wide variety and most restaurant bar owners seem to want their bathrooms to be a center for creativity and encourage guests to participate.

Writing and Photos by Shelby MErtens

“Sometimes it’s art, sometimes it’s not.

I mean arts completely subjective, but sometimes it’s just people drunkenly writing on a wall because they’re upset.”

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ADHOUSE BOOKS Before the past couple of decades, the only time comics and art would have been mentioned in the same sentence was if Roy Lichtenstein were the topic of discussion. Comics have finally come to be utilized and recognized as more than just weekly funnies, capes and tights and pornography. While still incorporating the ever stigmatizing humor, fantasy and sex of the distant serialized past, the now widespread second wave of alternative comics has more going for it than just pulp aesthetic. Furthermore, the works succeed in being just as emotive as any film or novel. Since 2002, Richmond-based AdHouse Books has been contributing to this movement by publishing award winning alternative comics and art books.

A self-described “boutique publishing juggernaut,” AdHouse Books was started by local Richmonder Chris Pitzer after a childhood of comics appreciation, time spent working at Eclipse Comics, and the desire have “Pulpatoon: Pilgrimage” by Joel Priddy printed. This book, the first published

by AdHouse, won the 2002 Small Press Expo Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut. More honors have followed, from Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and Harvey Awards to recognition from the Society of Illustrators and the AIGA professional organization for design.

Part of AdHouse’s reputation for quality can be attributed to their selective process which Pitzer ultimately boils down to, “You have to love what you publish.” AdHouse only publishes around 20 books a year, and attention to detail is key in their output.

From traditional “floppy” comics like “Pope Hats”

by Ethan Rilly, to the large prismatic 15x11” Process Recess 2: Portfolio by James Jeans whose every page could be framed and mounted, Adhouse’s attention to quality of color and detail is clear. This care for design has gained AdHouse a following that gives Pitzer hope for printed books in the age of Nooks, Kindles, and downloads. AdHouse’s followers are introduced to the publishing company across the nation at comic book conventions like the Toronto Comics Art Festival, the Brooklyn

by Alex Mitchell

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Comics and Graphics Festival, or most nearby, the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. This audience stays tuned out of appreciation for the book’s form and the nostalgia of jumping from panel to panel, Pitzer is confident in this because he is a part of this audience. “You’re not going to make a lot of money,” Chris says, “You just have to love it.”

The appeal of the comics that AdHouse puts out and of alternative comics in general is the celebration of everyday life rather than escape. Even when fantasy is involved, it is used as a backdrop for character development, not just to create stories about the intervention of perfect and superior beings. Fiction and Nonfiction narratives alike are being told in words and pictures, written in page long bursts where the action rises and falls with every page turn. Something would be lost if these stories were told in any other medium, and Richmond is playing a part in their being told through AdHouse Books.

Many of AdHouse’s new and popular reprinted books can be picked up at Velocity Comics on Broad Street, where owner Patrick Godfrey praises AdHouse for producing beautiful comics that function as art pieces. “I like everything about what they do,” says Godfrey, who recommends Afrodisiac by Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg as his favorite AdHouse release. There is also a shelf dedicated to AdHouse works at Chop Suey Books in Carytown.

Nearly all of AdHouse’s books are available to read at VCU’s Cabell Library as a part of their Comics Art Collection which boasts of 40,000 comic books. Cindy Jackson, the Archival Assistant for Comic Arts for VCU’s Special Collections, can offer a wealth of suggestions for those who want to get into comics (from AdHouse, she recommends Duncan the Wonder Dog by Adam Hines). Although you can’t check these books out of the library, if you bring in the call number for a particular book to Special Collections and Archives on the fourth floor of Cabell it will be brought out to the reading room for you and you can indulge to your heart’s content.

Photos by Audrey Mooney

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Richmond Architecture

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These elderly houses not only have character and panache, but they have color, too. With bricks that are often more than a century old comes a color emerges from the houses that you only get with age.

With its distinctive Victorian revival look mixed with the sharp contrast of VCU’s on campus and off-campus buildings, not many will say that Richmond’s architecture is boring. Whether you’re walking through the Fan enjoying the view of some of the oldest and longest stretches of Victorian/colonial revival houses in the country, or if you’re walking through campus looking at some of the new post-modern buildings that VCU is known for, you’ll enjoy a type of architectural mix that can’t

be found elsewhere.

The beauty of Richmond is that it didn’t lose its life with age, but rather, through renovations and smart architecture, has comeback with a vengeance!

Even downtown boasts a variety of architecture that would be hard to match anywhere else. With a mix of Civil War era houses and churches littered all over the downtown area the skyscraper will suddenly drop into a romantic little country home plugged right into the city.

(Downtown Richmond is home to the Museum of the Confederacy, which includes the former White House of the Confederacy!)

When you walk through Richmond it isn’t a city you’re walking through, it’s a home with a history that you can go out and find. The architecture of this beautiful city acts as a powerful magnet to lovers of beauty and history alike, I would know, it sure has me stuck.

STORY AND PHOTOS by Daniel Potes FEBRUARY 2013

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F e at u r e d A r t i s t Kay Adams

K

ay Adams is a Richmond native and VCU graduate who has dedicated her life to art after college. She has an extremely unique, has eccentric sense of style, gives amazing advice and creates some really beautiful jewelry.

Can you give me some background? (Where are you from, did you attend a university)?

Born and bred in Richmond in the mid-1960s. I got lucky and married Mr. Right straight out the gate in the late 1980s. I graduated from VCU in the early 1990s as a whipper-snappin’ mass communications major and started an antique shop rooted in blind faith, pure passion and a dash of OCD with my equally driven and obsessed-with-objects-d’art, mother, Judy Rogers in 1996.

Have been at it full speed ahead ever since.

How did you get started designing and what have you learned over time?

I am completely self-taught. I decided to make a necklace to look like a chandelier, as that is what I was concentrating on in my antique shop, Anthill, at the time. I ended up making a necklace out of all old ‘one-sy’ rhinestone earrings and people just flipped. Four thousand necklaces, composed of an estimated 35,000 pieces of completely restored and transformed vintage jewelry components later, the rest is necklace history!

Like many innovative artists, my design appetite is insatiable, so I invent new techniques and create incessantly. Even designs that are proven good sellers, I’ll have a hard time backing up and doing more of because I want to move forward, move on, try the next thing. You know how it is when there is a ball of dryer lint just crying out to be glued into a watch case and embedded with rhinestones!

How would you describe your style of designing?

There is no design “style” in my world – i.e., you’ll never hear from me say “my style is classic, or shabby-chic or boho or retro.” Who cares? If I had to define my style in one word the word would have to be ‘truth’. True to the piece of jewelry I hold in my hand that I am getting ready to parlay into a tangible story. A story that ideally, you, the observer, will be able to see, exactly what “I” saw, as I listened to and captured the journey the piece revealed to me. In other words, I heard the story, I interpreted it and I transformed into a form where you can see the same. O.K. – maybe I do have a style -- I think I like that – Kay Adams, Truth Style.

What do you like most about creating your own jewelry?

Pure expression. I’m a little gun-shy of people seeing my “me-ness” through me, but not through my jewels. If I want to do my interpretation of a Tori Amos “Crucify” necklace complete with a bleeding crucifix and bullet shells, or a “Co-exist in Colorado” necklace, where a pot leaf lies juxtaposed to a Islamic Allah charm and a Christian prayer charm, I do it. If I want to do an over-scale chunky bold gold number with a feminine classic undertone and call it, “Mr. T. Meets Chanel,” and I do. I think my quirky humor and my playful nature are able to blossom through the jewels. My family sees that all the time anyway – but through the jewels, my public sees it. But my main goal is to do the necklace and the pieces it is composed of justice. To me those little lost, homeless artifacts of life have a story they have left to tell, and it’s my job to make their voice heard. I tease and say I’m the jewelry whisperer. Those pieces rely on me to convey their message. Maybe it sounds odd, but I truly do “feel” it. I apply genuineness to every piece that I interpret – whether it’s edgy, sweet, bizarre, or galactic – the end result must be ‘honest’. I don’t lead these pieces – they lead me – and I obey their every command!

Where do you find inspiration?

As with any stereotypical artsy-fartsy type, where don’t I find it? It is everywhere. But mainly, and honestly, I feel like inspiration, not unlike passion,

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is a gene. It’s inborn. It’s in me and it’s a force to be reckoned with. Having said that, “tangible” places I can find design opportunities are in textiles, colorscapes, topography, headlines in the news and very very often in music. I love music, but ironically, have to have total silence while creating – it’s way too intense to do anything but focus all available energy into the interpretation of the jewels at hand. However, there is always a symphony playing in my head, and whether that’s Jay Feguson’s “Thunder Island,” Katy Perry’s “Firework” or David Bowie and “The Spiders from Mars,” those songs I’m subconsciously hearing will be a major influence in what shapes the piece as it is created. I stay true to that lead – and the music in my head is a great leader. I also love to interpret the masters of many fields – I’ve done odes to Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Freda Kahlo, Coco Chanel, Jacques Cousteau, Albert Einstein, Peter Max, Frank Lloyd Wright and Tony Douquette. What’s not inspirational about a master?

As far as the process goes, I can hold a piece in my hand and instantly understand where it’s headed – and the journey it’s ultimately going to take me on, will reveal itself to me as I create.

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to create their own jewelry line?

Jump in. Don’t be scared. Be an original – don’t do what’s out there – be truer than that. It will always set you apart. People often ask me if I went to art school and I didn’t. I got a degree in mass communications from VCU. Graduated with a four year degree in two and half years (summer school, intersessions, seven class semesters) and got the “Top Scholar” award for having the highest GPA in the mass communications school. But you know what? I say if I had studied art, I’d suck at it – because I did all that studying as a mass

communication student and it is so not my forte! I’m a classic introvert, INTJ, as a matter of fact – rarest Myers Briggs female personality type – and without question I’m happiest when I am the proverbial lab rat – up in my workshop, autonomous, addictively and intensively creating. But alas, we – all of us – must break out of our molds and surface for air and some humanity and show our wares and our true colors to the world. So show your true colors. Study what you will – or even better what you want – but then follow your burning desire and passion, stay committed, be positive and always, always be kind.

Drop your ego – it’ll block your creative muse. Let go. Be creatively free. Listen. Feel. Interpret. Explore. . . then go make some kick-ass jewels!

Why do you think your jewelry has been successful?

I think people respond to my line of jewelry because they resonate with the “humanity” in it. They see my hand, my mind and my heart in it. It is not a soulless machine in a factory that robotically and cheaply cranked out 200 of them out for Express. They know that I dreamed it from the very conception to the hand-dyed rhinestone finish -- that I executed it with an honesty and precision and took time to find the exact pieces to express just the right tone and mood that was trying to be conveyed. I think they respect the reverence shown for each individual piece of jewelry within a design. Machines can’t do that – humans with minds and thought processes can. And people like when they can follow your thought process. It creates a relationship that connects the wearer to both the art and the artist. And I think they see a reflection of themselves in it – that is why they are identifying with it.

Not to mention the ladies just look damn hot when they’re wearing them.

BY Jasmine Pendergrass PHOTOS BY AUDREY MOONEY FEBRUARY 2013

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OpenMics

If you’ve ever thought about being a stand-up comedian, then you’re in luck! Richmond is home to a burgeoning stand-up community, with shows happening almost every night and plenty of open-mics close to campus. I have created a list of five of the best showrooms in the city, all of which are completely free. Best of all, there are no content restrictions at any of these venues!

Whether you want to see a few shows in person first or jump right on stage, each of these rooms is a great place to get your feet wet.

9:55 Club where: Bottom’s Up Pizza (1700 Dock St.) when: Mondays, 8-10p.m.

The 9:55 Club is Richmond’s longest running stand-up comedy venue. This room recently switched formats to run an open-mic for the first three Monday’s of every month. Ran by Ray Bullock, the 9:55 Club hosts booked shows on the fourth Monday of every month that pays the featured performers. The 9:55 Club prides itself on giving local comedians their break into the pro-comedy world. Comics should show up at 7:15p.m. for sign-ups and expect to perform 10 minute sets.

Underground Comedy at Fallout where: Fallout (117 N. 18th St.) when: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 9p.m.

Another long-running comedy show located in Shockoe Bottom, Underground Comedy at Fallout is unique in that it offers performers an unlimited amount of stage time. Josh Saucier begins sign-ups at 7:30 p.m. and the show itself starts at 9 p.m. For comedy night a membership is not required to enter, however no video or photography is allowed. But --on the plus side-- smoking is.

Stand-Up Comedy @ McCormack’s Irish Pub where: McCormack’s Irish Pub (12 N. 18th St.) when: Second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 9:30p.m.-12a.m.

Jesse Jarvis, one of the nicest comics in Richmond, hosts this show at one of my favorite venues. Touring acts from the Funnybone are always swinging by, and you can smooch it up with every comic in Richmond back in the smoking room.

Sign-ups start at 8:30 p.m. and the show begins around 9:30p.m. Twenty comics go up doing five minutes a set, making it a great place for beginners.

HaHas at Baja! where: Baja Bean (1520 W. Main St) when: Every Thursday , 10 p.m.-12a.m.

Just a few blocks off-campus, HaHas at Baja is the newest open-mic on our list. The host, J Walter Braman, begins sign-up at 9p.m. and has fifteen first-come, first-serve five minute sets available. Every show also hosts five featured comedians culled from the previous open-mic, booked to showcase the different styles and talents of the local scene. .

Comedy at Pie where: Pie (214 N. Lombardy St) when: Saturdays, 8-10p.m.

Having recently celebrated our one-year anniversary in January, Comedy at Pie is my showroom.

Hosted by me, Jacob MacFadden, in the downstairs bar and every week I bring up to 10 comedians for 10 minutes each. Sign-up for the first five spots are done via Facebook, with the last five spots offered to the first five comedians to show up before the show.

Comedians are required to be at Pie by 7:30 p.m. (pre-show sign-ups should be earlier). The show begins promptly at 8 p.m., and ends at 10 p.m. – giving you plenty of time to pregame and learn a few jokes before you go out partying.

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Sam Reed Featured Musician

Sam Reed has been representing RVA in the music industry for over seven years. She has made her mark on the community by captivating us with her killer vocals that mix soul, funk and R&B. Our friendly neighbor, Sam Reed is always active in the community, which serves as inspiration for her music. Please read on to learn more about Sam Reed and the evolution of Richmond’s artistic scene.

1. When did you get your start in the music industry?

I started getting paid for my voice around 2005. That’s when I started singing with live bands, but really as an independent artist you start in the industry whenever you choose and just hope that you get enough recognition to maintain. I’ve been extremely lucky to get as much exposure as I have with Beast Wellington, Photosynthesizers and other bands and musicians right here in Richmond. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and even perform with some of the best entertainers and do some pretty cool things. I’ve always been a writer, and gaining some experience with bands and my musician friends has made it easier to record my own solo project.

2. Has the Richmond artistic community evolved over this time?

The Richmond music scene is ever evolving. I don’t think enough people realize it because people stick with what they like. I sing in a funk band, an alternative hip hop band, my own project isn’t genre specific and my acoustic sets are generally alternative so I’m all over the place with my affiliations. I get to see the evolution with my own eyes and I get to be a part of it. VCU is constantly pumping out new musicians with new ideas or new ways to reinvent the old way. It’s definitely evolving. It has no choice but to do so. It’s a beautiful thing.

3. What are some of your favorite places to draw inspiration for music in Richmond?

I can’t say I have any favorite places to draw inspiration from in the city. I guess if I had specific places everything I wrote or sang would sound the same. I just try to make sure I stay open to all things whether I’m at a quiet coffee shop, a crazy bar, with my family, or just from the news on a TV screen in front of me.

During my time of food stamps and Medicaid, I’d write whenever I went into social services. As a female, I feel like it’s important to write about everything, the good and the bad, not just sex, parties and clothes. I love it when a producer or musician sends me a track and asks me to just write what I feel. It’s more fun and rewarding than anything else to find inspiration in that sound that they created. It’s truly a cosmic feeling!

4. What are some of your favorite artistic events to attend in Richmond?

I think everyone who has attended loves to go to The Artisan Cafe every quarter. It’s an event focused strictly on art and the different ways it can be expressed. I absolutely love to attend C’est Le Vin’s wine tastings, art shows, and social gatherings. Most of all I enjoy attending shows where my own musical friends are the focus. Be it hip hop, R&B, jazz, rock or electronic, I love it when I have the chance to go see my friends play. As a mother and a vocalist who performs regularly, it’s always wonderful to have the time to attend their shows.

We have to support one another to keep this thing going and so that others will have a spring board. Besides, it’s always nice to be entertained and not always be the one entertaining.

by Danica Garner FEBRUARY 2013

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The Graveyard of Sculpture

My back is breaking. My arms are sore.

My lips are cracked and bleeding, and I’ve lost about five pounds on accident in the past week. But still, around 2 in the morning, I emerge from the gated sculpture studio covered in dust, and I make my way back to my bed. And I’m not even the last one to leave.

Tomorrow is critique, and the show really MUST go on.

The art industry, as many of us know, is an extremely competitive and financially unpredictable world. Freelance artists are either in, or they are not.

It’s the same here at VCU. However, it’s not really competition that causes tension within the departments (though it definitely does exist). It is a matter of finding your voice as an artist and holding onto it with everything you’ve got.

We all know the usual drill. Materials have been stolen, tools have been broken. Friendships have been tested by critiques. It’s all happened in the name of self-expression. We’ve graffitied the walls of the spray booth, we’ve drawn on the walls of the studios (our opinions and expressions are just about on every surface possible), and art has even infiltrated the bathrooms. Holes in the wall have become whimsical outlets for tiny bits of art. So many different voices shout over one another in VCU’s Fine Arts Building. These little bits of impulsive creativity are all saying the same thing: We just want to be noticed.

However, there are something’s that aren’t granted the second-chance of reincarnation. The things that aren’t reused or converted or recycled for the benefit of VCU art students are either condemned to the dumpster or to the purgatory of the Sculpture Graveyard.

The Sculpture Graveyard is weird. It is somewhere between glory and failure, sitting behind the building in a small section of trees and mulch.

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It is where abandoned pieces that can no longer be housed have been left to rust and die. Usually these pieces are large, but some of them seem small enough to keep but were, for some reason, undesired. It is not that these pieces are “bad art” (a term that will immediately start a philosophical debate if uttered within the walls of the Fine Arts Building) but that they no longer have a place. The artist has moved on or grown beyond attachment or relation to them.

I look at the Graveyard every so often for motivation.

Up until this point (because I believe some pieces have been removed due to the extreme possibility of developing tetanus upon contact) was home to a rusty sculpture of a car and bits and pieces of other angular metals and ceramic shapes.

Now, if you happen to pass it, you can see the remains of various textile sculptures, wood pieces, etc.

Failed welding experiments. Things too heavy to lift away post-presentation. Things that nobody wants to look at anymore. Things that take up too much space. The site changes with the art of the students and with trends in the department. For example, if we have a year of big-art, you’ll see it.

However, though the Sculpture Graveyard can be interpreted literally, it is also a reminder of the nature of art as a practice and profession. The difference between success and failure lies in whether or not an artist can make himself known, noticed, heard. The artist has to use his voice. An artist, regardless of departmental preference, controls what he says, and he must say it effectively. Otherwise, silence. Without a voice, he will be left behind, he will begin to rust, becoming unrecognizable even to himself, and people will look with thoughtful eyes, wondering what exactly he used to be.

by Amanda Hitchcock Photos by cort olsen

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Hamilton Glass Hamilton Glass is a Richmond based artist with distinct mural art on the walls of Shockoe Bottom all the way up to West Main Street. I caught up with him at the ARTisan cafe and got a quick interview.

How did your artistic journey start?

It is the typical artist story; I have been doing art all my life. I have really only been showing my work for three years. When I moved to Richmond, it was in me to start showing my work so I just did.

Where were you before you came to Richmond?

I was born and raised in Philadelphia What made you want to Richmond?

Well I have never been a stranger to Richmond; my mother is from here so I used to come visit my grandmother when I was little. It was a lower cost of living that made me move but the culture is getting richer and richer and I just love it.

What differentiates you from other artists?

Personally, I think there is no artist that is alike; I don’t care if they copy each other’s style or anything like that. But I am a muralist at heart; my canvas work is just a branch of what I do, it’s more of the sketches and the foundation of what I do. I love being outside and creating large scale pieces and that is where my heart is.

Where can we find some of your work?

Downtown, I have stuff on the flood walls on Shockhoe Bottom all the way up to West Main Street or you can go on whosham.com Did you think you would get this wellknown?

I honestly didn’t, especially in this short amount of time. It’s insane how powerful murals are. When I started to do murals here, I actually had little experience with it. I just had old school graffiti history, as not anywhere near what I’m doing now and even now I feel like every time I do it I’m getting better. So I’m just moving and progressing like everyone else.

Story and photos By Jessica Clarke

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ArtS + Culture

Avenue Q: The Musical There’s no way a musical about puppets could possibly be inappropriate, right? Well, this fall, Theatre VCU put on the show called “Avenue Q” that did just that. “Avenue Q” first appeared on Broadway in 2003, and went on to win three Tony Awards, including best musical. The story follows Princeton, a new college graduate eager to find his purpose in life. Faced with financial dilemmas, he moves into Avenue Q, a back-alley street far from ideal NYC life.

There, he meets Kate Monster, an ambitious young woman, and her neighbors.

Along with Rod and Nicky, conflicting roommates, Brian and Christmas Eve, a mixed-race couple, Trekkie Monster, an obnoxious recluse, and Gary Coleman, former child star turned superintendent, Princeton sets off on a journey to discover adulthood.

“Avenue Q” was the first production that I had seen at VCU, and I admit that I was a bit skeptical about going into it, considering the show’s reputation.

However, do not be like me! I was blown away by the beautiful sets and the sheer talent of every actor in this show—it was amazing. It is difficult to imagine that undergraduate theatre students can perform such a tricky musical when you realize that they have to operate puppets, speak in puppet voices, and sing a long program of musical numbers that tackle some of the most controversial issues in today’s society: racism, sexual identity, poverty and even pornography.

And that’s right; they have to sing in puppet voices too. I didn’t see a single problem from the crew or hear a single mistake from the band. The VCU drama students have achieved an amazing feat with this production. They managed to be entertaining and on-point, but most of all; they have proved themselves mature and qualified, well on their way to a professional stage. Yet, may I offer word of warning, though? If you get embarrassed easily like I do, then prepare to cover your eyes!

BY Ameorry Luo

SOMETHING ANTIQUE I’m afraid to cough, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back.

Dust is on everything and there are a lot of things here. Which means… a lot of dust.

The old woman behind the register keeps glancing up at me, then back to a book, then up at me somewhere else in the store, then back to her book, then up at me again. She is tall, I think, but I‘m not positive because she’s been sitting on that stool since I walked in.

“Are you looking for anything?” She asks finally, adjusting her glasses.

“No, I just really like antiques,” I smile back, “so I’m just looking.”

“Well, take your time,” she says, returning the smile. Then she relaxes against the back wall and her gaze returns to her book.

This is the Antique Boutique and Delectable Collectibles store in downtown Richmond, and it might be, in my opinion, one of the most adorable stores I’ve ever seen. Not necessarily due to the décor as there is very little room for decorations, but for the large amount of items that they carry. There is always something new to find. According to their Facebook page (and this is what

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I mean by adorable): “We are spotlighting vintage silver napkin rings. They are fun, decorative, and full of potential for adding a very special touch to any dining experience.

Many collectors value vintage napkin rings not just for the ring itself but also for the engravings. Whether the ring sports an entire name or just an initial, your guests will enjoy its history as they unfurl their napkin.”

I cough. She looks up at me from her book. My eyes settle on something small.

“I’ll take that music box,” I say, pointing to a small, clear mechanism on one of the shelves.

“Are you a student?” she asks. I nod.

“Yeah, at VCU.” “Well tell your friends that I will give them a VCU discount if they come by and want to purchase anything,” she smiles, her eyes wide. I thank her very much, and leave for the cobblestone street.

by Amanda Hitchcock

FEBRUARY 2013

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Living Color In April of 2012, the RVA Street Art Festival and G40 Art Summit brought some of the most talented international street artists to our hometown. The city became their canvas as they painted striking murals that brought color to the walls, and new life to the city. This editorial celebrates how art has become an integral part of Richmond’s culture, where it has fused with its people.

Fashion Director / Art Director: Isabella Althoff // Photographer: Nick Ghobashi Model: Annelise M Padró // Hair: Elijah Greene // Make Up: Andrea Johnson Fashion Assistant: Jennifer Mawyer // Jewelry: Eliza Spell: Elizaspell.com, Holly Christian: Etsy.com/Shop/Hollyraeonline

(cover) Art by Jeff Soto RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Crystal skull necklace by Eliza Spell Beanie by Brixton (right) Art by Pose RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Snake vertebrae double triangle necklace by Eliza Spell Camo hat, stylist's own

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Art by Roa G40 Art Summit 11 S. 18th St. Mercury leather triangle necklace

by Holly Christian, Black jasper merkaba necklace by Eliza Spell, Beanie by American Apparel (right) Art by El Kamino RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Quartz portal keystone necklace by Eliza Spell Floral hat by Obey

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Art by Hense RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Beanie by Brixton

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Art by 2501 G40 Art Summit 11 S. 18th St. Thor's hammer necklace

by Eliza Spell, Snapback

by Aldo, Necklace (used as rim) by H&M

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Art by Vizie RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Double brass spike necklace

by Eliza Spell, Into the ibis crystal necklace by Holly Christian, Silver skull necklace by Eliza Spell, Join or die hat, stylist's own

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Art by Hamilton Glass RVA Street Art Festival James River Power Plant Building Mercury leather triangle necklace

by Holly Christian, Black jasper merkaba necklace by Eliza Spell Beanie by American Apparel

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Art by Aryz G40 Art Summit 1506 West Main St. Quartz portal keystone necklace by Eliza Spell, Floral hat by Obey

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Art by Roa G40 Art Summit 1501 W. Main St Snake vertebrae double triangle necklace

by Eliza Spell, Camo hat, stylist’s own

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ArtS + Culture

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