Richmond magazine - December 2022

MEET TUBBY

When Richmond’s C.F. Sauer Co. was sold to Charlotte, North Carolina-based private equity firm Falfurrias Capital Partners in 2019, a chill went up the spine of Duke’s Mayonnaise lovers across the region — would the brand’s new owners mess with perfec tion? Three years later, following A ugust’s introduction of Duke’s massively eyebrowed mascot, a giant jar of mayo named Tubby, it appears that the answer is yes, but mostly in a good way: Tubby’s Ins tagram admission on Oct. 20 that he was staying up late with the rest of us awaiting the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Midnights,” enhanced our brand loyalty.

DIAMOND DISTRICT

DEVELOPER SELECTED

In mid-September, city officials announced the selection of a developer, RVA Diamond Part ners, to build a mixed-use project on 67 acres along Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The blockbuster deal includes $2.44 billion worth of apartments, condos, offices and retail — and a $100 million ballpark for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

GLENN YOUNGKIN CONFUSES BLACK SENATORS

On Feb. 11, freshly inaugurated Gov. Glenn Youngkin mixed up two of the state Senate’s Black Dem ocrats — Sen. Louise Lucas, pres ident pro tempore of the Senate, and Sen. Mamie Locke. Youngkin, it turns out, sent Lucas a text con gratulating her for a Black History Month speech that Locke deliv ered, prompting trolling on Twitter f or the faux pas. Lucas posted side-by-side photos of herself and Locke with a bit of advice: “Study the photos and you will get this soon!” Youngkin apologized and later gifted each senator with one of his trademark red vests.

FOX ELEMENTARY AND THE SCHOOL BOARD COMBUST

On Feb. 11, William Fox Elemen tary on Hanover Avenue went up in flames. In the aftermath, there was finger-pointing, with questions about faulty fire alarms and a laundry list of unaddressed issues at Fox and other schools identified by the Fire Marshal. The fire, which occurred on a Friday night, was also a gut punch to the Fan District community, where

the school has been an anchor for more than a century. It all led to public outcry over the city’s aging, potentially unsafe schools — 10 of which haven’t been upgraded or renovated in at least 50 years — and added to growing tensions on a fractured school board. Fox students were shuffled to First Baptist Church on Monument Avenue, then they finished out the year at the previously vacant Clark Springs Elementary in Ran dolph. The cause of the blaze was undetermined. Students remain at the Clark Springs facility pending the rebuilding of Fox.

PARADE REST

The Monument Avenue Easter Parade began in 1973 as a neigh borhood celebration that grew into an affair of flower-adorned bonnets, seersucker suits, cos tumed pets, front porch music and art exhibits attended by more than 30,000 people. The pandemic caused the event to be canceled in 2020-21. Echelon Event Man agement planned for a big return of the Easter bonnets in 2022, but

citing insufficient funds to cover security and street closing, it canceled the event again this year. Echelon’s Jessica Corbett told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that sponsorships would be sought for Easter’s 2023 revival.

CASINO FIGHT, PART II

A year after Richmond voters rejected a proposed casino in South Richmond, state Sen. Joe Morrissey introduced legislation to allow a casino referendum in Peters burg. It was nixed by a state S enate committee, however, and Richmond was later barred by state lawmakers from holding a do-over referendum this year. Meanwhile, a study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found in October that Petersburg and Richmond could both successfully operate casi nos, increasing overall gaming r evenue in the state, but there’s a catch: If only one casino were built, one in Richmond would gen erate nearly $100 million more in r evenue, and 700 additional jobs, than a single casino in Petersburg.

LOWS

TOMORROW, TODAY

Through its O ce of Sustainability, Richmond considers how current actions may impact future generations

By Paula Peters Chambers

Laura Thomas, the city of Richmond’s new director of the O ce of Sustainability, is a Henrico County native and a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate. Until recently, she was the sustainability program administrator for Largo, Florida, west of Tampa.

Thomas returned to Richmond in October to assume her duties with the program, which was established in June to spearhead citywide climate action e orts. “It was great to be [back] to see everything again,” she says.

Richmond magazine spoke with Thomas about the O ce of Sustainability’s mission and what individuals can do to help protect the environment.

Richmond magazine: We hear the word “sustainability” a lot these days. What does that really mean?

Laura Thomas: At its simplest, sustainability is ensuring we provide for our community today in a way that ensures we can provide for our children and grandchildren in the same way, if not better. To me, it’s about how we consider the way our decisions impact the environment, and social and economic aspects of our community. How can we help people grow healthy, fresh food at home, reduce household economic burdens, provide health benefits and reduce greenhouse emissions?

RM: Tell us more about Richmond’s Climate Equity Action Plan 2030, which is an element of RVAgreen 2050, the plan to get Richmond to net-zero emissions by 2050. How can citizens be involved?

Thomas: In our plan, we acknowledge that in order to achieve the goals, we need support from the average Richmonder. We’re asking individ uals to take advantage of the best opportunities they can. That might mean avoiding littering,

installing solar panels on their home or becoming a Community Climate Leader. The important thing to remember is that there are two parts: the individual level and the local, state and federal government level. We must work together, with residents making choices that make sense for them and for where they are. A great example is how the city is launching a pilot community compost program with the support of the parks and recreation department. Composting drop-off locations will be made available to the public.

RM: How can Richmond and its residents hope to overcome the effects of global climate change? Thomas: We know climate change doesn’t exist within a municipal line, so what we do in Richmond impacts other communities. We want to ensure we are as resilient as possible. We need to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that we are respon sible for, because the impact of greenhouse gas emissions is greater than the sum of its parts. Every ton of carbon emitted has a greater impact than the previous ton. RVAgreen 2050 lays out the framework of how our organization and city can play a role in our own solution to climate change.

RM: Are there any programs from Largo that you think could be beneficial for Richmond?

Thomas: There are several efforts that I led in my previous role that I think align with those priorities already identified by Richmond. This includes supporting a transition to an alternative fuel fleet, ensuring our new facilities are sustainable and resilient, and providing the community with the tools they want to be more sustainable, like composting and water harvesting.

RM: What’s it like to be back in Richmond?

Thomas: It feels great to be home again. I have missed sweaters and falling leaves. It is great to be with my family and so many of my close friends, and to be close to so many different types of outdoor activities, from the James River Park System to the mountains. I am excited and ready to get out there to explore my hometown. It’s changed in a lot of ways and has stayed the same in a lot of ways, which is very fun. R

Visit rva.gov/sustainability to learn more about the city’s Office of Sustainability. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Laura Thomas, the city of Richmond’s director of the Office of Sustainability

ing solutions and making City Council and school board meetings as boring as Henrico County’s meetings. And I mean that as a compliment. Henrico provides a model for collaborating behind the scenes to find solutions instead of grand standing in front of the camera. They might have a li le drama a few times a year, whereas the city seems to have a major opera every week.

For example, Richmond has been debating and arguing about designing and building a new George Wythe High School for three years. During that time, Henri co built a new Tucker High School and Highland Springs High School. ey put students, parents and communities first.

Challenges in Richmond are many, but they are not beyond addressing and resolving. We will not fix them all at once, but we can chip away at them piece by

piece. It’s the unsung part of government that people do not see much.

Real political leaders know they don’t have to make life-changing decisions to impact people’s lives every day. ey just need to try and make people’s days just a li le bit be er, and then help them get a

leg up and get started on improving their lives and our city. You do that block-byblock and neighborhood-by-neighbor hood. Doing the little things, the real work, may not be as instantly gratifying as a social media post, but it leads to deeper bonds within the community. Richmond needs leaders who understand this.

at is the path we need to head down if we are going to make Richmond a be er place and help those who need it most. We’ve been lost in the woods of late, but we can get it back if we find the right people to do the right thing and put the citizens — and our city — first. R

Jon Baliles is editor of the RVA 5x5 news le er (rva5x5.substack.com). He is a former Richmond City councilman and a co-found er of the RVA Street Art Festival.

Real political leaders know they don’t have to make life-changing decisions to impact people’s lives every day. ey just need to try and make people’s days just a li le bit be er.

anxiety. My preferences are for occasions where a hot jazz combo accompanies the conversation. I indeed wrote about those subjects, too, along with all the murdering or the near-murdering. When your busi ness card says “sta writer,” and you are the primary one, then writing is what you do, or you find something else. I never did.

But it wasn’t all murders and violence. What began as one of my a empts at humor in a sta meeting turned into June 2007’s “24 Hours With the General.” For this, I sat on the steps of the Robert E. Lee Monument to gather the thoughts of any body who happened by. A rescheduling caused by rain placed me there on … Con federate Heritage Day. This entailed a surreal pop-up parade.

Prior to the start, as a massive Stars and Bars strained at its rope, a bespecta cled African-American man circled the statue in his pickup truck and through

the window shouted, “I’m free! I’m free! ank God!” His tone implied more amuse ment than annoyance.

Bagpipes played “Dixie,” and motorcy cles roared around the monument. The flags were eye-poppingly bright and big. Faux generals in gray rode on horseback. ough participants made an e ort toward authenticity in their period dress, one artil lery unit hauled its cannon with an SUV. en they were gone with the wind. at a ernoon, A.J. Johnson, a Black man, strode across the grass medallion on his way home. Johnson came from what he considered the West End, around Meadow Street south of Cary. He’d passed by Gen. Lee all his life but admitted to knowing li le about him except for fre quent controversy.

“Guess it depends on which side you’re on, doesn’t it?” he mused. “I don’t know if he was a racist. I’ve been told he was an asshole. And I’ve been told he was a decent person. I don’t want to be entirely down on the cat. But I’ll say this much: It’s a hell of a statue. I mean, this is forever, man; this is for infinity.”

What A.J. Johnson, and that fellow in the pickup truck, might’ve made of the events of 2020, when not only Lee but all the booted-and-bearded men went away, are views I’d like to hear.

A significant personal accomplishment for my tenure was the 20-year run of the eresa Pollak Prizes for Excellence in the Arts.

My spouse, the artist Amie Oliver, suggested naming the award for Pollak, an artist and the founder of arts education both at VCU and the University of Richmond. She had hired most of the contemporary artists who helped earn a national reputa tion for VCU’s School of the Arts.

During the Pollaks’ run, I interviewed dozens of makers and creators from across a range of disciplines, ages and back grounds. We put on events where we handed out the awards and gi ed a print of a Pollak work to the recipients.

The categories expanded, divided, shrunk and turned biannual. e recep tions became an anticipated event. We had one celebrity sign-in when singer and actor Mandy Moore a ended. She knew one of the musicians in the ceremony and complimented my hosting. I have no selfie because we didn’t have them then.

For the final Pollaks in 2017, I bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award upon Vince Gilligan, also a Lloyd C. Bird gradu ate but a few years behind me, who cre ated “Breaking Bad” and wrote for “ e X-Files.” I managed not to stammer too much around him, and he even hammed it up with us for the camera.

Off and on, for a decade, I stood on West Broad Street under the Lee’s Chick en sign giving fake weather forecasts. What began as impromptu humor gained some recognition as a quirky Richmond thing. e o ce’s move in 2021 from the Book Bindery building and away from the sign ended the series. e reports exist in half-life on YouTube.

rough the years I’ve read as well and looked as good on the printed page due to an escadrille of editors including Chad Anderson, Kate Andrews, Sco Bass, Craig Belcher, Jack Cooksey, Carla Davis, Tina Eshleman, aron Giddens, Tina Griego, Jessica Haddad, Court Squires and Susan Winiecki. e galore of designers and art ists making this column look good have included Sarah Barton, Doug Dobey, Sco Fields, Isaac Harrell, V. Lee Hawkins, Steve Hedberg, Heather Palmateer, Jay Paul, Arnel Reynon, Jason Smith, Mollee Sulli van and Justin Vaughan.

Most of them long ago followed other paths, but through the years, this publi cation’s owners Rich and Elisa Malkman, have been constants, navigating the mag azine through all weathers.

ere is, in the end, something to be said for continuity. R

Finding My Way: Overnighting at Short Pump Town Center with Lady Wonder from Build-ABear., May 2004.

Deb Stout, who is serving a life sentence, compared Arey’s experiences in solitary with her own previous confinements in segregation, or “seg.” “The books have added a great deal of encouragement and inspiration to continue fighting the ba les for myself and others within these walls.”

In every book, Dillon inscribes, “Donated by Calvin Arey, who believes you are more than the worst thing you have ever done,” a quote from Stevenson’s 2014 bestseller “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.”

RIPPLES INTO WAVES

“Your act is a ripple turned wave. So many women are being touched, moved, validated, healed, and compelled into action because of the books you’ve sent.”

—Excerpt from a le er to Calvin Arey from Shebri Dillon, Aug. 12, 2022.

While in solitary at the Virginia State Penitentiary in the late 1960s, Arey found courage in a June 6, 1966, speech by Robert F. Kennedy. In it, Kennedy said, “Every time a man stands up

for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and ... those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Arey today is seeing more ripples emanating from that sin gular first act of mailing a book. A er reading an impressive article by an inmate named Terrence Vaughn in the July edition of the Virginia Coalition for Justice newsle er, he sent Vaughn a le er that included “The Unbroken” and some book suggestions.

Soon, the Albert Woodfox Memorial Mini Freedom Library No. 2 formed at River North Correctional Center in Indepen dence in Southwest Virginia, with seven books so far under Vaughn’s tutelage. “Terrence understands,” Arey says. “He’s all in. He’s a barber there, telling me they have conversations every day about these books. That makes my day.”

Vaughn says in an email that Arey has sent books “with stories of hope that you don’t find in Virginia prisons … they have started dialogues … these books are now conversations shared between individuals realizing that hope is still alive. I’m not sure that Mr. Arey realizes how important it was to restore hope in the eyes of these young men.”

In turn, Vaughn told Arey about an inmate at Augusta Correctional Center near Staunton who was interested in forming the Albert Woodfox Memorial Mini Freedom Library No. 3. So far, Arey has sent four books. An inmate at Greensville Correctional in Jarra is starting library No. 4 there.

“One reason they’re reading these books is because of who I am, and what I did 50 years ago,” Arey says of his proximity to these inmates, with whom he ordinarily would have li le in common. “That’s opening a door. They’re saying, ‘Look at the life that this guy led, and now he’s sending a book.’ This is the opportunity I was looking for.”

Meanwhile, at Fluvanna, library No. 1 is flourish ing. Inmate Jessica Fuge e notes that “The Unbroken” and the library changed her life, her passion and her purpose. “I have become a peer recovery specialist to help others, to educate and encour age others to advocate for themselves. To stand up against the injustice, cruelty and bullying that incarcerated people face.

“I am grateful to the men that came before me,” she adds. “Their journey, as horrific and cold as it was, has allowed people like me to become prison aboli tionists, advocates, and create change for the be er.”

“Every day, a new woman picks up a book,” Dillon writes. “Every day, conversations are sparked, and growth spurts occur. Every single day, ripples of hope and change are turning into currents that will carry into society when these women are released. Every day is new and has promise.” R

—Anthony Cosby Jr. of

I Would Die 4 U

"I NEVER WANT TO BE CONSIDERED AN IMPERSONATOR. I'M PAYING HOMAGE TO THIS MAN'S MUSIC."

the Prince tribute

"A LOT OF THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS KNOW THE MUSIC BETTER THAN WE DO."

—Will Jones of the Neil Diamond tribute act Diamond Heist

STORIED STRINGS: The Guitar in American Art

OCT 8, 2022–MAR 19, 2023

Explore the guitar as visual subject, enduring symbol, and storyteller’s companion. Strummed everywhere from parlors and front porches to protest rallies and rock arenas—the guitar also appears far and wide in American art. Its depictions enable artists and their human subjects to address topics that otherwise go untold or under-told. Experience paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and music in a multimedia presentation that unpacks the guitar’s cultural signi cance, illuminating matters of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and identity.

Storied Strings: e Guitar in American Art is the rst exhibition to explore the instrument’s symbolism in American art from the early 19th century to the present day. Featuring 125 works of art, as well as 35 musical instruments, the exhibition demonstrates that guitars gure prominently in the visual stories Americans tell themselves about themselves—their histories, identities, and aspirations. e guitar—portable, a ordable, and ubiquitous—appears in American art more than any other instrument, and this exhibition explores those depictions as well as the human ambitions, intentions, and connections

facilitated by the instrument—a powerful tool and elastic emblem. e works in Storied Strings are divided into nine sections: Aestheticizing a Motif; Cold Hard Cash; Hispanicization; Parlor Games; Personi cation; Picturing Performance; Political Guitars;

the Guitar in Black Art and Culture; and Re-Gendered Instruments. e exhibition also features smaller thematically arranged niche spaces, including e Blues, Women in Early Country Music, the Visual Culture of Early Rock and Roll, Hawaii-ana, and Cowboy Guitars.

Odetta, 1958 , Otto Hagel (American, born Germany, 1909–1973), gelatin silver print. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson, 98.117.66.

Image: Photograph by Otto Hagel. Collection Center for Creative Photography, © Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation

RICHMOND SESSIONS AND MORE

Audio-visual kiosks featuring music and filmed performances are located throughout the exhibition. A window overlooking an impressive, fully functioning recording studio, installed in partnership with In Your Ear Studios, enables visitors to view national and regional guitarists recording songs that demonstrate the power of the instrument to tell stories. The first Richmond Sessions ’22–’23 recording, featuring folk musician Lucy Kaplansky, dropped on October 12. For the full roster of musicians and upcoming recording release dates, visit www.VMFA.museum.

Tickets

Free for VMFA members, children ages 6 and under, active-duty military personnel and their immediate families; Commonwealth of Virginia employees and preschool and K–12 teachers (public and private); $16 for adults; $12 for seniors 65+; and $10 for youth 7–17 and college students with ID.

This exhibition is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Dr. Leo G. Mazow, Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art.

Sponsors

The Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Center for American Art Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Exhibition Endowment Julia Louise Reynolds Fund

Nancy and Wayne Chasen Community Foundation for a greater Richmond

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Garner, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. William V. Garner Troutman Pepper Wyeth Foundation for American Art YouDecide

Robert Lehman Foundation Peachtree House Foundation

Birch Douglass

Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. An Anonymous Donor

VMFA is also grateful to the following sponsors.

Fralin Pickups, LLC; Dr. and Mrs. Michael Godin; Sherrie Page Guyer and Raymond A. Guyer III; Karen and Pat Kelly; Curry and Lindsey Motley; Pamela and Fred Palmore; Dr. and Mrs. R. P. Sowers III; Tredway S. Spratley and Janine M. Collins; Don and Pia Steinbrugge; Courtenay S. Welton II

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Marketing support for this exhibition is provided by the Charles G. Thalhimer Fund.

For more information about the exhibition and related programs, visit www.VMFA.museum.

ISAAC JULIEN: LESSONS OF THE HOUR FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Dec 10, 2022–Jul 9, 2023

Lessons of the Hour— Frederick Douglass is an immersive and poetic meditation on the great 19th-century abolitionist. e poignant 10-screen lm installation collapses time and space to bridge persistent historical and contemporary challenges of the day. In this profoundly resonating art experience of arresting visuals and sound, internationally renowned London-born artist and lmmaker Sir Isaac Julien brings the historical gure to clear focus for the next generation.

Frederick Douglass, who escaped enslavement, was a masterful writer and orator, one of history’s greatest activists for freedom and equality, and an advocate for women’s su rage. To combat the disparaging depictions of African Americans as a means to justify bondage, Douglass used the power of his image to shift cultural perspectives. In doing so, he became the most photographed individual of the 19th century. In this installation, Julien’s narrative is informed by Douglass’s powerful speeches and includes excerpts from “Lessons of the Hour,” “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?,” and the prescient “Lecture on Pictures,” which examines the in uence of technology and images on human relations. Shakespearean actor Ray Fearon portrays Douglass within the lm. Around his commanding visage, Julien weaves Douglass’s writings and lmed reenactments of the abolitionist’s travels in the United States, Scotland, and Ireland, along with contemporary protest footage that makes Douglass’s modernday relevance and resonance undeniable.

e installation, presented upon the 10 screens where images converge as a whole, then fragment into a montage, can be watched repeatedly. Visitors are welcome to sit in this meditative space where the 25-minute lm’s nonlinear viewing experience makes each encounter with the work unique.

Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour— Frederick Douglass was commissioned by the Memorial Art Gallery at the University

ISAAC

Dec 10, 2022–Jul 9, 2023

Evans Court Gallery

Free. The installation is organized by Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

of Rochester in partnership with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2019. e installation of this work is organized by Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Production of the work is generously supported by Metro Pictures, New York; Victoria Miro, London/Venice; the Arts Division of the University of California Santa Cruz; and by Eastman Kodak Company, on whose lm stock the installation was shot.

Presented by

Mr. Hubert G. Phipps

Wayne and Nancy Chasen

Mr. and Mrs. R. Augustus Edwards III Michelle and John Nestler

Michael Schewel and Priscilla Burbank

Marketing support for Evans Court exhibitions is provided by the Charles G. Thalhimer Fund.

JULIEN: Lessons of the Hour—Frederick Douglass

The North Star (Lessons of the Hour) (detail), 2019, Isaac Julien (British, born 1960), framed photograph on gloss inkjet paper mounted on aluminum. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco; Metro Pictures, New York; Victoria Miro, London/Venice

Also on View

WORDS MATTER

Ongoing

Shrouded in Grey, 2015, Shan Goshorn (Cherokee, 19572018), arches paper, ink, artificial sinew, copper. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Funds provided by Mareke Schiller, 2021.193

Civil War Soldier, 1863-5, American, 19th Century, tintype. Collection of Dennis O. Williams

A POWERFUL INFLUENCE: Early Photographs of African Americans from the Collection of Dennis O. Williams

Through May 8, 2023 | Photography Gallery

Ascot, 1930s, 1930, Raoul Dufy (French, 1877–1953), transparent and opaque watercolor with graphite on wove paper. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 85.763.18

RAOUL DUFY: Drawn to Royal Ascot

Through Feb 26, 2023 | Mellon Focus Galleries

The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin’, 2012, Trenton Doyle Hancock (American, born 1974), acrylic and mixed media on canvas. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Sydney and Frances Lewis Endowment Fund and Pamela K. and William A. Royall Jr. Fund for 21st-Century Art with funds contributed by Mary and Don Shockey Jr. and Marion Boulton Stroud, 2013.3 © Trenton Doyle Hancock

A CLOSER LOOK

Ongoing | Interactive Gallery

A Closer Look is generously supported by the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, the Jeanette S. Lipman Endowment for Children’s Education, and Maggie Georgiadis.

Experience VMFA

as only members can

FREE TICKETS

Join today and enjoy free tickets to Storied Strings: e Guitar in American Art.

SPECIAL ACCESS

Member Mornings

Mon, Jan 23 | 8–10 am

Members-only access to the entire museum, including Storied Strings: e Guitar in American Art

Member Appreciation Nights

Wednesdays, Through Mar 15 | 5 – 9 pm

A series of special evenings for Storied Strings: e Guitar in American Art are open exclusively to VMFA members and up to two guests for free. Sponsored by

Member Preview Days for Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour— Frederick Douglass

Thu, Dec 8 | 10:30 am – 9pm Fri, Dec 9 | 10 am – 9 pm

Members also enjoy free parking and discounts and free access to many of our classes, programs, and events, as well as our shop and restaurants. For more information, visit www.VMFA.museum/membership/

Goodnight Irene, 1952, Charles Wilbert White (American, 1918 – 1979), oil on canvas, 47 × 24 in. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2014.28. Art © The Charles White Archives

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

BRON HANSBORO EXPANDS HIS DECORATIVE EMPIRE

By PAULA PETERS CHAMBERS

The past 12 months have been exceptionally busy for Bron Hansboro.

Known to many as The Flower Guy Bron (theflower guybron.com), Hansboro has established himself as a premier floral and event designer who’s in demand up and down the East Coast. But in the past year, he’s also opened a neighborhood flower and gift shop, he’s acquired a lighting com pany, and — the most recent development — he plans to launch a high-end wedding rental business soon.

“We want to be a lifestyle option,” Hansboro says. “We want to be part of your life forever.”

A former special education teacher, Hansboro makes service and relationships central elements of all his business ven tures, which began with wedding florals. “Long before I felt I had decent design skills, I was learning how to interact with clients and create an experience,” he says. “When clients leave [a meeting], I want them to feel transformed. That’s the basis of how I build my brand.”

That approach has served him well. Hansboro first began working as The Flower Guy Bron in 2014 and moved into a store front at 1001 E. Main St. in 2015. In 2018, having outgrown that location, he relo cated to North Side, to 214 Brookland Park Ave., where the additional square footage supported his floral business and enabled him to provide collaborative space for other wedding professionals.

While the pandemic put a damper on weddings in 2020, business rebounded in 2021, and Hansboro realized he needed to expand yet again. So in October 2021, he acquired a 20,000-square-foot warehouse on Chamberlayne Avenue.

Then came the branching out. In March 2022, Hansboro acquired Leap Lighting + Design, a company that often worked the luxe weddings that Hansboro was designing. Leap’s owner was looking for a change, so he approached Hansboro, asking if he’d ever considered buying a lighting company. “The answer was absolutely yes!” Hansboro says, laughing.

The two struck a deal over meetings at restaurants.

“Neither of us had any experience with transferring a business,” Hansboro says. “We

just talked about what we wanted the relationship to look like. He was gracious in committing to being part of the transition, and we retained all of the original [Leap] team members. We’ve been very mindful of how that transition looked and wanted to embrace [Leap staff] as a family and as part of The Flower Guy Bron brand of business.”

Leap moved into the new Chamberlayne Avenue warehouse, leaving an opportunity for another new venture — Brookland Park Flowers & Gifts — which opened in August. Designed to serve the neighborhood with fresh flowers and gifts for all occasions, the shop is stocked with items that have been handpicked by Hansboro and his husband of nearly a decade, Lloyd Eley. When Hansboro isn’t managing a weekend event, he and Eley are often found in the store, helping customers find that perfect item for themselves or others.

“[The store merchandise] is such an extension of our personal lifestyle — we love charcuterie, knickknacks, chintz, unneces sary excess,” Hansboro says. “It’s so fun for Lloyd to see how people respond to what he selected. I’m very respectful and appreciative that he takes so much time to support The Flower Guy Bron.”

Hansboro says that his next venture, The Event House, will bring luxury designer chairs and tables, custom dance floors and bars, larger-scale drapery services, and new staging opportunities to Richmond event planners.

“I saw a need for higher-end rental options that are available in every surrounding market, with the excep tion of Richmond,” he says, adding that couples and people planning larger gatherings will now have access to a much wider array of options.

He sees his expansions as a logical exten sion of his original dream.

“We are a custom design service, and we incorporate interior design and fashion design,” Hansboro says. “We have a full appreciation of space and scale and what type of layers are necessary for the level of hosting you have. We can protect our customers’ investment in their flowers by lighting them properly. If you’re in a ballroom that’s already ornately decorated, we’re able to comple ment that space.”

And, he adds, it all works because of his team and the project management structure they have developed.

“As [the company] grows in scale, the people who are leading different business ventures are those who have experience with our level of service,” he says. “They have seen the proof is in the pudding. We do invest in our personnel and team members and believe that what we are doing with people makes a difference. We only seek relationships where we truly believe that gratitude flows in both ways. We might be tired, but we are never depleted with service. It’s our ministry; we cannot be depleted.”

Bron Hansboro inside his new shop, Brookland Park Flowers & Gifts

JUST ME AND YOU

AN ELEGANT ELOPEMENT AT DOVER HALL’S GRAND ESTATE

By NICOLE COHEN

When Jason Fair and Fernando Rodríguez became engaged in March 2020 and began planning their wedding for the following November, they couldn’t have predicted how fast large gather ings would change. With seven adult children between the two of them, they quickly realized that COVID restrictions (which at the time limit ed gatherings to 10 people) would prevent even their immediate family from joining them for their matri mony. Initially, they planned to wait for restrictions to be lifted, but Jason says that around October, he decid ed, “Let’s get married,” and Fernan do agreed. After calling venues, Jason discovered that Dover Hall in Goochland County was running a pandemic special that would allow them to have the entire estate to themselves at a significant discount.

The couple had an overnight stay at the estate on Dec. 14, 2020, and they were treated to a private five-course dinner and wine pairing in the wine cellar. Since they had the run of the place, they were also able to explore the 38,000-squarefoot English Tudor castle. They were married Dec. 15 at 9 a.m. with just a few wedding profes sionals in attendance, including officiant Casey Dokoupil.

“The most intimate and memo rable part for me was saying the vows at Dover Hall because it was so personal, and it was just us and the officiant in this grand estate, and it was very emotional,” Jason says.

A year later, on Nov. 6, 2021, the pair were able to celebrate with friends and family during a vow renewal ceremony at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

“I always wanted to get married there, and having all the family, having all the friends and every thing was perfect,” Fernando says.

Jason adds, “We got the best of both worlds. We got to enjoy our elopement, but then we got to have a fantastic celebration, and it was safe for everyone.”

Photo by Nicki Metcalf