SEPTEMBER Adriana Studer practices archery at YMCA summer camp.
66 JAY PAUL
A BETTER CITY FOR ALL
The Richmond Racial Equity Essays project aims to offer tangible solutions to create a more equitable city. We present excerpts from three authors’ contributions.
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SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Is the YMCA of Richmond a youth sports organization, a child care provider, a summer camp, a gathering spot for seniors, a service organization, a pool or a gym? The answer is “yes” to all the above — and more — as the nonprofit organization evolves to serve the needs of the community. By Don Harrison
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FALL ARTS PREVIEW
After a year of canceled performances and virtual events, the Richmond arts scene is back with a full schedule of concerts, plays, exhibitions and more. We offer a preview of some of the hottest tickets in comedy, theater, dance, music and the visual arts, along with listings for our can’t-miss events.
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LOCAL
TOURISM
A MORE COMPLETE STORY
and more interested in Richmond, in the Black American narrative,” Enjoli Moon says, adding that the removal of Confederate monuments and the reclamation of Virginia’s tourism players are attracting travelers by embracing the spaces they occupied also has heightBlack cultural history ened interest in the area for Black travelers and others. By Gary Robertson “People are excited and interested in knowing the fullness of what each of those things mean, how they are conBlack traveler but to every traveler who or generations, Black culis interested in learning more about Virnected and how they created the space tural history has existed in which we live now,” she says. on the fringes of the tourginia’s history,” says Andrew Cothern, VTC Enjoli Moon is also a co-founder of ism industry. communications manager. BLKRVA, a collaboration between RichThat’s changing. He says efforts to attract Black travmond Region Tourism (RRT) and more elers began in 2019, just before the panFrom Kehinde Wiley’s status-quo-shatthan 20 community leaders to promote tering equestrian statue “Rumors of War” demic. “Then in 2020, after the pandemic Richmond as a multicultural hub. “We at the entrance of the Virginia Museum of and all the George Floyd protests, we saw have consistently promoted that we’re a Fine Arts to Shirley Plantation’s renewed this more as a crucial need.” commitment to include in its tours and very diverse destination, a welcoming desexhibits more information about the ‘One of our best assets’ tination,” says Jack Berry, president and enslaved who lived there, Black heritage Enjoli Moon has worked to elevate Black CEO of RRT. “That’s one of our best assets.” and tourism is getting a lot of attention. history and heritage for years. She and Janine Bell, president and artistic According to a study by Mandala director of the Elegba Folklore Sociher sister, Sesha Joi Moon, developed the ety, says that during the social justice Research, based in Old Town Alexandria, JXN Project to promote the pivotal role movement last summer, books “flew off that Richmond and especially Jackson the economic value of African American Ward, one of the first Black the shelf” in Elegba’s Broad travelers in the U.S. increased from $48 urban neighborhoods in the Street shop as people sought billion in 2010 to $63 billion in 2018 — a Sisters Enjoli Moon (left) and Sesha Joi Moon country, played in the evoluinformation about the Black 31% surge. Black leisure travelers spent developed the JXN Project even more in 2019: $109.4 billion, based tion of the Black American experience. And although the to promote the pivotal role of Jackson Ward in the on a survey by MMGY Global, a global experience. pandemic crippled tourism, evolution of the Black she says Elegba’s cultural marketing firm specializing in the travel, “People are becoming more American experience. hospitality and entertainment industries. At the state level, the Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC) is focused on understanding Black travelers and more fully explaining and promoting what the commonwealth has to offer. “What basically we’re trying to do is demonstrate that Virginia has the longest continuous experience of Black life, definitely Black culture, in the U.S., and we’re trying to promote and underscore that Virginia is welcoming to all travelers,” says Jane Lammay, director of marketing operations for Virginia Tourism. “For so long, Black travelers have been underprioritized.” And Black history, heritage and culture speaks to everyone, she says. “The VTC is working on efforts not only to promote Black history to the 32
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FROM LEFT: P. A. GORMUS, JR., RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH COLLECTION, THE VALENTINE; THE BROWNS, INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ST. LUKE COLLECTION, THE VALENTINE
Ayer as head librarian. A New Hampshire native and Brown University graduate, Parker had worked at the Library of Congress and as librarian at the Federal Trade Commission. The library board purchased the former Lewis Ginter mansion at 901 W. Franklin St. from the estate primarily managed by his niece, Grace Arents, and the Richmond Public Library at the Ginter House opened on Oct. 13, 1924, with 20,000 volumes and 8,000 people attending. The library board in 1925 received a request for a library branch to serve Black patrons. The African American YWCA offered, rent-free, two upstairs rooms in its building at 515 N. Seventh St. in Jackson Ward. This space was named for educator and activist Rosa D. Bowser (1855-1931), whose career began at the Navy Hill School. Belle Boyd, a teacher at Manchester’s Dunbar School, became the fulltime librarian. Meanwhile, Grace Arents included a library in the St. Andrews Oregon Hill neighborhood complex she organized. In 1926, she bequeathed it to the city library system, which nearly closed the branch because it employed a Black custodian. When Sallie May Dooley died in 1925, her will bequeathed $500,000 to establish a library “for all” Richmonders, with the stipulation it be named for her husband, James Dooley, a Confederate veteran, wealthy lawyer and book lover. The board settled on a main library location at East Franklin Street between First and Second streets. The city opposed ceding an entire city block but relented. Richmond’s Baskervill and Lambert built the library in association with New York-based Edward L. Tilton — an architect for Carnegie’s libraries. The city sold the Ginter house to the College of William and Mary for $85,000 in June 1930. The Dooley Library that opened on Dec. 15, 1930, suited the fashionable Franklin Street surroundings, built in art deco
On May 28, 1947, the library board by unanimous vote agreed to “welcome patrons of all races.” style from stone and marble with “towering, welded-glass lanterns flanking its elaborate, Ghiberti-esque doors,” as Zukas describes. The door remained shut to Black Richmonders, however, including insurance agent Homer I. Rose. On Aug. 28, 1936, he found the Bowser Branch Library closed for the summer while the Dooley Branch Library was open, but not for him or other Black residents. Rose, who was active in the NAACP, filed a memorandum with the federal district court. His allies included lawyer Edinboro A. Norrell, who declared the barring of Rose from the library to be a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” Josephus Simpson, managing editor of the Richmond Planet and a vocal opponent of segregation, wanted the case appealed to the United States Supreme Court, but Federal Judge Robert N. Pollard dismissed it. A decade later, the Business and Pro-
fessional Men’s Association formed as the activist arm of the Leigh Street YMCA, the Black chapter of the Greater Richmond YMCA. The association in 1947 petitioned the library board and head librarian Ayer, calling the prohibition of Black residents unconstitutional and un-American. City attorney J. Elliot Drinard used Sallie May Dooley’s words in her bequest that the library serve all Richmonders. He explained that by fulfilling the terms of an agreement, rather than abiding by the 14th Amendment, this avoided precedent for civil rights activists. On May 28, the library board by unanimous vote agreed to “welcome patrons of all races.” Except only African Americans 16 and older were permitted. Ayer stressed this was because of a single children’s restroom in the building. While not implicitly stated, the restriction abided by the era’s policy of segregated bathrooms. The board also announced two additional branches for Black neighborhoods. By then, the library board had purchased 00 Clay St., the former Dill Mansion, for the Bowser Branch Library. (This library closed in 1964 when an East End Branch Library that had been promised for 17 years finally opened.) “It was a slow process that demanded patient, collective effort and ended with a door opening, unwillingly,” Zukas writes. The main branch of the Richmond Public Library today presents a variety of programs, lectures, art exhibitions, workshops and community gatherings for all. In 1972, an expansion designed by Baskervill & Son enveloped the Dooley building. Consulting national architectural firm Steinberg Hart and Richmond’s KEI are scheduled to submit their ideas for library improvements this month. The primary need at the main branch today as reflected in patron responses to recent surveys and meetings? “Parking,” Director Firestine says. R
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LIVING
TENNIS ANYONE?
The Sea Pine Beach Club
ACTIVITIES GALORE
SEA, DO Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Resort offers activities for everyone — even those who just want to relax By Jessica Ronky Haddad
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Richmond, Sea Pines is a gated resort that spans the southern third of Hilton Head Island. Accommodations run from the Inn and Club at Harbour Town (a boutique luxury hotel) to house and villa rentals that are perfect for families. While rentals are available through sites such as Airbnb and VRBO, we rented our two-bedroom villa through Sea Pines, which provided full resort privileges such as beach club parking and two hours of complimentary tennis court use per day.
Sea Pines is also home to three golf courses, another sport that has been booming since the pandemic. Harbour Town Golf Links is the best-known course, site of the RBC Heritage, South Carolina’s only PGA Golf tournament. With a 15-mile network of bike paths, cycling is the preferred mode of transportation around Sea Pines;
SEA PINES RESORT, ROB TIPTON
TRAVEL
love the idea of a relaxing beach vacation, with lazy days spent with my toes in the sand and a book in hand, but I know myself too well: I’m not great at sitting still for long stretches, I try to avoid too much sun exposure and I hate the heat. A few months ago, my family discovered a beach destination in South Carolina that offers myriad activities to keep non-beach people occupied: Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Resort. About a 6 1/2-hour drive south of
Sea Pines Racquet Club, with its 20 clay courts and acclaimed tennis program, helmed by former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Stan Smith, was a big draw for me. According to the Physical Activity Council’s figures, I was one of the nearly 22 million Americans who picked up a racquet during the pandemic. I was eager to hone my skill during daily strokes and drills clinics. Our villa was behind the Racquet Club, which made it easy to hop on the courts for a few additional hours of tennis each evening. It wasn’t such a plus, however, when court maintenance started up around 4:30 each morning and the leaf blowers, sprinklers and Gator Rakes got to grooming the clay.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
AR Custom Homes
Eastwood Homes
LeGault Homes
Main Street Homes
RCI Builders
Ryan Homes
1159 Cordial Court $1,414,350 3,067 sq. feet John Fleming 757-903-6730 arhomes.com
10100 Peach Blossom Road Starting price $529,990 2,925 sq. feet Chris Blanton 804-551-3629 eastwoodhomes.com
5581 Singing Bird Drive Moseley, Va 23120 $1,300,000 4,121 sq. feet Missy Yeary 804-475-4240 Legaulthomes.com
8743 Fishers Green Place Chesterfield, VA 23832 $568,185 2,469 sq. feet Sean Tierney & Tiffany Rowe 804-350-6109 gomsh.com
302 Wendenburg Terrace, Aylett, VA 23009 Starting Price $ 279,000 Sales price $314, 810 2,031 sq. feet Jason Collier 804-762-8063 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
1617 German School Road $409,140 1,896 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
The Primrose
Biringer Builders
Eastwood Homes
5500 Singing Bird Drive Moseley, VA 231210 Base price of $699,000 without lot 4,125 sq. feet Biringer Sales 804-464-3863 biringerbuilders.com
2238 Nightfall Drive, Richmond, VA $314,990 1,678 sq. feet Cathy Newton 804-426-5375 eastwoodhomes.com
The Elderberry
Boone Homes
The Belle Maison
Lifestyle Home Builders
The Cary
The Tiffany
18055 Cove Creek Drive, Moseley, VA 23120 $799,950 5,078 sq. feet Devin Jones 804-409-2069 lifestylehomebuilders.com
Eastwood Homes The Westcott
The Emory
RCI Builders
2600 Lilybank Place $608,823 2,926 sq. feet Erik Markowitz 804-614-7470 gomsh.com
9509 Farleigh Way, Ashland, VA 23005 Starting Price $747,410 Sales price $1,029,293 4,070 sq. feet Kaitlyn Gwaltney 804-640-6802 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
The Monterey
Main Street Homes
Main Street Homes
5365 Villa Green Court $561,464 3,835 sq. feet Stephanie Muire 804-244-9330 gomsh.com
3761 Tilman's Farm Drive $866,275 3,084 sq. feet Lee Wake 804-239-0785 gomsh.com
3085 Reed Marsh Drive $704,840 3,289 sq. feet Kate Gerrity 804-708-5138 boonehomes.net
Covenant Building + Design
Finer Homes
Main Street Homes
Main Street Homes
3601 Graythorne Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112 $724,997 3,422 sq. feet Kyle Yeatman 804-639-4663 buildingrva.com
8278 Reedy Knoll Drive, North Chesterfield, VA 23237 $429,990 2,174 sq. feet Kyle Yeatman 804-248-3303 finerhomesinc.net
7500 Crossbill Ct. $593,869 2,949 sq. feet Jason Burrows 540-580-5172 gomsh.com
4606 Cabretta Drive $608,239 3,300 sq. feet Erik Markowitz 804-614-7470 gomsh.com
The Grayson II
The Savannah
Covenant Building + Design
HHHunt Homes
5413 Singing Bird Drive, Moseley, 23120 $899,997 3,696 sq. feet Kyle Yeatman 804-639-4663 buildingrva.com
9100 Fenshaw Court $549,000 2,782 sq. feet Laura Ellis 804-294-3064 hhhunthomes.com
The Marina Del Ray
CraftMaster Homes The Bancroft II
18049 Cove Creek Drive, Moseley, VA, 23120 Starting Price $584,000, Sales Price $748,730 3,817 sq. feet Eileen Violante 804-409-4143 craftmasterhomes.com
Eagle Construction The Southaven
437 W. 7th Street, Richmond, VA 23224 $834,950 3,100 sq. feet Kelli Davis 804-404-9524 eagleofva.com
The Chatham
HHHunt Homes The Oasis
The Jefferson
13819 Tyberton Drive $ 570,797 2,983 sq. feet Lisa Spinelli 915-373-2296 gomsh.com
9386 Magnolia Blossom Road, Ashland, VA, 23005 Starting Price $635,479 Sales Price $875,999 3,030 sq. feet Sara Crum 804-564-4840 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
Main Street Homes The Harrison
HHHunt Homes
Main Street Homes
118 Central Parkway $283,635 2,179 sq. feet Laura Ellis 804-294-3064 hhhunthomes.com
15220 Dunton Avenue $410,577 2,270 sq. feet Charis Nordberg & Savannah Wright 804-332-2486 www.gomsh.com
Homesmith Construction The Bellevue
3518 Alvecote Terrace, Midlothian, VA 23112 Starting at $616,400 Sales price $739,900 3,959 sq. feet The Yeatman Group 804-NEW-HOME homesmithva.com
/ PA R A D E
The Waverly II
RCI Builders
The Jefferson
1919 Galley Place $439,000 2,025 sq. feet Laura Ellis 804-294-3064 hhhunthomes.com The Edison
The Stuart
Main Street Homes
6860 Dunton Road $497,052 2,385 sq. feet Charis Nordberg & Savannah Wright 804-332-2486 gomsh.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
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The Monterey Villa
The Grove
Main Street Homes The Augusta
8504 Glen Royal Drive $696,636 3,060 sq. feet Sean Tierney & Tiffany Rowe 804-350-6109 gomsh.com
The Kennington Carriage
Main Street Homes
1925 Galley Place, Chester, VA 23836 Starting price $415,990 2,700 sq. feet John Howsmon 804-437-4414 eastwoodhomes.com
The Siena
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The Cypress
The Lynn
RCI Builders The Wilton
13157 Luck Brothers Drive, Ashland, VA 23005 Starting Price $633,693 Sales Price $824,893 3,819 sq. feet Andrea Haas 910-638-8202 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
RCI Builders The Becky
8051 Cabernet Way, Mechanicsville, VA 23116 Starting Price $612,965 Sales price $849, 179 3,118 sq. feet Sarah Wall 804-690-4473 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
The Madison
RCI Builders The Alder
2155 Kennington Parkway N, Aylett, VA 23009 Starting Price $316,270 Sales price $357,121 1,803 sq. feet Keith Harding 804-205-6285 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
RCI Builders
The Pennington
12001 Kenton Ridge Road, Ashland, VA 23005 Starting Price $505,368 Sales price $655,567 2,297 sq. feet Matt Rutledge 804-971-0555 rcibuildersnewhomes.com
River City Custom Homes The Cardinal
3618 Graythorne Drive $900,000 3,535 sq. feet One South Realty 804-893-0570 rvacustomhomes.com
Ryan Homes The Nassau
5937 Austin Woods Drive $332,975 1,564 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
Ryan Homes The Sapphire
4100 Maze Runner Drive $309,190 1,554 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
The Robert Frost
Ryan Homes
The Saint Lawrence
11701 North Enon Church Road $460,000 3,082 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
Ryan Homes
The Columbia
9318 Willies Way Trl $509,990 2,423 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
Ryan Homes
The Grand Cayman
7587 Southamptonshire Way $349,990 1,533 sq. feet Online Sales Consultant 804-258-4155 ryanhomes.com
Shurm Homes The Quinton
3359 Rock Creek Villa Drive, Quinton, VA 23141 $299,950 1,466 sq. feet Melanie Herring 804-251-3520 shurmhomes.com
StyleCraft Homes The Rosewell
7306 Hancock Towns Lane, Chesterfield, VA 23832 Starting price $229,990 Sales price $248,095 1,502 sq. feet Lindsay Jenkins 804-523-4663 stylecrafthomes.com
StyleCraft Homes The Highland
7304 Hancock Towns Lane, Chesterfield, VA 23832 Starting price $249,990 Sales price $270, 815 2,421 sq. feet Lindsay Jenkins 804.523.4663 stylecrafthomes.com
Note: Not all of the prices and furnished/unfurnished information were finalized at time of printing. Please call builder to confirm.
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lose your eyes and take a deep breath. Think back to the last time you were outside under the shade of a tree enjoying the breeze, the chirping birds and the fresh air. Did your shoulders drop? Did some tension leave your body? Did you feel refreshed? If you were like me and many in the Richmond region, you have spent a good amount of time in public parks during the pandemic. In the 2020 calendar year, Richmond Parks saw an all-time record for attendance, proving that our parks are a treasure for the public good. They’re free places to experience nature, relax, recharge, meditate, exercise and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors. They’re places to just be, spaces to breathe. In an equitable city, green spaces should be accessible to everyone. A special report from the Trust for Public Land, “Parks and the Pandemic” highlights just how important access to walkable green space is for quality of life. Ready access to parks and green spaces leads to better academic performance, improved cognition, better concentration, reduction in stress hormones, sound sleep
SPACES TO BREATHE By Ryan C. Rinn, economic development business services manager, City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and faster recovery from injury, to name just a few health benefits. Sadly, yet predictably, this report also discusses how inequitably urban green spaces are geographically distributed based on race, with fewer acres of walkable parkland available to Black and Latino residents in comparison to white residents across the country. The story is no different in Richmond, and this is linked to our racist history. During the 1970s, when Richmond annexed a large postwar residential suburban section of Chesterfield County, they weren’t doing so to acquire existing public amenities like parks. Instead, annexation was used to increase the number of white residents in Richmond to maintain a white-majority City Council. This unconstitutional strategy resulted in a moratorium on annexation that still applies
Ryan C. Rinn
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within Virginia today. White flight took hold, and industrial facilities shut down in these newly annexed areas. Residents with means moved farther into surrounding counties. A decreasing city tax base led to fewer resources for public services, from schools to infrastructure to parks. This lack of public amenities persists to this day and remains most concentrated in our census tracts inhabited by majority Black and Latino populations, especially neighbors in the South Side. Currently, our 8th and 9th council districts, which are majority Black and Latino, have the most residents who cannot access a park within a 10-minute walk from their home; over 25,000 people lack this public amenity. That needs to change. A racially equitable Richmond looks like every resident having the mental and physical health benefits of green space easily walkable from where they live. Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong showed how equitably distributed urban green spaces promoted greater resiliency to COVID-19 for all races. Green spaces assist in faster recovery from all types of trauma, too. From centuries of not being able to breathe, and the collective trauma faced by our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) community at the hands (or knees) of institutions, spaces to breathe are a necessity. Lower rates of diabetes, asthma, hypertension, anxiety and depression all correlate with access to green space. Achieving a racially equitable Richmond requires us to make parks accessible to all, especially Richmond’s Black and brown communities, by focusing funding on the historically marginalized and engaging in a community-centered process. Racial equity requires focus and dollars in historically marginalized places first.
8/12/21 1:15 PM
ABOVE RIGHT: JAY PAUL
very quickly there was going to be a need, and we were being asked to step up and fill that need.” Quickly, Camp Hope was launched, a day care program for children of essential workers that eventually expanded to Henrico and Chesterfield. The city and the YMCA broadened their partnership last fall to include child care sites at Battery Park Church and Movement Church, buttressed by $3 million in federal CARES Act funds. “We ended up serving 500 kids in five different sites across the region,” Rogers says. The YMCA also formed alliances with other service organizations. “We’ve found, From top: Marjorie Stahl, 78, gained a newfound depending on the needs, that appreciation of the YMCA and the social outlet it provides we can be a convener with during the pandemic; Tricia Puryear, the YMCA’s vice president of recruitment and leadership development other nonprofits to make something good happen,” Puryear says. In COVID-19’s early days, with no one to speak to, there was a blood shortage on the East and you can go into this Coast, and the YMCA and Red Cross environment where people joined forces for a donation event, leading say hello and ask you how you are. ... Being around to nearly every branch hosting monthly people at this time makes drives. “There was huge food insecurity a world of difference.” at the start of COVID,” Rogers adds. “Food The YMCA wants to banks were having trouble keeping food continue its many proin stock, so we started drive-by food donagrams and has goals to tions and became responsible for taking build on them, Rogers says. “We’re not them to the smaller food banks, like Welborne United Methodist Church, near just opening our doors and saying, ‘These the Tuckahoe Y.” are our 16 locations, come to us,’ but actuMarjorie Stahl, 78, is a 12-year member ally going out to the community and who visits the Tuckahoe Y four days a integrating the Y into where our commuweek and participates in senior programs, nity is, whether they can get to our buildboth live and virtually, that integrate ings or not. ... While we can’t build a Y in exercise, brain games and even bingo. every corner of Richmond, we can build “The Y is a safe place to go, first of all, but new programs in those parts of the Richyou’ve got all of this equipment to use, mond market.” things to improve your body and your But they will be doing more with less. mind,” she says. Membership is down at the Richmond Y, as it is for most regional YMCA orgaThere’s also the social aspect. “To meet different people, to talk with them — nizations. More than 200 locations in the human interaction,” she says. “Just imagU.S. closed permanently last year. Right now, it’s all about a return to ine if you are in your home all day long
normalcy. “Parents want their children outside running, playing and doing what kids do,” O’Neill says. “We are seeing a real return to youth sports this year.” At different age levels, children can compete in soccer, baseball, basketball, cross country, flag football, kickball and volleyball. “The challenge is, will people want to come back?” Puryear asks. “We are not at a place where our membership was before COVID, and a lot of people and are trying to be healthy in other ways. So there is some trepidation, both about whether people will want to return and what we can do to make the Y more what they want it to be.” R
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Music Going Back Outside Local festivals plan with caution and high hopes
OPPOSITE PAGE: DOUG PARRISH COURTESY VENTURE RICHMOND
ORGANIZERS BEHIND TWO of Richmond’s
largest outdoor festivals are moving forward as usual — after taking a year off due to the pandemic — as they monitor the appearance of coronavirus variants and rising rates of infections. There’s still a month before the Richmond Folk Festival (Oct. 8-10) and the 2nd Street Festival (Oct. 2-3), both presented by Venture Richmond, and event planners are hoping for the best while trying to prepare for whatever may come. This summer, the massive outdoor festival Lollapalooza returned to Chicago’s Grant Park for four days, drawing thousands of young music lovers, many of whom eschewed face coverings. Portions of the concerts were televised, and the images of unmasked crowds drew concern — even though attendees had to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. One person who paid close attention to the gathering was Stephen Lecky, Venture Richmond’s director of events. “Yes, I've watched some clips of it. Frankly, I feel like they did a lot of great things. They did a lot of things right,” Lecky says. “But also, obviously, seeing so many images of so many people crowded together … it is a little worrisome. But yeah, we're keeping a keen eye on all our peer festivals.” Mavis C. Wynn, Venture Richmond’s event operations manager, is prepared to respond to any new rules regarding large gatherings. “Well, right now we're just following CDC and state guidelines. If they mandated everyone has to wear masks, that's what we will … start to institute,” she says. There’s plenty event planners can’t control. Fortunately, booking entertain-
SET LIST
9/17
ment is something they can. This year’s Folk Festival features another eclectic lineup of world music, regional sounds and cultural performances. The 2nd Street Festival, which has featured well-known R&B acts in the past, is focusing on local acts, and in July, local jazz legend Plunky & Oneness was announced as the headliner. Another act reported to be in the lineup is The Gabriel Prosser Band, a funk outfit featuring music veteran Bill McGee. “Richmond has a rich source of talented musicians,” Wynn says. “And we just thought we would just do it all local; it helped put some money back into their pockets that they've missed, not being able to travel to do gigs.” Some acts are traveling, however. Among those making the trek to Richmond for the folk festival are Washington, D.C.-based go-go band Rare Essence, Irish music makers Joanie Madden & Cherish the Ladies, Puerto Rican percussionists Plena Es, and Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, a bluegrass band from Indiana. “So, you know, a little bit of go-go, some Irish music, some fiddle bluegrass, we've already got a good start to stuff," Lecky says. "Then of course, we'll fill it in with some other things, some throat singing, maybe, and some doses of the weird, which is always good." At least one thing hasn’t changed yet — the folk festival is looking for help. The event operates with the assistance of 1,000 volunteers. Visit richmondfolk festival.com for information. Shifting pandemic conditions have tempered initial public enthusiasm for these events into guarded optimism. Questions remain about how to minimize risk of infection while providing entertainment to hundreds — if not thousands — of people at once. Event planners are taking a cue from the talented musicians they employ, noting their surroundings, watching their peers closely and playing it by ear. —CRAIG BELCHER
Grammy-winning folkies Old Crow Medicine Show come to Music at Maymont at 7 p.m. $35. musicatmaymont.com
10/14
Retro funk band Monophonics are joined by Ghost Orchestra at 8 p.m. at the Broadberry. $15-$125. thebroadberry.com Country music faves Little Big Town come to the Altria Theater at 8 p.m. $32-$148. altriatheater.com
10/16
Songstress Patti LaBelle brings her new attitude to the Altria Theater with R&B legends The Whispers at 7 p.m. $43-$131. altriatheater.com
10/23-24
Country singer Gene Watson performs at the Beacon Theatre in Hopewell as part of the Old Dominion Barn Dance series. $35-$80. thebeacontheatreva.com
10/28
Rapper and singer Machine Gun Kelly is set for the Virginia Credit Union Live stage at 7 p.m. $52. vaculive.com
11/4
Former teen idol Tiffany performs at the Tin Pan at 8 p.m. $50. tinpanrva.com
11/12
Bluegrass musician Billy Strings comes to Virginia Credit Union LIve at 7:30 p.m. $39.50-$40. vaculive.com
11/18-19
Jam band Umphrey’s Mcgee plays shows at The National at 7 p.m. $27.50. thenationalva.com
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FALL ARTS PREVIEW ARTIST GALLERY
gallery space fitted with movable walls for accommodating multiple exhibitions of varying sizes. The rear spaces offer a kitchenette for receptions and a multipurpose room for classes, workshops, lectures and screenings. Open calls for the 2022 season are out, and the 11th ThinkSmall presentation is slated for Thursday, Oct. 1, to run through mid-December. The will for art goes on.
ence an immersive sound installation that involves inaudible tones felt within your body through the use of ultra-lowfrequency subwoofers and darkness.
OPPOSITE PAGE: ASH DANIEL; RIGHT: COURTESY REYNOLDS GALLERY
EXPANSIVE QUALITIES When the Reynolds Gallery last undertook an expansion, Bev Reynolds, the namesake founder, did so amid the 2008 economic crisis. The West Main Street blue-chip art exhibition space doubled in size by joining together with its nextCOLLABORATIVE EFFORT door neighbor. During the gallery’s 43rd The artist-run 1708 Gallery, which formed year in 2020, the next generation opened in 1978 and was an early adopter for a satellite space on Libbie Avenue. After Shockoe Bottom and then Broad Street, all, art’s made to be seen in person, not remains a vigorous nonprofit space for distant and on a screen. Opening Sept. 10 at the 1514 W. Main contemporary art. Up the street, the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute St. location is the appropriately titled “To for Contemporary Art opened its origaBalance a Stone,” works on paper and acrylic on canvas paintings, all undermi-bent Stephen Holl-designed building taken during the past year. in 2018 as a multiplatform presentational center for what’s happening now. Ongoing at 401 Libbie is a group show For the first time, the two are teaming of 14 artists with varying approaches, up for a joint exhibition, showcasing the including Carolyn Case, Isabell Bigelow, work of Brooklyn-based artist, composer Louisiana Bendolph, Ron Johnson and and performer Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste Gabriel Teschner. They’ll clear out for the from Oct. 29-Jan. 22. The exhibition is an meticulous combinations of craft, paintextension of his “Get Low (Black Square),” ing and sculpture by Leigh Suggs, an a project that uses as a starting point exhibition opening Sept. 24 and running Ka z i m i r M a le v ic h’s 19 1 5 through early November. "Cactus #40," by Joseph Now go out and see some painting “Black Square.” For the Scheer at Reynolds art. —HARRY KOLLATZ JR. 1708-ICA show, you’ll experiGallery, starting Sept. 10
9/15
Artspace virtual auction, 7-8 p.m., Sept. 15: Works from Richmond artists for live bidding; a silent auction continues through Sept. 22. Proceeds go toward Artspace’s completion of its new home. artspace gallery.org
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Quirk Gallery, Diego Sanchez (Main Gallery), Rebecca Huber (Pink Gallery), Sept. 23–Nov. 14: New work by these painters; Sanchez with variegated abstractions that seem paused in movement, and Huber’s “historical fiction” figuration of rural life rendered in a neo-folk style. quirkgallery.com
10/23
Candela Gallery, “with all and in-between,” through Oct. 23: Photographs, sculptures and video works conducted in partnership between Candela and the Afrikana Film Festival. candelagallery.com, afrikanafilmfestival.org
11/12-13
1708 Gallery’s InLight, Nov. 12–13: The 14th annual curated InLight exhibition illuminates the natural and human histories at Great Shiplock Park, Chapel Island and nearby sites. 1708gallery.org
11/19-21
Visual Arts Center of Richmond Craft + Design Show, Nov. 19-21: The 57th iteration of this anticipated arts occasion returns to Main Street Station. A weekend full of artists from across the country, food, drink and appreciation for the well-made and whimsical. visarts.org
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Comedy Don’t Call It a Callback The Funny Bone Comedy Club reopens with more seats, a new menu and big acts
the occasional heckler will return to Richmond’s Funny Bone Comedy Club at Short Pump Town Center when it reopens this fall after a major renovation. Located at Short Pump Town Center, the 18-yearold, 275-seat club needed more space. Todd Leinenbach, vice president of Funny Bone Comedy Clubs, says they were seeking to expand prior to shutting down due to the pandemic and last year acquired the neighboring space, expanding the venue from 6,800 to 13,500 square feet. A redesigned tiered theater in the half round will fit 400 seats with larger tables and chairs. The former four-person tabletops have been replaced with perpendicular tables that face the stage, meaning patrons will no longer have to turn chairs or twist in their seats to view the show. “Richmond is a great comedy town,” Leinenbach says. “Short Pump is a great lifestyle center, and that’s another reason why we’ve decided to do this [renovation].” Some big names are scheduled to
Funny Bone Comedy Club Regional Manager Blake Blessinger says the new club may open in late October.
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perform at the Funny Bone this fall, including actor and radio show host D.L. Hughley in October (dates are subject to change). Damon Wayans of “In Living Color” fame is slated for November, along with Josh Blue, a competitor on the current season of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and a past winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Other improvements to the venue include LED lighting, a state-of-the-art sound system, a new HVAC system and fresh menus. Neighboring the comedy club will be a the new DraftCade, a combination bar, restaurant and arcade with about 70 classic arcade games plus skee-ball, pinball and arcade hoops, as well as 60 beers on tap. No tokens are required; a $10 wristband will allow patrons to play all day. Packages will also be available for those looking to take in a show at the Funny Bone and get their game on at DraftCade. Both Funny Bone and DraftCade are projected to open in late October.
HUMORIST HISTORY Do you know who the first stand-up comedian was? When were female comics finally admitted into the boys’ club? Who have been history’s biggest game-changing jokesters? Comedian and writer Ritch Shydner will reveal all when he performs “America’s Reflection in the Funhouse Mirror: A History of Stand-Up Comedy” at the Firehouse Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 10. A passion project for Shydner comprising years of research, he initially thought he would write a book on the history of stand-up, but he found it difficult to make it read funny. Under the advice of his wife, he turned it into a performance piece and
LEFT: JAY PAUL; ABOVE: COURTESY THE FYNNY BONE
ALL THE LAUGHS, snorts and yes, probably
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FALL ARTS PREVIEW MIC CHECKS
10/3 An example of what the new Funny Bone will look like, with a redesigned space featuring 400 seats and larger tables and chairs
Humorist Jeanne Robertson brings her Rocking Humor tour to the Dominion Energy Center at 3 p.m. $36-$76. dominionenergycenter.com
10/7-9
Rachel Feinstein visits Sandman Comedy Club for five performances. Showtimes vary. $20. sandmancomedyclub.com
10/16
“Loudermilk” star Brian Regan comes to the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. 8 p.m. $38.50-$48.50. dominionenergycenter.com
10/22
Steve Martin and Martin Short present “The Funniest Show in Town at the Moment.” Altria Theater. 7:30 p.m. $69.50 to $250. altriatheater.com
10/22
Stand-up and panelist on NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me” Paula Poundstone brings her dry wit to The National. 7:30 p.m. $39$47. thenationalva.com
RIGHT: COURTESY RITCH SHYDNER
10/22 as a stand-up comedian. has traveled the country presenting it at He toured as a stand-up comic in the various venues. “I don’t know how to be onstage without ’80s, making several appearances on “Late being funny,” Shydner says with Night With David Letterman” Comedian and writer Ritch Shydner a laugh. “I can’t sing, I can’t dance, and “The Tonight Show.” He was I can’t act, so if I’m onstage, I’ve also a comedy writer for ABC’s got to be funny, or I’m not “Roseanne” and “The Jeff comfortable at all.” Foxworthy Show.” He’ll perform Part There will be a Q&A One of the two-part after his show, and due series in Richmond. to his wealth of knowlThe blend of educaedge, Shydner says the tional humor is packed audience will be hardwith jokes of yesterday pressed to stump him. For details, visit fire and today, with Shydner housetheatre.org. even weaving in a few of his own jests from his time —NICOLE COHEN
The Festival of Laughs Comedy Show features Sommore, Lavell Crawford and Earthquake at the Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center. 8 p.m. $49-$99. vsumpc.com
11/4
A former host of BET’s “Rap City,” Joe Clair performs at Funny Bone Comedy Club. 7:30 p.m. $15-$45. richmond.funnybone.com
11/11-13
“America’s Favorite Husband” Steve Trevino comes to the Sandman Comedy Club for five shows. Showtimes vary. $27. sandmancomedyclub.com
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THE TRUSTED CHOICE //
When my dad suffered a stroke, it was my turn to help
created a rehabilitation program specifically designed
him with important decisions, like making the right choice
for his needs using advanced technology and innovative
in rehabilitation. I asked the medical professionals that
treatments. And he was cared for by a highly trained,
treated him who they trusted for the best care and
experienced staff that showed professionalism and
outcomes. They said Encompass Health, the nation’s
compassion throughout his recovery. Now I know why
largest system of rehabilitation hospitals. There, they
they are the trusted choice of medical professionals.
encompasshealth.com/richmondrehab
©2021:Encompass Health Corporation:MyTurn
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Living With Art
Colorful
PAINTER’S PARADISE story by Elizabeth Cogar
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photos by Mindie Ballard
styling by Stephanie Theofanos
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Paint paradise
quiet and calm. Fabrics for pillows and curtains are her own designs, printed by Spoonflower, a custom surface printer. And, as in all rooms of the house, there’s a family touch — her mother’s favorite chair. “It’s important to collect things that tell the story of your life,” she says. Content in her colorful nest and happy being true to her artistic nature, Miller is enjoying life. She’s working on her own line of wallpaper and fabric designs, and now she paints outside in her
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back garden, even in winter. “I love the natural light and working under the big elm tree,” she says. Miller illustrates her experiences of the past few years with a three-line Greek poem that she loves. “It’s about the notion that you can design the life you want to live … use your imagination and take some risks and make it happen.” You have brushes. You have colors. Paint paradise and get in.
Above: This mini office space was created during the pandemic. The wallpaper on the back wall is one of Miller’s designs.
Right: Mixedmedia pieces from the artist’s Organica series share space with vintage finds.
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ART AFICIONADO
Left: In the dining room, a Tim Bessell Andy Warhol Series “Banana” surfboard
Right: Bill Nicholson and his dog, Duke, in the living room with one of the two abstract paintings by Michael Tetherow that flank the fireplace
Living With Art
Art-filled story by Paula Peters Chambers
photos by Khand Tenney
styling by Wendy Umanoff
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Bill Nicholson
Petersburg so they could visit his maternal great-grandmother — his family established their business on Cockade Alley in Old Towne in 1810. From those excursions grew what he calls an “inexplicable fascination” with the city, first incorporated in 1748. As an adult, in 1985, he decided to live in the historic city and rented a house with a roommate. “I hated it,” he says. “I had to get out. I left and would come back and visit friends.” Life took him across the country and around the globe, but 35 years later, Nicholson has returned to Petersburg in a big way: He’s now the owner of a dozen properties in the city, including a house designed and built by Thomas Day, a free black craftsman and master cabinetmaker — North Carolina’s most in demand pre-Civil War furniture maker — and an 1836 row house that Nicholson has meticulously restored, repaired and filled with pieces from his expansive art collection. “I’m an accumulator; I buy art that I like,” he says. “Everything I’ve collected … I’ve got a connection to that piece. Nothing for me is more disconcerting to think about than not being able to see art when I want to.” Nicholson purchased his first Petersburg home in 2011 and sold it in 2017. “I was thinking I was done here, and I was looking [to move to] other locations around the world … but then some people showed me what I came to learn was the Thomas Day house.” He began the process of saving the “awkward, misplaced” Day house, all the while commuting between Petersburg and his primary residence in Palm Springs, California, where he owns a flooring business. By early 2020, Nich-
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Top: A bedroom in the original Winter Kitchen. The painting over the fireplace is by Forest Moses. Bottom: A painting by Picasso’s lover Françoise Gilot crowns the Italian leather headboard. Opposite: The Lollipop Scale, circa 1920, from the Petersburg pharmacy of Dr. Kilpatrick, is “still sadly accurate,” Nicholson says.
tion — Nicholson chose Fine Paints of Europe’s MV13, Large Dining Room Verdigris, a deep green reminiscent of the green used in Mount Vernon’s dining room, and installed spotlights. “I knew this would be a good place for me to have my art; the dimensions of the house, the ceiling height and size of walls, and the rooms are fairly square and symmetrical,” he says. “What was more astounding is this color green — it worked for every piece. I discovered how much green there is in everything. I wonder, had I painted it pink, would everything have turned pink?” Nicholson admits he is drawn to places he calls “broken down” — historic cities like Havana, Cuba; Lisbon, Portugal; and Asunción, Paraguay — and sees a connection between those better-known cities and where he now calls home. “There’s a sense of renewal here; it doesn’t feel the way it felt in 1985,” he says. “Logistically, Petersburg is a great place to live because I can hop a train to Dulles [International Airport] and get anywhere in the world, and Richmond is 20 minutes away by car. “Those [other] places don’t have anything on Petersburg.”
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Antique Mayan platters mix with Rubin Peacock’s bronze maquettes (scale models); on the table, his 1974 bronze, Mooncow, and a Guatemalan Mountain Indian vase filled with sunflowers.
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Right: Peacock, in his Jackson Ward studio, completing the modeling details for a commissioned bronze sculpture.
8/12/21 2:35 PM
Living with Art
STUDIO SPACES
Rubin Peacock
story by Susan W. Morgan
photos by Gordon Gregory
styling by Lauren Healy-Flora
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Locations throughout Richmond and across the Commonwealth. EssexBank.com or call (800) 443-5524
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