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JUSTICE SYSTEM
HOLDING COURTS ACCOUNTABLE Richmond Community Bail Fund sees influx of donations and begins jail support program in wake of protest arrests
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ast November, Matthew Perry and his Richmond Community Bail Fund (RCBF) co-directors Luca Suede, Alex Mejias and Ashley Mejias were focused on expanding the nonprofit’s operations to include a court-watching program to enhance jural accountability. A year later, much has changed. COVID-19 forced the closure of courts to the general public, putting the CourtWatch RVA program on hold. At the same time, the death of George Floyd sparked nationwide racial justice protests and a national conversation on racism, leading to a new platform for the RCBF, along with many new challenges. Since late May, Perry and his colleagues have been running a jail support program
for those arrested on charges related to the protests. Donations have been flowing into the Bail Fund, which is now strong enough to fulfill every request for bail by an incarcerated person in need. The fund has helped more than 100 people in the past year. “When George Floyd was murdered on May 25, there was a night of rioting in Minneapolis,” Perry recounts. “The following day, there was a gathering in Monroe Park in Richmond. I showed up in a car with a Bail Fund colleague and followed the demonstration as it began to march. We passed out fliers with the RCBF hotline information. “Sure enough, the protest was declared an unlawful assembly by the police, and they began to arrest people for failure to disperse. So we headed over to camp out
Richmond Bail Fund co-directors and volunteers, (from left) Matthew Perry, Nat, Emi Tvedt, Ace Canessa, Luca Suede, Arda Athman, Ellen Crooks, Ashley Mejias, Alex Mejias
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in the Richmond City Jail parking lot.” That was the first night the RCBF functioned as a jail support team. The practice of jail support involves collecting information on protesters who have been arrested, tracking them as they are processed by the system and meeting them upon release. It can include ferrying released protesters home, and — because the primary function of the Bail Fund is to post bond for those who cannot afford to do so — RCBF was also partly responsible for securing releases. As the protests continued over the summer, it continued filling this need. Support for the protests on social media led to a massive influx of cash for the bail fund. “People were looking for a way to support what was happening,” Perry explains. “Bail funds were one of the only formal, 501(c)(3)-certified places you could donate to in order to support on-the-ground action. And we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, mostly from small donations.” Contributions have come from Richmonders and from people across the country. As for the changing political atmosphere, the RCBF is still not invested in electoral work. “We don’t believe the City Council or General Assembly are well constituted to make the changes that need to happen,” Perry says. “We see more possibility for change in that arena at the community and grassroots level. We want to make sure people in Richmond know what’s happening in the criminal punishment system and why it’s so important to have top-to-bottom change. “If we’re going to have a City Council that’s radical, we need to have a community that puts the pressure on that Council in the first place. Our work is more like the raw materials for a movement like that.” Now, Perry says, the RCBF is focused on recruiting volunteers to help run the jail support program. Those interested can email rvabailfund@gmail.com. Perry also directs people to NoLef Turns Inc., a local nonprofit run by Sheba Williams that helps incarcerated people readjust to society upon release. —By D. Hunter Reardon
ASH DANIEL
LOCAL
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LOCAL
NEWS
‘NO GOOD CHOICES’ School divisions, parents and advocates work to serve special needs students during the pandemic By Leah Small
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whom haven’t had successes with Kelley Marlin with the student’s needs. She advises her sons, Cash parents in that position to push online education. Alexander, 15, and Special education advocates Hank Alexander, 9, for meetings with their child’s both students in have received an increased number Chesterfield County educational team to contest recPublic Schools of calls from parents looking for ommendations or suggest changes. guidance on school obligations for Miller adds that at the beginning of school closures in March, a meeting IEP requirements during COVIDnumber of students were stymied by 19, says Colleen Miller, director of the Distechnical glitches and lack of access to ability Law Center of Virginia (DLCV). “We get somewhere between six to online learning tools. Additionally, many 10 calls each week with parents who are students who may need special education frustrated with how learning is going or services have not yet been evaluated due not going for their kids,” she says. “We to halts on testing, which is done in-perabsolutely don’t have the resources to son. In the meantime, these students represent all of these people.” could be missing out on essential services. She says advocates and parents Nationally, there are a growing number of lawsuits against school districts accused “recognize the schools are in an extraorof failing to meet federal requirements for dinary situation and planning as we go,” providing a free and appropriate education but special needs students who require to special needs students, Miller says. She significant accommodations are in danger says that parents who reach out to DLCV of falling further behind. often have been asked to make amend“I do hope that the schools will continments to their child’s education plans ue to be open to parents to hear their very that they feel do not appropriately meet real concerns about the risks presented
JAY PAUL
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hen all four of Kelley Marlin’s kids logged in to their computers for school in the first weeks of the semester, she says she “got her steps in” running up the stairs of her Midlothian home to address the tech and learning issues that have popped up for many families dealing with distance learning during the pandemic. Ensuring that her two sons who receive special needs services from Chesterfield County Public Schools are appropriately supported is a prime concern. During a normal school year, her 15-year-old son’s ADHD and dyslexia call for instructional and test-taking accommodations. Marlin’s 9-year-old son receives speech services online in two 15-minute blocks weekly to meet the two-hour monthly requirements for speech instruction in his Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Despite initial glitches, Marlin says online instruction is going relatively well, and she understands the pressures teachers are under to meet the needs of all learners digitally. “With speech, the only thing that concerns me is that it seems very short,” she says. “I always wish it could be more, but realistically it is what it is. I think they are working really hard to provide the kids with the services they need.” Marlin’s dilemma is faced by special needs parents across the state, many of
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COURTESY LINDA VORELAND
know what to do with it. We had no regulations or managers to say we couldn’t. And everybody had fun. Everybody was laughing.” The production came with an immense amount of work that Voreland didn’t feel up to repeating. Andrews, however, wanted ULW to continue. That meant securing nonprofit status, identifying funders and coordinating with officials. The next year, Spaghetti Works 2000 drew a crowd of more than 5,000 people, presented more than 200 bodies of work and featured a five-block-long bucket drum orchestra. 64 magazine described it as a “21st century version of a ‘happening,’ a borderless gallery and a postmodern circus turned into a cultural exchange.” ULW soon received invitations to enliven special events. For a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts capital campaign gala, in conjunction with celebrated art patron Pam Reynolds, 56 artists created performance pieces in almost every room. VCU fashion design professor Kristin Caskey’s costumes made performers into living statuary. The group produced an event for the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station that featured balloons carrying cameras that beamed images to ULWers wearing monitors on their chests. “This was before drones and WiFi,” Voreland recalls. “We were in this crazy time between analog and digital. Oh, I get exhausted just remembering everything we did.” Raising funds proved wearying. “We didn’t know how to ask for money or for how much,” Andrews says. Richmond’s big donors favored high-profile projects such as the downtown performing arts center, though Jim Ukrop, the Richmond grocery chain executive and banker, expressed appreciation for ULW in a 2003 Style Weekly feature by Deveron Timberlake. “I like their global
Urban Light Works’ first event in 1999 featured, among other things, Rob Carter and Sandy Wheeler rappelling under the Spaghetti Works after the Grand Illumination.
I don’t think people knew what it was. They didn’t know what to do with it. We had no regulations or managers to say we couldn’t. And everybody had fun. Everybody was laughing.” —Linda Voreland
ideas,” he said. “I know they’re out in front of a lot of people, with street activities and costumes and things going on.” Ukrop loaned the former Commonwealth Printers shop (now Charm School ice cream) to serve as a ULW headquarters. ULW’s grand finale occurred at the turning basin from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, 2003, and included a dance-fashion show of students working with Chicago artist Nick
Cave, maker of flamboyant wearable art called “Soundsuits” (one is in the VMFA collection); a 15-foot sculpture baked in a fabricated kiln; the choreography of Julia Mayo and Dim Sum Dance; the music of Native American drummers, banjoist Curtis Eller, Tulsa Drone and Blue Line Highway; and the poetic performance art of the Nine Men, visiting courtesy of the Norwegian government. The festivities annoyed authorities monitoring the canal and led to the impoundment of a canoe and a near-arrest when a female performer dressed as a bride tossed the world — as a painted beach ball — into the basin, the waters of which the ULW mischief makers were forbidden to breach. A combination of factors contributed to the end. Voreland’s VCU contract concluded, and the department was restructured. “I didn’t ask the dean’s office for a lot of permissions,” she says. “Maybe they got a little irritated.” Andrews adds, “We lost our steam and we were burned out.” “There was nothing quite like it,” Malinoski reflects. “And it seems that conditions favored it happening only in that unique moment.” Besides memories, what survives as testimony to ULW’s existence are Malinoski’s striking poster and program designs, some videos and scattered pictures. Unfortunately, many images of ULW were documented by slides that were destroyed by a flood. Voreland is now the co-operator of a bar and performance space. She recalls how well she and the ULW students worked together. “We made a special bond, that batch of students,” she says, “and many of them are still friends today.” R
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LIVING
FITNESS/WELLNESS
A FITNESS TRIFECTA Non-impact aerobics delivers a workout that draws from dance, yoga and martial arts
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n 2013, Felicia Berger Smith was doing her regular workout routine at ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center in Midlothian when she saw a group of women dancing in an unusual way, and she went over to investigate. It was a class in non-impact aerobics (NIA), a program developed in the 1980s by Debbie Rosas and Carlos AyaRosas. The NIA technique combines elements of three disciplines: martial arts, dance and yoga. The goal is to connect with the body in a way that is challenging, unconventional and enjoyable. Six months later, Smith was a licensed instructor in the technique, and she now teaches NIA classes in Midlothian. She says she loves watching people learn to free their bodies. “NIA is a mindful aerobics class, and it’s meant to be fun,” Smith says. “It’s meant for you to find joy in exercise and connect with your body in a way you might not have done in a long time. As adults, we get used to pushing pain down. NIA is meant to bring bodily sensations to the surface, where they can be explored.” Students dance along with the instructor but are free to include movements that bring them joy. A NIA class “We don’t have people running all over the lives in the moment at room, but there’s a real balance of form and SoulShine freedom,” says Marybeth Grinnan, an NIA Studios.
Felicia Berger instructor at SoulShine Studios. “We always Smith leads a encourage people to listen to their bodies. NIA session at ACAC Fitness In May 2019, SoulShine Studios opened and Wellness in at Stony Point Fashion Park. The three Midlothian. instructors — Grinnan, Jessica Forsythe and Niki Schemmel — are also the co-owners. Grinnan describes the studio as a home for NIA in the Richmond area. “We’d like to see NIA treated like yoga, with classes offered all over the city,” she says. “Part of our mission in opening the studio is to expand the NIA community.” SoulShine’s NIA students can also participate in a lunch club, a book club and a movie club, and there are retreats each year to a range of destinations. Since opening 15 months ago, SoulShine has hosted retreats in Costa Rica, Utah, North Carolina, Spain and France. During the COVID pandemic, all but two classes are online, with the remainder being held outdoors. Pricing is “socially conscious” — students can choose to attend for free or pay $5, $10 or $15. Before COVID-19, Smith was teaching classes daily at ACAC. Now there are just three in-person classes per week, as well as opportunities for those who want to learn the technique on Zoom. Other changes caused by COVID include the implementation of a 10-foot distance between students and a requirement to sign up ahead of time. There are different flavors to the classes: Move-toheal class helps people with specific ailments; MOVEit classes are more aggressive and fitness-oriented; and the freelance class explores movements that bring joy to the body, Smith says. At 56, she says practicing NIA keeps her body young. Her regular students include an 80-year-old woman who Smith says is incredibly agile, and a man with Parkinson’s disease who finds the rhythm of the dance helps him cope with his condition. “NIA helps you put out an antenna and feel for your body sensations, while improving your flexibility, strength and agility,” Smith says. “My role as an instructor is to help people get unstuck.” Those interested in joining an ACAC class can visit acac.com or email amberv@acac.com. Anyone interested in classes at SoulShine Studios can check out soulshinestudios.com. R
FROM TOP: MAURA VARLEY PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY SOULSHINE STUDIOS
By D. Hunter Reardon
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LIVING National D-Day Memorial in Bedford County
TRAVEL
BIRD’S-EYE VIEWS Enjoy natural wonders and explore historic sites in Franklin and Bedford counties By D. Hunter Reardon
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estled in the Appalachian foothills and east of Roanoke, Franklin and Bedford counties are steeped in traditional music and full of rural cultural sites to explore. Visitors will also find the nation’s memorial commemorating World War II’s crucial D-Day invasion, as well as historic attractions related to Booker T. Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
The Harvester Performance Center, a performing arts center with seating for about 750, opened in Rocky Mount in 2014, and its stage is frequently home to bluegrass and folk musicians. The Harvester is a short walk from The Claiborne House, an old-school bedand-breakfast with a gorgeous garden and a wraparound porch. Guests customize their own breakfast menus, with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options included. The Harvester rescheduled shows to 2021 due to the pandemic but held several outdoor events in the summer. See its Facebook page for updates.
MONUMENTAL ATTRACTIONS The Franklin County birthplace of American educator and orator Booker T. Washington is marked by the Booker T. Washington National Monument, run by the National Park Service. Born enslaved in 1856, Washington later became president of Tuskegee
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University and a prominent leader in the African American community. Visitors can learn about him through an interactive exhibit called “Born Here, Freed Here,” and there are two trails on-site that wind around a reconstructed period farm. Pandemic restrictions may be in place. See nps.gov for more. Bedford County is home to the National D-Day Memorial. Dedicated on June 6, 2001, by President George W. Bush, the site honors the thousands of soldiers who died under Nazi fire on Normandy Beach in World War II. The memorial features several statues and the National D-Day Education Center, where the story of D-Day is relayed through multimedia exhibits. Adult tickets are $10. As part of pandemic precautions, you’re encouraged to buy tickets online before you go. See dday.org. Down the road from the D-Day Memorial is Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1971, the 4,819-acre Poplar Forest was Thomas Jefferson’s personal retreat from 1773 until his death in
1826. Jefferson designed all the buildings, combining elements of French, Renaissance and Roman architecture, as well as landscape design. The finished product is considered his most creative work. Adult tickets are $18, but a $19 combo ticket can be purchased in coordination with the D-Day Memorial. Poplar Forest tours require social distancing and are limited. See poplar forest.org/tickets for advance purchase and additional information.
Poplar Forest FROM TOP: STAR CITY SKYCAMS; MARK KOSTRO
PICKING, GRINNING, EATING
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Losing Your Best Friend
Coping with a pet’s death is never easy, but there are resources available
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by pau l a p e t e r s c h a m b e r s
indsay Layton worked from home the day after her dog Pebbles died. “I was really sad and crying a lot,” she says. “I didn’t want to go in to [the office] like that.” Though she’d never lived with a dog before, the Henrico mother of two and her husband wanted their daughters to have a pet. While visiting rescue organization BARK’s open house in 2012, Layton’s husband found Pebbles and her companion, Prince William. The two mixed breeds were offered together because they were older and came from the same home. After Prince William died — less than
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a year after joining the Layton family — Pebbles developed a strong attachment to Lindsay, who then worked from home full-time. “My husband said he was second-string to Pebbles,” Layton says, adding that her younger daughter once jokingly accused her of loving Pebbles more than her children. “I said, ‘Pebbles loves me unconditionally, she does what I want, she doesn’t talk back.’ ” Then Pebbles was diagnosed with cancer in early fall 2018. The Laytons tried different treatments, with varying degrees of success. The day Pebbles died, in January 2019, Layton came home from her office and found the dog struggling to breathe. “I
picked her up and held her close, and she collapsed in my arms,” Layton says. Pebbles’ cremated remains are in a box on a desk in Layton’s home, near pictures of her parents, also deceased. “There definitely will never be another like her,” Layton says, noting that the family’s fall 2019 addition, Finn, has a very different personality and is more her husband’s dog.
A UNIQUE BOND
Sandra Barker, a professor of psychiatry and Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, established the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the medical school in 2001 to promote interdisciplinary research,
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Contents
Sunken Cities pgs 4-5 Also on View pg 6 Holiday Gifts pg 8 Virtual Family Day pg 10 Amuse Restaurant pg 12
Brighten your holidays with a visit to VMFA this season. Dive into Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities, tour galleries of world-class art, enjoy fine-dining in Amuse Restaurant and casual fare in Best CafÊ, and find the perfect gift in the VMFA Shop. We are open 365 days a year, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day!
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VMFA Virtual Family Day
CELEBRATE AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN ART: Egypt Sun, Nov 8, 2020 The event goes live at 11 am FREE Learn about Egypt from past to present during VMFA’s VIRTUAL Celebrate African and African American Art Family Day. Create an Egyptian boat or amulet, explore VMFA’s ancient Egyptian art collection, and enjoy beautiful performances *Register online and visit VMFA to pick up an art bag that contains supplies for three art-making activities demonstrated during the event. Art bags are available for pick-up at Visitor Services beginning October 30.
For information on registering for this free, online event, visit www.VMFA.museum. Dig deeper by visiting Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities on view at VMFA through January 18, 2021. Members see it free!
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY
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Amuse Restaurant This fine-dining restaurant overlooking VMFA’s Sculpture Garden offers delicious meals during the holidays and every day! Now you can also try preparing one of Amuse’s most popular dishes at home, or order online for curbside pick-up through VMFA 2 GO.
Amuse is open daily from 11:30 to 4:30 pm; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday until 8:30 pm. Sunday Brunch is 11:30 am to 2:30 pm; lunch is 11:30 am is 2:30 pm; Happy Hour with starters 2:30 to 4:30 pm and dinner every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 5 to 8:30 pm. For reservations, phone 804.340.1580, or visit www.vmfa.museum.
Introducing Greg Haley, Chef de Cuisine for Amuse Greg Haley, Chef de Cuisine at VMFA’s Amuse restaurant since it opened in May 2010, creates masterpiece dishes and cocktails inspired by works of art in the VMFA collections and special exhibitions such as Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities. Here, Haley talks about his career as a chef, cooking for a restaurant in one of the top ten art museums in the country, and what Amuse has in store for the holidays. How long have you been a chef? I grew up working in my father’s restaurants, washing dishes and peeling potatoes as a kid, then moving up to the fryer and grill as a teenager. I held sous chef positions in Myrtle Beach in the early ‘90s and head chef positions soon after. It’s always just been a way of life for us. Where are some of the places you worked before coming to Amuse? I have spent time working at the Berkeley Hotel, Hard Shell, Europa, and Michelle’s at Hanover Tavern, among others What inspires you as a chef? Inspiration comes from many different places—the art in the museum or the country of origin. Seasonality of foods is always a driver for my menus, as well as the challenge of trying to make my picky family try new things!! What are some of your favorite dishes to make? Anything that I haven’t made before. What is the most popular dish at Amuse? Crab cake. We are fortunate enough to be close to the best crabmeat in the world. How is cooking for a restaurant in an art museum different than working in a stand-alone restaurant? Just being able to wa lk through the museum and see creativity all around you is absolutely incredible. Oh, and the smoke alarms are very, very sensitive!
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How often do you change the menu? Pre-COVID we would change the menu seasonally and with all major exhibitions, so maybe six to eight times a year. But now, with all the new challenges we face, menu changes are weekly or sometimes daily. How has the pandemic affected your work at Amuse? The challenges are many, from creating a safe environment for your customers and employees to changes in the food supply chain, like limited deliveries and product, to high costs of operations with limited safe seating. What dishes would you recommend? Curry fried oysters with riata and pickled veggies are always a huge hit, as is the mussels with house-made bacon, white wine, butter, and herbs. Are you planning anything special for Amuse’s menu for the holidays? Thanksgiving and Christmas are always very popular in Amuse; each day gets its own three-course menu. Baked oysters with mushrooms and black garlic make an appearance each year, braised lamb shank for Christmas is a crowd favorite, and our yearly take on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner is a mainstay, as well as many seafood options. What’s your favorite dish to make for yourself? Anything lamb, that’s the Greek side of my family talking.
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BAKED OYSTERS Yield: 1 dozen Ingredients 12 Fresh Oysters, on the half shell 2 strips smoked bacon, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot, minced ½ cup sherry 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms 1 cup heavy cream ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Method of Prep In a small pot over medium heat, slowly render the bacon, stirring frequently until the bacon begins to crisp. Add garlic and shallot and cook for one minute. Next, add sherry and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Then add heavy cream and fresh thyme and cook for approximately 12 minutes or until heavy cream is reduced by half and the mixture has thickened. Top oysters with 1 tbsp. of mixture and bake in 350° oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Additionally, you can blend 6 cloves of black garlic with ¼ cup of water and a pinch of salt until smooth and add a small dollop of this puree to each oyster after baking.
Now you can enjoy delicious selections from Amuse restaurant at home. Just go to www.VMFA.museum/visit/vmfa2go to select snacks, entrees, and desserts, as well as wine and beer. Order and pay by phone at 804.340.1576 Wednesdays through Sundays, between 2 and 7 pm, and arrange for convenient curbside pickup between 4 and 8 pm. Pick up your order at VMFA’s School Group Entrance along the VMFA driveway and north of the Main Entrance. Remain in your vehicle when you come to pick up your order. Just indicate whether you want it placed in the back seat or the trunk. Your safety and comfort are our top priority.
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The colorful floral chintz on the sitting room chairs and drapes evokes the warmth of English Country style.
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“I have always loved old houses, especially architecture throughout Virginia,” he says. “This one fit everything I wanted: old, unique, close to downtown, a huge yard for gardening, mature plantings and canopy trees, a rich and well-documented history important to Richmond and Virginia, and beautifully preserved interior details.” Passing through the rooms of his house, Boudreaux takes on the persona of informal tour guide. If his day job as an affordable housing advocate at the Virginia Housing Development Authority doesn’t work out, he could be a historic home docent. He points out the architectural details like a pro as he whisks a visitor from room to room, exuding affection for every aspect of the place. “The house was originally symmetrical,” Boudreaux explains. Its Colonial front door is still flanked by windows, but in 1810, an addition was made to the left side of the house. Much of the home’s appeal is its intact original condition. The six fireplaces, the chair rail and trim, and the heart pine floors with full–length, random-width planks are all authentic. On each level are two rooms, with the staircase dividing them.
ABOVE: Built in 1765, the WeisigerCarroll house has served as a tavern, Sunday school, Civil War hospital and a private residence. BELOW: Boudreaux added the periodappropriate garden shed at the entrance to his verdant backyard.
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OPPOSITE: In the music room, instruments are always at the ready for impromptu jams. The portrait was found at auction. RIGHT: Across the hall in the chandelier room, Sheraton-style love seats are accompanied by a mahogany tilt-top tea table and an 18th-century grandfather clock.
Only the basement kitchen has been altered by Boudreaux. “The kitchen as I acquired it was adequate but at the end of its service life,” he says. “I love to cook and entertain.” So the update streamlined its function and design to suit Boudreaux’s needs for groups small and large. “The result is a kitchen that is trimmed with luxury appliances,” he says, “yet matches the architecture and aesthetic of the house.” The main floor is home to the “piano room” and the “chandelier room.” A 1926 Mason & Hamlin baby grand is rightfully the focal point of the piano room, a bright space with floor-length green velvet draperies that, along with books and chairs, create a warm atmosphere. A dulcimer is casually propped up against the piano, available to any passing musician. Boudreaux is steeped in music — he’s the organist and choir director at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Oregon Hill and has played a variety of instruments all of his life. He takes special delight in guests joining in for an impromptu tune or two. “Mr. Weisiger had seven children,” Boudreaux says, describing the home’s first family. “The way houses are used today, with a room for each function, is a modern concept.” In the early days, the purpose of rooms shifted according to need, and that’s how he uses the chandelier room, so named for its imposing brass chandelier with real candles. He chose the room’s furnishings for their versatility. Sheraton tables, love seats and leather wing chairs can be turned toward the Federalstyle fireplace or used to create a seating arrangement. Outside the chandelier room, an open porch stretches across the back of the house, providing a view of Boudreaux’s lush yard and gardens. Vegetables, herbs, flowers and trees have been planted strategically to fill in as they grow. He’s laid a rock-lined path and has plans for more features.
“I love the grandeur of … entering through the front door into candlelight and the presence of a crackling fire.” —DEMAS BOUDREAUX
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ABOVE: Boudreaux, who loves to cook and entertain, updated the basement kitchen with periodappropriate cabinetry, Buckingham slate counter tops and sink, and luxury appliances. BELOW: The house has two rooms on each floor, with the original staircase in between.
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Weisiger, who lived in the house in the early 1800s, was a cooper (a maker of containers for commodities like tobacco and gunpowder), and it’s believed that he had a shop out back where Boudreaux’s gardens now grow. Historians say that more than 100 soldiers, patients from when the house was a hospital, are buried there, too. As rains have washed soil away, pottery, coins, glass and other remnants from the past have been found. While most attics serve as in-home mini-storage, Boudreaux has made the most of his third floor’s two rooms. One functions as the main bedroom, with comfy chairs and an ottoman for watching TV. The other packs in a washer, a dryer, a guest bed and a rack for hanging clothes, as there are no closets. An interesting detail: The doors to each room have hardware on their jambs that enabled former inhabitants to bar the doors, perhaps to keep intruders out when the building served as a tavern. Most endearing to Boudreaux is the way the house invites and accommodates guests. “There are so many ways that guests just flow throughout the home, and so many ways to set up for a party or dinner, large or small,” he says. “I love the grandeur of coming up from the street and mounting the long steps to enter through the front door into candlelight and the presence of a crackling fire. In warmer months, guests congregate in the garden and on the back porches with all doors and windows open, allowing the breeze to move through the bays — as the house was designed — to naturally cool and provide light and air. For a small house, it sure behaves like a large one.” Reflecting his undeniable bond with this building that is now his home, Boudreaux waxes, “Maybe it's the reverberation of over two centuries of human interaction within those walls and on those grounds that fosters the very best of life, springing forth from the garden or among gathered friends.”
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ABOVE: Vintage frames display Coffey’s winter hats and scarves as art. OPPOSITE TOP: Cut and roll the marshmallow edges in powdered sugar. OPPOSITE RIGHT: Fielding Archer candlesticks and eucalyptus on the mantel. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Coffey’s well-stocked bar
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Find the recipe for Jamie Coff ey's peppermint marshmallows on Page 64.
“Sometimes these little things we do give us hope.” — JAMIE COFFEY
WHEN IT COMES TO HOLIDAY DECORATING, Jamie Coffey is all about Christmas trees. But he’ll be the first to tell you: “If putting the tree up is not your thing, don’t do it!” Focus on food and florals instead, he says, and don’t worry about it. Welcome to Holiday 2020, during which setting a personal intention is key, especially after the challenging months leading up to it. “This year is about sitting yourself down and saying what is the most important thing to you, and building your holiday plan around that,” Coffey says. This longtime Richmonder and former creative director of Williams & Sherrill (W&S) is passionate about holiday entertaining and the opportunity it presents to connect with people. Coffey is by nature a giver, and entertaining is his way of giving back. “When I’m entertaining, I’m caring for people,” he says. “My love language is giving.”
Since W&S closed in October 2019, Coffey has launched XOJ, a mobile interior design showroom, and he’s now part of a collective of designers forming a new design center in Jackson Ward, headed up by Flourish Spaces’ Stevie McFadden. The new collaboration allows Coffey not only to exercise his design prowess but also to focus on building relationships, which he says is a better fit for him than retail. “I feel very fortunate,” he says. “I feel like if you can live authentically, if you have time to do that, God and the universe conspire to make it all work out, whether it feels that way or not.” As a creative and a giver, the holidays are a natural showcase for Coffey’s talents and passions. Though no one knows what late 2020 holds, Coffey says it’s important to celebrate — whether that means hosting small gatherings with your “pod” of people, making a meal to drop off for
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