Urge Spring 2008 Issue 1

FREE PREMIERE ISSUE SPLURGE: 60+ UNIQUE SHOPS & GALLERIES | SPRING 2008 | ISSUE #1|

VMFA OPTIONS: Impressionist Landscapes Offer Splendor in the Grass

‘Try Something Different.’

GALLERIES

First Fridays Turns 7 & WRIR Turns 3 with ‘A PARTY FOR THE REST OF US’

IMAGINE

Jennifer Glave & BJ Kocen’s glave kocen gallery seeks ‘positive art’

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GLITZ

& GLAM DESIGN

Mary Anne Hooker’s Classic Spaces that Pop! Coloratura’s Incredible Credenzas

SONGFEST David Shultz & The Skyline

Couture Designer Michael Taylor

Jewelry: Exile’s Groovy Shimmer & Bling From the ’60s to Capri Jewelers’ $500,00 Keepsakes

US $23.95

M AV E R I C K M I L L I O N A I R E J O R D A N W I R S Z

The Maverick Millionaire

Palari Publishing LLP Over a decade of quality publishing in Richmond.

Through our hardcover and trade paperback originals, Palari provides authoritative, well-written nonfiction that addresses topical consumer needs and fiction with an emphasis on intelligence and quality.

www.PALARIbooks.com 8 6 6 - 5 7 0 - 6 7 2 4

URgE

ISSUE

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YEAR

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SPRING

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‘Try Something Different.’

From the Publisher ............5 Bright Ideas: People | Products | Pizzazz........6

DESIgN

Elegance with an Edge What most people look for in an interior designer is years of experience and a stellar reputation.

Mary Anne Hooker offers both....8

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Coloratura: Mythic and Personal Works of art from Coloratura are not painted furniture so much as they are paintings—paintings inspired by, and ultimately placed on, vintage tables, cabinets and screens ..............................10 Vintage Wall Art; Recycled Records ......................11

IMAgINE

glave kocen gallery The 3200 square foot converted bottling warehouse in Uptown provides glave kocen gallery an ideal space to showcase their artists’ contemporary work .................. 13

Arts and Cultural Funding Consortium The Arts Council of Richmond—a part of the Richmond community for nearly 60 years— leverages collaboration and the power of the arts’ collective voices ..............16

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Gallery Reviews ....25 Susan Bock at Crossroads Art Center; Jillian McDonald at 1708 Gallery; Deborah T. Colter & Allison L. Compton at Red Door Gallery; Monica Palma & Ryan Wallace at Transmission; Adele Cohen at Ghostprint Gallery

Clap If You Believe This spring, Theatre IV presents Peter Pan, complete with a flying quartet of Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael & John..................................42

VMFA OPTIONS Splendor in the Grass Landscapes From the Age of Impressionism...... 27 VMFA Collectibles......30

Party Girl Whether it’s the best Napa Valley wine being auctioned off or the Science Museum so boldly lit that it’s visible for blocks down Broad, Susan News can certainly get people talking about an event. ............................31

Say Cheese.

Now Say Idiazabel.

A new wine, cheese and cigar boutique, Bella Vino; Zents Concreta at Embellish; The Biscotti Goddess ........31

David Shultz and The Skyline have moved from serving as an opening act to center stage at venues such as Toad’s Place ..............41

ONSTAgE

SCEENINg ROOM

The Pitch Oh So Glamorous: Richmond-based Lisa Hyatt is courting Hollywood insiders to pitch her screenplays. She has also written a 27 television pilot that is currently being considered by Showtime....................................42

WORK IN PROgRESS

Gordon Stettinius | Ed Trask Richmond artists interview each other over coffee & Peppermint Patties ..23 Rebecca Jones From the Study to the Stage ........43 John Romeo The Romeo Theater ........................43 R. David Ross A Walk Down Memory Lane..................50

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of History, Habitats & Horticulture

Our Time to Soar The Robert M. Freeman Bald Eagle Habitat & Interpretive Center; Swan Furniture Facelift Mrs. Dooley’s Collection is Conserved ..................................46

24th Annual Herbs Galore & More Grab Your Little Red Wagon; A Victorian Wedding 37 Celebration at Maymont An Authentic Victorian Wedding Comes to Life ......................................................47

PAgES

gLITZ & gLAM

Book Reviews Cooling the South: The Block Ice Era 1875-1975; Haunted Richmond........................50

Second Skin For fashion designer Michael Taylor, grace and generosity are always in style ........34 International Apparel at Rumors; Italian Leather at If; Fab’rik: Dress Like a Pop Star ......35

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34 MAYMONT JOURNAL

SPLURgE

What Works & What Doesn’t Call it instinct, intuition or just a sixth sense, Wendy Umanoff, a retail and residential stylist has an uncanny sense of what works and what doesn’t. ....32 Shopping Spree ........32

A Minute With Curated Culture What Does Your Organization Do In Helping to Organize the First Fridays Art Walk? ......................18 First Fridays Artwalk Turns 7 Downtown Richmond has a long history of attracting creative pioneers with innovative projects. First Friday’s is yet another evolving example of the influence of art on commerce as well as community improvement ............................20

SONgFEST

ENTERTAININg

Randolph-Macon College Flippo Gallery The city of Richmond is fortunate to have a little gem of a gallery just up I-95 in Ashland at Randolph-Macon College......14 Galleries Downtown Galleries Broad Street Area ......................15 Shockoe Slip; South of the James River & Manchester ..................17 Uptown Galleries ..............18 West End Carytown; Staples Mill & Broad St.; Libbie & Grove Avenues; Short Pump Town Center ..........19

A Connection to Something Greater Terrie Powers’ paintings employ the visual poetry of theatrical overtones married with a Matisse-like sense of playful images........22

Movement, Balance & Flow Capri Jewelers has been known for their wide selection of one-of-kind creations........................36 Exile’s Funky Charms from the ’60s to ’80s; South Moon Under’s Horoscope Jewelry ....................36

The Browser ....................................50

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Also find these articles and more at

URGEonline.com

RICHMOND URBAN CHIC

Downtown Loft Tour........37

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SPRING 2008 | www.URg Eonline.com |

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CHANGE YOUR MIND CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Hypnosis is a safe and effective intervention for life change. It is recognized and accepted as a complementary treatment for many conditions, often requiring only a few sessions.

Deborah H. Smith, M.A., CH Certifications in Complementary Medical Hypnosis, Hypnoanesthesia, & Pain Management The Wellness Village at Starling Referral Staff for Dr. James Cook, MD Health & Rejuvenation Center, VA Beach

804.747.3419 www.mindingyourlife.com

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From the Publisher

Pick up URgE for FREE at these locations. Check online for new distribution locations.

A Change of Mind 1404 STARLING DR. Ashland Coffee & Tea 100 N. RAILROAD AVE. (Ashland) Embellish 5105 LAKESIDE AVE. Glass and Powder 3003 W CARY ST. Kroger's 901 NORTH LOMBARDY ST. 3507 WEST CARY ST. 1601 WILLOW LAWN DR. 11280 WEST BROAD ST. 9480 WEST BROAD ST. Stir Crazy Café 4015 MACARTHUR AVE. Strawberry Fields Flowers & Gifts 423 STRAWBERRY ST. The Jefferson Hotel 101 W. FRANKLIN ST. Ukrop’s 3522 WEST CARY ST. 7035 THREE CHOPT RD. 2250 JOHN ROLFE PKWY. 9782 GAYTON RD. 3460 PUMP RD. 10250 STAPLES MILL RD. 9645 WEST BROAD ST. 7129 STAPLES MILL RD. 253 NORTH WASHINGTON HGWY. (Ashland) 10150 BROOK RD. 5700 BROOK RUN DR. 7045 FOREST HILL AVE. 1220 SYCAMORE SQUARE 3000 STONY POINT RD. 11361 MIDLOTHIAN TNPKE. Westbury Pharmacy 8903 THREE CHOPT RD.

Staff Executive Publisher Ted Randler

Publisher|Senior Editor David Smitherman

Managing Editor Rebecca Jones

Vice President of Marketing Dave Perry

Editorial Consultant R. David Ross

Gallery Editors Shannon O’Neill Christina Newton

Writers Tyler Bass Anne Carle Terri Jones Megan Marconyak Erica Orloff Paul Spicer

Photographers Mark Burch Elli Morris David Schrott Cathy Thomas

URGE MEDIA LLP is located at The Work Factory 1113 West Main Street Richmond VA 23220

URgE ‘Try Something Different’ ©2008 by URGE MEDIA LLP a division of Palari Publishing LLP

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Why Urge?

NOT TO SKIRT THE ISSUE, BUT THIS QUARTERLY IS MORE THAN JUST STYLE AND NOT JUST ANOTHER RICHMOND MAGAZINE.

Urge: Try Something Different celebrates all that is creative and innovative in the city and region.

Urge is a call to action for you to try the options that make up Richmond’s cultural vibrancy. There are so many incredible galleries, stores and events for you to experience. Urge tracks trends, provides guides and tells the story of creative individuals who are pioneering new concepts and cutting-edge products.

There is also the urge to create whether as an artist to produce something from imagination or as an entrepreneur to design a boutique with personal flair. All artists need their audience and all shop owners need their clientele. Urge provides insights and resources for the creators and the consumers.

If you are new to Richmond or a Richmonder looking for something new, we’ve developed the magazine just for you. Whether you are a visitor, a young cosmopolitan, a working artist, entrepreneur, corporate professional to active Boomer who wants to explore the art scene, unique boutiques, clubs, cafes, theaters, museums and attractions, this magazine is your best resource.

Urge is organized in the following departments: Bright Ideas offers people, products, resources and concepts that intrigue and inspire.

Design provides stunning interiors to funky, chic spaces, fabulous furniture and smart decorating ideas created by local designers or found in the metro stores.

Glitz & Glam is all about fashion, accessories and wearable inspiration.

Entertaining takes domestic bliss to the next level—parties, food, wine, gardening—the best of living.

Imagine canvases the arts community. A gallery guide gives an overview of the different shows while articles, reviews and profiles highlight the creative community.

Splurge is about shopping. Just browsing Richmond’s unique boutiques is an adventure. Urge seeks out products that are everything from practical to whimsical; magical to “must-have!”

Songfest celebrates all forms of the area’s music scene—from indie bands to jazz groups, blues to bluegrass, country to classical—Urge covers performers as well as those who produce and promote.

Onstage focuses on theatre, performance arts, opera and dance.

Screening Room presents Richmond’s dynamic indie movie scene as well as individuals who are pioneers of new media.

Pages surveys local publishing and writing.

In addition to our departments, Urge is excited to partner with Richmond’s distinguished cultural and city entities. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Maymont Park and Venture Richmond have developed pages that provide valuable insight to their programs and events.

While Urge is a quarterly print publication, you’ll find additional resources and articles at www.URGEonline.com. Got an idea for Urge? Want to respond to an article? Click on the website. Urge even offers you the chance to write your own reviews.

The great thing about magazines is that intrinsically, they are designed to evolve to the readership’s needs. So please feel free to send us your response to this publication. We like to try different ideas.

Ted Randler Executive Publisher SPRING 2008 | www.URg Eonline.com |

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PEOPLE | PRODUCTS | PIZZAZZ No Tie-Dyed Allowed: Tee Shirts for The Rest of Us

Culinary Creations Earn Spicey Citations

ENTER THE RICHMOND INDIE RADIO’S T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST! One entry will be chosen and featured on this year’s WRIR Spring Fundraiser T-Shirt.

Literally hundreds of people will be sporting your design. The winner will be mentioned on air all throughout the week-long event in April and receive a plethora of goodies. Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM Sunday, March 30, 2008.

Get details at www.wrir.org

Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries, LLC won 5 national tasting awards from TheHotPepper.com and Fiery-Foods.com for the company’s all-natural salsas and marinades. The winning flavors include Black & White Bean Salsa, Lime Mango Salsa, Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette & Marinade Roasted Garlic & Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette & Marinade as well as Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Chef Michael Lampros (shown here with his Boxer and company namesake, Gunther) founded Gunther Gourmet Groceries 7 years ago in Richmond. His products are available locally and at national retailers.

TREND WATCH: Retro Sneaker Chic

Of the 25-plus lines represented at sneaker and T-shirt boutique Henry (212 W. Broad St.), co-owner Billy Manzanares says many are calling on blasts from the past for spring.

“They’re styles that were around 20 years ago that they’re restyling and re-releasing,” he says.

Reebok and Adidas are two companies in particular that he says are going retro for spring. Any sneaker aficionado will want to rush in to see the newest version of Reebok’s inflatable “Pump” style.

You remember this ultra-cool shoe from the early ’90s-right? It was all you needed to transform yourself from that geeky kid at the back of the pack during gym class into the star center of the basketball team.

The bright colors and conspicuous As it stays lighter longer, investing in a pair of stylish shades is a great way to update your look for summer while protecting your vision. Kate Davis, store manager of Solstice (Stony Point Fashion Park) says plastic remains on the forefront of eyewear styles this season. She says many designers are releasing new takes on the aviator, especially in plastic. Also, remember the Ray-Ban Wayfarers of the 1980s? Davis says they’re back with designers including Marc Jacobs, Armani and Christian Dior releasing their own twists on the trend. “Plastic sunglasses in the colors of the rainforest are really popular,” she says. “Colors like red, dark green and blue.” Big sunglasses bedazzled with crystals are also still on the cutting edge. “On the Rocks,” a new style by Christian Dior makes the trend even blingier with chunky faceted rhinestones in place of the typical smaller gems.

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“Pump” button in the new pair will take you right back to the days of hypercolor and slap bracelets.

In the way of T-shirts, Manzanares is excited about the arrival of Peg Leg, a New York City-based line: “A lot of the T-shirt brands that we carry here are logo- or graphicinspired,” Manzanares says. “This line is cut and sewn in panels using different colors and patterns as opposed to one design.”

As the season progresses Manzanares says items will continue to arrive daily, so stop in to see what’s fresh and new.

Make sure to take a swing by during First Fridays. The store is often hosting events for littleknown artists the owners are happy to promote.

5 Years of Turning Richmond’s Style Up a Notch This June, Turnstyle, (102 W Broad Street) Richmond’s source of dance music and turntable lifestyle gear will be celebrating five years of adding a new flavor to Richmonders' music and style scene. They’re planning to celebrate their anniversary on June 6 with a special event in conjunction with First Fridays and Evolve VA (a.k.a. WRIR 93.7 FM) that owner JoAnna Willey describes as “massive.”

Until then, you’re welcome to stop in and check out Turnstyle’s spring clothing line, the highlight of which Willey describes as “graffiti-art inspired casual apparel tops for men and women.” If you’d rather spend your money on tunes, you’ll want to know that new domestic and imported vinyl and CD’s hit the shelves on a weekly basis.

If you sobbed for Cecilia in Atonement, THEN TRY...

Virginia Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor (April 11, 2008, 8:00 pm; April 13, 2008, 2:30 pm) it’s got equal parts love, deception and madness as well as the amazing soprano Manon Strauss Evrard.

Before you Go: Join Virginia Opera’s Glenn Winters and Bobbie Barajas for the season’s final Opera Talk on WCVE 88.9FM in Richmond. Tune in at 2 p.m. on April 9 to hear and learn about the intensely powerful and moving Lucia di Lammermoor, which brings back the sensationally talented French soprano in the title role. You can also listen online from anywhere at www.ideastations.org.

Yes, Tyra, darling, we know already! Put these fellows in Versace, send them down the catwalk and it will be an utter travesty. But stick batons in their hands and stand them in front of a symphony and you’ll get a masterful competition. The Richmond Symphony is inviting nine conductors, out of a field consisting of almost 250 applications, to compete for the opportunity to become the organization’s fifth music director. Beginning in Fall 2008 and lasting through Fall 2009, the nine candidates (shown below) will visit Richmond and work with the orchestra in many settings including public performances across all of its four concert series.

Find details at: www.richmondsymphony.com

Mikhail Agrest was born in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Daniel Meyer is a native of Cleveland, Ohio.

Marc Taddei has recorded for the Sony, BMG, and Columbia.

Arthur Fagen was born in New York.

Christian Knapp collaborated with Mstislav Rostropovich.

Arthur Post is a graduate of Yale & The Juilliard School.

Steven Smith is from Toledo, Ohio.

Alastair Willis graduated from Bristol University in England.

Dorian Wilson has studied at the Oberlin Conservatory.

Beginning in Fall 2008

Food for Mind, Body, Soul & Fun

Broad Appetit (May 18, 2008) at the 100300 blocks of W. Broad Street. Featuring Richmond’s favorite food purveyors, restaurants, chefs, cart vendors and artisans, the street fair is free and offers to feed your mind, body and soul. Musical acts will perform, a huge kids’ area with food carvings, story-telling and—Watch out, Mom!—tomato flinging. Bug chefs David George Gordon and David Gracer will compete in a bug bake-off of sorts.

Yes, we mean bugs of the creepy-crawler kind—yummy! Along with 20+ unique food-centric artisans selling their crafts, galleries and stores will participate in this epicurean extravaganza.

Creativity & Copyright Protecting your Masterpieces Is your novel or painting protected?

How can I protect my art and written work from illegal reproduction?

This is the foremost question asked by the attendees at the Artists’ Legal Clinic held monthly at Stir Crazy in Bellevue and the Hyperian Expresso Coffee Shop in Fredericksburg.

Visual artists and authors all have the same concern. I have the talent; I spend my life creating an artistic “product” so how can I ensure others won’t take advantage of my time and talent? The answer I give is a simple one and the one that I follow being an author myself.

Register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration is not required for protection; simply by creating a work the artist owns what is called “common law” copyright.

However, formal registration with the U.S. copyright Office enhances that protection in offering the artist and author additional advantages.

A copyright owner holds the exclusive right to do and to authorize any of the following: (1) to reproduce the work, (2) to prepare derivative works, (3) to distribute copies of the work, (4) to perform the copyrighted work publicly, (5) to display the copyrighted work publicly, and (6) to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission. Without registration, this copyright protection begins the moment a work is created.

Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim. If registration is made before or within 5 years of publication, it will establish prima facie evidence of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the registration certificate.

If registration is made within three months of publication of the work or prior to an infringement of

Joan Davis

the work, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner if the matter is litigated. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.

The good news is: Registering your work is a relatively simple and painless process. Most artists and authors find that they can register their works themselves by following the instructions and using the forms found on the U.S. Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov.

The fee for a simple work is $45.

The website is a great resource for artists and authors, and explains the copyright process in simple terms.

I began practicing intellectual property law after working as Law Clerk to Virginia’s former Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico of the Virginia Supreme Court. One of the lessons I took from my experience with him was the importance of giving through pro-bono work. I developed this Artists’ Legal Clinic program because it gives me the opportunity to give back to the community, while meeting people who share my love of art, literature and entertainment.

To learn more about the Artists’ Legal Clinic or to make an appointment, email Joan at joni@jdavisiplaw.com or call 804-264-8832.

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Elegance with an Edge What most people look for in an interior designer is years of experience and a stellar reputation.

Mary Anne Hooker offers a wealth of both. WORDS BY ANNE CARLE | PHOTOS BY MARK BURCH And as many of her clients already know, she also brings a heartfelt commitment to collaboration and beauty.

“It’s great fun working with such nice people and such beautiful things,” Hooker says. This work began more than 20 years ago when she

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was one of the first graduate students in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Interior Design. Today, she runs Mary Anne & Co. out of her home on historic Monument Avenue.

Hooker places high value on collaboration.

She’s typically very traditional in her tastes, but

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she says, “I don’t think I’ve accomplished anything if I’ve just imposed my taste on somebody else. I try really hard to understand how the client is going to use the space.”

At the same time, she guides clients with the clear thinking about design they’ve come to

count on. Many are return customers.

Hooker says, “I have clients I’ve worked with for many years.”

Hooker says most people who use an interior designer already have a plan, and every client has to work within some limitations. But Hooker finds this inspiring. She says,“I think total freedom is actually a little boring for everybody involved. Parameters give a project its form and definition.”

What ultimately makes great design for Hooker is the achievement of both beauty and longevity. It’s a good thing if a client still loves it 10 years later. And Hooker says,“I think there’s a real craving in the human soul for beauty and things that uplift us and bring us out of ourselves.”

Regarding local trends, Hooker explains, “Richmond’s look is very traditional. We have a tradition of grand homes. Southerners have an affinity with ease and comfort, and a little more color—especially the lighter palettes.

And especially in Richmond, I just don’t think you can place too high a value on good antiques.”

Hooker’s home could almost be a template for this blend of traditional antiques with colors that pop. Her dining room [right photo] is an veritable garden of saturated blue floral prints, accented with multifarious glass stemware and bold touches of pink in the window treatments.

Hooker’s living room [top photo] is

both sophisticated in its furniture selection and yet lyrical with an animated play of colors. The yellow and white woodwork frames the plush sitting area.

People are electing to furnish their homes with quality materials. “And if there’s a trend today, it’s to be a little more sophisticated in taste,” Hooker says.“For example, I see a lot of silk curtains. There are just tons and tons of silks on the market now that were not there 20 years ago, from Thailand and India. It’s just gorgeous stuff and there’s no substitute for it. I think the trend is a quieter, simpler elegance. It’s very livable and comfortable.”

According to Hooker, every 10 years or so you should consider whether your home’s design is still working for you.

Don’t turn a blind eye to things that are wrong. “We all have a tendency to ignore things we know are going to cost more to fix,” she says.

When considering your home interior, she suggests you start with a serious, well-thought-out plan. It gives you a basis off of which to make decisions, and you’ll save both time and money.

She encourages her clients to look through design magazines (like Shelter) to distill ideas. When a client brings pictures from magazines, it’s the beginning of the collaboration.

When it comes to buying furniture, Hooker advises to know what you’re paying for. Use a source you trust. Your children’s children will be able to re-cover good furniture. g SPRING 2008 | www.URg Eonline.com |

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Opposite Page: [top] Roseberry: “Balancing Act” enamel paint on wood 45.125” x 36” x 22” [middle] Womack: “Ouija” enamel paint on wood, glass disks 15” x 60” x 35.75” [bottom] Roseberry: “Elusive Joy” enamel paint on wood 49.25” x 37.5” x 22”

Coloratura: Mythic and Personal Works of art from Coloratura are not painted furniture so much as they are paintings —paintings inspired by and ultimately placed on vintage tables, cabinets and screens.

Catherine Roseberry and Rob Womack—who are married and have had Coloratura for 25 years—paint in different styles and don’t collaborate on individual pieces. However, they do advise one another on projects. Says Roseberry, “We have lots of those shorthand conversations that all married couples have.”

Starting with a carefully chosen piece of furniture, they immerse themselves in the piece’s era.

Sources include art history and design monographs, popular music, and period films. This multisensory exploration leads to what Womack calls “the vision of the piece.”

Roseberry cites Mary Cassatt and Picasso's Rose Period among her influences. Her images are

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mythic and personal. In “Balancing Act,” which depicts a young family on a beach, the apex of the composition is a child standing on the shoulders of her parents. Its palette and modeling recall Raphael, as does its spiraling movement. The subject of a child held by her parents as she tries to find her equilibrium is universal, as well specific to the artist’s own roles as artist and mother. It is a vision that Roseberry calls “feminine and feminist.”

Womack’s interest in period furniture began in high school, when he worked for an antiques dealer. His work is sometimes abstract, as in the circle-filled “Ouija” table. Its sensual surface and forms are heightened and by three moveable glass disks that reframe, and further abstract, the design.

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Womack: “All Sound” enamel paint on wood 37.125” x 58.5” x 21.625”

WORDS BY

REBECCA JONES

His figural paintings often have an urban feel that is more dreamlike than documentary. “All Sound,” a sideboard now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, distills the visual culture of 1930’s New York into what Womack calls “an imaginary metropolis.”

Both see their work as an avenue of constant discovery. For specific projects, they have researched African textiles, Renaissance decorative arts, and American Precisionist painting. Roseberry says,“It’s all part of our continuing education” and thinks this is what keeps their work fresh. Are there styles of painting or furniture that don’t work for Coloratura? Womack pauses, and then replies,“We would try anything.” g

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Vintage Wall Art Celebrate the present with an iconic nod to the past by adding a reproduction absinthe poster to your dining, bar or sitting room. This conjurer of the green fairy is newly legalized after years of being banned in the United States and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a print advertising it in its heyday. Great Graphics (105 E. Grace St.) has several reproductions of antique absinthe ads that will certainly add a hint of upscale cool to your décor.

Great Graphics digitizes and reprints advertisements, magazine covers, antique prints, botanicals, maps and more from the turn of the century up to the early 1940s. John Cassell, owner of Great Graphics, just can’t get enough of the wall art from an era when everything was done by hand in an artistic, interesting fashion. Every print has a story and artist, and Cassell will be happy to tell you about it. His old building with 14-foot ceilings is ideal for the vintage poster business because he’s got plenty of room to display 47-by-63-inch prints in their original size.

“They look great in old houses down on Monument Avenue or in the Fan,” Cassell says about the large-size posters he sells, adding that the high walls in Richmond’s historic buildings are the perfect place to hang his posters: “Most of them were created between 1880 and 1935, which is the era of most of the houses too,” he adds. Can’t you just imagine an elegant champagne ad with a turn-of-the century vibe hanging over exposed brick and pulling together that mix of modern and antique that so many Fan dwellers strive to achieve in their homes?

Because Great Graphics prints the posters themselves, colors or verbiage can be changed to match any preference or color scheme. Stop in and browse the extensive selection.

Recycled Records Susan Webb, owner of Straw and Feathers (5520 Lakeside Ave.), collected records as a child. She remembers being sad when she’d accidentally leave one in the car on a hot summer day and it would melt. “I had no idea you could do something creative with them,” she says.

That’s exactly what artist Jeff Davis of Vinylux does.

The Philadelphia-based designer melts vintage records and refashions them into clocks, bowls, snack trays and coasters. The result is mod home accessories that look retro and edgy at the same time.

“They’re really fun. People enjoy finding a band they like,” Webb says.

Straw and Feathers also carries Vinylux note cards made from record album covers from the ‘50s and ‘60s that are a mod way to return to the art of snail mail. Webb says that along with their cool styling, she chose to carry Vinylux products because they fit with her goal of offering sustainable and recycled products in her store.

Other items to look out for at Straw and Feathers this spring include make-it-yourself scented organic cleaner kits, jewelry fashioned from old bike chains, wall décor made from recycled corrugated cardboard and lots of items from a new business that opened in New Orleans, La., after Hurricane Katrina.

Mark Staples Trendsetting Contemporary Sculpture Only minutes from Richmond, Mark Staples’ Birdland Sculpture Studio offers a wide variety of experiences through a diverse offering of his original sculpture and art. Located in the historic area of Michaux in Powhatan County, Virginia.

Plan a visit to Birdland 804.598-7512 or 804.754-8271

Mark Staples Fine Art

www.markstaplescollection.com

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glave kocen gallery

Daniel Robbins: "Ripples" oil on canvas 46x 32"

The 3200 square foot converted bottling warehouse at 1620 West Main Street in Uptown provides the glave kocen gallery with an ideal space to showcase their artists’ contemporary works. Jennifer Glave and BJ Kocen launched the gallery in 2007 to seek out ‘positive artists creating positive work.’

Urge: What Criteria do you use in deciding to represent an artist’s work?

We look for consistency in a large body of current work. Also we have to simply love it. When we say yes we will represent you, we are saying we will do everything in our power to bolster your career. We

want the work to resonate with us to our very soul so it's easy to keep in mind. We’re curious about their process, so when we talk to potential patrons, we are truly excited! It even goes as far as to what type of person is this artist? Are they excited about their own work? Are they positive in nature? We

only begin with the artwork as we like to think the artist we say yes to will be with us for years to come.

So far that’s been the case!

Urge: Is it fair to say glave kocen leans toward narrative/figurative pieces over more abstract or formal art. Do you base your decision on your tastes continued on next page

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Randolph-Macon College Flippo Gallery

The City of Richmond is fortunate to have a thriving arts community, but a little jewel in the Richmond area crown is just up I-95 in Ashland at Randolph-Macon College.

WORDS BY

Dan Miller: "Cloud Study #3" oil & wax on canvas 24x 36"

Susan Makara: "tc 1" mixed media on panel 12 x 24"

or the regional market?

This is a great question. Jenn and I have been developing our sensibilities for a combined 24 years. Sure there is a science to it, but how we could put it in words for you is tricky. As I look around the gallery it is certainly all contemporary and covers everything from abstract to representational. We lean toward how the work makes us feel and not market trends. We lean towards a strong and unique technique combined with (more times than not) something joyous or calming in its affect. One of our artists, Mark Chatterley, talks in his mission statement about how he aims for “speed bump” art. I think we’ve copped that idea from him in the sense that every time someone comes in our gallery, the exhibit slows them down and can’t be given a cursory glance.

As long as we keep getting this reaction, we’ll continue to trust our gut.

Urge: Who buys art at your gallery? Do you sell nationally? To corporate collections?

Mostly private collectors with a good mix of seasoned and first-time buyers. Jenn has developed a loyal clientele from her many years at Cudahy’s and our combined years at the Rentz Gallery. In the short time that we’ve had the glave kocen gallery, our list has grown quite a bit and I think that’s due to strong shows and a fantastic new location. We do have clients outside of Virginia thanks to the website.

We have reached out to buyers as far as Florida and up to New York. We also do work with corporations more and more so as we have diversified our line of artists.

Urge: Can you cite some examples of current artists that you represent and what drew you to their work?

I like the painting “Ripples,” by Daniel Robbins because not only does it embody the passionate artists we try to find but also because this is one of those “speed bump” paintings. The subject is undeniably beautiful lost in this perfect moment. Daniel is 23 and this is from his first solo exhibit. We’re so proud to have hosted it. “The Cloud Study #3” by Dan Miller exemplifies the vibrant and meditative work we also love.

Dan’s realistic work with his unfinished edges is liken to aged photographs giving off the suggestion of something timeless. Susan Makara’s “Rock Study” is not only amazing in detail and tightness but her highly textured process is what intrigues us. Susan’s command over shadow and light is also inspiring.

Urge: What is the process or inspiration for some of your shows?

Mostly we arrange the exhibition calendar 1 to 2 years in advance. Almost all of the shows are solo exhibits. Usually there is a well-established relationship between us and the artist. Notice how we said, ‘mostly, almost and usually.’ We do break our own rules on occasion. We only pair artists together if we feel their work has something to say together. Our March show is a prime example of that. It’s called Layers and features local artist Jeremy Satterlund and Northern Virginia artist Beverly Ryan. We’ve put them together because elements of their work are process intensive. Inspiration really comes from putting together a whole season in advance. When we know what’s coming around the bend that’s exciting. It’s a blast actually. As long as we’re having fun, we have faith that so will everyone else. g

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ERICA ORLOFF |

PHOTOS BY

MARK BURCH

The Flippo Gallery, housed in Pace-Armistead Hall, and made possible by a gift from the Flippo family gives the department of the arts a professionalquality exhibit space which serves the academic mission of the department and allows exhibitions to enrich and enlighten the college and local community.

The gallery is curated

by Katie Shaw Sweeney, an artist and adjunct art proThe gallery is curated by Katie Shaw fessor, and Ray Barry, head Sweeney, an artist and adjunct art professor, and Ray Barry, head of the of the school’s studio arts program, and has four school’s studio arts program. shows per school year.

Shaw Sweeney has coordinated group shows at the gallery space. “Group shows are an opportunity to show less established artists with more established artists, giving exposure to the art community within our confines.”

Sometimes, Shaw Sweeney says, the group shows are structured around a theme.“We have an upcoming exhibition on animals . . . it includes, of course, representational work . . . quirky and interesting. I also try to do one show each year that’s The Flippo Gallery is housed in Pacefrom out-of-town artists. I Armistead Hall, and made possible by a have a personal interest gift from the Flippo family. in artists from Baltimore and North Carolina. There are many fabulous artists in the southeast. I also try to show one person from New York every other year.”

The gallery space, she adds, is well-designed and gives a new dimension to work.“It is such a funny thing for an artist to have a show because the art looks so radically different to you, the artist, outside the studio. Then when you see it in the gallery space . . . it’s interesting to see the artist’s reactions.”

Shaw Sweeney expresses,“We’re a small liberal arts college and that does kind of separate us from commercial galleries and profits. Our gallery is really for practicing and emerging professionals, and we’d love for more of the community to come to see us and know we’re here.”

She adds,“We’re just 20 minutes away open 10-4 M-F and by appointment. I hope the community comes to visit.” g Recent exhibits included: Rosemarie Padovano’s “Untitled” wood, mirror, found object. 2008 & Kate Horne’s "Wolfman 10K" paper and porcelain. 2007

gALLERIES

Downtown Galleries: Broad Street Area

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April 4 - April 25 Annual Art Auction Live Auction Gala Saturday, April 19

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4 blocks south of Broad St. 10 on 1st Street

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A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

312 Brook Road: 804.339.2535 Thurs–Sat 1pm–7pm; Sun–Wed by appointment.

March 7 The Militants and the Icons Mixed media exhibition features new works by Derek D. Lewis, Hassan Pitts, Tex Francis & Kyle Epps.

April 4 – 27 Prints by Nancy Strube; photography by Janine Turner.

May 2-25 Paintings by Connie Maass; sculpture

by Vincent Wrenn; free-form 3-D large scale collages by David Turner.

5 Astra Design

228 West Broad Street: 804.644.0100 Mon–Tue by appointment only; Wed–Sat 12pm–6 pm.

March Paintings by Dominick Lombardi.

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tions.These exhibitions are in celebration of the Southern Graphics Council Conference being held at VCU in March.

April 4 Tex Francis Solo exhibition features the mixed media sculptural wall art of artist Tex Francis.

3 ADA

3110 West Marshall Street: 804.257.5467 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, or by appointment.

Features hand-made contemporary furniture and jewelry.

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Cornerstone Gallery

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

23 West Broad Street: 804.344.1508 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm and by appointment.

March 7-28 Young Printmakers Exhibition showcasing work by emerging artists reinvigorating the fine art of printmaking: Heather Bryant (Virginia), Andrew Hershey (Nebraska), Rachael Hetzel (New York) and Anne Ruehrmund (Nebraska) Curated

by David Hershey, Assistant Collections Manager of the University of Richmond’s Lora Robins Gallery and Exhibitions Chair of the Cornerstone Gallery, this invitational features work by artists selected from across the country, and whose works use both traditional and nontraditional printmaking techniques.

April 4-May 30 Mixed media collage by Robert Walz presents new and exceptional works in mixed media collage and photography

by Brenda Van Ness.

April Sculpture, painting, installation by Sandra Luckett, Carol Cole, others TBA.

6 Corporate & Museum Frame, Inc A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

6 East Broad Street: 804.343.1406 Wed–Sun 12pm–4pm.

March 7 Serial Witness Sequential Prints of Mitzi Humphrey; Books, Broadsides, et alia; International Prints from Virginia Collec-

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9 20 blocks east of 1st Street on Broad St.

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May 2 - May 31 Forgotten Constellations: Paul Catanese: Projected Installations

2 312 Gallery

2 blocks north of Marshall 16 on 1st Street

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319 West Broad Street: 804.643.1708 Tue–Fri 11am–5pm; Sat 1pm–5pm.

Other hours by appointment only.

March 7 – March 29 3D Multiples: The Object Of Production In conjunction with Command P: The Southern Graphics Council Conference, hosted by the VCU Department of Painting and Printmaking

301 West Broad Street: 804.643.6858 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat by appointment.

Showcases emerging Virginia artists with an emphasis on photography.

8 Elegba Folklore Society

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

101 East Broad Street: 804.644.3900 Mon–Fri 10am–6 pm; Sat 12pm–4 pm.

Enjoy art and artifacts from around the world, performances, festivals, tours and classes in African dance, drumming and crafts.

9 Eric Schindler Gallery

2305 East Broad Street: 804.644.

5005Tue–Fri 10am–3pm; Sat 11am– 4pm. Other hours by appointment.

Through March 6 Untitled Invitational Works by 19 artists and the ART180 community cookbookMelissa Burgess, Chris Chase, Nicholas Cossitt, Andy Farkas, Tim Harriss, Dolly Holmes, Chris Milk Hulburt, Jack Lawrence, Katherine McGinn, Mark Pehanich, Jamie Pocklington, David Rohrer, Tracey St. Peter, Alex Schaub, Lisa Taranto, Ed Trask, Thomas Van Auken, R. Sawan White, Susann Whittier.

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

10 ForInstance Gallery|Museum

107 East Cary Street: 757.574.4111 Studio visits arranged by appointment only. First Fridays hours: 7–10 pm March 7-29 Allowing Overtures to Understudy for Magic Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Marty Johnson For Sounds like a Whispering Blast.

April 4-25 Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Marty Johnson–A Spectiveretro.

May 2, 2008 For 57 Years Exactly Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Marty Johnson—A Tiveretrospec.

June 6, 2008 Or the Ultimate Conclusion SurveyWorks

by Marty Johnson–A Retrospective.

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Arts and Cultural Funding Consortium The Arts Council of Richmond—a part of the Richmond community for nearly 60 years—has a mission to bring the leverage of collaboration and the power of the arts’ collective voices to address needs for increased arts funding and to improve performing arts facilities. WORDS BY SHANNON O’NEILL Bringing art to the community takes much more than a passion for the arts. The reality of opening doors, capturing audiences, keeping the lights on, gaining (and maintaining) recognition is a sobering task. Yet the Richmond area is home to innumerable organizations that have anchored the arts to the community by becoming a vital part of the arts and culture scene—from dance performances, to classes for students who would otherwise not have access to the arts, to contemporary theater—such groups have made the arts an inspiring cultural force.

Since 1996, the Arts Council has administered the Arts and Cultural Funding Consortium which is focused on maximizing the collective resources of the arts and cultural community to maintain stability and encourage the advancement of arts and culture. With funding from the counties and the City of Richmond over the last decade, support has been provided to over 50 local arts and cultural organizations.We highlight just a few of our annual member organizations who have defined their own unique niche in our community:

Late Henry Moss. In addition to performances, the FTP offers its space to several production groups that have no performance space of their own, such as the Dim Sum Dance Troupe, Yellow House, and the Richmond Moving Image Coop, the Maggie Walker Governor’s School, James River Film Festival, and Project Resolution. The Firehouse also hosts the Just Poetry Slam, which attracts a widely varied audience and encourages the development of this art form in the region.

ART 180 was founded in November of 1998 with the mission of giving young people the chance to use art as a form of expression, and to share their stories with others. ART 180 partners with other non-profit organizations to serve children living in challenging circumstances in the metro Richmond area. Through after-school programs, youth discover ways they can positively engage in and influence their surroundings, giving young people the chance to use art as a tool for communication and expression.

Partnering with area non-profits to offer afterschool programs led by professional artists, ART 180 offers after-school programs with the following partners: Friends Association for Children, Elk Hill Farm, Charity Family Life, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, William Byrd Community House.

Each May, they showcase the work from all of the programs at their Big Show! celebration that attracts more than 200 people.

The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen is a regional and community resource offering visual, literary and performing arts for all ages. The mission of the Cultural Arts Center at The Latin Ballet is an internationGlen Allen is to offer creative experially renowned Hispanic-American ences to enhance the quality of life dance company with a mission to in the community, while encouraging and supporting diversity and vitality The Latin Ballet studio— preserve and promote the Latin in the visual, literary and performing the Chesterfield School American and Spanish cultures by teaching and performing profesarts, and broadening public access of the Latin Ballet in Chesterfield County ensionally for diverse audiences in to the arts in the Metro Richmond rolls approximately 250 North and South America. The Latin area through programs and facility students—40% attend Ballet has provided professional use. The CAC offers many educa- under scholarship. training, in a variety of styles, to tional and entertaining events and provides alternate venues for other Richmond dancers and students in the Richmond area organizations. The Center’s programs offer since 1997. The Latin Ballet’s “Be Proud of more than 120 arts classes each year, a Chil- Yourself” educational program visits 45 schools dren’s Series targeting pre-K through 5th- grade in Richmond, Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield children incorporates the SOL (Standards of counties. The Latin Ballet studio—the ChesterLearning), the Music Connections Series, and a field School of the Latin Ballet in Chesterfield Garden Music Series that highlights popular County enrolls approximately 250 students and 40% attend under scholarship. Other educalocal musicians. tional programs include: English as a Second The Firehouse Theatre Project presents high- Language through Dance, Dance as Therapy, quality, award-winning contemporary American Spanish through Dance, and a Dance Education theatre with an emphasis on works not previ- Scholarships for talented children with special ously performed elsewhere in Greater Rich- and financial needs. Partnerships with such ormond, while striving to address the needs and ganizations as the Richmond Symphony, the diversity of the communities they serve. Recent Richmond Ballet, The Cultural Arts Center at shows included Mr. Marmalade, Rebecca Glen Allen, Ban Caribe, Drums no Guns, VCU and Gilman’s Spinning into Butter, and the Pulitzer- many others help to advance the arts commuPrize winning playwright Sam Shepherd’s The nity and enrich the cultural fiber of the area.g

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200 West Marshall Street: 804.644.0005 Tue–Sat 11am–4pm. All other hours by appointment only.

March 7-March 28 Repressed 3 In collaboration with T.O.W.A.R., a show dedicated to socially conscious works by Peripheral Media Projects John Hitchcock & Marwin Begaye, Bruce New, Annie Bissett, Candace Nicol, Chris Crisis, Elizabeth Chaney, George Gregory, Jorge Catoni, Katherine Duffy, Kevin Orlosky, Lou Joseph, Noel Anderson, Travis Dodd, Ryan Watkins Hughes.

May 2-28 Exintrinsic: The Art of Ebony Patterson and Lisa Kellner Paintings, installation and mixed media by Ebony Patterson and Lisa Kellner.

12 Ghostprint Gallery

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

220 West Broad Street: 804.344.1557 Wed-Sat 1-7pm or by appointment March 7-29 Finger Print Stencil and print based street artists including Klutch of Vinyl Killers and Hotel des Arts,and Josh MacPhee, author of Stencil Pirates to co-ordinate with the Southern Print Conference sponsored by VCU. April 4-26 Everything Has a Hidden Meaning Paintings by Anna Kaarina Nenonen.

May 2-31 Let the Paint Speak Paintings by Peter Fowler.

13 Ingalls Gallery

209 W Broad Street: 804.399.9333 Mon - Fri 12p m–7pm First Fridays: 12pm–10pm March A lifetime of works by master painter Bill Kendrick Watercolors, oils, inks, and drawings that encompass 60+ years of the artist’s work from around the world.

14 Jennifer Young Studio & Gallery

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

16 E. Main Street: 804-254-1008 Winter hours Wed-Friday 12-6, Sat. 11-2. Also open during the First Fridays art walk from 6 to 8:30, and by appointment.

Through March 30 A Touch of Red Paintings by Jennifer Young.

April 4- May 30 Spring Mix Paintings by Jennifer Young.

gALLERIES April 4-May 30 Jumping through Hoops, How I Slept My Way to the Top Tongue-in-cheek mixed media adventures by Anne Hart Chay with special guests.

Downtown: Shockoe Slip

119 West Broad Street: 804.643.7125 Monday-Saturday 11am–6pm First Fridays hours: 6pm–10pm Metro Space Gallery provides a new gathering place for lovers of good art, music, film, and performance in Downtown Richmond.

19 Studio/Gallery 6

6 East Broad Street: 252.207.4677 Hours: By appointment Only; First Fridays 7pm-12am March 7-28, 2008 March 7: First Fridays 7pm-midnight, Featuring Live music by Rattlemouth (jazzy world grooves) Todd S. Hale mixed media; Rebecca Goldberg Oliver painting.

April 4-25, 2008 April 4: First Fridays 7pm-12am; Featuring live music by The Orioles; Special benefit for the VA Equine Rescue League; Todd S. Hale—mixed media; Kendra Wadsworth—painting.

16 Propaganda Gallery & Studio

101 East Leigh Street: 804.253.4053

By Appointment First Fridays hours: 6:00pm – 10:00 pm The Propaganda Gallery & Studio seeks to elevate the arts in the Historic Jackson Ward area while providing a realized atmosphere for patrons.

May 2-30, 2008 May 2: First Fridays 7pm-12am; Featuring Live music tba; Todd S. Hale - mixed media and guest artists.

17 Quirk Gallery

311 West Broad Street: 804.644.5450 Mon–Sat 10am–6pm.

Through March 22 Here and Now: Wood and Would Not Paintings, sculpture and furniture by current and past Virginia Commonwealth University artists including: Andy Buck, Karl Burkheimer, Graham Campbell, William Hammersley, Katie Hudnall, Heath Matysek-Snyder, Travis Townsend and Charles Yeager.

March 26-April 26 Shrinkage Worldwide Awards Poster Competition In collaboration with Design Center/VCU Department of Graphic Design, posters from the Shahneshin Foundation’s 2007 Shrinkage Worldwide Awards.

22 White Canvas Gallery

111 South 14th Street: 804.782.1776 Tue–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12pm–5pm.

February 8-March 19, 2008 4+4 Show Four established artists exhibiting alongside an artist of their choice. Paintings by William H. Clarke and Mary Jackson, Steve Perrault and David Tanner, Ron Boehmer and Woody Cyrus and photographs by Bob Lerner and Bruce Brelsford.

March 21-April 23, 2008 Woodcuts by Dennis Winston.

321 Brook Road: 804.200.9985 Tues, Thr, Fri 11am-6pm. Sat 12pm-5pm or call for an appoinment.

March 7-31 In conjunction with the Southern Graphics Council Transmission will be exhibiting etchings, lithographs, screenprints, and experimental printing methods executed by the founding members of the press—Ashley Hawkins, Sarah Watson, Beth Noe, Cindy Eide and many others associated with their organization.

April 4-29, Claire Watkins will be exhibiting her kinetic sculptures, while Kell Black (from Tennessee) will exhibit his intricate paper cutouts, and Rosana Barragan will be performing a dance piece specifically for this show.

May 2-31 Nicole Andreoni and Bret Payne A selection of new paintings and drawings by these two Richmonders.

21 Visual Art Studio

2104 East Main Street: 804.783.6121 Tue–Sat 10am–3pm; extended viewing hours by appointment.

Richmond’s first and only gallery specializing in fine art photography. Fine portraiture by photographer, Nicholas K. Corey.

March 28-April 20 Juried Print/Photo Show.

April 25 -May 18 University of Richmond Senior Thesis Show.

May 23 through June 22 Paintings and prints by André Barnett; mixed media by Heidi Field-Alvarez; photography by Joseph Labate.

26 Art Works

320 Hull Street: 804.291.1400 Tue–Sun 12pm–6pm.

2008 Spring Shows SENIORS 2008 Mary Alice Weiss.

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23 12 12 Gallery

12 East 12th Street: 804.233.9957 Thurs–Fri 12pm–4pm; Sat 11am–6pm; Sun 12pm–5pm or by appointment.

Through March 23 Paintings by Inge Strack; photography

by Lynn Lymon; photography by Allen Palmer.

March 28-May 4 12 12 Gallery Manchester National Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2008 May 9 -June 15 Paintings by Charles Philip Brooks; visual and literary works by Krishanna Spencer; photography by Veronica Smith-Hasenei; sculpture and installation by Sarah Mizer.

A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

208 West Broad Street:804.644.1368 Tue–Fri 12pm–6pm; Sat 12pm–4pm.

Through March 8 Photographs by Luciano D’Aria.

March 7-29 Encounter Block prints by Julia Hebner with photography of Richmond by Lloyd Chaser and photography of Guatemala

by Anne Hart Chay.

March 28- April 20 All Media Show, various artists; Creatrix Paintings and photography by Tess LiVolsi Amoruso and Tess Sweet; Paintings by Leo Zabronsky; Folk Art Photography by Richard Buhrman; It’s Elemental Paintings by Ray Abell.

April 25 - May 18 April All Media Show Juried art show.

April 25 - May 18 Paintings by Esther, Leo and Harry Zabronsky; Paintings by Matt Bass; Mixed media by Silvio Lynch.

April 25 - May 18 Tints, Tones and Monotones: Selections from the Nimrod Hall Series Mixed media works by Gerard Staton.

May 23-June 22 May All Media Show May 23th-June (TBA) Annual Student Show Exhibitions Seniors at Henrico High Arts Program will present their annual senior show in the Jane Sandelin Gallery. AUTO MONSTRO Richard Becker; Paintings by Christopher Wynn.

May 2-June 21 Rush: Exploration in Glass Kiln-fired glass by Chuck Scalin

18 Second Glances Photography

0 East 4th Street: 804.232.6464 Wed–Sun 12pm–4pm.

Through March 23 New Members Exhibit Paintings and mixed media by Jingjing Gong, Jo Anna Hickman, Louis Joyner, Dan Mouer, Elaine Rogers, Robin Ryder, Inge Strack.

South of the James River & Manchester

20 Transmission A FIRST FRIDAYS GALLERY

25 Artspace

24 43rd Street Gallery 1412 West 43rd Street: 804.233.1758Tue–Thurs 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–4pm.

Contemporary crafts, specializing in pottery, rustic furniture, jewelry and home accessories by a variety of artists.

This guide is produced in partnership with the Arts Council of Richmond and Curated Culture.

Galleries should contact Shannon O'Neill (shannon@richmondarts.org) regarding their listing information.

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A Minute With Curated Culture

Fan District

What Does Your Organization Do In Helping to Organize the First Fridays Art Walk? What Is the Process? WORDS BY CHRISTINA NEWTON, CURATED CULTURE DIRECTOR

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educational events.

It’s been recommended to us that we’re a “marketing coop,” since we offer extensive promotional opportunities to those involved in our program. Being part of First Fridays offers a package of benefits to the venues and the trickledown benefits of being involved with such a well-known brand. We coordinate and provide such items as a printed season guide, a printed rack card, TV commercials and radio credits (currently with The Community Idea Stations), and a listing and link on our popular website, which is updated monthly with what new exhibitions or events are taking place.

A lot of these great benefits come out of the work we do to secure sponsorships and partnerships with local media and businesses.We’ve even delivered delicious cheeses to the galleries over the years thanks to a wonderful donation from Cabot Creamery!

Our goal is to one day expand all of our great services beyond our focus area to further our mission of inspiring economic and community development in the Richmond region by expanding public awareness of, and appreciation for, arts and culture. g

First Fridays is held on the first Friday of each month, rain or shine, generally between 6:00-10:00 pm. This unique cultural event showcases Richmond's thriving arts community, focusing on the diverse arts and cultural venues located along the Historic Broad Street Corridor.

Businesses and nonprofit entities other than galleries participating in this event:

curatedculturerichmond.com

Curated Culture took over in 2003 as the lead organization programming First Fridays, when in late 2002 it was realized by the First Fridays On & Off Broad Steering Committee that the program was a much bigger effort than the galleries could do on their own.

I was chairman of the Steering Committee and coordinating efforts at the time, having left Artspace as their first Director. When a vote in December 2002 led the way for the creation of a new nonprofit to officially oversee efforts, I set out with select members from the committee and arts community to take First Fridays to the next step. After evaluation, we decided to not only grow First Fridays, but to fill in the gaps for broader-based arts advocacy and develop future arts programs. First Fridays continues to be our premier program, and we hope to expand our partnerships this year to pursue other creative initiatives.

Our workload hasn’t changed much since our inception in regards to event planning.While others are relaxing at the beach, our summers are packed.We budget and fundraise for the upcoming season and coordinate an annual kickoff event.

The summer also means building partnerships with the participating venues, and processing applications, receiving, compiling, and editing contact and event information. All of this data is then used for a variety of promotional purposes, such as creating a season guide, writing press releases, circulating story ideas, and maintaining our www.firstfridaysrichmond.com website.

Throughout the year, we plan entertainment for the street as well as inside the sites. Our Presenting Sponsor, the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond, has provided an amazing array of performers for First Fridays that we’ve helped coordinate. This past Fall, the Chicago-based new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird performed two intimate concerts at art6 while Theatre IV hosted the most amazing Indonesian Shadow Puppeteer with musical accompaniment. We’re currently in the planning stages to showcase the university’s communitybased Gamelan Orchestra in April.

Year-round, we also serve as ambassadors for Richmond. Through our public relations work, we serve as liaison to the community offering information about First Fridays, but we often help residents and visitors find and enjoy Richmond’s diverse cultural attractions.

We’ve also served numerous times as contact and tour guide for visiting travel writers who’re doing stories on Richmond’s thriving arts and cultural community. And to encourage support of what we’re doing, we also coordinate Culture Vultures, our membership support group that offers various opportunities for social and

CULTURAL VENUES

27 Anderson Gallery

907 1/2 West Franklin Street: 804.828.1522 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat–Sun 1pm–5pm; Summer Hours Tue–Sat 1pm–5pm.

March 21 -March 30 Juried Student Design Exhibition Features work from the Interior Design, Fashion Design, Illustration, and Communication Arts and Design departments.

March 21 -March 30 Juried Student Kinetic Imaging Exhibition Showcases students’ animation, video, and sound work juried by a notable expert in the field of Kinetic Imaging.

April 11 -April 20 Juried Student Fine Art Exhibition Showcases students’ paintings, prints, sculptures, site-specific installations, drawings, crafts, photography and video.

April 25 -May 4 Masters of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Round 1 May 9 -May 18 Masters of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Round 2

Uptown

28 Artemis Gallery 1601 West Main Street: 804.254.1755 By appointment.

Features fine hand-crafted objects, especially American crafts by nationally recognized artists.

Uptown is located along Main Street in the Fan District 7 blocks sou

36 37 38 Carytown is 12 blocks (1.6 miles) west of N Lombardy Street & 1 block south of Main Street

Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia Richmond Public Library Sound of Music Theatre IV 34 RESTAURANTS Chez Foushee Lift Coffee Shop Tarrant's Café Twenty Seven SHOPS Great Graphics Henry Metro Sound & Music Co. Renovation Resources Turnstyle

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gALLERIES March 26-29 Virgil Marti: On and Off the Wall Exhibition focuses on a particular application of printmaking and coincides with the annual conference of the Southern Graphics Council.

29 glave kocen gallery

31 Page Bond Gallery

1620 West Main Street: 1.888.358.1990 Tues-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 11am-4pm March 7- 29 layers Mixed media, paintings by Beverly Ryan and Jeremy Satterlund.

1625 West Main Street: 804.359.3633 Tue–Sat 11am–6pm.

Through March 5 Sampling Crane: A Twenty Year Collaboration Paintings and mix media works

by Duston Spear.

April 4-29 color as light Paintings by Laura Loe.

Through March 5 On Paper: New Paintings and Monotypes Paintings and monotypes by Todd McKie.

May 1-May 30 norway bound Group exhibit featuring a group of friends who sojourned to Norway for the inspiration.

6 pm Wed and Fri through Sunday.

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday by appointment only. First Fridays from 6 pm to 9 pm.Fashion First Thursdays from 6 pm to 8 pm.

February 15 through March 22 Made in Debate Show features a dynamic selection of abstract painters from across the Americas, as well as abstract paintings from local artist Bill Fisher and photographs from regional and international photographers.

March 27 Colors of Life Photographs on display of the 50 finalists from the Colors of Life International Photo Contest.

35 Uptown Gallery 1305 West Main Street: 804.353.8343 Tue–Fri 11am–5pm; Sat 11am–4pm.

The gallery has more than 32 juried artists with work in a varied palette of mediums and techniques.

Staples Mill & Broad St.

Carytown

May 2-May 30 Paintings by Steve Hedberg.

39 Crossroads Art Center

32 Red Door Gallery

30 Main Art Gallery 1537 West Main Street: 804.355.6151 Mon–Fri 9am–6pm; Sat 10am–5pm.

March 7 through April 30 5 printmakers 44x60 In conjunction with the Southern Graphics Council Conference, Command Print.

1607 West Main Street: 804.291.7728 Wed–Sun 12pm–6pm (open until 9pm on Fridays).

Through March 30, 2008 Sugar and Spice Multimedia works by Amie Oliver, Alison Hall, Amie Cunningham, Kate Horne and Katherine Shaw Sweeney.

May 2 through June 30 Paintings by Katherine Degaetani

36 Brazier Fine Art 3401 West Cary Street: 804.359.2787 Tue–Sat 10am–5pm.

March 7-29 Wet Paint Paintings from Brazier Gallery Artists.

April 4-26 Tennessee Artists Group Exhibit New works by Anne Blair Brown, Roger Dale Brown,Paula Frizbe, and Dawn Whitelaw.

May 2 - 24 Paintings by Sylvia Trybek & Peggy Kingsbury.

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March 21st - April 9th Paintings by Linda Hollett-Bazouzi; All Media Show; work by Sylvia Richardson, Diane Clement, Christophora Robeers & Students.

April 18th - May 7th Photography by Amanda Anthony; work

by Bart Schultz, Terrie Powers and Maggie Chalifoux.

May 16th - June 11th Work by Gerry Bannon, Rhoda MacCallum, Mary Adkins, Betsy Banno.

Libbie & Grove Avenues

uth of Broad Street and 5 blocks west of Belvidere Street

Uptown

2016 Staples Mill Road: 804.278.8950 Mon–Thurs 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12pm–6pm.

Through March 12 Richmond Metropolitan Artists Show; Paintings by Philip Muzi Branch; A Celebration of Women, photography by Susan Bock; All Media Show; Photography by Maggie Collins.

33 Reynolds Gallery 1514 West Main Street: 804.355.6553 Tue–Sat 10am–5pm.

March 6 -April 19 Conceptual art by John Baldessari; prints by Mary Heilmann, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Mangold, Robert Rauschenberg, and other nationally/internationally recognized artists.

March 26 - March 29 The 2008 Southern Graphics Council Award Recipients Work by Kerry James Marshall, Steve Murakishi, and David Freed (Held in conjunction with Command Print, the 2008 Southern Graphics Council Conference, hosted by the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

May Paintings by Philip Geiger.

Art

37 Chasen Gallery 3554 West Cary Street: 804.204.1048 Mon–Tues 10am–6pm; Wed 10am– 4pm; Thurs–Sat 10am–6pm.

April 25-May 25th Flora, Fauna, Fabulous And Fun! Paintings and sculpture by Jody and Carl Wright.

May 1-31 "May" we Present our New Gallery Artists Work by Libby Smart, Tara Good, William Rolig, Gail Taylor and local artist John Oat.

40 Gallery 5800

Suitable for Framing

5800 Grove Avenue: 804.285.0774 Mon–Fri 10am–5:30pm; Sat 10am–4pm.

Offers fine art and selected works by regional and national artists.

Short Pump Town Center

vs.

Decoration

41 Andrew’s Gallery

34 Visual Arts Center of Richmond

1812 West Main Street: 804.353.0094 Mon-Fri 11am–7pm; Sat 10am–4pm; Sun 1pm–4pm.

38 The Gallery Art & Design 16 S Dooley Ave: 804.355.0102 2 pm-

11800 W. Broad Street: 804.364.9377 March 14-15 Paintings by Robert Finale May 16-18 The Best of the Best New arrivals from Europe’s Top 10 Artists.

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First Fridays Artwalk Turns 7

No BS Brass Band rocks the Renaissance Ballroom

Downtown Richmond has a long history of attracting creative pioneers with innovative projects. Take 1708 Gallery for instance.

Prior to its present 319 West Broad St. location and previous 103East Broad St facility, the gallery’s origins can be traced to a flooddamaged Richmond warehouse at 1708 East Main St. 26 years ago. WORDS BY TYLER BASS | PHOTOS BY CATHY THOMAS

With its original Shockoe Bottom location, the gallery was arguably the first foothold to the area’s stabilization and redevelopment to the lively neighborhood of shops, condos and restaurants. With a myriad of successful community exhibits and events comprising its pass, 1708 had also launched its version of first Friday openings that later was adopted by other galleries and grew into the arts community’s flagship event First Fridays Artwalk, attracting thousands of visitors to exhibits.

Before Artspace gallery moved to its new home on East 4th Street, Christina Newton was its director. In conjunction with just five other Broad Street galleries, her job was to coordinate the openings that were already going on. Three years after that first effort, Newton says that 17,000 people had come out to walk the Artwalk.There was a seasonal program for the first six years running from fall to spring. Newton’s efforts were cursed by their success, and the demands of running the Artwalk meant her leaving Artspace.

First Fridays Artwalk is in its seventh year as an established cultural event guided by Christina Newton’s Curated Culture, the nonprofit that coordinates all activities related to the event, including marketing, fundraising, sponsorships, and pro-

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gramming. According to Curated Culture’s website, the event is patterned after Europe’s successful art walks, now a part of city life worldwide to “promote local arts and culture,” as a vehicle to re-energize neighborhoods.

Yet, with thousands of visitors in attendance, an expanded participant list that includes shops, restaurants and cultural venues like the Black History Museum and Theatre IV as well as a healthy portfolio of media coverage, First Fridays Artwalk is not yet a complete vision. Newton seeks to build continued arts marketing and additional programming around the brand.

Citing the expansion of the vision beyond its initial gallery participation to include shops, restaurants and other venues, Newton says, “We can really promote it as a destination, which is what we hoped to in the beginning. By getting everyone partnering in this process, we have really met that challenge.”

“It has been difficult for us to document in hard statistics how we have affected community and economic development,” she says. Newton cites new, trendy shops—such as Henry and Turnstyle, who sell records, designer tennis shoes, and long t-shirts as businesses that are revitalizing the

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area and participating in First Fridays.

Comfort and Tarrant’s Café wanted to move into the area because they knew it was hip, active, and because they knew they could count on that night of steady business. This activity and unique event is contributing to cultural sites such as Gallery 5 and the Black History Museum.

In conjunction with the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts, Curated Culture seeks to provide diverse programming to include everything from jazz to world music. Truly a local Downtown booster, Newton has worked in the nonprofit sector in Richmond for 16 years.

Inside gallery art6, artist John Bailey is proudly addressing questions from onlookers concerning polyester tapestries he had illustrated with crayon and suspended from the ceiling. What is going down is typical to the cozy atmosphere on Broad at First Fridays, when artists can watch people’s reactions and—should they choose to relinquish anonymity—explain themselves. Bailey describes a side of the creative process in a firsthand way average gallery goers nationwide never get to experience: “I saw it in my head in an ambiguous phase, and now when I imagine showing it here, I was immediately impressed by the style, and felt com-

pelled to install the work of the semi-suburb. within the confines of that When asked how long architectural definition. she was pushing her knives Ideally, I would put [the in- into the linoleum plates stallation] in the center reinvited feelings of exhausof the room, but in this tion to Hebner’s mien. She case, I felt I really had sighed, and with a laugh no other choice but to says,“We don’t keep track. I put it where it is.” Bai- will tell you, you can’t work ley’s specially arranged at it nonstop or you end up portrayals of the human with pain all up your arm.” form hung slightly offOutside on the sidecenter below the sky- walk, jewelry artist and lights of art6, three street vendor Lenora Messtories above. nard shows off her handThe work was assem- made copper necklaces bled from stacks of and ears, which had been sketches in his studio from cut, painted with powdered “years and years and years glass, and then kilned beof life.” Bailey had pulled fore the patterns and colors them out, identified the of her design could be apmost appealing, and preciated by her buyers. began his work. “Assem- That was to be Mesnard’s bling this was as much fun fourth First Friday venture. as drawing it,” he says. “It Richmond Indie Radio was a quiet, private, per- is celebrating its third ansonal process for me.” It niversary this evening from Julia Hebner must have been one nail 7 p.m. to midnight, and four at a time, one cord at a bands play throughout the time, finding a way to night, and are joined by place each piece. He slam poets and DJs. “Last started with silver and year, it was insane. It was gold for the forms, and packed,” Christina Newton elaborated with the rest of says, adding sheepishly, “The the rainbow. place ran out of beer.”

He worked with a “Everybody was box of 64 Crayola crayons, there,” she says. Urge has [top] John Bailey’s”Labyrinth” at gallery art6 like a child uses in grade found that the third an[above] Julia Hebner:“Lakeside Dogs” school. Much in the way niversary celebration, the Anne Hart Chay at Visual Arts Studio at the Visual Arts Studio that a writer is uniquely in- so-called “Party For The spired by the empty page, Rest Of Us,” lived up to last All the horns had solos. The musicians Bailey found himself moved by an image of poten- year’s reputation. Alongside Tulsa Drone, the No tiality with his medium, one that he holds from his BS Brass Band rocks the Renaissance ballroom demonstrate every bit of the passion and exown childhood: the memory of virgin tips of with original work, as well as Led Zeppelin and citement that a pep band employs to thrill a crayons just waiting to be smudged down.“ Yes covers. Live, No BS’s drummer Lance Kohler is bunch of hysterically partisan fans.

Band leader and Meanwhile, at Visual Arts Studio on trombonist, Reginald the same block, Julia Hebner is showPace recounts the ing off impressions of her neighborband’s two year hishood that she had done in pencil, all tory playing on the three linoleum block prints on rice sidewalk in front of paper.“When I first moved to Lakeside,” Theater IV, Gallery 5, she says, “I figured that if you owned on the stage at Cuone dog, you had to own two.” One of rated Culture, or her rather elegantly drafted, framed even in the middle pencil drawings,“Lakeside Dogs,” docuof the street. Their ments the spirit of the barking herds of recent CD release miniature Dachshunds leaping at party for Where Is passersby, only to be stopped futilely Stefan? was one of by the fences. In the second two of the the few receptions three large pieces on display at Visual Pace can recall that Arts Studio, Hebner has created a visual rivaled the enercollage of the types of noises she engetic crowd of countered. Hebner was until recent WRIR listeners. times indigenous to Virginia Beach’s far David Hershey & Christina Newton Thea Duskin, Artist Poetry slam performer As the seasons at Ghostprint Gallery more boisterous 19th Street, so being change into Spring able to make out specific sounds from automobiles sparked a creative urge in her, thus re- especially fierce, the band’s harmonies are tight and Summer, the warmer weather will draw sulting in “Lakeside Traffic.” In “Lakeside Mowers,” and its melodies as powerful as the James Bond the epic crowds that have made First Fridays lawn and power equipment stand out from the theme played full volume in your face out of vin- the premier Downtown event for culture and, perhaps most notably, the visual arts. g residential landscape, evoking the aural essence tage tube speakers.

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A Connection to Something Greater Terrie Powers’ paintings employ the visual poetry of theatrical overtones married with a Matisse-like sense of playful images enmeshed in thoughtful introspection.

Ever since graduating from the University of Richmond in 1977,Terrie Powers has been employed in some type of art-related profession, from sign design and illustration to scenic crew at the Santa Fe Opera.

When her other childhood career plan—to be a cowgirl—didn’t work out, she went to work designing and painting sets for Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre

“Claustrophobia” 20x16” acrylic on wood

“Dannyboy In the Sky” 36x60” acrylic on canvas

“Journey of Faith” 20x16” acrylic on wood

“Mother and Child” 20x16” acrylic on wood

“Peaceful Like A River” 30x22" acrylic on canvas

and has done so for 26 years. Her sets have entertained millions of children as they traveled with Theatre IV around the country to schools and larger facilities. Terrie has also designed for the Family Playhouse season at Theatre IV’s Empire Theatre.

Her recent paintings are produced under three thematic concepts. The ID-Visible series are inner landscapes—spiritual conections to the natural world.

Powers explains,“Objects portrayed are metaphors and symbols of some aspect of my personality or [idenity]. If my thoughts became pictures, these are a few. If life is a journey, this is the scenery I see along the way. I use a leaf, a bird, or a tree to represent myself in a journey or relationship with the world. Skies and water represent the spiritual landscape within. Faith and intuition are symbolized by natural elements such as a river or by a driver-less boat.”

The Women: Action Figures series evolved from the ID-Visible concept when she was sketching a woman’s silhouette from the original series. The form was used in several contexts to describe women’s roles.

In Found Powers’ background in theater emerges.

“In the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods the characters are each in search of something they desire.

They set off into the scary deep woods to find what they hope will improve their lives, only to get lost and nearly lose everything in the process. The deeper they search, the darker the world becomes. They care more about their own needs than their connection to something greater,” she says. g

Powers currently shows at Crossroads Art Center.

See www.myspace.com/terriepowers for future exhibits of her work.

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“In Tuition” 30x30" acrylic on canvas

WORK IN PROGRESS

Gordon Stettinius | Ed Trask Richmond artists Gordon Stettinius and Ed Trask sat down and interviewed each other over coffee and Peppermint Patties. Ed broke ground immediately with a surreal story of rescuing a drowning swimmer while surfing off the coast of the outer banks and Gordon bragged of boning up on great questions due to watching The Ali G Show the night before. DOCUMENTED BY BJ KOCEN Stettinius: You grew up in California?

Trask: San Francisco ’67—I’m adopted from there.

The information I know is they were 19-year-old college students in the middle of ’67 so I could be one serious acid casualty. (Laughs) I’m just starting steps to find my biological parents now. What about you?

red tail. I looked at it and showed my wife and 5 hours later my daughter was born. Since then I always thought they were good omens.

Stettinius: Do you like seeing your work get old?

Trask: I adore it. It becomes thematically what I like to look at. Quite often when I put a mural up, I know it’s not going to be there that long. EveryEd Trask: “Slow Dance, The Awkward Momment”

Gordon Stettinius

Stettinius: I grew up here, moved back 8 years ago.

Trask: Who would you like to have breakfast with?

Stettinius: (pauses) This is like a whom you’d have to dinner kind of thing with the implications of breakfast. I’d want to sleep with John Lennon so I’d put him off ’til the cocktail hour. (Laughs) I think I’m going to go with somebody who’s good with breakfast maybe Barbara Kingsolver. I’ll email you later because that’s going to eat at me all day.

Stettinius: Source material? Seems like a fairly photographic start to much of your work.

Trask: A lot of it will start with a basic idea. I carry a digital camera with me constantly; specifically on tour.Yourself in a van travelling endless hours so it’s easy to get pictures of roadside landscapes.

It’s easy to find buildings with a lot of ghosts surrounding them. I take as many photos as I can and I stockpile them.

Trask: When the shutter clicks, do you feel you captured something beyond shape, powder, rhythm, and emotion?

Stettinius: Photographically, I’m led as often as I direct. I do have of sense of directed participation.

I try to make things happen and gel, but as often as not, I’m trying to let something incidental and accidental happen.

Stettinius: What are you reading?

Trask: Right now I’m reading Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Police.

Stettinius: I’ve got that on my bedside table.

Do extra terrestrials exist?

Trask: Oh God the ET thing. I get that all the time because of my initials. I do believe there’s something out there. I feel like the universe gives you symbols of where your life is. Right before my daughter was born, a red-tailed hawk flew to a post right near our kitchen window. Ginourmous

Ed Trask: “The Swing”

Ed Trask

body’s freakin’ out about the “Princess Diana” [mural] being gone and I’m like thank god!

When I first put it up there, there was a restaurant and two geourgous billboards. You’d come off the exit and there was a Marlboro man kinda looking over at Princess Diana. But the billboards came down, a strip club came in, she started fading out, the shadows started coming out more. It gave joy to a lot of people as long as it could but I’m glad it’s gone. It’s time for a rebirth, let’s put something else up there.

Trask: If you look at older work, do you see something that is manipulated now in your recent work?

Stettinius: I’m not sure I’m on to the newer work yet. I feel like I’m still making my older work in some weird way because I’m eclectic and I enjoy it, but photography has a way of smiling on those Gordon Stettinius: “Emmett” 2005 sepia-toned gelatin silver print who have a clear and concise project. After 20 years I do feel like I have several threads and fabric so now I see themes in my work, but I don’t think I’m done with them. I feel like there’s about 4 or 5 tracks that I’m rolling down so I’m kind to my old work. g

Ed Trask has traveled the world as a musician.

He has also painted over 30 murals in the city and has shown paintings at Eric Schindler Gallery, 1708, Artspace, Corporate & Museum Frame, and has installed temporary murals all over the world.

Gordon Stettinius will show his newest works in Zurich, Switzerland this year and at the Page Bond Gallery in ’09. Gordon freelances for commercial photography where as his fine art work is represented by Robin Rice Gallery of New York. He is also an adjunct professor at VCU and has been such since 2004.

Gordon Stettinius: “Holy Land U.S.A.” 2006 sepia-toned gelatin silver print

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Susan Bock at Crossroads Art Center Susan Bock’s exhibit A Celebration of Women at Crossroad’s Art Center’s Gallery I (February 2008) implements nostalgia and appropriation to essay the influence of women on society.

As general as the theme suggests, the imagery is of various national and Richmond area prints dated from the Civil War through to contemporary times. Bock is a photographer who had specialized in black and white compositions, she became intrigued with the process of hand-tinting.

In her artist’s statement Bock describes her intent. “As I began collecting these images from old archives, women began to emerge in so many different areas from the women spies of the Civil War, rural scenes of women working in the fields, to women in professions long ago that we had forgotten and in sports that we really have only promoted as ‘a man’s world’ that I decided they needed to be celebrated, We needed to celebrate where we had been and the things we had done and still do behind the scenes as well as in front.”

Much like the Pop artists of the ’60s, Bock’s process requires that you are familiar with the source material. To their advantage, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg and the other Pop artists selected mass media imagery (soup cans, cartoon figures or everyday items) so the connection was less encumbered by extended references.

In Bock’s case the vast history of her subject matter is not as well known. Bock carefully documents her source material in neatly typeset panels beneath each photograph.

The exhibit feels less like a straightforward display of images in a gallery and is more reminiscent of 1970

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“5th and Broad Streets in the 1930s”

conceptualist art shows—where in lieu of actual artwork they hung typed “statements” of their aesthetic conceits.

In some way the documentarian aspect of the show competes with imagery. Compiled in a catalog or coffeee-table book, the documentation along with the photos would make an impressive volume. But displayed in a gallery, I find myself simply wanting to study the photos in favor of reading the copy.

Regarding the imagery, I mentioned appropriation at the outset of this review. I find it interesting that the artist acts more like an editor—

collecting her preexisting images, rather than inventing new ones.

Though when the image is wellknown, Bock has entered new aestethic territory. One in particular is a reprint of Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936.” The fame of this image created a diversion from Bock’s otherwise more obscure subjects. In this piece I was more aware of Bock’s attempts to create something new by her hand-tinting process.

In 2003, Sophie Matisse colorized an interpretation of Picasso’s essentially grayscale or grisaille “Guernica.” When an artist takes on profound works through a reinterpretation process, it becomes imperative not to let the original overshadow the piece. The chutz·pah of Matisse to augment a masterwork like “Guernica” is conceptually part of aesthetic experience.

Bock keeps her palette in the pastels and her coloring is done with a light touch.

So the prints really do take on a postcard-from-the-past feel. While it adds to the celeberatory effect and overall unified presentation to the more obscure pieces, with the Lange piece somehow it feels off the mark.

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Presented in a portfolio along with the exhibit, is an array of handtinted Richmond scenes. Richmonders who grow misty-eyed over the mere mention of Miller & Rhoads back in the day of its tea-room glory will want to snatch up Bock’s deftly colored reproductions.

Ted Randler

[lower left] “Race Car Driver” 1916 woman racer working under hood of Stutz Wrightman Special No. 26 on Benning Race Track, Washington, D.C. [lower right] “Pea Picker” 1930s. Migrant worker's family with seven hungry children taken for the U.S. Government

by Dorthea Lange

REVIEWS

Jillian McDonald at 1708 Gallery The ambience not unlike that of a Best Buy display room envelopes you upon entering Jillian McDonald’s installation, Fanatic at 1708 Gallery (February 1-March 1, 2008). Audio from video loops compete with the white noise of the gallery’s heating system. One wall is arrayed with slick headshot-sized lenticular photographs mounted on cintra—-envision the three-dimensional effect of a portrait changing expressions when you tilt your gaze to view it. But in McDonald’s case, these “Zombie Portraits” the everyman photos morph into a type of Shaun of the Dead ghouls.

Across the gallery, portable DVD players loop more animations of zombies, desktop-produced pastiches of the costumed undead awkwardly running through apocalyptic scenery that reads more campy than scary partly due to the amateurish production values and also due to the diminutive DVD player screens.

Further back in the gallery space, “The Screaming”—a video presented on a larger monitor—splices McDonald, playing the part of an actress shrieking in a cheesy horror flick, with snippets from the films Halloween and Slither. The rationale behind the piece from the artist is that the protagonist uses her screaming to ward off evil, and eventually employing it as a method to destroy her B movie monsters.

In the partitioned rear gallery section, two wall-sized LCD projections show McDonald in the role of a terror-stricken, horror ingénue lost in the misty woods or perhaps she is stalking what she fears. Agitated, she wanders looking back over her shoulder. But here too, one reads it more as an emblem that represents a horror genre than being truly scary footage.

Not unlike Cindy Sherman’s series Untitled Film Stills, where the

Bob tattoos all over her face.

McDonald uses a replica “Billy Bob” temporary tattoo in several photo documentation pieces to emulate the celebrity’s real tattoos.

Moved by Thornton’s plastic surgery, MacDonald presents a 40”x 60” photo, “Billy Bob Got Plastic Surgery” that portrays her facial disfiguring through the application of the “Billy Bob” tattoos. Lots of Billy Bob here: the artist documents her drawings of his tattoos on her body in the same locations as on his body. There are inkjet prints of Thorton’s tattoos, fan letters and even a drumstick given to the artist by the actor from the stage of his 2005 concert.

Remnants of a performance (a chair with a bowl, used temporary tattoo forms littering the space) are part of the ongoing exhibit. McDonald has stated she endeavors to personally engage her audience, so tattooing gallery-goers on opening night seems like a no-brainer.

Less obvious is her performance’s subterfuge. Dostoevsky used the same technique in his novel Notes from Underground where the unnamed protagonist’s repulsive behavior reveals an exaggerated reflection of the universal feelings of the human condition.

McDonald’s tattooing of her audience offers a bit of guilt by association—if Americans didn’t author celebrity obsession, we certainly took it to a heightened level of media exploitation.

Sure the exhibit is campy and bittersweet, maybe even sad (to think of the wasted hours and efforts of a fan to access the person of his or her obsession for some type of distorted self-fulfillment). But then you catch yourself wondering (a bit unnervingly) just what is the proximity of the artist to celebrity-fascination (with Thornton or even her own) and if it is truly a manic obsession or meaningful art.

Ted Randler

Deborah T. Colter & Allison L. Compton at Red Door Gallery With their first concurrent exhibitions in Richmond at Red Door Gallery (February 2008), Richmond native, Allison L. Compton and Martha’s Vineyard native, Deborah T. Colter, both present their individual takes on the simplified forms of abstraction. The result, in both cases, is bold, large-scale, aesthetically pleasing paintings that draw viewers in while extracting an emotional reaction from them.

Compton’s work uses a bold color scheme of vibrant reds, greens,

Colter: “Chronicle of an Instant” 40 x40" 2007 mixed media Acrylic on canvas Wrapped Panel

and yellows that bounces off of bright neutrals and dances with the viewer to create an uplifting feeling.

Colter’s work leaves one with a sense of intellectual questioning with its subdued color palette and repetition of varied structural elements.

Both artists lead us to ponder order and chaos, as abstract expressionism often does by juxtaposing the two elements within their work.

Compton does so through spontaneous and loose, yet rhythmic brushstrokes that result in an overall order of both representational and more design-oriented images. A residency in Western Montana inspires Compton’s work in this show, which can be seen clearly in some of the paintings, such as “Black Lake at Sunrise” and “Morning Haze.”

“Morning Rays” felt more representational in the colors of Earth as oppose to “The Weight of Patience to Sense the Right Timing,” in which the subject of the painting is not as visually clear-cut.

Colter blends order and chaos in a more opposite fashion than Compton by using a more orderly and linear application of various media, textures, and marks that results in paintings that appear to be little internal rooms of controlled chaos. She likens her paintings to a “visual record of the mind” that mirrors the chaotic bombardment of images or “mixed messages” (hence the title of her show). By removing the obvious details of their subject matter and reducing them to simple, repetitive patterns we become aware of the play between the simple and the complex, leaving room for our interpretations of these alluring works.

Diane R. Gunter

Monica Palma & Ryan Wallace at Transmission Transmission, a relatively new gallery in Jackson Ward, is an intimate space sporting the monoprints of Ryan Wallace and drawings of Monica Palma in a show called Medium Love (February 1-29th). This exhibit

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continued on next page

McDonald: “Billy Bob Got Plastic Surgery” (detail) archival digital print 2006 36 x 40"

artist portrays actress types rather than portraits of specific celebrities with the artist’s media creating an aura of authenticity (in Sherman’s case stunning large photographs of fabricated Hollywood starlets in clichéd scenes), McDonald’s showroom of electronics and pieces of technical cleverness give her sendups of the horror genre an edge beyond simple satire. Horror, like humor, has to have a plausible aspect to it to be effective. McDonald's humor exploits technology as the persuasive and sophisticated format for her absurd visions. Where Sherman deconstructs a romanticized type of mainstream movie actress, McDonald’s vision explores the more low-budget icons of the thrillers.

It is a Warholian-wry exhibit that doesn’t rely on high concept or deft execution to resonate. It’s amusing, campy and arch—confident that mass appeal will come from one’s familiarity with the horror genre. Can technical cleverness and ironic perspective create enduring or poignant work? One doesn’t see that as being a priority with McDonald as long as you get her humor.

Sharing the same exhibition is probably her true—and perhaps more insightful—fascination with celebrity obsession, its cult and accouterments. Clearly by McDonald's pairing of the zombies with the following pieces she intends some type of diptych relationship of anxiety/ fear in the process celebrity stalking from fans or paparazzi prowling like zombies. But it reads as overstatement—however entertaining—and a little pat. This other component is far more thoughtful, incendiary and original in presenting her thesis.

In her video “Me and Billy Bob” once again McDonald cleverly uses low-end production sleight of hand to create a montage of illusions that places the artist in intimate scenes with the actor Billy Bob Thornton. The romantic soundtrack (that distractedly is often drowned out by the screams of her other horror videos in the gallery) completes the reverie of the exchanges that drop away when you realize McDonald’s canny technique of inserting herself into Thornton’s movie scenes.

Actually this seems to be the gist of McDonald’s show: the point a which celebrity and fanaticism meet—or how fans attempt to insert their fantasies into a celebrity‘s reality. But where the artist coolly relies on emotional distance in the sardonic presentation of the horror genre, here McDonald plays it vulnerable, with her heart on her sleeve—or, more to the point, Billy

REVIEWS

Wallace: “ Epoch 2” monoprint, 22 x 30”

forsakes color and museum-scale dimensions in favor of process and draftsmanship.

Taken as a group, Wallace’s medium-size (22” x 30”) prints have the feel of a same-session production period. The colors are nearly monochromatic (deep grays, blues and greens) geometric planes having a “found” feel of torn forms locked contrasting matrixes of impastoed pigment. There is a clunky sense of elegance in the locked-down compositions not unlike that of De Chirico’s dreamscapes. The compositions lend themselves to centric gatherings of parabolas and skewed rectangles. Because these aren’t large-scale pieces where the more formal elements would dominate as the sole rationale of the work, one tends to read them as references to stil lifes or landscapes.

Wallace likes to draw and he composes well, so he has to be care-

ful not to become too complacent with his facile compositions. One way he challenges himself is through the process. A monoprint isn’t the easiest way to produce art; it requires a kind envisioning in reverse imaging married with technical prowess to create balanced pieces in a single pressing. Sometimes the compositions are preconceived and constructed, yet many times the editing process comes in working with the unexpected and knowing when to stop.

Where Wallace is controlled with his palette, he is much more adventurous with his textures. Flat shapes float on chalky fields, trapped forms acquire blotchy skin of wrinkled rice paper. Razor-thin lines etch severe angles of geometric constructs or the distorted perspective of still-lifes (depending upon your interpretation).

Palma is another draftsman, but in lieu of Wallace’s exacting marks

Palma: “Channel 1” graphite on paper 110x76”

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her main device is the lyrical smudge.

Where Wallace builds from the center out, Palma plays to the paper’s edge. I was intrigue by the pinhole border that seamed her pieces. Like Wallace‘s selection, Palma’s colors read monochromatic. She works in graphite, ink and acrylic on large pieces (100 x 75”), but they don’t feel “museum” sized, and oddly seem kind of intimate as in reading someone else’s mindless tracings.

Yet, there is a fussiness about her attention to detail. When she executes a regimen of lines in graphite as a layer of texture over the vast course of the entire paper, the hundreds of hand-drawn marks are meticulously and almost impossibly parallel by a sixteenth of an inch.

What you have to applaud in the piece is the way Palma doesn’t shy away from then recharging the tedium of graphite with free-spirited layers of splotched paint and ink in a lyrical doodling fashion.

In her “Channel 1” the artist reverses her process by erasing out her composition on a ground of graphite. Not quite the contrast of chalk on blackboard, the delicate smudged lines create a floating form which like Wallace’s work can be appreciated for the balance of its formal composition or as a narrative reference to an overhead shot of a channel of water.

Palma’s pieces, as with Wallace’s, are worth a visit to Transmission in that, like so many good experiences in art, reproductions will never convey the aesthetic events of the original scale, color and texture of their work.

Ted Randler

Adele Cohen at Ghostprint Gallery The large-scale works on paper by Adele Cohen (1922-2002) shown at Ghostprint Gallery (February 1March 1, 2008) are but a sampling of one woman’s long career of processing social and political turmoil through personal-metaphorical iconography of her work. Maturing with the ’60s civil rights movement and the rise of feminism, Cohen’s oeuvre presents the adaptation of eco-feminist thought embracing the mysteries of nature. The majority of work in the exhibit is built with a palette limited to earth tones. Indeed, falling somewhere between illusion and abstraction, the pieces read as landscapes, craggy canyon walls, or dried river beds.

The artist statement indicates Cohen’s 1990’s series of paintings was inspired by her trips to the West.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s desert depictions

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Cohen: “Rock Image 1992 oil pastel on paper 50 x 38"

comes to mind—one assumes the title “For Georgia” is a bit of an homage particularly when the accompanying artist material cites “the creative process as a mystery bound to the processes of the earth.”

But O’Keeffe and Cohen part ways with the tentative figures and amorphous etchings that lace across parts of the pieces. References to cave drawings, fossilized skeletons of indiscernible origin as well as cracks and fissures emanate a sense of lost cultures, found artifacts and mysterious ruins. With O’Keeffe the tipping of the scale toward pure formal composition never left the narrative of her subject matter: an animal skull, a desert scene.

Cohen leans towards abstraction. When you assess the formal elements, you can see where Cohen has a sculptural disposition toward her process. The oil pastel fields are matte, powdery (reading like charcoal applied to rock wall) and range from pure stain to densely built passages. Because these are large works on paper, the surfaces tend to ripple under the duress of the drawing process and create perhaps an unintentional but no less appropriate reference to the after-effect of water etching into rock.

Surprisingly, when Cohen leaves her earth tones, she flies to the opposite spectrum. There are works that speak to Kandinsky with hues that are Fauves-like, firecracker brilliant and where Cohen is less tentative with her marks as they spin and sputter with interlacing forms.

Cohen’s work is the kind that is best seen in person to comprehend the balance of composition, color and texture. Reproduction either on glossy offset photos or on smooth LCD computer monitors won’t replace the almost tactile experience of a firsthand encounter with the pieces.

Ted Randler

Splendor in the Grass: Landscapes From the Age of Impressionism Among the finest examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century landscapes from the Brooklyn Museum collection, the exhibit presents 40 French and American paintings by the most popular Impressionist artists.

Top: American artist John Singer Sargent’s “Dolce Far Niente” was painted in oil on canvas in about 1907.

(Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

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Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism, that opened February 22nd, presents French and American paintings by the most popular Impressionist artists— including Claude Monet, PierreAuguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Eugène Boudin, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam and William James Glackens.

Important examples by Barbizon and Realist painters such as Charles François Daubigny, Henri-Joseph Harpignies and Gustave Courbet are also on exhibit. The show, organized by the Brooklyn Museum, will remain on view in Richmond through May 11th.

“The Brooklyn Museum has a world-class collection of French and American Impressionist paintings, many of which were acquired long before other U.S. art museums were showing these avant-garde works. This exhibition has been made available to a few select institutions in the U.S. while the Brooklyn Museum undergoes renovation. We are proud to be able to show it in Richmond,” VMFA Director Alex Nyerges says.

Early works from the 1850s and 1860s demonstrate the impact of the progessive, plein-air sketching practices on the French landscape paintings.

“French Impressionists, who were the heirs to the new outdoor sketching tradition, painted highly elaborated ‘impressions’ —that is, they cre-

V M FA O P T I O N S | S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

ated seemingly spontaneous, rapidly executed canvases that gave a name to their movement,” says Robin Nicholson,VMFA’s associate director for exhibitions.

A particular highlight is Monet's “The Doge’s Palace at Venice,” [opposite page top photo] a 1908 oil on canvas.

“Monet was able to completely reinvent a well-known tourist subject, endowing it with a shimmering, glowing quality entirely appropriate to its unique setting,” says Dr. Mitchell Merling, VMFA’s Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European art.

Following in the footsteps of the French, many late 19th-century American painters found inspiration in the streets of Paris as well as in the city’s rural environs. American artist John Singer Sargent’s “Dolce Far Niente,” [top photo] was painted in oil on canvas in about 1907.

Dr. Sylvia Yount, VMFA’s Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art, says the exhibition also reveals “how Americans selectively absorbed the high-keyed palette and broken brushwork of Impressionism when painting local subjects of leisure and labor.

“Many Americans continued to work in an Impressionist vein through the first two decades of the 20th century. Of course, the ever-popular style continues to delight viewers today,” she says.

Top: French artist Claude Monet’s oil on canvas

VMFA and Lewis Ginter

“The Doge’s Palace at Venice” was painted in 1908.

(Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Botanical Garden are cooperating in a special offer for those who attend the Landscapes exhibition. Those who present a ticket stub from Landscapes will receive two admissions for the price of one to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. And those who present a ticket stub from the Garden will receive two admissions for the price of one to the Landscapes exhibition.

Right: French artist Gustave Caillebotte’s

Members of both VMFA and the

“Apple Tree in Bloom”

Garden are eligible for this offer,

circa 1885, is an oil on canvas.

which will expire May 1.

(Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

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VMFA Collectibles

In partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Shop has created collectibles based on works from the VMFA collection.

A mantel timepiece designed by Charles Francis Annesley Voysey This “Time and Tide” Clock ($75) is based on a mantel timepiece designed by Charles Francis Annesley Voysey. The 1896 original, painted by Voysey himself, is now in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. English Arts and Crafts artists typically included sayings as part of their decorative motifs. Thus, TIME & TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN appears on this clock. In place of numerals on the face, there are stylized letters forming the Latin words TEMPUS FUGIT. The clock is topped by a gilt finial. A frieze depicting stylized birds dominates the uppermost band of the front of the clock; this is directly related to a wallpaper design, “Fairyland,” that Voysey executed for Essex & Company.

Arts and Crafts vase from the Sydney and Francis Lewis Collection This Tiffany Studios-inspired Pear and Apple Vase is based on an early 20th-century design.The reproduction vase ($45) is made of handglazed earthenware and stands 6-3/4 inches tall. It is decorated in the classic Tiffany style with designs derived from nature and using natural forms, in this case a pear and apple motif with a leaf rising above the rim of the vase.

Calendar March 20 Third Thursdays begins tonight with music by DJ Steve Latin Dance Party. Third Thursdays is presented on the third Thursday of each month through November from 6 to 9 p.m. and features themed events centered on music, art, tours, food and specialty drinks. Tickets to all nine events are $80 (members $62). Single tickets for those 18 and older are $10 and are available in advance and at the door. Tickets for those ages 12-17 are $5; children 11 and younger are admitted free. Series and single tickets are sold at the museum or may be charged by telephone (804340-1405) or on-line (tickets.vmfa.museum). VMFA members may purchase single tickets in advance for $8 at the museum only (limit two per event per member; members must show VMFA membership card at time of purchase). Ticket sales hours at VMFA are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Third Thursdays tickets are not refundable or exchangeable. A Third Thursdays ticket includes free parking in the museum's deck while available.

March 24 VMFA presents “Festival Fun: Spring Break Camp” for elementary students ages 5-12. The week-long camp begins today and continues through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Students create art projects that celebrate various cultures and traditions around the world. (Students are asked to bring a bag lunch each day.) The fee is $200 (members $185). To register, telephone (804) 340-1405.

April 5 VMFA presents “Pop Art Prints,” a children's workshop for ages 5-8, from 1 to 4 p.m. Students will digitally manipulate images in the style of artist Andy Warhol, then transfer their designs to T-shirts. Tickets are $30 (members $28). To register, telephone (804) 340-1405.

April 9 The Poetic Principles series concludes with a reading by novelist Peter Orner in the Pauley Center at 6 p.m. Poetic Principles is co-sponsored by the New Virginia Review. Orner’s first novel, The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo, made it to the bestseller list in the San Francisco Chronicle. His collection of short fiction, Esther Stories, won the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers. It was also a finalist for the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. He is the 2007 winner of the Virginia Commonwealth University First Novelist Prize. A Chicago native, he teaches in the graduate writing program at San Francisco State University. Tickets are $9 (members and students $7) at the museum or telephone (804) 340-1405.

April 17 Third Thursdays continues tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. with DJ Steve Latin Dance Party. (See March 20 listing for details.)

April 19 Artist Andrew Morgan presents “Claymation,” a weekend workshop for children ages 8-12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will combine art and technology as they collaborate with classmates to create their own animated film using clay figures. Each student receives a DVD copy of the production. The class fee is $95 (members $90).

Students are asked to bring a bag lunch. Telephone (804) 340-1405 to register.

May 3 VMFA presents “Celebrations in Art,” a children's workshop from 1 to 4 p.m., for ages 7-12. Young artists will explore the galleries in search of works of art that commemorate holidays and celebrations to inspire their own work in the studio. The fee is $30 (members $28). To register, telephone (804) 340-1405.

Jewelry from VMFA’s Fabergé collection A Fabergé-inspired reproduction pendant ($80) and earrings ($150) set inspired by VMFA's Lillian Thomas Pratt Fabergé Collection is plated in silver and decorated with enamel and Austrian crystals.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is on the Boulevard at Grove Avenue. The galleries are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information about exhibitions and programs, telephone (804) 340-1400 or visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Web site: 30 | V M F A O P T I O N S | S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

w w w . vm f a . m u seum

Say Cheese. Now Say Idiazabel.

New wine, cheese and cigar boutique Bella Vino (Stony Point Fashion Park, 12010 Southshore Pointe Rd) prides itself on seeking out small manufacturers of tasty gourmet food and luscious libations.

Three cheeses Hemp is passionate about and says you must stop in and try are as follows:

Party Girl

Vacherin This soft cheese from France comes in small rounds. “When it’s ripe it has a warm, buttery barnyardy winery taste,” Hemp says.

“Customers just go gaga for it…We’re having trouble keeping it in stock.”

Whether it’s the best Napa Valley wine being auctioned off or the Science Museum so boldly lit that it’s visible for blocks down Broad, Susan News can certainly get people talking about an event. WORDS BY TERRI JONES | PHOTO BY MARK BURCH But it isn’t the hoopla and buzz that gets this event manager excited.

Susan News, who has helped put on some of the most memorable fundraiser and celebratory events in town in the last four years, says,“As long as my clients’ objectives have been met, I’m excited.”

Coordinating everything from the Richmond Ballet’s gala wine auction to a four-day convention for the Virginia Funeral Directors Association at The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach, News is single-minded about how she measures success.

“What really drives me is working with the volunteers and committee members to see the project come to an end and meet the goal that we've set forth,” she says.

Oftentimes, that's no small feat.

Fortunately, after 15 years in the hotel business and then four years coordinating events, she’s accus-

tomed to managing a million moving parts. But the attribute that wins News the most points with clients—nonprofit and corporate, alike—is her exacting attention to the financial and scheduling details of events. “It’s very important for any type of event that the budget and timelines are followed, and I pay special attention to both when planning an event,” News remarks.

“This, combined with meeting overall objectives of the event, is what I believe my clients appreciate.”

But News is quick to point out that she is often just the conductor in a carefully orchestrated production. It's her ensemble of trusted vendors, committee members and volunteers that do much of the work to pull off these events.“They are integral to what I do,” she says, happily stepping out of the spotlight and giving over the applause to them. g

Forget about gifts for your guests. Get this for you! If winter left you feeling a bit dried out, you absolutely must try Zents Concreta, a new fragrance balm sold at Embellish (5105 Lakeside Ave.). “I like them because they are multipurpose,” Embellish owner Betty Smith says, adding that some of her favorite uses for the aromatherapeutic balm are on pulse points as perfume; to soften dry hair; and as a cuticle cream: “The scents really last all day. You can also layer different fragrances and create your own scent.” The Zents line is all natural, and the Concreta is available in 10 fragrances.

Bonus: it comes packaged in a glamorous box that looks like it’s been cut from a slab of marble so it feels oh-so-glam displayed on your dresser.

“We really focus on producers who are not well known, often because they offer better quality for the price,” Stony Point Fashion Park store manager Brad Hemp says. “They are people who put their heart and soul into wine—it’s a way of life for them.”

You’ve never heard people wax poetic about cheese the way the folks at Bella Vino do, and their goal is to get Richmonders to broaden their palettes and taste new foods and wines. Along these lines, Bella Vino carries an array of products that are exclusive to the area. g

Cabrales This blue cheese from Spain is made from a blend of cow, sheep and goat’s milk. “It’s very pungent and strong,” Hemp says. “It’s grainy, salty, sharp, beefy and meaty.” Hemp likes pairing it with sweet wines for a tasty contrast of flavors.

Idiazabel This sheep’s milk cheese from Northern Spain is dry and white.

“The initial taste is rich and butter with a sharp salty finish,” Hemp says. “It really brings out the fruit in red wine.”

Indulge in Deity-Worthy Delights After 25 years traveling in sales, Jan DeFalco needed a change of pace. Her son always said she should be a professional baker because of her passion for the culinary art, so when the opportunity arose to take over a biscotti business, she jumped at the opportunity. DeFalco became the owner of Biscotti Goddess in November 2007 and she’s been frantically baking ever since: “I think I have a light layer of flour permanently on top of me,” she laughs.

DeFalco home makes 12 different biscotti varieties then packages, sells and ships them herself. It’s quite a change from constant travel and calling on clients. The most popular Biscotti Goddess flavor is vanilla almond. DeFalco’s personal favorites are orange cranberry and cherry chocolate chip.

Her favorite for crumb munching? Double chocolate chip.

Each biscotti is double-baked then quickly hand-packaged so the cookies are almost never exposed to air, ensuring maximum freshness. The cookies come individually packaged in adorable bags making them portable for easy individual snacking. Biscotti Goddess is available at Consider the Lily (6943 Lakeside Ave.) in the North Side along with Bella Vino and Crossroads.

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Art & Chic Products

Create a unique environment at home or in the office with unusual, colorful and beautiful photographs from Art-To-Die-For. Each historic black and white photo is carefully hand tinted using a special process to bring new life and vitality to each image! The collection includes historic photographs of Richmond, rural Virginia, a Celebration of Women series and more. View the collection at The Crossroads Art Center in Richmond or visit our website at www.art2die4.net or call (804) 457-2455 for more information.

What Works & What Doesn’t

Creations by Vienna One-of-a-kind necklaces, ranging in price from $100 to $500 are designed and handmade by Vienna. These unique pieces may be purchased at Monkey’s or La Grand Damme in the Westhampton area of Richmond, or at The Silver Vault in Williamsburg. You may contact Vienna directly at (804) 355.2535 to have a design created just for you.

Vienna gives 100% of her profits to St. James’ Church and other charities.

Call it instinct, intuition or just a sixth sense, this retail and residential stylist has an uncanny sense of what works and what doesn’t. Whether she’s merchandising a display of serving platters for a retailer or helping a homeowner choose the right paint color, Wendy Umanoff says she knows immediately whether something is a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ WORDS BY TERRI JONES | PHOTO BY MARK BURCH “Without sounding too out there,” she laughs,“it really affects me physically.” And because she’s in the business of inspiration, this introspective, “going with her gut” philosophy serves her well.

Umanoff, who has always had “her hand in the design world,”got her start at Conran's in New York City and went on to work as a photographer’s prop stylist and back drop painter. She even developed her own product, In Spirit Wine Wraps (a gift wrap for wine). For the past three years, she’s worked with independent retailers like Strawberry Fields Flowers & Gifts, Confetti and Tweed as well as home and garden manufacturer Evergreen Enterprises to help them choose the right products and create a visual presentation that makes those products fly off

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the shelves. “I like to think of myself as a visual think tank for them,” Umanoff explains.“I keep them abreast of what’s new in the market.”

The same applies to her residential clients.

This creative thinker directs homeowners toward color, lighting, furnishings, and decorative elements that organically mesh with who they are and how they live. But Umanoff is very careful to ensure that the homeowner feels as good about the choices made as she does. “It’s their home and they’re living in it,” she says.

Although her approach with retail and residential clients may differ, Umanoff’s goal is always the same—to help them hone their own instinctual skills, to empower them to think outside the box…to inspire. g

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Embellish offers an eclectic selection of gift ideas as well as fabulous accessories for your home and garden. The shop mixes different styles and colors to create a unique and individualized look. Offerings include table top, wall accessories, lighting, frames, planters, garden art, body care products from Zents and Panier des Sens, and jewelry. Select regional artists enhance the mix. elegant * eclectic * fun * funky * fabulous Located at 5105 Lakeside Ave.

Shopping S p r e e

fab’rik a place to experience, not just to shop.

The concept is simple, boutique shopping without the sticker shock. With the exception of the premium denim (you name brand, they have it), everything is priced under $100. You wouldn’t think that if you were one on the outside looking into the fabulously chic boutique, with its plasma TV, city loft décor and Water Bar. The Water Bar includes waters from all over the world. Very addictive…shopaholics beware! fab’rik - Short Pump Town Center

Garry-Lou Upton is an artist who loves to work with bold colors, different mediums and diverse subject matter. I have had some wonderful teachers who have given me permission to do the mundane, to experiment, and to fly. Each has been instrumental in helping me take that next step.

Pushing “my” envelope is my way of keeping my paintings fresh, alive and meaningful. See more of Garry-Lou’s works at Crossroads Art Center. www.crossroadsartcenter.com

GP DESIGNS by Gail Perry Gail designs customcrafted jewelry with Dichroic pendants, Swarovski crystals, pearls and gemstones. She also creates colorful Home Décor items from Fused Glass. Gail uses multiple colors in her fused glass creations, and her designs range from geometric to abstract. You may visit Gail’s websites at www.dichroicglassbygail.com and www.jewelryandfusedglass.com or contact her at gailwperry@hotmail.com.You may also view Gail’s work in person at Crossroads Art Center www.crossroadsartcenter.com.

Come see Linda Hollett-Bazouzi’s show entitled Musings from Vermont. This exhibit displays some of her most recent works inspired by studies in Vermont. Rainy days, sunlit forest floors, and misty mornings all vie for attention in this mixed-media show. Linda uses oils for atmosphere and acrylics for boldness. It is a constant ebb and flow of contrasts. Show opens March 21.

See more of her works in her studio at the Crossroads Art Center.

Straw and Feathers focuses on sustainability with style.We feature home decor and gifts fairly made from natural and recycled materials, and we're very excited to have a growing number of products that are locally made! 5520-A Lakeside Avenue (between Bryan Park and Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens) 804-262-7234.

Watercolors by Laura L. Trevey My inspiration comes from trying to capture a mood or feeling I get from looking at a scene onto the paper! You can see the rich Fall colors in my Virginia landscapes, the beautiful turquoise colors of the Caribbean islands in my seascapes, as well as bold colors and brushstrokes in my florals and abstracts.

View my most recent works on my website www.lauratrevey.com or in person at the Crossroads Art Center www.crossroadsartcenter.com. .

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Second Skin

Fashion designer Michael Taylor shows that grace and generosity are always in style.

WORDS BY

REBECCA JONES

Taylor is a native of Richmond and alumnus of Thomas Jefferson High School. He moved to New York and enrolled in the Parsons School of Design at the suggestion of his high school art teacher and early mentor, Melinda Motley. “I hardly even knew there was a New York until Ms. Motley told me about Parsons. She changed my life.”

At Parsons, he met another mentor, fashion design chair Tim Gunn. Taylor credits Gunn with helping him see fashion as an art form rooted in draftsmanship. “Tim told me that, wherever I was, I needed to sketch every single day. He saw that I had talent and pushed me as an artist and designer.”

While at Parsons, he discovered Issey Mayake, Cristobal Balenciaga, and Charles James, designers with a sculptural, almost architectural approach to fashion. They remain important influences on his work today.

Taylor taught at Parsons and FIT and owned a successful 7th Avenue boutique for sixteen years. He returned to Richmond in 2005 to be closer to his mother, who had been in poor health. It was then that he opened Michael Taylor Couture.

His Carytown shop caters to customers of couture and ready-to-wear. A computer program for which Taylor has done beta-testing offers the ready-towear customer many couture advantages. The technology, called Made to Measure, creates a detailed, three-dimensional model of the client’s figure. With Made to Measure,Taylor can alter ready-to-wear pieces for a custom, couture fit.

Taylor is committed to the local designer community. He has been an adjunct faculty member at VCU and last fall produced and chaired 1708 Gallery’s Wearable Art Show. Young designers can take classes in design fundamentals, sewing, draping, and patternmaking at his shop. He is also a collection-development consultant to local couturiers.

At the root of all of Taylor’s projects is his love of his colleagues and clients. What is his style advice? “Love yourself. Wear the right foundation garments, because all shapes and sizes need to be comfortable and beautiful. And above all, always be comfortable in your own skin.” g

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WHEN IN DOUBT, WEAR RED: [left] Inspired from 1930’s Hollywood movie goddesses, the red, silk charmeuse, asymmetric rhinestone trim strap dress is a bra cup column with a trumpet shape hem line. [right] Red re-embroidered, one shoulder-sleeve dress is inspired by African heritage with a modern twist to it. Body conscious column gown with a trumpet shape hem line.

www.URg Eonline.com | SPRING 2008

International Apparel at Rumors You might think two recent college grads wouldn’t have the chops to open a successful boutique let alone pick up European clothing lines that, until now, were only available in New York City and Los Angeles. It’s possible.

Just ask Casey Longyear and Marshe Wyche, the owners of Rumors (404 N. Harrison St.).

The spring collection at Rumors will feature Finland-based men’s and women’s line CTRL that’s only available in New York and Los Angeles stateside. “It started out as a skateboard company that moved into fashion,” Longyear says. “It’s bright, crazy street wear.” She describes the clothing as covered in bold patterns and ’80s-inspired. Along with Finland, look for Australia, Belgium, Italy and South Africa to be included in Rumors’ eclectic mix of men’s and women’s spring fashions.

Italian Leather at If If (1211 E. Cary St.), the upscale boutique that’s focused on opulent European fashions will have plenty of elaborate spring styles, but Brigitte Lupesco who oversees the women’s side of the store is particularly excited about Italian leather handbags: “We’re getting a lot for spring, but our Italian leather is the most smashing,” she says, noting that the styles are big, metallic and luxe. A new women’s line for spring is Le Phare de la Baleine from France: “It’s younger and very nautical,” Lupesco says. For men, Anthony Lupesco, owner of If, is excited about J. Lindeberg, a Swedish designer whose line has been gaining in popularity across Europe and into the United States. The line is known to portray a sophisticated ease: “It’s going to be a bit different,” Anthony says. In general, Lupesco says all the men’s fashion at If for Spring will be a bit more fitted and incorporate lighter colors than key looks of past seasons.

CLOUD NINE: The white gown is inspired by the classic 1950's party dress. Taylor designed it with the informal bride in mind who may be able to where this to a cocktail or garden party after the ceremony. The design is a cami style, low back, roushed in white silk chiffon, with silk organza spaghetti straps and a double full circle skirt.

Designs shown are available for purchase and can be developed to individual taste.

Dress Like a Pop Star Come on guys, we know you pretend not to like Justin Timberlake, but secretly you’d kill to have his good looks and slick dance moves. You might not be popping and locking any time soon, but for now at least, you can wear his jeans. “Once we get a guy into them, he really likes them,” Melissa Burton, owner of fab’rik (Short Pump Town Center, 11800 West Broad Street) says about William Rast, Timberlake’s line of denim. “The denim has a lighter feeling even though it’s still premium cotton and premium denim,” Burton says, adding that this makes for a more comfortable feel. Fab’rik is the only boutique in the Richmond area to carry the line alongside other premium men’s denim like True Religion. Another trend you’ll see throughout the boutique that just opened in October is bright colors for both men and women. For men it will be in the form of funky, vivid T-shirts, and for women it will be color stories throughout the apparel section and dramatic, patent purses: “The handbags will be reasonably priced so you can get one in a bunch of colors to match every ensemble,” Burton says.

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Movement, Balance & Flow

[left and above] pieces from the Charles Krypell gold collection.

Most art collectors head to their favorite gallery when they’re ready to purchase a new piece. But when some folks in town want to add to their collections, they head to Capri Jewelers. For years, Capri Jewelers has been known for their wide selection of one-of-kind creations by some of the country’s preeminent jewelry designers. Capri also does custom work in-house.

WORDS BY

TERRI JONES |

PHOTOS BY

ELLI MORRIS

“Just like any collector, jewelry collectors find a particular artist or designer that they like and they collect special pieces,” says Chris DeCapri [right photo], founder and CEO of Capri Jewelers. And if they fall in love with a particular design, they’ll often want to collect matching pieces—say a ring, necklace and earrings—of that specific design.

Like any work of art, jewelry design is defined by the movement, balance and flow of the piece. “There are many designers in our business, but only a few are true artists,” DeCapri notes, naming Charles Krypell and Steven Lagos as examples of this distinction. In fact, before Krypell became a jewelry designer, he was a sculptor, demonstrating the perfect synergy between these two art forms.

One-of-a-kind pieces come in all price ranges, but can sell for upwards of $500,000. Because of the trust factor involved, the majority of Capri’s high-end collectors become repeat customers—and often friends. “They want to deal with someone they can trust for such an important investment,” he explains.

While you won’t find these one-of-a-kind pieces at a gallery exhibition, Capri Jewelers does hold something similar: private viewings for their special customers. These viewings allow the designers to show off their work.But more importantly, they give collectors an exclusive, up-close look at their favorite designers’ creations. After all, nothing is a better motivator than slipping that irresistible piece of art on your finger! g

Funky Charms from the ’60s to ’80s There are always fabulous trinkets at Exile (935 W. Grace St.). It’s that tucked-away funky shop where you picked up a one-of-a-kind handmade purse or found just the right caftan to wear to that VCU ’70s party. Well, if you haven’t checked out the vintage jewelry selection in a while, it’s time to stop back.

“We’re told we have the best vintage necklace selection in town,” owner Mimi Regelson says. The selection spans mostly from the 1960s through ’80s and includes baubles with Egyptian charms, animals, horoscopes, hearts, abstract designs, space-age funky charms, western bolo ties, beads, enamel and more. Plus, if you stop in now and purchase three or more styles, you’ll get 20 percent off your purchase.

“The cool thing about the deal is that you can get a necklace for every outfit or mood,” Regelson says, adding that she launched the promotion for Valentine’s shopping, but it was so popular she’s keeping it in place for a while longer. Happy treasure hunting!

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www.URg Eonline.com | SPRING 2008

Horoscope Jewelry If you’re ohso-over the initial obsession of the past few years, but still want to personalize your jewelry, you must get a David Aubrey zodiac necklace from South Moon Under (Short Pump, 11800 W. Broad St.).

“Not everyone is an initial fan,” Monica Myers, store manager of South Moon Under says. “I like the idea of a zodiac necklace because it still represents you.” Gold-plated charms representing each sign are paired with semi-precious stones for an individualized, romantic style. Many of Aubrey’s designs are inspired by classic paintings, and the combination of color and charm in these timeless pieces will make any girl feel classic and beautiful.

Myers says South Moon Under has carried Aubrey’s designs for a while and customers are always happy with the quality of his designs: “They hold up really well,” she says. And priced at only $49.50, these necklaces make quick, easy gifts or a lovely because-you-deserveit splurge.

D O W N T O W N

LOFT TOUR 2008 SATURDAY APRIL 5, 2008 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Seeing is Believing. Buy a one day “all access pass” to tour Downtown’s most exclusive, private residences.

Venture down for the first annual tour of 13 lofts and condos in Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom, Broad Street, Jackson Ward and Manchester.

Tour includes lofts featured in Southern Living, Dream Lofts and Condos, R-Home Magazine, Creative Work Space and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

RICHMOND URBAN CHIC

www.VentureRichmond.com Tickets: $20 in advance. A limited number of tickets are available for group discounts for parties of 10 or more at $15 per person.

Purchase tickets online at www.venturerichmond.com or at the following shops: La Difference, 125 South 14th Street Waller & Co. Jewelers, 19 East Broad Street J. Emerson, Inc., 5716 Grove Avenue Papeterie, 3048 Stony Point Road.

Day of the tour: any remaining tickets will be sold for $25 at the Downtown Loft Tour information area located on the Canal Walk at 14th Street.

Tobacco Row Area The Pohlig Paper Box Factory 2419 East Franklin Street Penthouse Loft

Shockoe Slip | Canal Walk

Shockoe Bottom

Shockoe Slip | Canal Walk Vistas on the James 301 Virginia Street 1. Condo 713 2. Condo 1102

Park at the 14th and Cary Street parking deck.

Chartered buses will connect the sites and run every 10 minutes.

See multiple lofts at each stop and tour at your own pace. Plan to try a new restaurant for lunch and explore the neighborhoods.

You’ll receive a Venture Out pocket guide to help you explore.

The Reserve 2501 East Franklin Street Unit 8

RICHMOND

Manchester West The Old Manchester Lofts

Jackson Ward 401 Brook Lofts 401 Brook Road Unit 3

815 Porter Street Loft 315 Loft 215 Loft 115

Emrick Flats 101 West Marshall Street Unit 42

Broad Street|Jackson Ward

Manchester|East-West

Broad Street

Manchester East

Popkin Lofts

The Decatur

Warehouse 201

121 West Broad Street Loft 201

39 East Third Street Unit C Unit B

201 Hull Street Loft 52

URBANCHIC

D O W N T O W N

LOFT TOUR 2008

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Stop 1 Shockoe Slip Vistas on the James 301 Virginia Street Condo 713 Condo 1102 Stop 2 Shockoe Bottom The Pohlig Paper Box Factory 2419 East Franklin Street Penthouse Loft The Reserve 2501 East Franklin Street Unit 8 Stop 3 Broad Street|Jackson Ward 401 Brook Lofts 401 Brook Road Unit 3 Emrick Flats 101 West Marshall Street Unit 42 Popkin Lofts 121 West Broad Street Loft 201

Stop 4 VCU Monroe Park Campus Parking Destination and Race HQ Stop 5 Manchester West The Old Manchester Lofts 815 Porter Street Loft 315 Loft 215 Loft 115 Stop 6 Manchester East The Decatur 39 East Third Street Unit C Unit B Warehouse 201 201 Hull Street Loft 52

P Parking Located at the 14th and Cary Street parking deck in Shockoe Slip.

The following Downtown development projects have “for sales” housing options; this list does not include the developments that have already sold out.

Studio 516 Shockoe Slip | Canal Walk New construction and rehab: stuVistas on the James dios; 440 s.f.; starting at $89,000; Riverfront condominiums; 1-2 bed516 N. Second Street. rooms; remaining units start at www.jacksonward.com $358,000s: 301 Virginia Street www.VistasOnTheJames.com Marshall Street Bakery Condos Renovation: 1-2 bedrooms; ranging Shockoe Bottom from $205,000-$305,000: 110-118 W. Church Hill Gables Marshall Street. The Hanson ComHistoric rehab: 1-3 bedrooms; pany. Colony Management. $159,950-$235,000; 2418 East Franklin Street.

Marshall Street www.churchhillgables.com Townhouse Condominiums Renovation: 3 bedrooms; prices Sterling Row from $220,000-$270,000; New construction condominium Adams and Marshall streets. townhouses: 2-3 bedrooms; starting The Hanson Company in the low $400,000s; 110 North 19th Street.

The Sanctuary www.sterlingrow.com Renovation: 1-2 bedrooms; priced at $179,950; 9 E. Clay Street.

The Reserve www.sanctuaryonclayst.com Restoration of one building and new construction of another: 1-2 Manchester East|West bedrooms; starting at $220,000Old Manchester Lofts 479,000 25th & E. Franklin Streets.

Historic rehab of an industrial www.reserve25.com warehouse: 1-2 bedrooms; ranging in price from $225,000 to $270,205; Monroe Ward The Presidential Court Club 815 Porter Street.

Renovation: 1-3 bedrooms; starting www.monroeproperties.com at $170,000. Madison Old Manchester Historic District & W. Franklin Streets.

Homes for Sale www.ThePresidentialCourtClub.com New-construction and historic rehab single family houses for sale: Jackson Ward 3 bedroom; priced in the $299,000 Emrick Flats range; 1407 Porter Street Renovation: studios to 3 bedrooms; www.monroeproperties.com. remaining units range from $169,000 - $325,000; located on the Porter Street Flats triangle at Adams, Brook and New Construction; 2 bedrooms; reMarshall Streets. maining units range from $195,000www.emrickflats.com $199,000; 1508-1512 Porter Street. www.monroeproperties.com 212 Condos Renovation: 1-2 bedrooms; ranging Oregon Hill from $179,000-$285,000; The Overlook Townhouses 3rd and Clay Streets.

New construction: 2-4 bedrooms; www.jacksonward.com ranging from $279,000 to $559,000.

2C Condos 714 South Pine Street.

Conversion: 2-3 bedrooms; www.overlooktownhouses.com remaining penthouse $335,000; Rocketts Landing 2nd and Clay Streets Rocketts Landing www.2ccondos.com Mixed used community: 1-3 bedJackson Commons rooms; starting at $195,000.

New construction and rehab: 3-4 5000 Old Osborne Turnpike. bedrooms; prices starting at www.rockettsvillage.com. $229,000 - $325,000; Phase 3 is underway. 31-37 W. Jackson St. 601-603 In addition to these development projects, there are a number of individual W. Chamberlayne Parkway. “for sale” options Downtown—row www.monroeproperties.com or houses, townhouses, lofts and condos—listed with real estate companies www.jacksonward.com or offered “for sale by owner.”Check real estate listings for details.

David Shultz and The Skyline David Shultz listens to a lot of ESPN Radio. His day job work van, brimming with lab supplies, has a busted cassette player thanks to Meatloaf’s “Bat out of Hell” which sits shredded in the cup holder next to him. WORDS BY PAUL SPICER | PHOTO BY DAVID SCHROTT “It’s like a mobile office,” says the rising musician, chuckling. “It’s a cool job if you want to think all day.

I’ve actually written songs in it.” Some of these songs have made their way onto his second release, Sinner’s Gold, which has Richmond abuzz.

A team effort, David Shultz and The Skyline have moved from serving as an opening act to center stage at venues such as Toad’s Place in recent months. From playing gigs at The Camel to their favorite, Gallery 5, the band has begun to amass a feisty following due to its rootsy vibe and subtle craftsmanship.

The majority of the band—which is made of Marcus Shrock, Curtis Patton, Matt Morton—have known each other since childhood, and it shows. Their sound —with similarities to Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Wilco —is catchy, radio-friendly at times, but always sincere.

It wasn’t long ago that Shultz, who is an English grad from Virginia Commonwealth University, could be found at open-mic night at Chugger’s trying out

[left to right] Marcus Shrock,

Matt Morton, David Shultz, Curtis Patton

new material. Since that time his writing and music have evolved, as evidenced by such songs as “Can’t Can’t,” “Natural,” and “Albino Crow.”

With chatter about the band increasing (there’s even a documentary in the works by Michael Hagain), Shultz and company are headed back into the studio this time recording in Maine at the Great North Sound Society. Though leaving town for a short stint to record in an old farmhouse, Shultz sees his band’s success as indicative of the larger outgrowth of support for local talent in Richmond as a whole.

“Locally there’s an awful lot of fun stuff happening,” he concludes, pointing to a handful of his hometown faves such as Liza Kate, Mermaid Skeletons, and Great White Jenkins. “There’s a lot of things going on here—tons of bands, good publications, good smaller venues…and there’s support for it…you can’t have one without the other. Hopefully we’ll sustain it and keep growing.” g SPRING 2008 | www.URg Eonline.com |

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larger education piece, a mission piece.”

Bruce Miller and Phil Whiteway co-founded the theatre, which is Virginia’s largest professional theatre organization and one of the largest, most well-respected children’s theatre companies in the

Theatre IV is Virginia’s largest professional theatre organization and one of the largest, most well-respected children’s theatre companies in the country.

Clap If You Believe This spring, Theatre IV will present Peter Pan, complete with a flying quartet of Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael, and John. Judi Crenshaw, publicist for Theatre IV, says, “Yes, Peter will be flying through the air.” WORDS BY ERICA ORLOFF | PHOTO BY ELLI MORRIS “This is a large-scale Broadway-type production.”

But perhaps it is the scene in which audience members must clap if they believe that is a fitting analogy for Theatre IV’s children’s theater company, taking its dedicated founders from its 1975 origins to its present-day $4 million-plus budget and its incred-

The Pitch

Ever had a great idea for a movie or TV show and thought, if only I could get a meeting with a big shot Hollywood producer? Well for around three hundred dollars, plus the cost of airfare and lodging, you can.

They’re called “Pitch Fests” and for one weekend the industry cracks the door open just wide enough for about a hundred of us mere mortals to scamper through and take a shot at landing a Hollywood deal.

There are many different cattlecall type events out there, but the one I attended is sponsored by Fade In Magazine, and was held at the

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ibly ambitious outreach and education program.

Crenshaw said,“Theatre IV is this treasure, even for Richmonders who’ve been here for many, many years, who maybe don’t realize the extent of what the company does. Plays are a part of our mission—an important part—but there is a much

country. Theatre IV’s nationally recognized theatrein-the-schools touring operation reaches nearly 2 million students each year, with over 2,200 instructional performances in 33 states.

Crenshaw says,“This theatre is the founders’ life mission, their life’s work.The education and outreach banner fills a real need for the arts community here in Richmond. The arts are a way to educate young people in a different way. The theatre is not just about turning people into paying theatre-goers. Our plays address social issues, childhood sexual abuse prevention, and use live theater to educate and empower kids. If Theatre IV wasn’t here in our city, it would be kind of hollow.

We offer a rich 30-year history, education, outreach, and the arts to the community as a whole.”

Bringing live theatre to literally millions of children, and with a full, glamorous season awaiting theatre-goers, audiences and patrons can clap if they believe. g

Oh So Glamorous: While her day job as NetJets Flight Attendant already has her rubbing elbows with silver-screen celebrities, Richmond-based Lisa Hyatt is courting Hollywood insiders to pitch her screenplays. She has also written a television pilot that is currently being considered by Showtime. famed Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. The conference kicked off on Friday night with a cocktail party for attendees, which was a nice chance to mingle with other writers, some coming from as far as South Africa and Australia.

Saturday’s lineup featured a day of lectures on the nuts and bolts of screenwriting as well as a Q and A session with an agent panel. There was also an intensive how-to class on the fine art of pitching that allowed feedback to those brave enough to stand and pitch in front of the audience. The entire day was hosted by an impressive list of speakers that included the most recent Academy Award winning writers and producers.

But Sunday’s event was the real reason we all came, eight hours of nonstop pitching to some of Tinsel Town’s top producers, studio executives, agents and managers.

On that final day, a banquet hall was set up with industry players

seated at thirty or so individual tables, while we amateur pitchers waited nervously in line outside.

When the doors finally opened, I stepped in and made my way to the first of my eight pre-arranged meetings. Within seconds, I was face to face with a real Hollywood producer and only seven minutes to convince him that my idea could be the next big thing. Thankfully I was not alone.

As I started my pitch, my writing partner offered up chocolate candies emblazoned with our project title that she had special ordered. As the pitch went on, she presented a visual display book with glossy photos that depicted our idea. This was all done while wearing matching tee shirts that also displayed the project title. I had thought this was a corny idea, but much to my surprise her marketing strategy was well received.

The pitch itself only took about two minutes, the rest of the time was spent answering questions about the

www.URg Eonline.com | SPRING 2008

idea and trading contact information.

Before I knew it, time was up and we were ushered back into the hall to wait in line once again. The rest of the day was a revolving door of pitching and waiting. In between scheduled appointments, the opportunity was there to pick up additional meetings via waiting in the open call line, which was set up for no-shows. By close of the hectic day, we ended up meeting with twenty plus producers and all I could think was stick a pitchfork in me, I’m done.

All in all we got good responses, however I’d recommend having more than one pitch ready, as there were times when we were asked if we had other material.

So was it worth it? For me it was. I gained valuable industry insight, met new friends and made some good connections that eventually led to an option on a television show. I just wouldn’t wear high heels again.g

WORK IN PROGRESS

Rebecca Jones, From the Study to the Stage Dawn quietly illuminates my noiseless, book-lined study. I bask in stillness and enter the idyllic life of the mind. It is a perfect time for a writer, particularly one at work on her . . . musical play about online dating?

Wait. Something’s wrong.

A year and a half into my first musical, I saw that the problem with my work process was that it was absolutely lovely—so lovely I could stay in it forever and never finish my project. All writers need solitude. But plays, even works-inprogress, need audiences early on.

I joined the Richmond Playwrights Forum. And before I could back out, I signed up to present two scenes at the next meeting.

My readers and I rehearsed all weekend. This process resembles trying on bathing suits in the communal Loehmann’s dressing room: each flaw is revealed to a helpful and sympathetic family.

Surplus dialogue was exposed.

Lyrics that didn’t scan wobbled like

shopping carts with one bad wheel.

I fixed what I could and schlepped my [allegedly] portable keyboard to the Barksdale. At 7 p.m. the other playwrights were sitting around the table.

We began.

Is there a better sound than people laughing at your lines? I doubt it.

Get past the glow and laughter becomes a language. Some lines that I saw as throwaway’s elicited big laughs. A bit that was hilarious on the page (at least to me) was, on stage, quite... eh...well, not-so-good. The voice of that laughter is unique in its power to shape a play. And it only speaks when you get out of the study and onto the stage.

So now I am ready to dive in again. Why not? A person who has faced an audience AND the Loehmann’s dressing room is ready for anything. g

WORK IN PROGRESS

John Romeo, The Romeo Theater

The Romeo Theater is an online show that features short movies and the stories behind them. It’s also available as a video podcast.

On each show we present a movie, and afterward the director shares a little bit about the story behind it: where the idea came from or how they made it, usually with some behind-the-scenes footage. The show’s website is www.romeo-theater.com.

I’ve directed many of the movies featured on the show, but it’s been a showcase for directors all over the country. We just celebrated the show’s two-year anniversary with Romeo Theater LIVE, hosted at Richmond’s own Project Resolution Filmmakers Forum.

I’m always looking for new work to feature on the show! If you’re a director who’d like to promote your work online, go to the website and click the “Submis-

sions” link. I’m looking for films under five minutes long, free of copyright infringement, in the general PG-rated range.

• I’m currently filming a short documentary about a local woman who shot mysterious photos in her house that appear to reveal a ghost. We’ll present her story and the photos and let viewers decide for themselves.

• I’m always kicking around ideas with my friends for new short films to shoot. We have about ten live ideas in pre-production just waiting for our time.

• I regularly scout the web trying to find good films to invite as guests on my show. If you know a talented director who’d like to promote their work online, please let me know! E-mail me at john@romeo-theater.com. g SPRING 2008 | www.URg Eonline.com |

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UpTown Gallery 1305 West Main

For just the right gift or the perfect piece of original art for your home, visit...

UPTOWN GALLERY

One of Richmond’s Premier Art Venues Handmade Jewelry • Pottery • Unique Notecards Photography • Original Paintings Creations of over 40 juried artists.

Open 11AM-5 PM Tue.-Fri. and 11AM-4 PM Sat. Opening Receptions the first Friday of every month from 5-8 PM Convenient, free parking on corner lot.

UPTOWN GALLERY • 1305 West Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220 • 804.353.8343 • www.uptownartgallery.com

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hawk, barred owl, great horned owl, Robins Nature & Visitor Center. In addition black vulture and kestrel. to its educational role, the habitat will allow Near the Bear Habitat, nestled Maymont to partner with the U.S. Fish & among the trees at Maymont, visitors Wildlife Service in the preservation of a Virwill enter the “Freeman Eagle Plaza” ginia species, a continual mission of the and observe the birds from a board- Maymont Foundation. walk that winds through the wooded The new exhibit was made possible by a hillside. Interactive displays will in- $1 million gift from the Freeman Family Fund clude a bald eagle head of the Community Founwith built-in binoculars, dation, in honor of the late life-size cutouts of three Robert M. Freeman, a forbird species and several mer Maymont Foundagraphic panels. The extion board member and hibit area will also have an president, and a bald eagle amphitheater for school enthusiast. In addition, and public programs as the William B. Thalhimer, well as concessions.

Jr. and Family FoundaThe bald eagle, like tion provided planning the rest of the species in and seed funds for the The Robert M. Freeman Bald Eagle Visitors will enter the “Freeman the Wildlife Exhibits, is project, and the WindHabitat & Interpretive Center native to Virginia and an Eagle Plaza” and observe the birds sor Foundation gave furConstruction is underway on Maymont’s first ideal animal to be housed at May- from a boardwalk that winds ther funding for the new animal habitat since 1999! Two majestic mont. The largest concentration raptor aviaries. through the wooded hillside. bald eagles will be the centerpiece of the new of bald eagles in the lower 48 Maymont continbald eagle and birds of prey exhibit featuring states can be found along the James River, a ues to seek donations to fully fund the an open-air habitat for bald eagles and six natural resource bordering Maymont and al- project. Visit www.maymont.org for smaller aviaries for red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s ready interpreted in the aquariums at the more information.

Our Time to Soar

Swan Furniture Facelift Mrs. Dooley’s Collection Conserved

Early this year, conservators Amy Fernandez Byrne and Gregory S. Byrne and Maymont conservation technician Evelyn Zak conserved Mrs. Dooley’s swan bed and ten matching pieces.

The treatment involved cleaning surfaces, filling finish losses, and stabilizing flaking paint and loose joinery on the swan bed, dresser, mirror, dressing table, rocking chair and four side chairs.

Designed by the New York firm Neumann and Company, the furniture was originally created for use at Swannanoa, the Dooleys’ magnificent 36-room summer home.

Included in the collection of furnishings bequeathed by the Dooleys, the furniture went on view 82 years ago when Maymont was first opened to the public in 1926.

The project was funded by the Maymont Council for Conservation, Preservation and Restoration.

[Top photo] Evelyn Zak at work on the conservation.

[Left photo] Designed by the New York firm Neumann and Company, the Swan bed was originally created for use at Swannanoa, the Dooleys’ magnificent 36-room summer home.

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www.URg Eonline.com | SPRING 2008

24th Annual Herbs Galore & More Grab Your Little Red Wagon Put on your favorite gardening shoes, grab your little red wagon and come out to the Marketplace on the Lawn for everyone’s favorite gardening extravaganza! More than 50 plant and craft vendors from across the mid-Atlantic region—including A Thyme to Plant at Lavender Fields Farm, Amy’s Garden, and Putnam Hill Nursery—will feature herbs, annuals, perennials, heirloom plants, vegetables, trees, herbal cosmetics, gardening ornaments, luncheon fare and other products for sale. Gardening Saturday, April 26 novice or seasoned pro? Fun demonCarriage House Lawn strations will get you motivated to grow and use herbs, and they’re free 9am-4:30pm with admission! $2 fee for Marketplace Don’t miss From One Garden to Another, Maymont’s fundraising booth with a twist. You’ll find great bargains on seedlings, rooted cuttings, bulbs, and rhizomes donated from local gardens and businesses with 100% of proceeds benefiting Maymont.

www.maymont.org

A Victorian Wedding Celebration at Maymont An Authentic Victorian Wedding Comes to Life This spring, the elegant traditions of an authentic Victorian wedding come to life in a new exhibit and series of programs at Maymont House Museum.

See lavish floral displays, wedding fashions, historical photographs, gifts and the magnificent dining table set with the finest china, crystal and serving pieces. Guided tours are available every half hour; the last tour begins at 4:30pm. $5 suggested donation.

For information, call 804-358-7166, ext. 329.

Heirloom Textiles Luncheon & Lecture Tue. March 18, 12pm Costume and textile specialist Colleen Callahan shares tips on caring for your vintage treasures. $15 True Love & Trousseaus Victorian Fashion Show Sun. March 30, 2pm Turn-of-the-century fashion and advice for our Victorian bride. $15/$12 member White Lace & Orange Blossoms Afternoon Tea Sat. May 10, 3pm A traditional tea celebrating our Victorian bride. $20/$17 member From This Day Forward An Evening of Dramatic Vignettes Sat. June 7, 6pm Witness the grandeur—and chaos— as the household prepares for a society wedding. $20/$17 member Floral Programs presented by David Pippin Victorian Wedding Flowers Thur. March 20, 6pm, $49 Victorian Wedding Décor Thur. April 3, 6pm, $39 Wedding Flowers Today Thur. May 1, 6pm, $49

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Spring at Maymont Indoor exhibits are open Tuesday-Sunday from 12-5pm.

Visitor Center entrance is located at 2201 Shields Lake Drive in Richmond.

Throughout March, April & May, Maymont springs into spring with an action-packed, wonder-filled season brimming with programs and events for all interests and age groups. Get up close and personal with the baby goats, climb aboard the Tram for a special tour, enjoy an in-depth look at the gardens, chat with a Victorian lady and take advantage of enhanced concession and visitor service amenities to help you make the most of your visit. Fees vary for activities; some activities are weather-dependent. Call 804-358-7166, ext. 310 or visit www.maymont.org for details.

APRIL 2008 “WETLANDS AND WILDFLOWERS” SIXTH ANNUAL MAYMONT-VCU DISCOVERY INSTITUTE LECTURE SERIES Thursdays, April 3-May 8, 7pm, Robins Nature & Visitor Center at Maymont Virginia Commonwealth University and the Maymont Foundation join forces again to present this annual series of lectures investigating the life sciences. The spring 2008 series focuses on the wetlands and wildflowers along the James River. Lectures begin at 7pm; reception and galleries open at 6pm. Light refreshments provided. Free admission with registration suggested; call ext. 325. Visit www.vcu.edu/lifesci for information.

April 3: Virginia Wetlands – Dr. Edward Crawford, VCU April 10: Virginia Wildflowers – J. Christopher Ludwig, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation April 17: Conservation of Wetlands and Wildflowers – Andrew D. Lacatell, The Nature Conservancy April 24: Vernal Pools – John Townsend, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation May 1: Conservation Landscaping— Carol Heiser, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries May 8: Coastal Wetlands and Wildflowers – Dorothy Field, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation BARN DAYS Sundays, March 30-April 20 12-4pm, Children’s Farm This annual series of family festivals celebrates the return of spring and the new baby animals at the Children’s Farm. Families can meet and feed the new arrivals, and children will enjoy crafts, hay rides, games, inflatables, face painting and other entertainment. Small fees charged for each activity. Proceeds benefit the Adopt A Living Thing program to feed and care for the 700 animals that live at Maymont. For information, call ext. 322 or visit www.maymont.org for details.

A VISUAL HISTORY OF MAYMONT'S GARDENS A lecture presented by the Maymont Council for Conservation, Preservation and Restoration Wednesday, April 9, 12pm, Garden Hall Join Peggy Singlemann, Maymont’s Director of Horticul-

ture, for a fascinating and beautiful presentation on the history of Maymont's gardens. This visual delight features rarely-seen historical images dating back as early as 1915, as well as a collection of Dementi Studio photographs from the 1920s. See the evolution of the landscapes from the Dooleys’ time through present-day. $15 per person (includes lunch and lecture). Reservations required by April 7; call 329.

FAMILY FISH PRINTING Saturday, April 12, 10am, Nature Center I caught a fish THIS big! Learn Gyotaku, the Japanese art of fishing printing, originally used by Japanese anglers to record the size and species of the fish they caught. Discover interesting facts about Virginia’s native fish and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Nature Center aquariums. Maymont provides the fish, paint and two Maymont t-shirts for this hands-on workshop; just bring your imagination and creativity. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $35 per project (includes two shirts)/$32 for members. Registration required by April 10; call ext. 324.

MAYMONT’S GREAT GARDENING FOR FAMILIES: ARBORETUM ADVENTURE Saturday, April 12, 11am, Hampton Street Gate Discover the wonders of giant evergreens, towering natives and ancient marvels on this exploration of trees.

Enjoy a scavenger hunt and games as your family learns about the Dooleys’ impressive collection, imported from six continents, as well as newer additions. For ages 7 and up; children must be accompanied by an adult. $20 per family (up to two children and two adults)/$15 for members. Registration required by April 10; call ext. 310.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Saturday, April 12, 1pm, Maymont’s Nature Center Walk through the Employees Only door for a special peek at the inner workings of the Nature Center. Thirteen aquariums and more than 200 animals require more care than meets the eye. For ages 5 to adult; children must be accompanied by an adult. $5 per person/$4 for members. Register at the Visitor Center desk on the day of the program (groups of 5 or more must register in advance).

For information, call ext. 333.

JUNIOR ANIMAL KEEPER Two-session program: Saturdays, April 26-May 3, 9am, Children’s Farm Designed for third and fourth graders, this hands-on course provides a fun and educational introduction to caring for Maymont's domestic and exotic animals, with an emphasis on the Children’s Farm. During narrated tours, demonstrations and practical exercises, students will learn species identification, animal terms, nutrition, animal behavior and animal husbandry practices. Through practical hands-on animal care, students will learn how to shift animals from various exhibits, prepare diets and clean enclosures. $69 per person. Registration required; contact University of Richmond’s School of Continuing Studies at 804-287-6331 or sbowlin@richmond.edu.

24TH ANNUAL HERBS GALORE & MORE Saturday, April 26, 9am-4:30pm, Carriage House Lawn Find popular and unusual herbs and herbal products at this herb extravaganza centered around Maymont’s Herb Garden. The Marketplace on the Lawn features more than 50 plant and craft vendors from the mid-Atlantic region selling herbs, annuals, perennials, heirloom plants, vegetables, trees, herbal cosmetics, garden ornaments, delicious food and other related products. Don’t miss “From One Garden to Another”—a new twist on the old-fashioned plant swap with great bargains on plants from local gardens. Plus enjoy demonstrations for every gardening level and interest; they’re free with admission! $2 fee for the Marketplace. For information, call ext. 310 or visit www.maymont.org.

MAY 2008 “WETLANDS AND WILDFLOWERS” SIXTH ANNUAL MAYMONT-VCU DISCOVERY INSTITUTE LECTURE SERIES Thursdays, May 1-8, 7pm, Robins Nature & Visitor Center at Maymont See April 3 listing. Free admission with registration suggested; call ext.

325. Visit www.vcu.edu/lifesci for information.

DOOLEY NOTED SOCIETY COCKTAIL CLASSIC Presented by Maymont’s Young Professionals Group Friday, May 9, 6:30-10:30pm, Robins Nature & Visitor Center Savor the signature cocktails and beverages of some of Richmond’s most popular local restaurants while heat-

Maymont’s 2008 spring sponsors

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ing up the dance floor with hot Latin music and dancing. Must be 21 years old or older. $15 per person in advance/$20 at the door (plus cash bar).

Dooley Noted Society members receive a $5 discount. For tickets, call ext. 310 or purchase online at www.maymont.org.

GREAT GARDENING FOR FAMILIES: HERBAL HAPPENINGS Saturday, May 10, 11am, Maymont Herb Garden Explore Maymont’s Herb Garden and learn how herbs are used in our daily lives. See page 47 for details.

MAYMONT DAY AT SANDY’S PLANTS, INC Exciting NEW ADDITIONS this year!

Saturday, May 17, 9am-2pm, Sandy’s Plants, Inc., Mechanicsville, VA This great day of plant shopping to benefit Maymont just got even better!

Start the morning with free coffee and a tour with Sandy McDougle, owner of Sandy's Plants, Inc., in her own garden. Then as you browse through more than 2,200 types of perennials in the nursery, keep your eyes peeled for hidden prizes in a new scavenger hunt among the plants. Need some gardening tips? Stop by one of the new Plant Information Stations where experts can help you decide which perennials are best for your garden.

50% of all sales go to Maymont! Admission is free, but registration is recommended for the coffee and tour. For registration, directions and other information, call ext 310 or visit www.maymont.org. To get a preview of plants you may find at Sandy's, go to www.sandysplants.com.

SPECIAL MONDAY OPENING: MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY Monday, May 26, 12-5pm Maymont’s indoor exhibits including Maymont House Museum and the Nature Center will be open 12-5pm for the holiday (regular hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 12-5pm). For information, call ext. 310.

Maymont was the 100-acre country estate of Major James Henry and Sallie May Dooley. The Dooleys completed their opulent mansion in 1893 and spent the next three decades creating the gardens, landscapes and outbuildings you see at Maymont today. Upon Mrs. Dooley’s death in 1925, Maymont was bequeathed to the City of Richmond. Attractions for visitors added over the years include the Robins Nature & Visitor Center, Native Virginia Wildlife Exhibits, Children’s Farm and Carriage Collection. Since 1975, Maymont has been maintained and operated by the private nonprofit Maymont Foundation.

WORK IN PROGRESS

R. David Ross, A Walk Down Memory Lane

Is Richmond the city core of a region that is a little infatuated with its past?

Do we, the residents that call this place home, look backward a little too fondly?

Or is this an area that is full of progress, growth, potential and achievement?

The answer is yes and yes.

We as Richmonders—and I include those in the suburbs that are all a part of this great region—definitely are proud of so much of our past.

From the role we played in the establishment of the US to our muchcelebrated architecture, including Bottomley homes and Gillette gardens, we have much to celebrate.

In my recent book, Memory Lane: Richmond, Virginia, [Kleos International] I survey “hangouts and haunts” of my youth: the Clover Room, Tantilla, Miller & Rhoads, Thalhimers, Willey’s and so many more.

I created the first volume of the collection of memories in part for nostalgic reasons, but also because good planning requires us to “glance in the rearview mirror” for perspective on the future.

Richmond has so many successes—past and current—that we must continue to look forward and capitalize on that which makes us rich in heritage, plentiful in potential. A developing riverfront, a revitalizing downtown, an urban university that has become an international academic and research gem, are just a few of the ongoing projects.

World-class arts organizations, from the performing to the cultural to the visual, biotechnology that had never been conceived of two decades ago, and planned suburban communities to aptly manage growth, all have become a vital part of our high quality of life.

As I begin the second volume of memories—and believe you me there is no shortage of subject matter for Richmond nostalgia—I look forward to seeing the region evolve with the remarkable aptitude for innovation and progress found in its past. g

50 |

Book Reviews

The Browser

Welcome to Pages where authors and books that relate to the Richmond region are highlighted.

Kickback by p.m. terrell

BY

DAVID SMITHERMAN

Here, you will find honest reviews of current and upcoming books. Our review policy is one that avoids discrimination.

Our focus is not on where or how the book is published, but instead on the effectiveness of the book in its genre. For this issue, we are taking a look at two chilling projects.

At first glance, Cooling the South: The Block Ice Era 1875-1975, [Wackophoto] a new work by freelance photojournalist and writer Elli Morris appears to be a coffee table book. However, the book actually provides an intricate, carefully researched history of the ancient art of painstakingly manufacturing block ice. Morris comes by her interest honestly; her family ran their own ice business for over 100 years. While there was a bit too much personal information about the Morris family, it does help set the stage for the rest of the book. Other sections provide a beautiful history of some of the people and places integral to the industry. Additionally, Morris mixes her eye-catching color photos with beautiful, historical black and white images. The book also benefits from high-quality layout and printing production.

Once you finish this, you’re bound to have a little more appreciation for the deceptively complex process of creating block ice.

By the time Sheila Carpenter graduated from Vanderbilt University, she’d already established a reputation as a computer whiz kid. So it was no surprise when she was hired by one of the most prestigious computer-consulting firms in the country and transferred to its headquarters in Washington, DC. But soon Sheila’s dream job spirals out of control when she’s instructed to write a program designed to cover up illegal activities. With three people already dead, she’s in ISBN: 0972818618 a race to gather evidence while her own life hangs in the balance.

Betrayal of a Hustler by B.L.U.N.T. All she wanted was a life of happiness, comfort and peace. Why she tampered with damaged goods is a question that lingers within Lisa's being... but the answer came a little too late. All he wanted was to avenge his father's death.

Vengeance was an understatement as all of Chino's actions unfolded into a series of events that would shake his circle of friends forever. Join these two on an adventure of lust, love, murder and ISBN: 0972818642 danger.

in and out in hollywood by Ben Patrick Johnson In and Out in Hollywood is a wild ride on the Hollywood highway of fame. A young man named Freddie is plucked from obscurity and groomed to be the host of a new entertainment TV show.

But the show's producers and

Freddie both learn that altering Books about ghosts have certainly the package doesn't change its created a niche of their own. contents. It's all good until an inHaunted tales, ghost stories, cident at the company picnic. macabre history—it has an eterThen Freddie is left scrambling to nal appeal, regardless of one’s ac- ISBN: 1-928662-02-1 keep his career on track and his love life in tact. tual belief in apparitions. (Plus, on the marketing side, Halloween provides a yearly boost of free publicPatterns in Silicon by Maureen Robb ity.) Haunted Richmond [Schiffer Lea Sherwood, chef-owner of San Publishing] by Chesterfield resiFrancisco’s acclaimed new restaudent Pamela K. Kinney is another rant, Panache, is the toast of the city—until a Silicon Valley CEO dies entry in this crowded field. Some of poisoning over dinner. Branded of the ghost tales are as brief as a paragraph while others a suspect in the murder of her old continue for several pages. All of the usual Richmond landflame, Lea soon resolves to investimarks make an appearance—the Governor’s Mansion, the gate on her own. Her pursuit of the killer pits her against rogue execuByrd Theatre, and the Hollywood Cemetery to name a few. tives, wannabe millionaires, and While the book has certainly been extensively researched, cocky software wizards. It also the narrative lacks a distinctive voice. If there are future volleads her into a treacherous underumes, the author would do well to consider building up world of the Valley, where industrial espionage and financial fraud floursome ghostly tension with the more in-depth stories. Aesish, and greed reigns.

ISBN: 0972818642 thetically, the layout is basic and serviceable. And while photos are a nice addition, the ones included are somewhat Visit Palaribooks.com for more information on these amateur in nature. However, for readers who like historical, and other titles. straightforward haunted stories, Haunted Richmond may g provide enough chills to satisfy.

Authors and publishers promote your title in the region’s premier arts quarterly. List your title, ISBN, 75 Urge is currently accepting books by local authors or with subject words of promotional copy with a thumbnail of your matter that pertains to the Richmond area for reviews that will be posted online and printed in the quarterly. Subjects for considcover for $150 per quarter. Additional advertising eration include fiction, nonfiction, comics, graphic novels and space is available contact: volumes of poetry. Submissions should be sent to: Dave Perry at 804.252.3519 Urge Book Reviews or email dp@urgeonline.com 1113 West Main Street Richmond, VA 23220

www.URg Eonline.com | SPRING 2008

L O U I S

B R I E L

Portrait of Carrie Hamilton Collection of the Pasadena Playhouse

PORTRAIT PAINTER

“As far as I'm concerned, Louis captured Carrie's smile, which was one in a million. I'm grateful to him for his dedication and his obvious love of her humor and grace. It's a joy for me, as her Mom, to behold.”

- C AROL B URNETT

www.louisbriel.com

804.525.5537

Are you a closet

clotheshorse?

A fanatic of the fashionista set?

Crazy for couture?

Well of course you are and so is URgE. Read how Richmonder Michael Taylor launched his design career—thanks to Tim Gunn—of his rise to the New York fashion runways, his Manhattan Seventh Avenue shop and his botique in Carytown. see page 34. [right] a Michael Taylor design