Richmond Night Market celebrates community, emphasizes creativity during in-person season

JIANA SMITH

WHEN ADRIENNE COLE JOHNSON and Melody Short co-founded the Richmond Night Market in 2019, their goal was placemaking — creating a space in which marginalized communities, namely women and people of color, could see themselves represented in the city’s growing arts scene, according to Johnson.

“We wanted to remind folks that we are here, and we belong here,” Johnson said.

The Richmond Night Market takes place every second Saturday of the month from 5-9 p.m. during its seasonal run from July to November. It features live music, children’s activities, a vendor marketplace and a live painting section called the Maker Space.

Despite the cloudy weather on Saturday, people of all ages gathered at the Richmond Night Market in Shockoe Bottom in search of live music and unique items ranging from jewelry to candles. This month’s market was the organization’s fourth gathering this year. All markets for the 2021 season, which started in July, have been held in person.

Johnson said the Night Market team was excited to return to an in-person format.

“I think what a lot of people have been missing is the ability to engage and build community, so it’s nice to get back to that this year,” Johnson said.

In 2020, the organization shifted the Shockoe Bottom-based market into a virtual event due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in March and the instatement of state mandates that prohibited large gatherings.

The virtual markets were livestreamed through platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and through the Richmond Night Market website, featuring virtual interviews with vendors.

There are so many wonderful creators and artists in the Richmond area. To be selected as one they saw fit, that they would like to be a part of their event, I’m very grateful for that.”

Amiri Richardson-Keys, co-founder of the Artists Revealed Through Service Community Center

Johnson said she attributes the success of the 2020 virtual markets to customers’ desires to connect with friends and family during the pandemic.

“I think the need to connect with those you love was so much more important, so you found people getting really creative and doing some unique gift giving,” Johnson said.

Shockoe Bottom, the Richmond neighborhood where the monthly event takes place, was an intentional and significant setting choice for Johnson and Short. In the 19th century, it hosted one of the largest slave markets in the country, according to Johnson.

“When you look at what it was juxtaposed with what it is, we really wanted to honor the history in a way where we’re hopeful that we’re making our ancestors proud, to be honest,” Johnson said.

Ron Brown, who has attended each market this year, said he enjoys interacting with vendors and other guests.

“It’s a nice, friendly atmosphere, great music, and the people who have put this together have done a great job,” Brown said. “Every time they have it, I come out.”

Changes have been made to the Richmond Night Market to prioritize participant safety amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to Johnson. Besides encouraging guests to wear masks and social distance, organizers have reduced the number of vendors for the market this year from around 40 to about 25. They have also shortened the season from April through December to July through November, according to Johnson.

“We always suggest that people follow the proper mitigation strategies, and that we are mindful of our interactions and dealings, because we are still in a pandemic,” Johnson said.

The Maker Space specifically has seen a transformation as a part of new safety measures. Before the pandemic, the area was an interactive art space where guests could create together on one large art board. This year, the Maker Space has been highlighting local Richmond artists, who are tasked with creating a piece live at the market.

This month’s featured artist is Amiri Richardson-Keys, a VCU painting and printmaking senior and co-founder of the Artists Revealed Through Service (ARTS) Community Center in Midlothian. The community center hosts arts-based community events for all ages.

Richardson-Keys said he was “honored and humbled” when he was selected to be this month’s featured artist for the Maker Space.

“There are so many wonderful creators and artists in the Richmond area,” Richardson-Keys said. “To be selected as one they saw fit, that they would like to be a part of their event, I’m very grateful for that.”

Live music was provided by DJ Liphe, DMV rapper Cane and R&B artist PHNX. Brewer’s Sessions, which records live sessions of Richmond music artists at Brewer’s Cafe, recorded for the premiere of their fourth season.

Vendor and abstract muralist Ron Stokes said that he plans to continue attending Richmond Night Market events in the future.

“I think the city of Richmond loves it,” Stokes said. “I hope it just gets bigger and bigger.”

For the market schedule and list of participating vendors, visit richmondnightmarketva.com.

EDITOR'S LIST OF FILMS TO WATCH

“Something Borrowed” (2011)

Rachel, a serious lawyer, never confessed her feelings to her university crush, Dex, who’s now marrying her best friend, Darcy. When Rachel tells him how she feels, which leads to a mistake that could ruin both their lives and relationships with Darcy, she must decide what she wants and what she’s willing to do to get it.

Available on Netflix | 15% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Lovebirds” (2020)

Starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, this romantic comedy follows a couple’s relationship, that’s on the brink of ending, as they accidentally get framed for a murder they didn’t commit. They are faced with all kinds of obstacles as they do everything they can to clear their names while dealing with their rocky relationship.

Available on Netflix | 66% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Danish Girl” (2015)

Taking place in Denmark in the 1920s, artists Gerda Wegener and her husband Einar, must reevaluate their relationship and love for one another as Einar transitions into a transgender woman named Lili. After unsuccessful searches for a “cure” for Lili, the couple decides to undergo Lili in one of the first sex-change operations.

Available on Netflix | 67% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Proposal” (2009)

This classic romantic comedy, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, follows an intense, work-driven boss as she claims she’s engaged to her assistant in order to elude deportation. When the pair travels to Alaska to meet his family, they must find a way to seem like a real couple while dodging deportation officials out to prove their engagement is a scam.

Available on Amazon Prime Video | 44% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Upside” (2017)

When a wealthy quadriplegic finds the perfect caretaker in a parolee who’s struggling to reclaim his life after prison, they form an unlikely friendship amid their vast differences. As the two are exposed to a life that is different from theirs, they find that they might have more in common than they originally believed.

Available on Hulu | 43% Rotten Tomatoes

“The Devil All the Time” (2020)

Taking place in the 1960s, this star-studded thriller — including Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan and Robert Pattinson — follows various sinning characters as they carry out crimes, some extremely violent, fueled by rage, revenge and religion. Arvin Russell, played by Holland, is one of the less disturbed characters who will do anything to protect his family.

Available on Netflix | 64% Rotten Tomatoes

Have suggestions for our watchlist? Email spectrum@ commonwealthtimes.org.

Quote of the week

MONICA ALARCON-NAJARRO Contributing Writer

This story discusses details of sexual harassment and sexual assault. It may be triggering for some readers.

IT WAS A BRISK EVENING WHEN MY roommate and I decided to walk home together from a house 13 minutes away on campus. Our discussion was filled with laughter and lighthearted conversation as we passed Cary Street Gym and headed toward our home.

I noticed a man with a camouflage jacket and black jeans standing on the sidewalk staring at his phone. His daunting shadow followed our trail, to which my roommate then nudged me and quietly whispered to keep an eye on the guy who seemed to be following us.

As we continued walking, the man yelled and asked, “Do you girls go to VCU?” At this moment, my heart sank. I knew, as women, this could end one of two ways: my roommate and I could get sexually assaulted or harassed. I had always been taught to never say anything factual to someone who I don’t personally know, especially a man on the street.

The next few moments were a blur as my mind was racing to think of what could happen next. I vaguely remember him asking where we lived and my roommate asking him why he was following us. My roommate remarked that he could either get pepper sprayed or leave us alone. “Watch your next step,” I added. He crossed the street and left us alone.

The way this encounter ended is not the same for most women around the country and the world. As women, we are never truly left alone.

According an analysis from the World Health Organization, from 2000 to 2018 across 161 areas globally, 1 in 3 women