CultureWorks Happenings

An annotated log of selected arts and culture experiences by the president of CultureWorks.

4/18/2010 – 2010 Equality Virginia Art Show, Gay Community Center of Richmond
This show has two dozen or so 2-D works by a variety of artists using a variety of styles/media. (The gallery has its own entrance, but it can also be entered via a door from within the back area of Diversity Thrift.) My favorite might be “Self Study” by Abby Walsh – an oil-on-canvasboard portrait. But then I found a glorious flat glass piece by Chris Burnside entitled, “Mid-Summer,” that features horizontal strips of greens and yellows – beautiful.
In an adjoining gallery are photos by Louis Briel - $250 each – with all proceeds benefiting the Gay Community Center and Richmond Triangle Players. These are subtle but poignant figurative photos from his 1997 exhibition at the Barksdale, and the glowing 1997 review by Martha Mabey of the Richmond Times-Dispatch is framed with the exhibition.

4/12/2010 – “Higher Hands,” Millennium Stage, The Kennedy Center (D.C.)
Okay, this is not the Richmond region, but I have to mention it for what it is: an every-night-of-the-entire-year FREE performance at The Kennedy Center – sponsored by Target. The little stage is at the end of one of the grand halls of the lobby and is fronted by approximately 150 chairs. So anyone can just enter The Kennedy Center, be seated, and enjoy a 6:00 p.m. performance 365 days a year. The free performance includes jacketed ushers handing out programs and showing you to your seat and even offering LARGE-PRINT programs for those who want them. “Higher Hands” was a rockin’ band – “cool funk” was how another listener pegged them. The band included Jay Crawdads (vocals and percussion), Larry Byrne (keys), Matt Dalton (sax) and Marty Bouchard (drums). And lots of original and distinctive material. (In the 80-person audience I saw folks of all complexions and dress. Some of the exotically-dressed persons had cameras around their necks: tourists from afar I suppose. One fellow had a hanging nametag with “Bangladesh” beneath his name.)

4/9/2010 – “Mourning Portrait,” Loren Schwerd, Visual Arts Center of Richmond
These are 3-D memorials to New Orleans communities that were hit by Hurricane Katrina. The medium is human hair extensions that were found outside the St. Claude Beauty Supply in the Ninth Ward. An amazing exhibition!

4/9/2010 – Robert L. Henderson Artworks, Petersburg Sherriff’s Office
Now this is something that may not happen elsewhere: the “Second Fridays” art exhibitions in Petersburg include an exhibition in the Sherriff’s Office – not in a gallery attached to the Sherriff’s Office, not in a reception room, not in an entrance hallway, but in the actual office among actual work desks and computers, and on-duty law officers. Robert L. “Bobby” Henderson brought in easels and paintings along with cookies and drinks. F. Yerby, J.R. Givens, and Lieutenant Lawrence Gordon were the red-shirted officers there on duty working at their tasks. I talked with them and took their photo; they like having an art exhibition every Second Friday. Bobby Henderson – an art major at Virginia State University – got his initial inspiration from his Aunt Lucy H. Morgan, a Petersburg School System educator, who gave him his first art lesson. His works at the Sherriff’s Office – one night only – are charming paintings mostly of landscapes. My favorite is the one of the bridge overlooking the Mattaponi River where I have a track record of catching yellow perch.

4/9/2010 – “Art Under Foot,” Sycamore Street, Petersburg
There are a couple of dozen of these colorful sidewalk paintings on each side of Sycamore Street, and they’re worth seeing. Not only is there a wide variety of subject matter, but also a wide variety of artistic sensibilities. You’ll know what I mean when you see them. My favorite might be the purple housing neighborhood by Jerome Wiggins.

4/9/2010 – Kitty Nettles, Petersburg Area Art League
“And now for something completely different,” as the Monty Python folks used to say. These pieces combine paint and collage (I know this sounds tacky as I describe it, but it isn’t.) to produce a stop-in-your-tracks intricate beauty like I’ve never seen. At a distance they appear to be paintings – mostly floral subjects – but when you get close you learn otherwise. And at a distance again, they do appear to be paintings, but with a technique that is somehow different. And up close again, you find that it’s the tiny clippings of collage that provide the substance. Lots of work, lots of vision, lots of talent, lots of beauty. (And the prices are LOW, LOW, LOW. I was trying to determine how to justify purchasing one for CultureWorks, but of course we don’t do that.)

4/9/2020 – Carolyn Hawthorne, Petersburg Area Art League
These are oil-on-canvas paintings of flowers, but not just ANY oil-on-canvas paintings of flowers. All I can say is stunning. And one more thing: an irresistible use of color and of the brush. My favorite might be “Irresistible Pink” – a painting of Irises that includes deep forest greens, burnt greens, and of course the hues of pink that really deserve all their own names.

4/9/2010 – Witchcraft in the Gallery, Sycamore Rouge
Petition of Witchcraft: “Be it hereby declared that J.C. Gilmore-Bryan has been accused of witchcraft and is hereby summoned to appear in the court of Sycamore and Rouge for questioning subsequent to trial” - signed by Judge John Underwood. That petition – a bold certificate with a gold seal – cost me two dollars and is now on display, along with other two-dollar petitions - in the gallery. I can collect it after the opening of Sycamore Rouge’s forthcoming production of “The Crucible” – that compelling Arthur Miller play about the Salem Witch Trials. As I completed the certificate I heard the three-piece band (bass, keyboards, vocals), “Vocal,” playing around the corner – nice music!

4/9/2010 – All Sorts of Art (my title), Petersburg Regional Art Center
The Second-Friday lobby of this facility is worth the drive from Richmond: a LONG LONG and WIDE room with artworks everywhere and decorative strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and rich wood floors. For me it’s the feel of a grand old passenger train terminal. Walk throughout this multi-floor, many-artist facility and you’ll find many things you like – no matter who you are and no matter what your tastes or expectations. And it all swings on Second Fridays (and lots of free refreshments).

4/4/2010 – Easter on Parade, Monument Avenue
Recently I attended a morning session of considering the concept of “The Common Good” and discussing where we should put our priorities in order for Richmond to be even stronger regarding The Common Good. My vote is to put the tiptop priority on things such as the Richmond Folk Festival, 2nd Street Festival, Que Pasa Festival, the Monument Avenue 10K, the Hanover Halloween Block, and Easter on Parade – all wonderful events that are filled with participants and are inviting and accessible to all strata of our community, and that feature all sorts of things to lift our hearts. This year Easter on Parade was accompanied by glorious weather, a wide variety of music and performers and art and vendors, and of course hats and dogs. There is a big collaborative conversation right now throughout the Richmond region about the forthcoming Sesquicentennial – what we are all recognizing as the 150th anniversary not only of the Civil War, but also of Emancipation. That entered my mind as I approached the Robert E. Lee monument – the eastern anchor of Easter on Parade – and watched the bandstand directly beneath Lee as smiling crowds clapped and swayed to a five-piece African American band’s rendition of the theme song to “The Brady Bunch.” And later a few blocks west on the north side of Monument Avenue I was among a packed circle of grinners who watched the Richmond region’s iconic and favorite performer: Jonathan Austin. I vote for Easter on Parade to be mandatory.

4/2/2010 – High school artworks (Freeman, Godwin, Tucker, Hermitage, Highland Springs, etc.), CenterStage’s Showcase Gallery
This is one of the “First Fridays East” offerings, and CenterStage did it right! Not only was there this nice exhibition of artworks - my favorite being “Liberty for All Colors” by Lauren Carter of Godwin High – but there was also a live jazz band in Rhythm Hall and free punch and excellent snacks. The doors were wide open with smiling greeters!

4/2/2010 – “The Illuminated Rumi,” by Tehzib Morad, Design Collective Textile Studio and Gallery (Also called ISHQ Fine Arts Gallery)
These artworks could be categorized as either illuminated manuscripts or artworks with writings (Arabic). These may be the only Arabic language artworks I’ve seen in Richmond. Also here are six gorgeous oil-on-canvas landscapes (each around 14x14”) by Mariam Eqbal, and three oil-on-canvas paintings (24/30”) by Qaisar Iqbal. And these paintings are of interest to me because of the subject matter: NASCAR races. These aren’t the commercial stuff, but rather serious artworks – and that’s a compelling juxtaposition: NASCAR and serious oil paintings.

4/2/2010 – “Art by Angie,” tabletop display on West Broad Street
Boy! This is a collection of dolls – dolls painted with reds and blacks and with horns and fangs and stitches added. Dolls from Hell. Angie told me she started making them after she had children. One child is now going through the terrible twos; the other is an autistic three-year-old. I photographed Angie with one of the dolls – a red devil-horned creature whose head rotated as she talked (street noise got in the way of me discerning the words). Angie told me her name is merely “Angie.”

4/2/2010 – VisArts Clay Guild, tabletop ceramics display’sale on West Broad Street, works by Sharon Young, Gayle Ennis, and Pat Morris
They tell me that more than 20 ceramics students at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond have formed this Guild, and that this is their first presence at First Fridays.

4/2/2010 – “The Pack – Presentation of Cardboard Canines,” vacant storefront on West Broad Street
These are full-size animals created with cardboard by students in VCU’s Art Foundation Program which is directed by Elissa Armstrong. I photograph student Eric Streed in front of his “Canon” – a dog/wolf creature that is stunning (named for the collar that is formed, in part, by a cardboard ad for Canon cameras).

4/2/2010 – “Home is Where the Art is – 20th Annual Art Auction Benefit,” 1708 Gallery
A lot of us look forward to this annual exhibition – always a who’s who of 1708 artists. This year doesn’t disappoint! You get in trouble by selecting favorites, and I have several favorites here, but I’ll spotlight just one: “Residual #49, Summer” – photo and pigment paint by John Phillip Sheridan (whom I don’t know).

4/2/2010 – “Corey Daniels Photo Studio,” upstairs at Backstage
I visited a lot of great stuff on 4/2/2010, and this was the most interesting and compelling. If you know Backstage (on West Broad), you know that at night it looks sort of dark and uninviting. Yet there was a sign out front announcing the grand opening of the Corey Daniels Photo Studio (whom I’d never heard of). A sort of mean-looking, dressed-in-black, middle-aged man sat out front on a tall stool. I asked him if he works there and if there was indeed a photo grand opening inside. “Stairs to the right, up three flights,” was all he said – no smile. The stairs were dark, there were no signs or greeters, and I was apprehensive. As I went up I heard deep pounding music – like that stuff that booms from urban autos and tingles your spine. When I finally reached the third floor – still darkish – there were black curtains blocking wherever the music was coming from. I wound through the curtains and found a large room with perhaps 20 persons, a platformed disk jockey, a big table with tons of food and wine, and huge photographs on the walls – some projected. It appeared to be a private party. A striking woman immediately welcomed me and asked if I wanted to meet Corey.

During the following 20 minutes I learned about the event. The woman was Corey’s mother, Terri Rankin. Corey is a tall good-looking guy who appears to be in his late-20s. His art is photography and last year he had been working as an assistant for a successful photographer in the New York City area. Then in October he was in a serious accident and the physicians offered little hope. He is now recovered physically, but has serious brain trauma. For example – Terri explained – he can remember only the previous 15 minutes. Tonight’s “grand opening” was an exhibition/sale of photographs – his photographs as well as his colleagues from New York who had come to Richmond in support. I met one photographer named River Clark (first time in Richmond) who showed me his portfolio containing one photo that is in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection and another that has been featured in ad campaigns in 20+ major magazines and has earned him $400K+ to date. (Later I showed one of his business cards to J.C. and she assumed he was a porno photographer – www.riverclark.com.) I met others there too – all there in support of Corey Daniels. Corey’s own photographs (he’s a fashion photographer) are absolutely gorgeous – the type you’d expect to see on Times Square billboards. But the accident last fall happened prior to him launching his career. Now he’s living in Richmond and I’m so glad I was at his grand opening.

4/2/2010 – “What are the Odds,” by Neil Iwan, Ghostprint Gallery
These oil-on-panel artworks are images of race horses – images with such masterful brushwork that they look like burnished photographs. The works are perfect for this lovely gallery that has pristine white walls and ceiling and wine-brown wood floor.

4/2/2010 – “Pamlico” by Greg Lewis, “Forgotten Memories,” by Chris Semtner, and “Breaking Art Apart“ by Michael Gettings, Visual Art Studio
I love Greg Lewis’ works with found objects, and the announcement card features his mermaid made out of 87,000 toothpicks. One of my favorite works is “Too Many People” which is an oval containing dozens of little shelves with all sorts of tiny and small figures – all painted in a brass/silver patina.

This was my first viewing of Chris Semtner’s works, and I’m now a big fan. I agree totally with the words on the announcement card: “ . . . a dark, mysterious and dangerous world in which people are victims of their own fears and desires.” These paintings present faces that’ll make you twinge.

Also my first viewing of Michael Gettings’ artworks – each artwork being an arrangement of two or three oddly-shaped paintings – and I’m now a fan of his too. These can’t be described; you just have to see them.

4/2/2010 – “5yr Anniversary,” Gallery5
This is a feel-good show: lots and lots and lots of wall-mounted color photographs from this gallery’s first five years. And of course this celebration has live music, outdoor videos, and other bells and whistles.

4/2/2010 – “John Winn Quartet,” Bogart’s
Great food, great pitcher of beer, and great music by some of my favorite musicians - Randall Pharr (bass), Adam Larrabee (guitar), Devonne Harris (drums), and John Winn (sax) – the leader of whom shares my favorite pastime: fishing. Lots of great tunes during our hour there; my favorite included John’s horn as well as his vocals: “I Can’t Take You Nowhere!

4/1/2010 – Daniel Pink Presentation, University of Richmond
Author of A Whole New Mind and other books, this blockbuster author/speaker exceeded my expectations. His talk included research that proves that while money is a great motivator for a lot of things, it is an inverse negative motivator for creative problem solving – that is, the more money you offer to inspire creative thinking, the less it happens. They were selling his newest book, Strike, which I assume today’s presentation is based on. (Pink’s presence was coordinated primarily by UR’s Robins School of Business and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and sponsored primarily by Bank of America.)

4/1/2010 – “Encore New York: Joyce Theater Preview,” Richmond Ballet
Tonight’s presentation was a model for something that is always difficult for me: accomplishing my task at hand – or creating my artwork – with the notion that it will be subject to scrutiny by the world’s foremost experts in the world’s foremost context. The notion of “good enough for my own surroundings,” is always tempting to me. But – as this performance that will be presented on a preeminent stage in the world’s epicenter for the arts demonstrates – the Richmond Ballet’s work ethic, talent, and vision result in artworks that can be proudly positioned on the pinnacle.