Public Art in RVA

Richmond is Leading a National Public Art Movement

By Aaron Bible

As you walk around downtown Richmond, VA, you’ve probably noticed some remarkable new public art springing up around town. In 2012, a giant, looming head (pictured below) was added to the new police station, called “The Thin Blue Line.” Seven-foot steel rings, titled, “Path Unraveled,” reside on the iconic riverfront, and there are incredible murals popping up every day. There’s a revamped public policy and reinvigorated support for the arts in this reimagined mid-Atlantic city that is bringing inspiration to visitors and residents alike.

Richmond is just one of more than 350 cities nationwide that earmarks one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the budget of every capital improvement project over $300,000, be it a new library, fire station, or other public building, into a pot of money that goes to fund public art. In place since 1997, 27 states across the country have something similar, but Richmond has become known for its passion for the project.

“We have amazing art here in Richmond,” says Ellyn Parker, Public Art Program Coordinator for the City of Richmond. “Most recently our newest monument is a memorial to Civil Rights leader Maggie Walker, the first African American woman to own a bank here in Richmond.”

The Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Plaza, pictured above, by artist Antonio Tobias “Toby” Mendez, was completed in 2017 to the tune of more than $1 million. The 10-foot bronze stands on a 40-inch pedestal surrounded by depictions of some of her many accomplishments in a timeline on granite benches. Crowds gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the statue, pictured below.

In September 2017, the City of Richmond adopted a new public art master plan, continuing the one percent for the arts policy, but also offering new guidelines and more funding opportunities for local artists. “In this way, art becomes more than two dimensional, it’s an opportunity, it promotes tourism, and creates jobs,” Parker says, adding that the city, and by default the people of Richmond, now owns more than 44 sculptures within its boundaries. Not to mention almost countless, awe-inspiring murals.

“The mural scene is very big,” she says of the giant-scale works of graffiti-inspired public art, “and last fall we installed The Path Untraveled on the south bank of the James River at the end of our fantastic new T Tyler Potterfield Bridge.” (The Path Unraveled is pictured above.)

“Art is a hot button topic nationally, and we’re moving the conversation forward through positive things,” Parker says of her fair city. “And as our art scene grows, tourism grows. It does a lot more than make things pretty—it’s really inclusive. It’s a demonstration of artistic and aesthetic excellence, in an inclusive way that engages the community and grows our economy.”

Richmond also enjoys an incredible art festival each fall called Inlight, as well as the annual Folk Fest. We’re adding both to our calendars!

Photo credit: Toby Mendez, Oakwood Apartments, Ellyn Parker, City of Richmond, Susan Kalergis

We shared this story with you in our Fall/Winter 2017 Issue of NEST Magazine. To view the full issue, click here.

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