Category: Arts

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Arts Community Community Development Hometown Heroes Sonia Montalvo

The Man Behind the Beat

By Sonia Montalvo

The deep punchy 808 bass drum of Yo Gotti’s 2013 Hit Single I Know, sent the masses to the dance floors to flex in the bravado of the song’s beat drop and the lyrics. Featuring the late Rich Homie Quan’s legendary voice, the song became a cultural staple hitting #31 and spending 21 weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B and Hip-Hop Charts. With 182 million views, the song’s existence lies behind the genius and gritty production of Charlottesville native, Trauma Tone.

The 34-year-old producer who prefers to go by his self-appointed moniker, first popped on the production scene around 2010. Prior to his entry in the game, he had been creating beats for some time in his hometown, creating a buzz for himself in the city. Taking his time in high school to perfect his craft, his most vivid moment of realizing he was on to something came during his sophomore year. “What I will say is, I think it was a song that an artist at the time, which is my homie who I love to this day. His name is Nick. He did a song, and, like, it was my tenth grade year and I remember this, everybody was playing it. Even the people we had problems with growing up- I remember them pulling up to the school playing the song. I was like, ‘This must be what it feels like to have a big song.’ A few years after his graduation, Tone ventured to Atlanta to expose himself to a bigger market. At the height of Rap’s Mixtape Scene in 2013, what solidified Trauma Tone’s place in the game for him had to be his first song with major recording artist at the time, Chicago’s ambassador drill rapper, Chief Keef. This song was placed on Chief Keef’s mixtape ‘Almighty So’ which dropped after his commercial success in the mainstream with hits like, ‘I Don’t Like.’ For the last decade plus, Trauma’s song credits have continued to grow and so does he as he continues to take on the job of becoming one of Hip-Hop’s hidden-in-plain-sight gems of the production game.

With influences like The Alchemist and Dr. Dre, Trauma Tone’s earliest memories outside of spending part of his childhood in the studio with older family members, was being gifted the gift of music. “My mom, had us like, we was the Death Row house. She had us all on Tupac. The first gift I ever owned in my life was a single [Cassette] of Snoop Dogg’s Gin and Juice. Dr. Dre is definitely like one of them influences, you know, one of my favorites growing up.”

Trauma’s ultimate goals as a producer are to leave a musical legacy behind and to create music identifiable with where he’s from. Interestingly, with Virginia debatably having very few identity markers in one significant musical influence or sound, Tone’s predecessors of musical greats may have shaped it this way on purpose. Virginia is home to several legendary producers in the industry. Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, The Neptunes, and DeVante Swing—Trauma Tone is quite literally standing on the shoulders of giants. Each of the these legendary artists could be considered snowflakes in the music industry because though they all hail from the same state, none of them have similar sounds to one another or any of their musical counterparts for that matter. As time progresses, each of their sounds doesn’t even allow them to sound like their previous work. Take for instance Missy Elliott. With no production of hers sounding quite like the other, Virginia Legend Missy Elliot gave us hits Supa Dupa Fly in 1997 and Lose Control in 2005. Two sonically different songs eight years apart, with the ability to move her fanbase all the same. Comparable to the Virginia legends before him, Trauma Tone further proves that the sound of Virginia is not a sound at all, but a feeling. With household hip-hop names under his belt like Migos, Kevin Gates, Rich Homie Quan, NBA Young Boy, Curren$y, and others, Trauma Tone is navigating through his music career in a similar fashion. “We [Virginia] got like a lot of different influences, because we’re right in the middle, of the north and the south, but like our bounce is different. When you look at people like Timbaland, Pharrell–I think we just got a different vibe to us. It’s hard to really explain the sound because I don’t want to put us in a box, but I just think that the bounce is just a little different. We are very versatile, all of us. You can pretty much come to any of the Virginia producers for any type of sound, especially if you’re trying to push it forward. I think it’s always gonna be some envelope pusher type of shit. “

Trauma Tone shares that his new endeavors and collabs are special to him. Recently he started his music label, Which Way Is Up, affectionately named after a 1970s comedy of the same name starring Richard Pryor that his mother introduced him to as a child. “That name always stuck to me because it’s like me and my manager joke about it all the time. Now, when people call us to fix shit, we’ll always be like, ‘Man, they don’t know which way is up.’ Like, they don’t know which way to go. You know, but I feel like I’m the guy for my circle[and] for my network. I’m the one that people call.” He states the creation of his label comes from the business knowledge he began attaining during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The producer creates his newest projects under his label with the most current project being a joint album with him and Louisiana Rapper Curren$y. “We do our projects in-house. We do everything on our own. I didn’t really understand none of that type of stuff on the independent side until I got with my manager and started learning about that earned income. So, I just think once you learn the game and like, you find different ways- it’s a million ways to skin cat, find your lane.” While nervous to share any names, Trauma’s excitement tends to flare when he talks about his upcoming 2025 projects.

Photo courtesy of revolt.com

At a perfect pace, Trauma Tone’s production credits are making him a household name in the music industry, but he doesn’t wish to stop there. Tone has his eyes set on scoring movie soundtracks and writing scripts. To end this article, it’s important to note that Trauma Tone stands behind believing in your own delusions of self. When asked what it took for him to get to this place, he exclaimed, “I was feeding my crazy, man, probably a little bit of delusion in there, but like, you couldn’t tell me, I wasn’t gonna be who I said I was gonna be. Even when everybody was like, “Oh yeah, it’s not gonna work,” or, “Get a job” and all that, I was just like ‘fuck what everybody else is talking about. I know who I am, and I know that no matter how long it takes, and I still got a ways to grow, but I know who I am, and I know what I’m trying to get'”I was feeding my crazy, man, probably a little bit of delusion in there, but like, you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t gonna be who I said I was gonna be. Even when everybody was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s not gonna work,’ or, ‘Get a job,’ and all that, I was just like, ‘Fuck what everybody else is talking about. I know who I am, and I know that no matter how long it takes—and I still got a ways to grow—but I know who I am, and I know what I’m trying to get.’ ”

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Arts Community Community Development Hometown Heroes

Beyond Boundaries: The Story of Sculptor Alice Wesley Ivory

by Kay Slaughter | Photos by Alexandria Searls ©

 “My position as art instructor involves using art to enhance self-esteem in students. Its uniqueness helps students realize that Black women are able to perform functions other than cooking, house cleaning, etc.”   Alice Wesley Ivory, 1931-1999, Art Class Autobiography, 1988.

In the summer of 1957, after several years of teaching at Jackson P. Burley High School, the area’s segregated Black school, 26-year-old Alice Wesley headed off to the University of Wisconsin at Madison to work on a graduate degree in art education. 

Nearby University of Virginia (UVA) was not the place for her, a Black female, although the courts had forced admission of two Black men into graduate programs in 1950 and 1951. Even so, Alice started her journey. breaking racial, gender, and economic barriers to become a renowned metal sculptor as well as a teacher of three decades. 

“Beyond Boundaries: The Sculpture of Alice Wesley Ivory” recounts her story and legacy in an exhibit sponsored by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS) in cooperation with the Contemporary Gallery at Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC). The exhibit, open through mid-December provides an opportunity for new generations to learn about the life and times of this pioneering artist.

To find her creative path, Alice encountered many societal challenges as an African American female, but she also overcame obstacles by seizing the opportunities. Born in White Hall, Albemarle County, she grew up within a strong Black community grounded in nearby Mt. Olivet Church. Although her parents had no formal education, they were literate and hardworking, owning the family farm in White Hall. 

The middle child of six, Alice walked two miles to attend elementary school; later, she rode a rickety bus for a long drive to Albemarle Training School near the current Ivy Creek Natural Area, the only high school for Blacks in the five-county area until Burley opened in 1951.

After graduation from Virginia State College (now University) an historic black college/university in Petersburg, Alice joined the art faculty at Burley. During her seven-and-half year tenure, she spent most summers at the University of Wisconsin, receiving her degree in 1962.  

In 1958, Alice had married Fred Ivory, another Albemarle native, who presented his metal sculptor bride with an oxi-acetylene torch: 30 years later, it was still in use. Fred often picked up scrap metal for Alice to rework into her pieces. The Ivorys had two children, and after their early  childhood, Alice taught for 20 years at Blue Ridge School for Boys, becoming its first art director and the first Black on the faculty.

Yet when she entered University of Wisconsin in her 20s, Alice was accepted only as a “provisional student,” considered likely deficient because of her southern education. She quickly proved her aptitude and talent, attaining student status without conditions.  

Wisconsin became a life changing experience:

“I heard popping noises like small cannons exploding coming from next door. I peeked in and saw a group of young men waging a torch war, ” wrote Alice in her autobiography produced for an UVA art class two decades later.

With this encounter, she discovered what would become her lifelong vocation. She convinced a fellow student to show her some basics, and then prevailed upon her adviser, Leo Steppat, an Austrian immigrant and metal sculptor, to help her master the techniques of the acetylene torch.

Alice described creating her first large piece: the Boar:

Word had gotten around to other classes; they wanted to see the woman make the pig. Almost every morning once it had a mouth, the Boar was fed an apple. I assumed that they came from generous classmates. . . . Leo Steppat refrained from bothering me. I would hear him mumble to himself as he went by, things like ‘Alice can really weld,’ ‘she’s a natural born sculptor,’ or ‘I’d give her three A’s if it were possible.  

In the current exhibit, the art pieces depicting animals — including Great Blue Heron, Fish, Beetle, Bull — are accompanied by narrative panels recalling Alice’s personal odyssey and her views on education, religion, and art. The show features her work from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) including Crow which won awards from the Museum. Another piece, Kangaroo, a mother with her “joey” in the pouch, was commissioned by the VMFA for a 1980 traveling exhibition allowing persons with vision problems and children to touch and feel the sculpture.

Exhibit panels feature photographs of two other works that were not physically present. Alice wrote about creating an outdoor fountain:  “Turtle represents my first attempt at welding copper. It was commissioned by a person who wanted a piece of my sculpture. . . . Not knowing that copper is not usually welded, I assured the [owner]  that I could do it in welded copper. . . . I consider it to be one of my best pieces. It is pictured at the water bin that was specifically constructed for it at the back of the owner’s residence. Incidentally, I had a live snapping turtle as a model, but the tail is designed for . . . [the sculpture]. I call the tail prehistoric.”

Another photographed work, The Eagle resides in Costa Rica.  Its owner, the granddaughter of Charlottesville portraitist Frances Brand, accompanied her grandmother when she purchased Eagle and another sculpture in 1966, Dog, owned by the Brand Family. Dog is displayed in the gallery along with a portrait of Alice with these two sculptures.  The portrait is among Frances’ collection of Charlottesville-Area “Firsts,” which included notable 20th-century figures who broke barriers of race, gender, and/or ethnicity.  About her inclusion in this array, Alice noted: “I was pleased to have been chosen for one of Frances Brand’s Firsts.”

From her education at University of Wisconsin, Alice learned that metal forms should not look hard but need clean direct lines, and she focused on the form, rather than reproducing nature: “None of my sculpture is anatomically or biologically accurate. I sculpt things according to the mood I am in and base them on the way I feel about the subjects. The sculptures are not based on a love for the creatures. It is based on a love for beautiful form.” 

VMFA had  awarded certificates of distinction not only to Crow but also Wild Boar and Eagle I, exhibiting them in its galleries in the 1960s. The purchaser of Eagle I donated it to Virginia State University, where a relative viewed it in the 1970s, but the college currently has no record of it. 

Crow ca. 1960, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. General Endowment Fund, 61.11, Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

In 1967, VMFA hosted Alice’s one-woman show, and Charlottesville’s McGuffey Art Center and other local galleries also displayed her work. During her lifetime, Alice created more than 100 sculptures of animals, birds, fish, and insects. Since the exhibit’s opening, seven more sculptures have been identified.

The exhibit runs through December 14,  open to school classes as well as other groups and individuals. Group tours should contact Jefferson School. The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday 1-6; Saturday, 10-12.

To reach teachers in public and private schools, ACHS worked with Annie Evans, education outreach director in historian Edward Ayers’ New American History Project to create a website:

https://resources.newamericanhistory.org/alice-ivory-breaking-boundaries

This exhibit was made possible through the generosity of the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Mental Health Fund of the Charlottesville Albemarle Community Foundation, the Charles Fund, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center Annual Fund and individual donors. The exhibit was collected, researched, and written by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. It was professionally mounted by Andrea Douglas, curator of the Contemporary Gallery. 

Kay Slaughter, member of the Board of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society and a lover of local history, was formerly mayor of Charlottesville and a member of City Council, 1990-98. She retired from practicing law at the Southern Environmental Law Center and researches and writes family history as well as essays about growing up in 20th-century Virginia.

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Arts CIM Project Community Community Development First Person C-Ville

My downtown art exhibit was vandalized. Here’s why I’m keeping the damage

From the 1930s until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that Third Street Box Office, around the corner from the grand marquee and lobby of The Paramount theater in Charlottesville, served as the "Coloreds Only" ticket office and entrance to the Paramount Theater. A new exhibit brings people into that reality. Kori Price/Charlottesville Tomorrow

From the 1930s until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that Third Street Box Office, around the corner from the grand marquee and lobby of The Paramount theater in Charlottesville, served as the “Coloreds Only” ticket office and entrance to the Paramount Theater. A new exhibit brings people into that reality. Kori Price/Charlottesville Tomorrowby Kori Price

I’m curious about who is paying attention.

Not specifically to the art I created and installed as a part of the Paramount Theater’s Third Street Box Office project, but to our community and our collective history in Charlottesville. How often do we disrupt our daily hustle to the next meeting, to the next dinner, to the next event to be present in the spaces we pass through and the spaces we occupy?

This story was published as a part of Charlottesville Inclusive Media’s First Person Charlottesville project. Have a story to tell? Here’s how.

“Walking Dualities” is a set of four life-size photographs printed on vinyl banners. By using a longer shutter speed and capturing motion blur, Black people from our present become apparitions representing Black folks from the past, walking to go see a movie or a show. I composed two of the photographs by combining pieces of over 25 different images and placed two in-motion photographs at the box office to draw passerbys’ attention and direct it toward the Third Street Box Office.

From the 1930s until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that box office, around the corner from the grand marquee and lobby, served as the “Coloreds Only” ticket office and entrance to the Paramount Theater. After purchasing their tickets, Black patrons would have to use a separate, outdoor staircase that led to seating in the balcony.

While they might have had the best seats in the house, the intent was to keep them as invisible members of society.

 

>>See the full story on Charlottesville Tomorrow’s site.

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Arts Authors Community Community Development Paige Flipp

Passing the Baton At the Bridge

by Staff Writer | Photos by Anica Marcelino

A chance encounter at a community event opened the door to Amber Smith’s time at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in 2022. The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative is a vital hub for Charlottesville’s artistic community, offering dedicated studio spaces and a versatile event and co-working space. Artists can collaborate, network, and access resources in this dynamic environment. The adaptable event space hosts exhibitions, performances, workshops, and community gatherings, thus promoting a supportive and inspiring atmosphere for artistic and cultural exchange.

Smith joined the staff as an Operations Manager. Amber states, “I mentor children through Integrity Mentoring, and I was doing a visit [with one of my mentees.] It was the first night of Soul with C-Ville… I happened to see that they were doing a community mural, but I didn’t know that it involved The Bridge or anything like that.” Smith shared that a mutual colleague of hers and Jay Simple, Executive Director of The Bridge at the time, introduced them.

She shared that a colleague informed her about an opening for an Operations Manager at The Bridge. At that time, she was committed to running her own business and had promised herself never to return to a full-time job. The part-time, 20-hour-per-week position fit perfectly into her schedule. When she submitted her application, she didn’t realize it was going to the person she had met at Soul of C-ville.

Smith, a Charlottesville native with a background in administrative processes, still owns her own business, CAMPed Administrative Services, and has generously made room for both entities to exist in her personal mission, on top of continuing her work in youth development through mentoring. In her new additional role at The Bridge, Amber worked under Jay Simple until his departure at the top of 2024. Smith notes that there were some learning curves when joining The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative team.

Q: Do you feel like there were any large leaps or any learning curves for you at all?

Amber Smith: Jay had already started the process of moving The Bridge into this particular location that we’re in now, working on how to revamp those things. I can’t ever take credit for any of that. There were lots of learning curves. What I do for my own business is provide administrative services, so a lot of that work is dictated by the person that’s giving it to you: how they want it to look, what they want it to say, um, how they want to come across. People are dictating to you exactly what they need. There’s not really a lot of room or necessity for extreme ideation at that point. You know, the creativity that I had been used to up until that point as it relates to businesses like this was very contained—you fit within a box. The growing part was me recognizing that we’re not trying to create a box; we’re trying to create open air and equity for artists that look like me and artists who wouldn’t otherwise have a voice. Not saying that I was the box, but… sky’s the limit and being able to think outside of that. There were a few times where I was like, “Well, I don’t know,” or “What should I do?” The question thrown back to me was, “What do you think?” and I had never been asked that. As it relates to moving an organization forward… we were given a blank slate kind of, and I don’t want to say a blank slate like The Bridge wasn’t something magnificent before, but in moving into this new space, we were given more of a blank space to really extend all of the things that The Bridge was doing and transform it into being able to create equity and space for artists to actually create.

The work Amber was able to accomplish under her Operations Manager title landed her the role of The Bridge’s new Chief Operations Officer (COO) in April of 2024. Adamant that she does not do this work alone, Amber emphasizes the importance of partnership in achieving the organization’s goals. She is committed to nurturing a collaborative environment where contributions are valued and integral to the success of The Bridge. Her leadership style focuses on empowering others, encouraging innovation, and maintaining open lines of communication. As COO, Amber plans to continue driving the initiative’s mission forward, ensuring it remains a thriving space for creative artists as a whole, while also shining a light on Artists of Color throughout Virginia.

Child posing at Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative

Q: You’ve seen an influx of artists of color coming in. What is that like? And what have you been able to see happening as a fly on the wall in this space?

Amber: Oh man, we have so much untapped talent in this town. My goodness, so much untapped talent. I just struggle with the fact that there’s somebody in charge of art. I struggle with that because art encompasses everything that we do right in life. Everybody demands art and wants art, but sometimes we don’t know how to really facilitate the conversations behind it… The project that we’re working on right now, with Hamilton Glass, he’s been able to transform what it is that he loves to do. Um, if I’m not mistaken, his background is in architecture. He was able to transform whatever it is that he does into actual artistic work. And he’s been able to work as a sustaining artist. So, being able to put other artists in front of people like that to say, “Well, what did you do?” and [it is helpful in] encouraging people.

Glass, an Artist residing in Richmond, spent time at The Bridge in June to share his work in collaboration with Star Hill Pathways and the Equity Center for the Charlottesville Mural Project, by serving as an instructor for a youth-centered mural camp. Glass and other artists of color are utilizing time at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative to expound upon their creative visions, develop new projects, and engage with the community in meaningful ways. Hamilton remarked, “I’ve had two previous experiences with The Bridge and the Charlottesville Mural Project. Both of them were great experiences, and this was no different. Amber and [The Bridge] staff supported my day to day work with the kids which made the process very organic. The students were able to come up with something that they genuinely designed from scratch and painted.”

Amber shares, “I did have someone ask me one time is The Bridge a Black space?’ And I had to let them know, no, we serve every facet of the community: Black, white, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist, agnostic, Mormon, LGBTQ+, straight, minding their business; we serve every facet of the community. I do think that having people of color within a nonprofit arts organization that has the voice that The Bridge has been extremely helpful to other Black businesses and organizations, as well as other folks and people of color in our community. I don’t want to say we set out to necessarily target a specific community, but we also understood that being in places of leadership and being able to take whatever it is that we have as The Bridge, as influence, and being able to work with organizations that serve people of color, has been greatly beneficial.”

To learn more about  The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, please visit thebridgepai.org

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Arts Community Community Development Entertainment Politics Sarad Davenport

Killer Mike Wins at the Grammys: A Social Commentary on the Legitimacy of the World Order

Los Angeles, CA - February 04: Winner Killer Mike, winner of the "Best Rap Album" award for "Michael", "Best Rap Performance" award for "Scientists & Engineers", and " Best Rap Song" award for "Scientists & Engineers," with trophy, at the 66th Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

by S. Davenport | Photo by By Jason Armond

Back in February, Hip Hop artist Micheal Render, known as Killer Mike, a 48-year-old Atlanta rapper — shocked the music world by taking home 3 Grammy Awards. In what he loudly proclaimed was a ‘clean sweep’ by the city of Atlanta, he won the awards for Best Rap performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album of the year—a coveted and hard to come by trifecta. The album entitled Michael, explores the ethical minefields of growing up as a Black male in Atlanta Georgia while simultaneously inviting listeners into the inner sanctum of what it means to survive as a Black man in America. It is a homiletical discourse and social commentary in an uncertain time where people are trying to make sense of what appears to be an unraveling social order.

One of the signature songs on the album is entitled ‘Scientists and Engineers’ and employs the assistance of sometimes eclectic and esoteric artist Andre 3000 of Outkast and force of nature and new age hip hop artist Future. Anyone that knows anything about Outkast and the Dungeon Family, you will know that the constant motif of outer space and aliens is deployed and the so called ATLiens fully embraced this theme in ‘Scientists and Engineers.’ From the robotic, futuristic and cosmic sounds that are infused into the intro or the autotune effect deployed in Future’s voice, the listener is elevated into a cosmic reality. 

As the listener is driven into space, we are challenged with constant polarities of what is ethical and unethical behavior throughout. There exists this tension in the song where observations are being made that inevitably inform future action. Specifically, in Killer Mike’s verse, there is a stanza where he states, “You can lie, cheat, and steal in America, and still be celebrated like Capitan America.” I was arrested when I heard this line because the social commentary here is that there is no moral high ground—no reward for compliance with a system that is illegitimate. It is to say that there is no consequence for corrupt character, and that in America, corrupt character is something that can, in fact, propel you to the echelons of society.

This article is not about Hip Hop music or the Grammy Awards, but what it is about is an undercurrent conversation that is happening. I believe that this conversation is happening both domestically and abroad where we are collectively wrestling with the question of whether or not America is, in fact, a nation of laws. 

Last April, I was invited to a lecture at the University of Virginia Law School from Georgetown professor Kristin Henning. Henning’s talk was based on her book entitled The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. In the book, Kristin challenges America’s often ‘irrational’ concerns about young people based on her experience representing youth in the juvenile court system in Washington, D.C. During her talk, she mentioned the concept of the illegitimacy of the world order. Conceptually what this means is that our institutions that are charged with administering justice and being the arbiters of what is fair are in such disrepair that these institutions may have permanently lost the public trust—especially amongst Black people and those further marginalized by those systems and institutions. 

There are those who are making the observation as Killer Mike did that, “You can lie, cheat, and steal in America, and still be celebrated like Capitan America.” And the consequence of internalizing this draws the conclusion that the rule of law is a farce. Money, power, and prestige have their proverbial thumbs on the scales of justice. The consequence of this calculation is a belief amongst many, especially those without money, power, and/or prestige that the order is illegitimate and there is no true ethical framework to adhere to—and there is no benefit to doing what is considered lawful or right. 

To further prove that this conversation is happening, while I attended the Collaborative Journalism Summit last summer at George Washington University,  Kevin Hall, editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project said this, “People think it is crazy when I say it, that corruption is legal in the United States… And I don’t mean this in some sort of radical way. It’s just a matter of fact, a lot of things that would be treated as subversive or non-transparent in the rest of the world is legal here in the United States.” The deeper implication that Hall is saying here is that for some, the rules simply just do not apply. 

The long-term implications of this is that if the rules only apply to some of us, then inevitably, they will apply to none of us. 

This idea that the world order is illegitimate must have a counter balance and can only be of course corrected by those who operate from a higher ordered ethical framework. The beauty in all that could be terrible of America is its ability to reinterpret itself and course correct. We saw those types of course corrections led philosophically by the likes of Fannie Lou Hammer and others who pushed America to reinterpret itself and restructure the execution of its idealism to make it more and more legitimate. What makes America truly powerful is this constant course correction and pursuit of the ideal that it is self-evident that all men [people] are created equal and that we more fully embrace this self-evident truth in each iteration.

Both home and abroad, there are consequences for not ethically course correcting. We see our global ideological and economic competitors offering the world what is being sold as a more legitimate order. If we are not actively in pursuit of a more perfect approach, then there are those who are positioning themselves as alternative partners, especially abroad.  Their premise is that America does not have a framework for peace, stability, and development but only for chaos, instability and destruction. Killer Mike’s social commentary supports this idea when he states in the next stanza, “F— it, I’m wit it. Let’s get it,” meaning that if there is no desire by the order to course correct and have a more ethical framework, then it is logical to pursue chaos, instability, and destruction as a means to power, money, and prestige as if—it is the American way.

Sometimes I wonder if we are too far gone and that some form of dystopian reality is inevitable. I am also of the belief that if we continuously project dystopia, then that is what we will inevitably have. However, in my more optimistic moments, I believe that it is important that we ideate on a more optimal and legitimate reality—a framework for humanity that is a more flexible container that can hold us all in spite of our differences. This will require us to activate a higher order of being that brings forth light to counterbalance the orchestrators and forces of darkness. Ironically, Killer Mike’s album cover depicts a younger ‘Michael’, as the album is titled, crowned with both an angel’s halo and and also the devil’s horns, so as to imply what Martin Luther King once said, “There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.” It is to say that it is possible for us to descend into the darkest of our capabilities as humans, but it is also possible for us to rise out of that darkness and restore balance and legitimacy, collectively building a vessel that can hold us all. 

 

Categories
Arts Community Community Development Entertainment Niya Bates

reReflector 04: Big Lean & “Ghost of Vinegar Hill”

by Niya Bates | Photos by Lincoln Carr

Featured photo:Lincoln Carr aka “Big Lean” reflected on a truck hood.

I think we have all been a little haunted by what Lincoln Carr aka “Big Lean” calls the “Ghost of Vinegar Hill” in one of his recent singles. Piano chords open the track before the beat kicks in. In the first verse of the song, he talks about his grandma selling candy apples out of her home on Prospect Ave and other family on Grady Ave and 12th street. He laments watching the streets “swallow n*ggas like Reese’s pieces”: his observation of how Charlottesville’s drug and street culture negatively impacts us all and results in good people dying too young. In the second verse he speaks on Black youth being “trapped like the slave bones down at UVA”. The hook declares:

“Small city, small mindset. N— don’t grow up out it. Dreaming of making it out, but don’t know how to go about it. To live in the Ville, to die in the Ville. It’s almost like my town’s cursed – the Ghost of Vinegar Hill.”

By now, most Vinegar Hill Magazine readers are experts on the history of Charlottesville’s oldest Black neighborhood and the former Black business district that was razed in 1964 during Charlottesville urban renewal campaign – allegedly in the name of improving Charlottesville’s image, providing better housing, and encouraging more development downtown. Sixty years later, we are left with a large surface parking lot in front of Staples and an affordability crisis that is pushing more Black residents out of the city. Few buildings remain of the once vibrant Black neighborhood: The Jefferson School, Vinegar Hill Theater, the Oddfellows Hall (now Common House), and a few houses in the neighborhood. A majority of the businesses that flourished in Vinegar Hill, like Inge’s Grocery and the barbershops, have long since closed. The families who once owned homes in the neighborhood have been pushed into public housing developments, expensive rentals, or are struggling against increasing real estate assessments to hold onto family homes in 10th & Page, Rose Hill, and Fifeville. These are some of the ghosts in Big Lean’s song.

If you’ve been following Lincoln’ musical journey for a while, you’re probably a fan of his mellowed out beats and easy rhymes about what it was like growing up in Charlottesville in the 90s and 00s. When he first got into music professionally, I remember seeing him perform at Satellite Ballroom and the Tea Bazaar when those were the local hip-hop venues that supported artists like The Beetnix (fronted by Damani Harrison), Jae Griff (Josh Griffin), and Linz Prag. They hailed from a generation of local musicians whose families had been in the area for a while, and who came up in Charlottesville after its early 1990s moment as a rising east coast hip hop destination. My favorite hip hop professor, Claudrena Harold, told me that Charlottesville and UVA were even featured in The Source magazine in a “Rap on Campus” feature in 1991. Lincoln got into rap because his father had VHS tapes of 80’s hip hop music videos by LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee, Kurtis Blow, and others. His sister introduced him to 90s rap and hip hop, but Lincoln didn’t officially become “Big Lean” until the death of his friend-turned-brother in 2009.

Lincoln Carr along a fence in Richmond, VA where he currently resides. 

Lincoln’s family family lineage can be traced back in Charlottesville for at least five generations. He and his older sister, Shameera, have been doing their family’s genealogy and learned that one of their great grandmothers was Amy Bowles Farrow. She owned over 220 acres of land and is considered a founder of the Free State community, which was located near the present day Dunlora and Belvedere neighborhoods. Their family still owns some of that land, which is mentioned in another track called “Playa’s Anthem.” When asked what his family’s history meant to him as an artist, Lincoln replied, “The farther I go back, the more I see that my family has always been here in Charlottesville/Albemarle area and other parts of Virginia.  It’s interesting to see, because we were taught that we all just come from Africa, but I am finding more, and more indigenous and native roots.”

Big Lean’s music, especially “Ghost of Vinegar Hill” speaks to ways that he feels like Black people in Charlottesville haven’t progressed as much as we should as a community. Some of the lyrics in songs point to changes in street code that put money and clout above loyalty and community, values he believes would help the Black Community find success beyond oppressive “ghosts” and past traumas. Lincoln hopes that his music catalogue will leave life jewels and inspirational stepping stones for his future descendants. When I asked him about legacy and the future, Lincoln had a few things in mind. On building generational wealth, he said, “learning my history and knowing that we owned land and were self-sufficient at one point, and then losing that as a family, has inspired me to bring that back to my bloodline and teach how to keep it.” He thinks young people in Charlottesville need more creative outlets and more support for the arts, especially Black-owned live music venues, engineering and technical training, financial literacy, and therapy. He says, “We suppress our traumas, which leak into the community.” In his songs he addresses racial profiling and policing of Black communities. He also believes that the community needs to do more to prevent youth from coming into contact with the police. Over and over, he stressed the importance of community and working toward being more self-sufficient.

Lincoln Carr aka “Big Lean” 

If his previous musical projects have addressed the ghosts that haunt us, the next complete project “Keep It Playa” is more reflective of the healing journey that Lincoln has been on personally. “I’ve been creating music for 14+ years now, so I’m really comfortable and confident with myself and my music.  Not that I haven’t always been, but I’m past the point of feeling like I have something to prove lyrically.  You can hear this in my relaxed flow on this current project.  Add some heartbreak, and loses, and you have this current project.” Lincoln’s story shows how we can all use family history as a source of pride and empowerment. This March, we celebrate the women like Amy Bowles Farrow, who left a legacy that continues to build and whose descendants are carrying the torch.

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Arts Community Community Development Entertainment

Grammy Winner Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Melvin Crispell III Unite for Black History Month Gospel Concert

 

UVA’s Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is set to bring the critically acclaimed “Gospel sensation” Tasha Cobbs Leonard to the Charlottesville area. On February 16th, the Grammy Award-winning artist will headline the University’s Annual Black History Month Gospel Concert.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard, recognized by Forbes as “the most successful contemporary gospel artists of our time,” has carved her name in the musical world. Known for her chart-topping singles like “Break Every Chain” and “You Know My Name,” the artist’s 11-year career boasts a surplus of inspiring and motivating songs that her listeners gravitate to. The gospel singer has worked with the likes of artists from several music genres including heavy hitter gospel artists like Kierra Sheard and Tye Tribbet, to the likes of Common and Nicki Minaj.

The much-anticipated Black History Month concert is scheduled to take place at the historic Paramount Theatre in Charlottesville. The ticketed free concert is already a sold-out event shortly after its Mid-January announcement. In past years for the concert, the university has brought the likes of artists like Anthony Brown, and Jonathan McReynolds, among others,

Adding to the musical magic, Tasha Cobbs Leonard will be sharing the stage with Dove and Stellar Award Nominee, Melvin Crispell III. Widely recognized for his musical prowess, Crispell made a significant impact with his debut album, “I’ve Got a Testimony,” in 2020, followed by his equally compelling second release, “No Failure,” in 2023. His soulful and dynamic performances have garnered acclaim, and their combined artistry promises an unforgettable evening and profound celebration of musical excellence that will resonate with the audience.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s career transcends music. While widely known as this powerhouse singer, Leonard also dons the hat of Author with her 2014 release of “Worship 101,” and the upcoming 2024 release of Do It Anyway: Don’t Give Up Before It Gets Good. She also works as an actress, entrepreneur, and Co- Pastor alongside her husband Kenneth Leonard Jr. at their South Carolina church.

This event will not only celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the African American community here in Charlottesville, but also serves as a testament to the UVA Division of DEI’s commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and the appreciation of various artistic expressions. Charlottesville fans are ready to experience the magic of Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Melvin Crispell III in a concert that goes beyond entertainment, embracing the spirit of unity and celebration during this Black History Month. For more information, please visit theparamount.net.

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Arts Community Development Entertainment

Oscar-Nominated Director Ava DuVernay to Attend Virginia Film Festival

The Virginia Film Festival is set to host a media availability for the Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay, known for her acclaimed works such as “Selma” and “The 13th”. This event will take place in advance of the U.S. premiere of her latest film, “Origin”. The event is scheduled for Friday, October 27, at 6PM at the Paramount Theater.

DuVernay’s new film, “Origin”, is a compelling exploration of the creative inspiration and process behind the writing of Isabel Wilkerson’s bestselling book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents”. The film reflects on the events of August 11 and 12, 2017, which were a major catalyst for Wilkerson’s writing of the book.

In addition to the premiere, DuVernay will be hosting a private screening and conversation with a group of community members who were directly affected by the tragedy depicted in the film. This intimate event is set to take place earlier on the same day.

The availability is part of the 36th Annual Virginia Film Festival, which will run from October 25-29. The festival, held in downtown Charlottesville and on the Grounds of the University of Virginia, will feature more than 100 films and special events. For more information, visit virginiafilmfestival.org.

The media event on October 27 will begin at 6PM at The Paramount Theater. Attendees will be met by the Festival publicity team outside the theater and escorted inside the Paramount to set up.

For further inquiries, please contact John Kelly of John Kelly PR at 434-987-6513.

Categories
Arts Community Community Development Jessica Harris

Marisa Williamson & “Unsettling Grounds” 

a woman near a window
Marisa Williamson during an Unsettling Grounds planning meeting. Photo Credit: Hyeyon Moon

by Jessica Harris; featured photo by Hyeyon Moon

The Unsettling Grounds mobile app is now available to download on all iOS and Android devices at https://unsettlinggrounds.com/. 

Marisa Williamson is an artist unafraid of pushing boundaries and challenging narratives. 

Perhaps that’s why her most recent creation, an augmented reality mobile app called Unsettling Grounds, has such an apt title. The piece contextualizes Charlottesville’s Woolen Mills by inviting users to engage in its history via interactive and creative experiences. Suffice to say, the app is in line with Marisa’s powerful, gripping, artistic style. 

Grappling with history and its impact is not new to Marisa. Growing up in Philadelphia, she was instilled with “the idea of history being alive and something you walk through every day.” This notion of the importance of bringing history to the present wove its way into her artistic praxis, too, as her work grapples with themes of history, race, feminism, and technology.

a woman holding up plans for an exhibition
Marisa Williamson, at an Unsettling Grounds planning meeting. Photo credit: Hyeyon Moon

Her pieces are riveting, bold, and innovative. She uses performance art, mixed media, textiles, and more to challenge narratives of the past and create living monuments to ancestors. As such, she believes that “some of the things borrowed from the world of activism can find a place in art.”

Marisa received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and while she didn’t plan to pursue art in college, she soon discovered the potential that art has to challenge and transform. She later deepened her work in the intersection of social change and creativity at CalArts where she received her Master’s of Fine Arts. 

This “artivism” philosophy also aligns with her extensive work as an educator. She’s taught in just about every educational setting imaginable: elementary schools, alternative schools, and  higher education settings. “I really like taking young folks through a space and doing inquiry-based learning, asking them what they see and think about history and art… and trying to see what’s not there,” she says.

Since 2021, she’s been on faculty at the University of Virginia where she completed an artist residency in 2018. And while Marisa might not be a Charlottesville native, her work and this locale have been inextricably linked for years. She’s created site-specific work at Monticello and at the University of Virginia. Some of her more well known works grapple with Sally Hemings, an important historical figure and former enslaved laborer at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate, and the impact of her legacy. 

In her artist statement, Marisa shares that she hopes her work provides “insight not only into how history is understood, but how it is felt.” She strives to create works that you can teach from, and art that invites dialogue and reflection. “Slow art,” she says, “art that takes awhile to unpack or to launch or to land” is equally important to her. And her latest curated project, Unsettling Grounds, is a perfect combination of these elements. 

a group of people in a community space
The creative team at an Unsettling Grounds planning meeting at Visible Records. Photo credit: Jay Simple

It’s an app that powerfully couples art with history, and contemporary engagement with contextualization. The app officially launched in June 2023 and is an augmented reality and interactive storytelling tool, highlighting experimental and monumental works by Black, Brown, Indigenous & rural artists. Per the app’s description, “using this app, audiences will uncover hidden histories of lesser-known struggles for freedom….Unsettling Grounds makes visible and audible the hidden past.”

“The plan was to pull ideas together, and to create digital and monumental scenes that reflected history,” Marisa says. Users must move their phone – walk forward and backward, turn around, and be fully immersed in space to engage fully with the scenes and uncover the stories. While the app guides users through the Woolen Mills area, one does not need to be on-site to use it. The immersive and interactive components can be launched and engaged with anywhere. 

a screenshot from an app
A screenshot from the Unsettling Grounds application.

The process of putting together the application was a whirlwind experience. In partnership with Albemarle County, the project received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in September 2022. Between last fall and the official launch, Marisa and her team have been working overtime to bring this piece to life. 

The app features work by artists Marie Tattiana Aqeel, Joumana Altallal, Myra Anderson, April Branham, Tanesha Hudson, Aidyn Mancenido, Alma Rayen Molina, Kweisi Morris, Adrienne Jacobson Oliver, and Sandy Williams IV. It was fabricated by Dream Syndicate, and received support from Amber Smith, Brandon Lee, and The Bridge PAI. “It was a good group that really challenged me. There’s a monumental thing that happened just in the group collaborating and trying to get stuff done, which I hope to make happen again somehow,” Marisa smiles. 

Perhaps equally fulfilling for Marisa was the launch event for the app, and seeing different groups of people connecting with one another and mingling in the space. “It was interesting at the launch to have the kind of vibe of underground-ness in this slightly intimate space,” she notes. The power of connection with the community was felt – both in the app and at the launch event. 

a gathering with dozens of people
The Unsettling Grounds launch event. Photo credit: Jay Simple

When asked what she hopes folks walk away with after engaging with Unsettling Grounds, she says, “I want people to enjoy being immersed in these kinds of sonic archival experiences, and I want them to be curious about getting to the bottom of it.” She also hopes users leave with the understanding that “we as people won’t be the first and we won’t be the last. And we need to live like that.” 

The team’s goal is to hold artist talks or tours and bring the project more fully into the community, using it as a tool for education and dialogue. As for her personal artwork, Marisa’s hoping to head back into the studio to finish up some new and exciting projects. No matter where her work may take her, Marisa is sure to leave an indelible legacy – both in augmented and actual reality. 

–

To download the Unsettling Grounds app, visit: https://unsettlinggrounds.com/

To learn more about Marisa, visit her website at: www.marisawilliamson.com

Categories
Arts Community Community Development Entertainment Hometown Heroes Jessica Harris

Ti Ames and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” 

the cast of a play
The cast of the Charlottesville Players Guild's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Photo: Full cast (Top row: (l-r) Ivan Orr as Toledo, Jude Hansen as Irvin, Leslie Scott-Jones as Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Keaira Reese as Dussie Mae, Saturn Edwards as Sylvester Brown, Nick Hagy as Sturdyvant, Stephen Haske as Policeman; Bottom row: (l-r) Jordan Sykes as Cutler, Greg Thompson as Levee, Ike Anderson as Slow Drag). Credit: Cara Walton Photography

by Jessica Harris; featured photo by Cara Walton Photography

Featured photo: Full cast. Top row: (l-r) Ivan Orr as Toledo, Jude Hansen as Irvin, Leslie Scott-Jones as Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Keaira Reese as Dussie Mae, Saturn Edwards as Sylvester Brown, Nick Hagy as Sturdyvant, Stephen Haske as Policeman; Bottom row: (l-r) Jordan Sykes as Cutler, Greg Thompson as Levee, Ike Anderson as Slow Drag. 

To reserve your ticket to “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” visit the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center website. Updated shows run June 15- 17 and June 29- July 2, 2023 | Thursday-Saturday, shows are at 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm. General Admission: $20. All tickets will be at will call. To get in touch with director Ti Ames, email them at sankofalovely@gmail.com.

It goes without saying that the dynamic Ti Ames is a familiar face around Charlottesville. 

Maybe that’s because they’ve been embedded in the community for over 20 years. Or maybe because they’re an accomplished director and performer, singing and acting on stages all over the region. Or perhaps it’s because of their role as Education Director at Live Arts.

Whatever the reason, it’s an indisputable fact that Ti is a creative artist, visionary, and educator whose work has left an indelible impact on our community. And their latest work directing “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the Charlottesville Players Guild (CPG) is certainly no exception. 

Ti was born in Baltimore, but moved to Charlottesville at a young age when their mom started a church in the area. The creative arts have always been a part of their life and guiding their journey. “I was that kid who ran to my imagination all the time because it was safe and fun,” Ti smiles.

a person sits on a stage
Ti Ames, Director of the Charlottesville Players Guild’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Summer 2023. Photo credit: Anna Kariel Photography.

They first entered the Charlottesville arts scene at age 8 when they took part in an animation camp at Light House Studio. The next summer, they participated in camps at Live Arts, and did so until age 17. “I did everything I could to be an actor,” Ti shared. They poured themselves into theatre, participating in local shows and engaging in as many opportunities as they could – both locally and even nationally. 

However, it wasn’t until they began studying at Oberlin College that they truly discovered the power of Blackness in theatre. “It took taking classes linked in both theatre and Africana studies to realize, ‘Hey, there’s more to theatre than just white plays and white theatre,’” Ti shared. And this entry into Black theatre practice has been transformational for them, to say the least.

After exploring the performance route for a bit, Ti found that acting wasn’t their calling. “I didn’t want to hide anymore…I wanted to be,” Ti reflected. This desire to be pulled them towards directing. And similar to their younger self whose imagination ran wild with creativity and sought escape, part of Ti’s love of directing came from their love of building worlds. They shared, “I realized that I was building worlds in my head, and I wanted to put them out in the world.”

Their directorial mission is to foster safe space for actors to explore and create through ritual, and to tap into folks’ inner child. Ti works to help actors advocate for themselves, support each other, and foster community. “I think Black people, we naturally do that wherever we go. But it’s nice to be able to help teach people how to do that,” they smiled. 

Most recently, Ti put those skills into practice, directing August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at CPG. The play is centered on four Black, male band members, and titular character Ma Rainey as they perform in a white recording studio in Chicago, 1927. They are all trying to make a living, while the white record label staff seeks to increase their profits on the backs of these Black performers. 

a woman sings at a microphone
Leslie Scott-Jones as Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. Ma sings “Hear Me Talking To You” in the recording studio. Photo credit: Cara Walton Photography

“Ma Rainey is the story of survival of this band who was trying their hardest to make money, but also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually sustain themselves. And how is that even possible when there’s a white man breathing over your shoulder every five seconds?” Ti asked. 

In CPG’s production, Ti has drawn a parallel between 1927 and 2023. “We’re talking about how Black people, whether right when enslavement began or now, have been performing for white people and performing a certain level of Blackness for their own safety, for their own protection, for their well-being generally.” And, in line with August Wilson’s other plays, this production interrogates that plight, and seeks to peel back the characters’ multilayered Black experience.

Part of what makes this CPG production so powerful is an exciting spin Ti’s added. “What you’re expecting to hear is 1920s blues and jazz feel right? What you’re going to get is jazz and blues with a neo soul spin with an early 2000’s R&B spin. We are illustrating that not much has changed. Whether you are a blues singer in the 1920s or a hip hop mogul of 2023, who is still signing your checks?” Ti commented. 

Another aspect of this show that makes it feel communal is the fact that the audience is quite literally thrust into these intimate conversations with the characters. During the show’s opening speech, Ti invites audiences to engage in call and response – to share with the cast their reactions, laughs, and gasps throughout the show in a life-giving way. This practice breaks down barriers between the fictional world of “Ma Rainey” and the audience’s current reality, and invites us to connect across this divide. 

Additionally, this production has also brought together various artists and creatives, including actors from Charlottesville and three actors from Lynchburg. [To see the whole cast and crew, visit their virtual playbill here.]  Each of the performers has met the challenge of performing Wilson – which is to say, a tremendous lift. “Not only are people memorizing three, four-page monologues, they’re also memorizing lyrics and songs,” Ti said. “It’s ritual and performance and toeing that line.”

Yet, this show is not simply about tackling generational traumas and the plight of the music industry. The authentic joy and exuberance that the cast brings to the heavy material is tremendous. The show is simply electric, fast-paced, and real. During the show, audiences witness these captivating characters as they share their memories, traumas, passions, and loves – and remain present with them every step of the way. 

This talented ensemble of performers brings a connection and energy that is palpable. And it’s even more special that this show is performed at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, a space filled with such rich history and meaning for Black Charlottesville. “I walk into the theatre every day and remind myself I’m a part of a legacy of CPG that’s been here for nearly 100 years,” Ti remarked. “So to be able to continue in that legacy means a lot.”

the cast of a play
Photo: Full cast (Top row: (l-r) Ivan Orr as Toledo, Jude Hansen as Irvin, Leslie Scott-Jones as Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Keaira Reese as Dussie Mae, Saturn Edwards as Sylvester Brown, Nick Hagy as Sturdyvant, Stephen Haske as Policeman; Bottom row: (l-r) Jordan Sykes as Cutler, Greg Thompson as Levee, Ike Anderson as Slow Drag). Credit: Cara Walton Photography

As the audience leaves the theatre, Ti wants them singing. “Not just singing, but SANGING,” Ti laughs. “I want them singing their feelings. I want them singing about how they experienced the show.” They hope that they continue discussing its themes, and that they feel “transported and yet very much grounded in reality,” and realize that “that this [story] could happen at any time with anybody.” 

As for what’s on Ti’s horizon, they’re planning to pursue graduate studies in directing. They just premiered selections from their original musical Blue Ridge Mama as part of Live Arts’ WaterWorks Festival, and it will be featured production for the 2024 WaterWorks. In the near future, they’ll also be directing Fireflies at Live Arts, and another show at CPG next year. 

Do yourself a favor and catch “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” before it leaves CPG on June 25. The cast’s talented and grounded performances, and Ti’s keen and powerful directing make this an unforgettable show. Judging by this performance, their extensive body of work, and their talent, passion, and care – there’s no telling what bright future is in store for Ti Ames. 

 

Categories
Arts Community Development Jessica Harris

Kori Price & Blackity Black Black 

a woman posing with art
Kori Price, president of the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective (CBAC) poses with art at the Blackity Black Black exhibit at the McGuffey Arts Center

by Jessica Harris 

“I don’t want to just survive as an artist. I want to thrive.” 

That phrase is artist Kori Price’s mission statement. And between her personal artwork and serving as president of the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective (CBAC), she is certainly working to do just that. 

A multidisciplinary artist whose media includes photography, writing, and weaving, Kori Price has been a creative for as long as she can remember. Born in Culpepper, Virginia, Kori is also an electrical engineer by training, and for the past three years has worked as a product manager at Emerson Automation Solutions in Charlottesville. 

However, it would be an understatement to say that by day Kori is a product manager, and by night, she is an artist. Rather, her disciplines and practices converge seamlessly into one another and impact every aspect of her life. “I’m starting to realize everything’s connected, especially with my practice as an artist–everything that I do can be a source of inspiration,” she says. 

In fact, something that makes Kori unique is the way she views artistic work from an engineering perspective. When she starts to work on a piece of art, her “engineering mindset takes over. I need these tasks and in this order to complete a piece. I have a plan…and a problem-solving mindset to create using my own art practice.” 

Perhaps it is this multifaceted thinking that has allowed Kori to flourish as an artist. A prolific photographer, her work has been shown at multiple galleries around town, including New City Arts, Second Street Gallery, and Studio IX, among others. She also creates weavings that use synthetic Black hair and writes poetry and prose. Currently, she’s writing a novel that compares feudalism with corporate America. “I don’t know anything about the Middle Ages,” Kori laughs, “but [the book] is going to have knights and kings and vassals and serfs, and it all kind of lines up with the hierarchy we see today.” 

By now, you may have come to realize that Kori is the definition of “booked and busy.” To allow time and space for all these projects, Kori is using this period of her life to focus her efforts more on her artwork and creative practice. “I want to be in art as much as I can and just be in a creative mode,” she says. “I feel like I’m in that cycle again where it’s discovery and research mode.” 

a black and white image of a field
A photograph titled “In Chorus” by Kori Price and provided by Kori Price

One of Kori’s many projects that she’s worked on the past few years has been starting the CBAC The collective was formally created in 2020 when local Black artists joined forces to curate Water: The Agony and Ecstasy of the Black Experience at the McGuffey Arts Center. Kori says that the artists who participated “enjoyed that show, and we needed that show, and we said, ‘What do we do next? How do we keep this going?’”

Needless to say, the CBAC has answered that call. The group’s efforts the past three years have included an exhibit titled Lay My Burdens Down, artist gatherings and shows, and film screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse. In a break from the heavier themes of their previous exhibits, their latest show Blackity Black Black at McGuffey Art Center is an unabashed celebration of all things Black.

an art exhibit of hair installations
One side of Kori Price’s piece “Did you just touch my hair? II” on display as a part of the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective’s Blackity Black Black exhibition at the McGuffey Art Center, photograph provided by Kori Price

The exhibition features thirty-five Black artists whose media run from photography and weaving to spoken word and mixed media pieces. This blend of artists mirrors the non-monolithic nature of Blackness, amplifying numerous perspectives and inviting viewers to understand various identities and experiences.  

This multiplicity of Blackness can be found in Kori’s personal work as well. She aims to amplify Blackness broadly through her pieces, and for her work to challenge audiences to think outside of traditional and expected confines and exist in – as she calls it, the gray area. “I’m trying to put viewers in the middle of whatever it is that I’ve created,” Kori states. “I want us to be in a gray area together.”

photography on a wall
Installation pieces and photographs of Black women’s joy from one of Kori Price’s past exhibitions titled “You can’t compromise my joy.” Photograph provided by Kori Price

Aligned with this notion of complexity, the Blackity Black Black exhibition challenges audiences to embrace this liminal space. Part of what is most powerful about this exhibition is its unapologetic celebration of Blackness in its entirety– not just the beauty and joy that Black folks experience, but the challenges and the heartache – our humanity.

The Blackity Black Black exhibition takes up two floors at the McGuffey Arts Center and leaves audiences feeling moved, changed, and inspired. The show will run until April 2, 2023. 

What’s up next for the CBAC? Currently, they’re working to expand their efforts. “If you are a Black artist and you’re interested in helping us grow and build and you have the time for it, we would love to have you,” Kori says. The CBAC hopes to hold more events, artist gatherings, and curate shows, continuing to incorporate as many artistic disciplines as possible. 

As for Kori? She’s going to continue carving out time for her art, and move towards focusing on her artistic practice more fully. With no doubt, no matter what she does next, she will bring her multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach, and will continue to artistically thrive. 

To learn more about the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective, visit charlottesvilleblackartscollective.com. 

To learn more about Kori, visit koripricephotography.com. 

Categories
Arts Community Development Entertainment

Poet Samantha Thornhill Comes to Charlottesville

STAFF WRITER

Are you a fan of poetry? Then you won’t want to miss the chance to celebrate the work of Samantha Thornhill, a talented poet who has recently published a new book of poetry entitled “The Animated Universe”. Samantha is a graduate of the prestigious MFA program at the University of Virginia, where she honed her creative writing skills and developed her unique poetic voice.

Samantha will be here on March 24, 2023 at 6pm at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Her work has been praised for its honesty, vulnerability, and emotional depth. In addition to her work as a writer, Samantha has also taught poetry at Julliard, one of the world’s most renowned performing arts schools. Her passion for the craft of poetry is evident in her teaching, and her students have gone on to achieve great success under her guidance. If you’re eager to hear Samantha’s poetry in person, then mark your calendars for her upcoming book signing and reading.

You’ll have the opportunity to listen to some of her beautiful and thought-provoking poems, and even get your copy of “The Animated Universe” signed by the author herself. And that’s not all! Samantha will also be featured at the Virginia Festival of the Book, a celebration of authors, writing, and reading that takes place each year in Charlottesville. This is an incredible opportunity to hear from and connect with some of the brightest minds in the literary community. So don’t miss your chance to celebrate the poetry of Samantha Thornhill. Whether you’re a die-hard poetry fan or just looking to explore the world of literature, you’re sure to find inspiration in this talented poet’s work.