By Kathy Chouteau
Artists from Richmond High School and NIAD Art Center will come together for a Gallery Reception for their collection, “Richmond Artists Activate! Art & Activism from NIAD + Richmond High School,” Sat., July 8 from 1-4 p.m. at NIAD.
NIAD said the centerpiece of the collaboration is ten banners along 23rd Street in Richmond that each feature a detail from the 20 works of art on display in the Richmond Artists Activate! exhibition at the center located on the same thoroughfare. The banners can be viewed between Barrett and Roosevelt Streets in Richmond on an ongoing basis.
The Gallery Reception will include remarks from various Richmond leaders, NIAD and youth artist talks, and “music and sound” from other NIAD artists that are participating in the Exploring Arts Through Sound exhibition in the center’s Annex Gallery.
The high school students and NIAD artists have contributed to the Richmond Artists Activate! exhibition in “the spirit of community activism and creative energy” in the Richmond by “showcasing visual art that’s rooted in community,” said NIAD.
“RAA! truly has activated so many alliances across the cultural landscape of Richmond, with collaboration from Philip Mehas and Winifred Day at the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, Carlos Castro and Isaac Martinez from Richmond Public Works, Diego Garcia of Richmond High School and Leftside Printing, the youth artists, and all the various facilitators and mentors who supported this initiative,” said NIAD about the project.
Richmond High School artists taking part in Richmond Artists Activate! include: Samantha Flores; Deisy A. Villatoro; Escarleth D. Quevedo; Sally Salvador; and Zahira Paz. The NIAD artists involved in the exhibition are: Deatra Colbert; Raven Harper; Carlota Rodriguez; Guadalupe Soto; Jean McElvane; Julio Del Rio; Luis Estrada; Michelle Nonnarath; Jonathan Velazquez; Esmeralda Silva; Evelyn Davis; Mireya Betances; Peter Harris; Alice Sampson; and Shawn Sanders.
The Richmond Artists Activate! exhibition has become a reality thanks to the RACC 2022-2023 Neighborhood Public Art Mini-Grant Project, per NIAD.
NIAD Art Center is located at 551 23rd St. in Richmond. For more info about the exhibition, click here.
