Scenery is sparse underneath the Manchester Bridge, but Richmond artist Ian Hess is proposing a pop of color.
Hess’s proposal is a public arts park where local artists and patrons alike can come to create, learn, and experience the diverse array of artistic talent Richmond has to offer. The space will also allow artists to flourish, connect with other creatives and build opportunities for artists to make a career in the city.
Richmond was recently ranked second best city in the United States for public art by the USAToday Best List, and yet, there is no public arts park in Richmond.
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Arts program, and owner of the local art supply store Supply, Hess, 32, is an active member of the city’s art community and believes that Richmond is an East Coast hub for art and culture but opportunities for artists to flourish can be hard to come by.
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“The amount of talent in Richmond is insane,” said Hess. “There’s a desperate lack of structural, institutional support for artists. I am seeing an exodus of talent. People are going to other places and using Richmond in their bio or as a touchstone. I want Richmond to not be a touchstone, but a destination.”
The public arts park would consist of concrete wall structures 24 feet long, 3 feet wide and 9 to 18 feet tall, offering plenty of space for artists of all levels to showcase their work. It would serve as an outdoor rotating gallery of local artists. The initial estimated cost of construction is $455,000. In comparison, Hess’ presentation to the city includes the cost of painting Richmond’s bus lane red which was $2 million not including construction.
His proposal also includes the work needed to make the park come to life, including site clearing, potential site surveys requested by the city, building permits, inspections, landscaping and architectural design.
Hess also lists the benefits of using the empty space underneath the Manchester Bridge, south of the river. The unused spot is fully accessible for construction equipment, there is an existing bike path, walkway, and rock climbing wall leading to the site, and an existing trash system already in place for the area.
Hess sees potential for the site to become a thriving district away from local businesses.
Citing the success of the RVA Street Art Festival as proof of the city’s yearning for more art spaces, Hess wants the park to be a space for new artists to emerge and careers to be made. Richmond has hosted the RVA Street Art Festival at the Haxall Canal Hydro Plant in 2012, the GRTC Bus Depot in 2013, the Manchester Silos in 2016, and The Diamond 2017, then returned to the Hydro Plant again in 2022. The festival allows artists to practice and experiment with new mediums and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Mickael Broth, a Richmond artist known as the Night Owl, helped to organize the RVA Street Art Festival. Broth moved to Richmond in 2001 because of the city’s strong graffiti scene.
“I think Ian has definitely identified a major hole in the city’s landscape as far as having the space for people to learn this skill because like anything else, it takes practice to learn. You can’t just paint on a canvas and scale up,” Broth said. “He’s identified a void that needs a solution and it’s not a far fetched crazy idea. There are many places where people can just paint on a wall.”
Examples of existing public arts parks include IX Art Park in Charlottesville and Logit Phase 1 in San Antonio and many more around the United States. Hess says the parks are some of the cleanest areas in the city. They take care of themselves because people want to be there and foster community as much as possible. The public arts park also serves as a way to cut down on graffiti and vandalism.
The city of Richmond said that it is considering the project.
“The city values its collaboration with the local art community, as public art has been and remains an economic force in both Richmond and the surrounding area. However, while we appreciate every artist’s proposal, we must consider several factors before approving an art installation. Although we support the artist’s concept, we must continue to work together to find a suitable location that satisfies all parties involved,” a city spokesperson said via email.
“The recommendation of the city is to pilot a project like this on a smaller scale in a highly visible location to provide proof-of-concept,” the spokesperson added.
“With the city, it carries this massive ‘but,’” Hess said. “So far it’s been very minor things that are essentially a reason to not do the whole thing at that location.”
He said he’s also shopped his idea to the Department of Public Utilities and the Public Arts Commission.
For Hess, the lack of support is frustrating but it isn’t new in the arts community. Richmond mixed media artist, Todd Hale, earned a bachelor’s degree in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1996.
After graduation, Hale moved into an apartment above what was formerly Artspace, a gallery instrumental in starting the First Friday Art Walk in Richmond. Hale chose the location specifically because of its connection to Richmond’s growing art scene.
“I feel honored to even call myself an artist in a city of artists. It’s really a privilege and an honor and I take it pretty seriously that Richmond has this art tradition,” said Hale. “I have lots of great shoulders to stand on of artists that came before me and some who are still around.”
Hale owns Antennae gallery located at 8 E. Broad St, in what is considered the city’s Arts District. Hess’s art store Supply, is located at 305 W. Broad St. also in the Arts District. The city officially designated it the Arts District in 2012. The notion was appreciated but tenants of the area didn’t see any motion forward.
“I think the people in the city are supportive. Richmond itself is a city of art fans,” said Hale.
Hess believes a public arts park will allow Richmond to develop into a thriving city for the arts and raise up generations of makers to come. He predicts the public arts park will secure Richmond’s status as a top-tier city for the arts, garnering the attention of world-renowned artists to both collaborate on the effort and contribute to the development of the culture.
“It doesn’t have to be here [in the Arts District] but it needs to be somewhere. It’s creating touchstones where Richmond can foster its already vibrant art community and it doesn’t need a miracle,” Hess said.
A petition for Richmond’s first public arts park can be found at change.org.