Alleys: Past & Present
JACKSON WARD | RICHMOND VA
October 6 & 7, 2012 - Arts in the Alley Jackson Ward was a great success! Over the course of the weekend of October 6-7, more than 75 volunteers helped create 9 murals as well as paint a huge wall. Artists Katie Anderson, Brenda Hatcher, Betsy Morgan, McLean Jesse, and Susan Cary designed the breathtaking murals.
GREATER FULTON | RICHMOND VA
April 14 & 15, 2012 – More than 325 volunteers (yes, that blew us away, too!) painted an additional 8 murals as well as three complete buildings in Greater Fulton. Among the highlights: painting a classic car and a classic truck on the walls of a formerly nondescript car wash and detailing business and an absolutely striking mural on the garage door of Miss Joyce's Beauty Lounge. Our youngest volunteer for this one: 24 months old. She brought a crayon :).
GREATER FULTON | RICHMOND VA
October 8 & 9, 2011 – Close to 100 volunteers painted 16 murals along the business corridor in the neighborhood of Greater Fulton in Richmond's East End. This Arts in the Alley brought us one of our most dedicated volunteers: then-five-year-old Mia, who cleaned and primed and painted for more than six hours!
Mount Olivet Church | Richmond VA
March 12 & 13, 2011 – More than 175 volunteers spent anywhere from two to 26 hours transforming the 1200 block of North 25th Street in Church Hill into a breathtaking outdoor art gallery. An alley was cleaned and weeded, a basketball court appeared, and no fewer than nine murals (one being 14' tall and over 40' feet wide) were created. Children, adults, families, students, retirees - the community at large all came together and made the weekend something truly, beautifully transformative.
Beijing, China
August 21 & 22, 2009 – Yep! We went to China and revamped an alley and courtyard within a Beijing migrant worker neighborhood. Art and music transcend languages and borders, and collaborating with Chinese artists, dancers, and musicians turned out to be an amazing opportunity. In a neighborhood of extreme poverty and hardship, creating something bright and beautiful absolutely transformed the area.
Ally Katz & Walnut | RichMond, VA
August 23 & 24, 2008 – Our first alleys! Right behind Alley Katz, and adjacent to the Shockoe Bottom Farmer's Market, we planned for six murals and ended up painting 24 - including an elaborate mural for Alley Katz, a children's mural (where kids could place his/her handprints on it, to later be transformed into flowers), a mural of a giant dragon, and even one of a Lego-figurine 'creating' the slogan "Virginia is for Lovers".
