The curtain comes down on Stay Gold: 20 Years of RVA Magazine & Gallery5 this Friday. Huge thanks to everyone who packed the place at the opening earlier this month. Big thank you to PLF, RVA Moon Market, Gallery5, Gull, Sweet Potatoes, No BS! Brass Band and The Head & The Heart‘s Rivers and Roads Foundation for partnering with us on this exhibition.
‘Stay Gold’ Exhibition Statement
Let us start with this: Richmond culture didn’t start with RVA Mag and Gallery5—not even close. We just picked up the thread and helped carry it forward.
Twenty years ago, we found ourselves in a city shaped by contradiction. Richmond had a deep history of rebellion, conservatism, and radical art—sometimes all on the same block. For decades before, artists, misfits, and free thinkers moved here for the art school; drawn by cheap rent, creative energy, and the city’s eccentric charm. What they built—mostly under the radar—was a thriving underground culture that helped redefine the creative fabric of Richmond and Virginia.
By the time we showed up, the foundation was already there. But our generation came of age at a digital crossroads—when flyers were still stapled to telephone poles and words in print still mattered, but we were evolving, using new platforms like MySpace and Facebook.
For the first time, a broader creative network wasn’t just out there—it had become reachable, visible, and was starting to organize. We weren’t just hoping to bump into likeminded people at shows and record stores—we were finding them, connecting with intention, and building something that could cross neighborhoods, genres, and scenes.
That’s how RVA Mag, launched in a small apartment in The Fan with almost no money, and Gallery5, opened in a former firehouse by people with no gallery experience, not only survived—but helped shape the next two decades of creative life in this city. We were agile in ways the establishment wasn’t.
And as Richmond began to change, the idea we were putting out there—that this could be an inclusive, expressive, DIY city—started to resonate.
What you will see in this exhibit is a visual story of that evolution, told in three parts.
Stay gold,
R. Anthony Harris
Co-founder and Publisher, RVA Magazine
Landon Shroder
Co-publisher, RVA Magazine
THANK YOU FROM GALLERY5
Amanda Robinson, Jeremy Parker, Prabir Mehta, Mark Amrhein, Calvin Ashley, Brit Austin, Jameson Babb, Jessica Back, Heather Bailey, GWAR Bar, Justin Black, Tristan Brennis, John Chambers, Carmel Claven, Nicole Coppino, Bird Cox, Nicholas Crider, Christian Dawson, Aspen DeRosa, Lauren DeSimone, S. Preston Duncan, Scott Elmquist, Mary Chris and Michael Escobar, Poppy La Fae, Andrew Fedynak, Shelia Gray, Curtis Grimstead, Trey Burnart Hall, Carl Hamm, Don Harrison, Jeremy Michael Harwood, Ian C. Hess, Miles Hopkins, Melisse Ilhan, Shanna Jackson, JK, Maeve Jones, Harry Kollatz Jr, Hillary Kay, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Pete Konrad, Lil Lamberta, Justin Laughter, Jason Lefton, Matt Lively, Trieste Lockwood, Ryan Loredo, Bill Martin, Katie McBride, Kat McCroy, Peter McElhinney, Shanna Merola, Liza Mickens, Ash Moore, James Munoz, Dave Murray, Kim Nario, Triston Noble, Megan Nolde, Brionna Nomi, Doug Nunnally, Kevin Orlosky, Nathan Pal, Vanessa Pazmino, Brian Phelps, Nicole Pisaniello, Aube Porr, Jameson Price, Todd Raviotta, Tom & Dale Robinson, Maria Carra Rose, Shawn Saharko, Oura Sananikone, Noah Scalin, Shannon Sekerak, Jeff Shockley, Scott Smith, Katie Spencer, Paul Spicer, Jim & Caroline Stewart, Herschel Stratego, Laney Sullivan, PJ Sykes, Ant The Symbol, Ward Teft, Yoseph Teklemariam, Madison Thompson, Francis Thompson, Jo’Rie Tigerlily, Bruce Vanderbilt, Melissa Vaughn, Chanelle Vigue, Lauren Vincelli, Susan Wagner, Billy Wallace, Hamilton Glass / Mending Walls, Sam Walmsley, Maya Walters, Bryan Walthall, Steven Warrick, Joseph Whitfield, Matt Wild, Tyler Williams, Celina Williams, Kenny Yates, Rivanna Youngpool, Art 180, Richmond Performing Arts Alliance
THANK YOU FROM RVA MAGAZINE
John Reinhold, Landon Shroder, Kimberly Frost, Jeremy Parker, Christian Detres, John Taylor, Adam & KC Sledd, Marilyn Necci, Brad Kutner, Tess Dixon, Amy David, Caley Sturgil, Dan Anderson, Ken Howard, Rachel Whaley, Addison Herron-Wheeler, Jeff Smack, Bryan Woodland, Joey Wharton, Brandon Peck, David Kenedy, Scott Whitener, S. Preston Duncan, Ryan Kent, Ben Muri, James Wilson, Kathryn Whitley, John Yamashita, Todd Raviotta, Hamooda Shami, Elliot Robinson, Taylor Womack, TEAM 8, Christopher Adkins, Amir Al-Qadaffi, Madelyne Ashworth, Daniel Berti, Teddy Blanks, Randy Blythe, Doddie Braza, Dave Brockie, Mickael Broth, Marissa Browne, Phil Browne, Jimmy Budd, Elliott Burton, James Callahan, Vinny Candela, Marc Cheatham, Shannon Cleary, Reef Clem, Heidi Cregge, Hardywood Crew, Brandon Crowe, Jon Donegan, Michelle Dosson, Mike Dulin, Cody Endres, The Camel Family, Tony Foresta, Jimi Foster, MASS FX, Norm at Katra Gala, J.D. Gavin, Matt Goins, Teddy Gregson, Mary Heffley, Shahan Jafri, Long Jawns, Conway Jennings, Kevin Johnson, Davy Jones, Adam Juresko, Nick Kessler, Steven King, Evan and Jimmy at Kulture, Chris Lacroix, Aimee Lauren, Josh Lingerfelt, Black Liq, Jonathan Martin, Jake Mayday, Justin McClung, Prabir Mehta, An at Mekong, Michael Millions, James Milner, Thea at World of Mirth, Dan Mulrooney, Doug Nunnally, OURA, Randy O’Dell, Reggie Pace, Ace Patel, CJ Payne, Shane Pomajambo, Pete & Liz Humes at Punchline, Gabriel Ricioppo, Mike Roberts, Amanda Robinson, Casey & Marche at Rumors, Mike Rutz, Gabriel Santamaria, Tyler Scheerschmidt, Marc Schmidt, James Seretis, Nidhi Sharma, Eric Shell, Karen Siefert, Lisa Sims, Griffin Smalley, Dreuw Snyder, Shannon Conway at Starlite, Kayte Stracener, Kelli Strawbridge, Stuntkid, Ko Suom, Peter Szijarto, Alison at Taboo, Fred Pinckard & Katie Davis at Salvation Tattoo, Yoseph & Benny Teklemariam, Joe Vanderhoff, Lauren Vincelli, Chris Visions, Charles Watlington, Tyler Williams, Eddie Wilson, Branden Wilson, Landis Wine, Anna Wittel, Meghan Worsham & Ian M. Graham (RIP)
Photos by Metta Bastet
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