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The Face Of A Movement

Jonah Schuhart | July 27, 2020

Topics: art, black lives matter, black lives matter richmond va, black lives matter virginia, george floyd tattoo mural richmond, loose screw floyd mural, Loose Screw Tattoo, mad rva, mutual aid richmond, Richmond protests, richmond va artists, richmond va george floyd protest, richmond va tattoo shops, rva mutual aid, tattoo artists richmond va

Loose Screw Tattoo owner Jesse Smith painted an iconic mural of George Floyd on his boarded-up storefront. Now the tattoo artist is using his work to support local charities. 

Since the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests saw an outpouring of support in Richmond in June, many businesses have reacted to the movement in different ways. Some have boarded up storefronts in response to damage and theft, and some have left signs and other messages showing support for the protesters.

Loose Screw Tattoo owner Jesse Smith saw this difficult situation as an opportunity. Smith took advantage of his boarded-up storefront to make a statement with his art. In the newfound free space, he painted a detailed mural of George Floyd to show Loose Screw’s support for the movement. Now, after positive feedback, Smith has auctioned his art to raise money for local charities helping communities in need. 

Originally hesitant to board up his shop, Smith eventually relented at the urging of his employees and brought out the plywood. 

“I didn’t really want to board up,” Smith said. “I felt like it sent the wrong message. I didn’t want to present that front to the protesters that were coming through… [But] a couple of people in my shop were feeling uncomfortable not boarding up. They were afraid some people would come in and steal or destroy some of their artwork.” 

PHOTO: George Floyd Mural at Loose Screw Tattoo by Jesse Smith

The blank canvas of plywood motivated Smith’s artistic instincts. He was compelled to cover the empty space, and as a graffiti artist for 10 years during the 90s and 2000s before opening his tattoo shop, he had an idea. With a few spare hours and a couple of loose spray paint cans, Smith created a mural of Floyd, the infamous victim of police brutality, on his storefront.

“George Floyd, to me, was a symbol of a time when people were ready for change,” Smith said. “I felt the need to paint his face there to show support for that movement.” 

In the shop’s statement about the mural, Loose Screw Tattoo said, “As part of the richly diverse community of Richmond VA, Loose Screw Tattoo stands in full support of those protesting against police brutality, systemic racism, and the unfair treatment of the black community in our country and across the world.” They continued, “Now more than ever, it is critical to listen to black voices, educate yourself and others, and be an advocate for human rights. We encourage you to vote in the primaries this month and to donate and show support to local/nationwide organizations that are doing incredible work for the cause. In order to incite change, we must unite and put in the work necessary to make a difference.” 

Unexpectedly for Smith, the mural garnered much attention from the public. Locals took photos, created vigils, and left flowers in front of the artwork. To further support the cause, Smith has auctioned off the mural to the highest bidder to donate the money to a local charity.

“At this point in my career… I don’t really make art to keep it,” Smith said. “I do it to sell it. When I started thinking about what to do with [the mural], selling it and keeping the money was super distasteful. I wanted to use that money to support a community that’s been suffering.”

PHOTO: Portrait of George Floyd by Loose Screw Artist Anna Wolff

Smith’s auction ran for ten days, from July 7 through 17. All proceeds from the auction will go to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Richmond, a branch of the larger MADR network that provides communities affected by disaster with food, medicine, and other much needed supplies. 

This auction is the most recent charitable endeavor from Smith. It is being presented by the Giving Arts Foundation, a charity organization formed as a collaboration between Loose Screw Tattoo and the Richmond Tattoo, Art and Music Festival. Over the years, the foundation has done a number of tattoo benefit events. Unfortunately, many of their events have been cancelled this year due to COVID-19, another global issue which the Giving Arts Foundation is working to organize a charity event for. 

“It’s always been a plan in the back of my mind, as I got older, to start giving back,” Smith said. “It feels really good to be able to use your talent to do something other than put money in your pocket.”

As the movement pushes forward, local artists and organizations will continue to show their support in creative ways. The Giving Arts Foundation is planning a Live Art For Charity event in September, which will aid the nonprofit in its mission to “empower artists in localities around the country to positively impact the community at large.” To find out more about Loose Screw Tattoo, visit their website and see their work on Instagram. 

Top Photo via Loose Screw Tattoo

My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: Lee Monument Ballerina Publishes Book

Zoe Hall | July 20, 2020

Topics: amanda lynch, art, ava holloway, ballet, black lives matter, black lives matter richmond va, BLM, blm richmond va, blm rva, bonnie lemaire, books, confederate statue removal richmond, confederate statues richmond va, kennedy george, Lee Monument, lee monument ballerinas, my ancestors wildest dreams, richmond protest

With My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams, Ava Holloway, who quickly attained fame with her ballet poses at the Lee Monument, illustrates her “summer of activism” as she works for justice during the pandemic. 

What happens when the world forces you to become an activist at age 14? This has been the story for countless American kids in recent years, and so it is for Richmond’s Ava Holloway, the ballerina behind the Lee Monument photos that captivated the nation.

Images of Holloway have been shared across the world, and even made its way into the headers of national media. On Zoom, Holloway’s mother, Amanda Lynch, sat in front of a map of the world covered with dot stickers, each marking a place where her daughter’s photos had been shared online. There were dots everywhere — Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America, too. 

Since Holloway’s ballet photo shoot in front of the Lee Monument went viral, the 14 year old straight-A student has taken on a new role: activist. Over the past month, she’s had an onslaught of interviews, created a scholarship with Brown Girls Do Ballet, and worked with her mom to publish a children’s book called My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams. It seems like things are happening fast — and they are — but as Holloway and Lynch have proven, anything is possible.

PHOTO: My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams by Amanda Lynch & Ava Holloway

It all started with the photos. Ballet photo shoots are a hobby of Holloway’s, even at highly populated events like Pride. As the Lee Monument continues to become a space of reclamation and celebration, artists have taken to its surface as a new canvas; to Holloway, it seemed like a natural location for a shoot.

In addition to local photographer Marcus Ingram, who had arranged to take pictures of Holloway and her friend Kennedy George, at least ten other photographers surrounded the girls on the first day they brought their tutus to the Lee Monument. By the end of their nearly four hours of posing, the photos had already gone viral. Reese Witherspoon and Misty Copeland retweeted it. The interview requests came flooding in. 

“When we were first having the interviews, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, is this ever going to stop?’” Holloway said. “Now I’m used to them! After the first interview, Kennedy and I worked on our answers. We learned to not say everything we think.”

Photo via Ava Holloway

Being interviewed by journalists is no easy task at 14 years old. But blessed with extroversion, Holloway doesn’t seem to mind. “I’ll talk to anyone,” she said. 

This comes in handy, because she’s also been recruited to help out with her school’s weekly racism discussions on Zoom. Lynch is proud. “If last month had not happened, I don’t know that these conversations would have taken off in the way they have. I’m proud to see that Ava and Kennedy have been the faces at the forefront of this conversation in terms of youth activism,” she said.

Meanwhile, in the midst of interviews, Holloway and Lynch got to work on a children’s book inspired by the event. 

My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams was a long time in the making. Lynch — a mindfulness educator and author of several books on the subject, including The Mindfulness Room — wanted to collaborate with Holloway on her next book. 

PHOTO: Ava Holloway by Marcus Ingram

“[My mom] kept telling me we were going to write a book, and I was thinking… I don’t write,” said Holloway. “She’s a scientist!” Lynch added.

Despite her aversion to writing, Holloway agreed to participate in a brainstorming activity. The two began collecting positive affirmations like “You are a good friend” and “You are safe” — comforting words to any child; but they hadn’t found the right format to publish them.

Then the photo shoot happened. Everything started to make sense. The book’s title came from the caption Holloway added to one of her Instagram posts of the photos: “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.” 

Lynch sent the manuscript to her long-time collaborator, illustrator Bonnie Lemaire, on June 22. Lemaire, who usually completes books in one to three months, had three weeks for this one. The 32 pages of hand-sketched, digitally-painted illustrations took just over a week to finish. 

“I’ve only done that twice, as far as a really quick turnaround,” said Lemaire, who has illustrated hundreds of children’s books. 

Lemaire lives about an hour north of Toronto, Ontario, far away from most of what’s happening in the States. “I’m actually sitting out on the deck [right now], and there’s a little chicken laying beside me,” she said, laughing at the rural-ness of it all.

PHOTO: Via Ava Holloway

“[Lemaire’s] experiences are just different,” Lynch said. “She’s been able to engage in conversations with people about what’s going on here. During Canada Day, she had a long conversation about what was happening. That’s not something I imagined that we would ever talk about.” 

“It took some research on her part to get it right, to be what our vision was,” Lynch continued. “With the first character that she drew, I said, ‘I need her hair to be a little more like this, I need her skin tone to be a little more like this…’ but she knocked it out of the park. She asked for pictures, so I sent her some pictures of Holloway and downtown. She just went from there. She knows that representation is really important to me.” 

“It’s such a positive message,” Lemaire said. “Even in Canada, we need to hear that, right?” 

Lemaire was happy to make revisions. “I don’t do a lot of realistic illustrations, so I listened closely to what [Lynch] wanted.”

Lynch pointed out that very few children’s books feature kids of color. “There are more bears in children’s books, and talking animals, than there are Black faces, so it’s really important for me for my kids — and I don’t just mean my children, but also my students — to see themselves in all of the characters,” Lynch said. “Ava sees Black ballerinas all the time. My son is a dancer, Kennedy’s older sister is a dancer. It’s never been foreign for them to see Black dancers, but that’s a very unique experience. I think for most people, it’s not that way.”

PHOTO: Ava Holloway by Marcus Ingram

To illustrators worried about how to properly represent a range of skin tones, Lemaire says, “It’s not that you tread lightly, you just want to make sure it’s the right imagery. There are no rules if you’re doing what the author wants, if you’re feeling good about it.” 

Her illustrations, which sweep across the page in luminous pastels, feel immensely loving. “I really wanted the character to look cute, and I wanted little girls to really resonate with that character,” said Lemaire. 

Lynch has already sold more than 400 copies of My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams through pre-orders on her website. The profits will go to a number of different charities, including Holloway’s scholarship, which provides dancers aged 6-16 with dance classes, pointe shoes, and leotards. 

“One thing that was important to us was offering scholarships for other students, because dance is extremely expensive,” said Lynch. “It’s been a real sacrifice for us as a family.”

If young dancers can get past the financial hurdle, Holloway’s experience teaches us that it’s worth it to follow your passions — even when the odds are stacked against you.

PHOTO: Via Ava Holloway

Despite being one of few non-white dancers at the Central Virginia Dance Company, Holloway said, “I’ve been going there for 11 years, so everyone knows everyone. If you don’t see someone that looks like you, you still have a support system behind you at all times. Our biggest thing is definitely respect.”

She can’t wait to return to dance class — and, for that matter, school. “I hope we can go back to school at least one day of the week. I’ll take that over online,” said Holloway. 

As for Lynch, mindfulness comes in many forms these days. 

“When we first started, I had a schedule that I wrote every day for Ava,” she said. “Every single day!” Holloway echoed.

“Now it’s like a free-for-all. Let’s just order GrubHub,” Lynch continued. “But that’s being mindful, too — it’s giving yourself grace where you are.”

After the overwhelming response to their photos, a fundraiser has been organized to support the academic and artistic pursuits of Holloway and Kennedy George. If you’re interested in purchasing My Ancestor’s Wildest Dreams, pre-orders are available here.

Top Photo by Julia Rendleman

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