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Sparking Conversations: 1708 Gallery’s Billboards Spotlight Social Issues, Civic Participation

David Tran | November 5, 2020

Topics: 1708 Gallery, billboards, Chilalay, Confederate monuments, Earl Mack, Election 2020, Nikko Dennis, police brutality, public art, Wilmer Wilson IV

Two new exhibitions from 1708 Gallery invite guests outside with billboard installations around the city. Artists Wilmer Wilson IV, Earl Mack, and Nikko Dennis hope to spread positivity and start important conversations.

Under the auspices of 1708 Gallery, public art installations by Wilmer Wilson IV and Chilalay founders Nikko Dennis and Earl Mack are currently on display around Richmond, hoping to invoke conversation on themes such as racial injustice, activism, policing, politics, and civil participation.

’til bronze flows through the streets, a billboard series by Richmond-born artist Wilmer Wilson IV, intends to disrupt billboards’ typical role of advertising by using the platforms to display texts and imagery that will initiate discussion about the anti-police brutality protests and other local activism happening around Richmond over the past few months.  

“I hope people will spend time re-imagining our shared institutions from the ground up,” Wilson said via email, “and catching glimpses of the beauty that awaits there, amidst all of the hard work that it will take to truly change how we relate to one another.”

Richmond has been and still is one of the pivotal sites of movements against systemic racism and police brutality. The removal of Confederate monuments, just a few of the many buildings and architectural structures around the city that are rooted in Richmond’s past, has been a discussion over the past summer.

To Wilson, the removal of such monuments falls short of establishing meaningful structural change, and allows systemic racism to silently continue. He wants his billboards to be a starting point for more conversations about this idea.

“Virginia history is one of terror in so many different ways. It’s visible in the very infrastructure of the city of Richmond,” he said. “Intervening onto the infrastructure and the landscape, however small or temporary, felt meaningful, hopefully not just to me but to all whom this place subjugated, and continues to subjugate, to constitute itself.”

The locations of Wilson’s three billboards are no accident either. Wilson said that two of the billboards, which are displayed together on the 200 block of West Grace St and are entirely text, are located across from the Richmond Police Department as an “annotation to or interjection into its existence there.”

The third billboard, located at 21st St and East Broad in Church Hill, is image-based, which Wilson said allows a “more grounded entry point” for conversations surrounding activism and political activity in that residential area, which he notes has recently undergone “fraught social changes.”

Wilmer Wilson IV, ’til bronze flows through the streets, 2020. Billboard, dimensions variable. Photograph by David Hale, courtesy of the Artist and 1708 Gallery.

Bronze and brass are at the core of Wilson’s pieces, two metals that, he said, are historically known for their durability, corrosion resistance, and spark-striking resistance. These copper alloys are used for cultural and utilitarian purposes, and Wilson suggested that in the same way, existing public structures that call to mind, and thereby reinforce, institutional racism can be “melted down” for a better use — perhaps rebuilding our institutions.

The second billboard project 1708 Gallery is currently presenting in Richmond is called SMILE… It was created by Nikko Dennis and Earl Mack, founders of the local design and apparel brand Chilalay.

Driving down Chamberlayne Parkway, drivers and passengers are greeted by a yellow-pink gradient billboard with a reminder to smile. The billboard suggests that a brighter future can be achieved through collective positivity and civil participation, such as voting. Part of the billboard stresses Richmonders to vote for “justice” and “peace” on Nov. 3.

Since the billboard is located in Jackson Ward, it was important for the gallery to make sure the space was occupied by voices within that area, explained 1708 Gallery’s curator, Park Myers. 

“Beyond the incredible importance of the neighborhood, it was important in working with and inviting Chilalay, because of that,” said Myers. “Their entire creative endeavor, their business, where they cultivate their ideas, happens in Jackson Ward.”

Dubbed “Black Wall Street” and “the Harlem of the South,” Jackson Ward has been a historic center for Black entertainment and businesses since the nineteenth century. To this day, the neighborhood remains a cultural hub for Richmond’s Black community.

Both Dennis and Mack are Virginia Commonwealth University alumni. Having launched their Black-owned small business in 2012, their presence in the Jackson Ward neighborhood has been well-established. 

When drivers or pedestrians pass by the billboard, Mack said he wants it to serve a reminder that some things are beyond our control, no matter how hard we try to fix them. “No matter what you’re going through, a smile will last forever,” Mack said.

While planned since before the pandemic began, the billboard installations are part of 1708’s continuous effort during the coronavirus pandemic to hold socially-distanced onsite and offsite exhibitions.

“We’re thinking about how our ambitions to support emerging artists continues in a time when we might not be able to be viewing exhibitions within the gallery space,” Myers said.

‘til bronze flows through the streets is now on view through Dec. 4 on 211 W. Grace St. and at the intersection of North 21st St. and East Broad St. SMILE… can be viewed until Nov. 29 at the intersection of West Jackson St and Chamberlayne Avenue.

Photos by David Tran unless otherwise noted

Capsoul Presents Cohesion: Where Craft Meets Culture

Mitchel Bamberger | August 10, 2020

Topics: Capsoul, Chilalay, Cohesion Double IPA, craft beer, craft beer richmond va, diversity, Eric Jackson, vasen brewing

Capsoul exists to help diversify taprooms and bring new communities to the world of craft beer. Their latest effort in this direction is Cohesion, a Double IPA bringing together the talents of Vasen Brewing and streetwear company Chilalay.

On August 15th, Capsoul is presenting Cohesion: a new beer that is the product of a collaboration between local Richmond brewery, Vasen, and a local streetwear company called Chilalay. Capsoul is a unique RVA company that acts as a cultural adhesive between local brewers and other Richmond businesses in other industries.

Eric Jackson is one of the cofounders of Capsoul, and offered some of his time to enlighten us on their mission and latest project. “The whole purpose of Capsoul is to diversify and energize taprooms… by bringing in new clientele, new faces, and a new demographic,” he said.

Photo via Capsoul/Facebook

Capsoul puts on events in local taprooms and operates brewery tours, but they primarily work to connect local brewers with potential collaborators in an effort to make craft beer culture inclusive, diverse, and more interesting. “A lot of times those demographics aren’t new to beer, but are new to feeling comfortable and at home in those spaces,” he said. 

Capsoul have a unique business model, one part production company and one part creative consultants. Through their operations, they help local brewers expand into new territories and make new connections by enlarging their social and business networks. Because every project and collaboration looks different and functions differently, it can be difficult to sum up what Capsoul does succinctly. There are their brewery events, as well as a magazine they publish on a regular basis. They also host a podcast about craft beer culture.

“We talk to different industry people within the brewery scene, local hip-hop artists, things like that,” said Jackson. “Our motto is ‘where craft meets culture.’” Part of the reason Capsoul is so versatile, and why it’s services and productions are so diverse, is because their interests and passions are equally eclectic. “We love craft beer but we also love the culture that we’re in,” he said. “It’s an outpouring of our passions.”

For Jackson, the dedication and enthusiasm that craft beer fans possess for the artful passion of craft beer is not so different from the enthusiasm streetwear fans have for their own passions. “In the same way people go out and stand in line for the new Jordans, craft beer drinkers do the same exact thing,” he said. “I think it’s a commodity that we all understand and it brings us together. It’s showing that there’s this cohesion right in our midst, and we don’t always see it.”

When Jackson was asked why he thinks some people who might enjoy it don’t discover craft beer, he said, “I think it’s a lack of exposure. I was exposed to craft beer within the career that I was working, and I loved it.” However, he immediately had to wonder why more of his friends didn’t seem to know about it.

“Why don’t any of my friends know about craft beer?” he remembered thinking. “There’s some really great options, besides Corona and Bud Light and the stuff you find in the store, at local spots in the city, that we can support the community and enjoy.”

Photo via Capsoul/Facebook

Cohesion is Capsoul’s newest baby. This collaboration between Vasen and Chililalay is a hoppy, fruity double IPA, highly anticipated by the craft beer fanatics of Richmond. “We used southern passion which is a very fruity, floral hop,” Jackson said. “We used African Queen, which comes from South Africa, and we used Asaka… It’s gonna be a double IPA, 8%, hazy dank fruit notes.”

So how did this collaboration come to be? And what inspired the team-up between an urban clothing company and a local brewery? Jackson assures us that it didn’t happen overnight.

“The relationship between Vasen and Capsoul is over a year old,” said Jackson. Capsoul first worked with Vasen last year during their Hop Crawl. Later, they returned to Vasen to make a brew in collaboration with the Pink Boots Society, an organization that highlights an under-represented demographic in the craft beer community: women.

So what about the other half of the collaboration? Chilalay is a clothing store on Broad Street downtown that specializes in streetwear. In light of their location, they were affected in an unfortunate way by the protests that took place in late May and early June when their building was vandalized. Jackson wanted to make sure the collaboration would give back to Chilalay.

Photo via Chilalay/Facebook

From that inspiration, Jackson had the idea to do a collaboration that would bring business to Chilalay and raise money to help them repair damages and recoup losses. “They had to close down the storefront for about two months,” Jackson said. “[So I thought,] how about we do the release party at Chilalay and have Chilalay design a t-shirt? It’s turned into this whole three-day weekend release party in August around this conversation and idea of Cohesion.”

The name for Cohesion comes from Capsoul’s desire to “bring things together in unity,” as Jackson explains. He hopes that, by creating a collaborative craft brew that brings together two cultures not usually associated with one another, an increased sense of the things the different groups have in common will result.

The label artwork for Cohesion features the work of Virginia Beach artist Marlon Diggs. “He specializes in pop art,” Jackson said of Diggs. “We kind of told him what we were doing, but we didn’t give him too much direction. He put the art together, and we thought it turned out beautiful; really showcased what we are doing in the city.”

The theme of Cohesion applies not only to the beer’s collaborative nature, but to the artwork Diggs created as well. “Even with the theme of pop art, you bring all these different scattered and bruised and blurred pieces together and you make this one beautiful piece,” said Jackson. “When we saw his piece, it just made sense.”

For Diggs, pop art came into play in his design for the Cohesion label through his appreciation for commercial images of bygone eras.

“I originally drew inspiration from old weathered billboards and advertisements,” he said. “I’ve always been able to see the beauty in chaos, layers of ads and posters peeling off of a billboard.”

Image by Marlon Diggs, courtesy Capsoul

This aesthetic works well for the collaboration with Chilalay’s streetwear style. The art contains deeper layers of meaning within the broader context of Cohesion as well. “This piece is one that means a lot to me from a lot of angles — a group of Black men coming together seamlessly to create something I think will leave a lasting impression and impact on the community,” Diggs said. “The artwork itself [is] of a black woman peeking through and standing out amongst the chaos — different pieces one may usually overlook, coming together to create something beautiful. It’s kind of symbolic of Black people, the way a billboard may become weathered over time or fade, [but it’s] still standing, and the message is still heard through it all.”

Both Jackson and co-founder Ty Murdaugh are Black, and the Black Lives Matter movement has been an inspiration for them in their work with Capsoul. “By nature, Capsoul looks to diversify,” Jackson said. “We don’t necessarily say we are a Black organization, but I think it’s by nature that people see that.”

In the wake of the protests that have been taking place around the city, the country, and beyond over the past two months, Capsoul have found themselves involved in more conversations about racial justice, and the lack of diversity that exists within craft beer culture.

“We have been more outspoken about the things that we, as a Black community, go through on a daily, weekly, yearly basis,” said Jackson. “We are mainly speaking about craft beer, but myself and my business partner have gone out to the protests. And we talk about it, we’ve posted about it. If you listen to our podcast those topics are coming up — our frustrations with what’s going on… but we’re also speaking about it over a cold pint.”

The official Cohesion release party will be on August 15th, but the entire weekend will feature events that are part of Capsoul’s celebration of community, collaboration and, of course, good beer. It begins with a pre-release party at Chilalay on Friday, August 14, and all proceeds from that event will be donated back to Chilalay. There will be a DJ, Vasen will be in attendance, and Capsoul will be selling posters of the Cohesion label art, as well as a collaborative t-shirt with Chilalay, commemorating the craft brew.

The official release party for Cohesion will take place the next day at Vasen, from 12 til 6 pm. A DJ will be there as well, as will Chilalay, Capsoul, and label artist Marlon Diggs. Then, to cap off the release weekend, there will be a VIP event at Vasen’s barrel room. “That event is strictly to highlight Vasen and Tony, the head brewer, to talk about their barrel program and the beers that they have,” Jackson said.

Capsoul hopes to expand the reach of craft beer and to get new people interested in the complexity and beauty of high quality, locally brewed beer. They aim to bridge the gap between people that drink craft beer and those who aren’t acquainted with its pleasures. “A lot of time within craft beer, there is an ocean-sized difference between the people that drink craft beer and those that don’t,” said Jackson. “{But] I think we are all really one and the same.”

Top Photo via Capsoul/Facebook

Chilalay Brings A Positive Outlook To Richmond Streetwear

Norrin Nicholas | October 24, 2019

Topics: Chilalay, Earl Mack, First Friday, Navy Hill Co, Nikko Suave, richmond arts district, streetwear

First Friday brought a new retail streetwear outpost to Richmond’s Arts District — the first brick-and-mortar location for up-and-coming local fashion brand Chilalay.

On a humid October First Friday in Richmond, Virginia, a street that connects different sections of the city together is filled with its residents. Groups of people trotting the sidewalks, coming in and out of stores and restaurants, laughing with one another as they make way for the hundreds of other groups walking on the same strip.

The sounds of music from multiple venues merging and mixing with each other can be heard all around. The doors of almost every store on each block are open to the public, creating a mysterious feeling of wonder for every guest. Alongside these stores sit people behind tables; cloaked and covered with an excessive amount of art and merchandise from some of the more obscure creatives in the city. Conversations about the identity and purpose of these pieces are subtly audible as you walk by; everyone has a story to tell and most have a story to receive.

On one side of the street sits a brand new store. On its front window is a white logo: the word “CHILALAY,” printed above three stars. Small groups of people are walking in and out, opening and holding the doors for others. A DJ sits next to the register spinning popular songs; you see people nodding their heads and singing along with their friends. Others flip through articles of clothing, racing their peers to see who can find their size and who can’t. Faces of a few guests light up, noticing the rarity of each piece as they move from rack to rack; people converse about the store “changing the status quo of Broad St.,” and the revolutionary future it is bringing.

“This location is prime real estate for a lot of spaces that are part of the culture in the city,” said Earl Mack, co-founder of Chilalay. “The immediate radius is filled with popular spaces like Utmost and Round Two. Our store being in the mix of it all is a healthy addition to expand the creativity that’s already here.”

October’s First Friday saw Chilalay experience its birthday grand opening, and have an amazing time. The lights from inside the store shone bright, like far-away stars in space, shedding light and emphasis on the pieces of clothing in the store… and the people inside. What we saw was not only the start of a new creative experience in the city, but also the joy that these native experiences can bring to us in times when we feel there is nothing to be happy about.

“Chilalay means to chill, and not stress out over things that are out of your control,” explains Mack. “The idea is to have a more positive outlook on the obstacles we come across in life.”

“We live by the motto, ‘If you can fix it, then fix it’,” Chilalay co-founder Nikko Suavé. “And we feel this has brought us exactly to where we are now. Don’t stress the things you can’t fix.”

Richmond’s creative culture has paved a solid path for a rising artistic revolution, a path able to withstand the trek of several other creative ventures in the city. Since 2014, there has been an explosion in talented and innovative businesses all over the city, from resourceful DIY clothing stores to art galleries open for creative usage. Richmond’s art scene is thriving as we move into 2020, and the potential is there not just for a more creative present, but for individual creatives to build a new, improved future.

Mack and Suavé — who founded Chilalay, a Richmond-based lifestyle brand, several years ago — have noticed this potential, and they’re acting on it. Where some simply admired the boom from a distance, Suavé and Mack delved deep into this local artistic revolution to figure how they can change the future of Richmond fashion with their own work. A few days before their grand opening, Mack explained how Chilalay has grown, from a brand he and Suavé started by themselves in 2012 to their current position as owners of their own store, through persistence and hard work.

“Things happen for a reason,” said Suavé. “If we rused some of the things we did in the past, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. We always say we’d rather push things back and do them the right way, rather than rushing it and being mildly happy with the outcome. Patience is truly a virtue.”

“A lot of what we’ve manifested already has come from a consistent work ethic,” said Mack. “This is something we’ve been doing since 2012. Not everything we’ve done has been a major hit, but our consistent effort to reach that point has kept us afloat.”

Before acquiring their new storefront, Chilalay worked through numerous pop-ups around the city. Their ability to find the corners of the city where Chilalay can shine the brightest, and build from there, shows their strength as a Richmond-raised brand operating within Richmond’s artistic scene to bring not only quality clothing but a truly creative approach to the city.

For Suavé and Mack, their goal is to take Chilalay to the level of a mainstream streetwear brand, able to influence and reflect the interests and ideals of young people in Richmond and beyond. They hope to continue growing from here, doing more both within the city and in the state of Virginia as a whole, as their influence increases. And what better place is there to act as a base of operations in Richmond than Broad Street?

“Broad St. allows us to directly interact with the city at any chance we please,” said Suavé. “We’ve done several pop-ups around the city before, and we’ve had a great turnout with them. But now that we’re seated directly in the center of it all, I think it gives us a better chance to show what we have to offer. This space on Broad isn’t just for the supporters, but the entire public as well.”

But it doesn’t end with a storefront — if anything, it is just the beginning. Using their own space and additional side business, Navy Hill Co. — a screen-printing service they provide to other creative apparel groups in the city — they hope to offer other creatives who are just starting out chances to showcase their own work.

“I see [Chilalay] being used as a space for other creatives to manifest their own work,” said Mack. “We got started by doing pop-ups at different spaces, and so I hope that we can give back to the community by doing that same thing for other artists in the city. When there’s good infrastructure laid out, it’s easier to build more.”

The Chilalay store is now officially open on 212 W Broad St. from 12pm-6pm every day. Find them on Instagram @Chilalay and @NavyHillCo, and the owners at @Earl_Mack and @Youngchefgordon.

Photos via Chilalay

2014 RVA Fashion Week Shows Off The Talent & Diversity Of Local Fashion Scene

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 27, 2014

Topics: AlterNatives, Asa Jackson, Ashby, C & C Sandbox, Carytown Boutiques, Chilalay, Child Rebel, Clementine, Earl Mack, Fab'rik, Glass Boat, Glave Kocen Gallery, Isley Brewing Company, Jasmine Justice, Misha Nonoo, New Normal Apparel, Rec League, Rumors, RVA Fashion Week, Ten Thousand Villages, The Broadberry, The Gallery At UNOS, The National

RVA Fashion Week, founded in 2008 and launched in 2009, reached new heights in its 6th Annual Showcase, which took place between April 27 and May 4 of this year. Richmond fashion lovers experienced a week long presentation of the diverse fashions of local retailers, the culture of the Richmond fashion scene, and the brilliant designs of up and coming local designers.
[Read more…] about 2014 RVA Fashion Week Shows Off The Talent & Diversity Of Local Fashion Scene

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