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RVA muralist Ed Trask discusses upcoming exhibit at Glove Kocen Gallery

RVA Staff | May 11, 2017

Topics: ed trask, Glave Kocen Gallery, RVA ARt

When Ed Trask first began painting murals on the sides of buildings in the 90s, it was technically vandalism, but now he is among many local artists who actually get commissioned to adorn a building with artwork. More presently, Trask’s work will be displayed in an exhibit at the Glave Kocen Gallery starting tomorrow.

Trask explained inspiration for the exhibit, “A return to mind of glint and glimmer”, resulted from coping with winter-time blues and the stress of his aging parents who are experiencing short-term memory loss.

One piece in the exhibit will be a large painting of a buzzard with flowers on the other side. The buzzard is associated with death and the flowers are meant to symbolize life. Trask cited inspiration came from visiting his mother on a good day as her garden had also bloomed with the changing of the season.

A lot of the exhibit will also feature identifiable landscapes around Richmond which Trask noted helped him cope.

“The only way to get out of this is to find the things that I think just bring love and light to me,” Trask said. “Fortunately a lot of it is [painting] different places around our city. So that’s what the show is about. It’s about finding a way to get back to that place of love, light and optimism.”

“That kind of sounds real hippified,” he followed up with a laugh.

But optimism is a theme that has been laced throughout a lot of Trask’s work.

In his earlier days as an artist, he wasn’t scoring gallery gigs and he had to find ways to force his work into the public eye. In his senior year of college at Virginia Commonwealth University, Trask began painting derelict buildings around Richmond.

“When I first started doing the illegal work, there were so many dilapidated buildings that were just seemingly rotting, so I started looking at these buildings as great canvasses,” Trask said. “In a way it was like a beacon to these buildings. Like, this should be a coffee shop or something should happen here.”

Trask explained that abandoned buildings hold potential to be something new.

“Neighborhoods deserve to have a sense of optimism that I think can only come from color and something creative of that nature,” Trask said.

Trask eventually joined a band and they toured around the United States and Europe where Trask continued to leave a painting in many of the cities he visited. He painted in cities like Washington D.C., San Francisco, Amsterdam and Berlin.

Berlin was an inspiring place for Trask. His first visit was in 1991, just shortly after East and West Germany had reunited into one democracy. At this time parts of the Berlin wall were still standing and Trask could see the art on them. Berlin also contains many buildings with murals and graffiti.

“It was really cool and it started to make me realize that this kind of art can be used for so many things,” Trask said. “It can be a beacon for change, but also it can be an immediate political statement. It starts conversations.”

Trask explained that the very fact that artwork can spark various conversations is very important to him.

In recent years he has been part of the organizational efforts behind the RVA Street Art Festival. The annual event showcases local talent, brings in outside talent and helps revitalize desolate parts of the city.

After volunteering to work with a group of people on a mural in Brazil for three weeks, Trask became inspired to apply some community engagement to things back home.

“Mural painting can be so ego-driven, but everything I wanted to do after that mural had to be community driven, and had to have something that gave back,” he said.

The festival which began as a passion project between Trask and city councilman Jon Baliles, has evolved into a non-profit organization whose proceeds go towards other art-based charities in Richmond.

“We do it out of love I guess,” he said.

Ed Trask’s exhibit will be on display at Glave Kocen Gallery from May 12 to June 3. The opening night reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m on Friday.

Words by Charlotte Woods

Muralists painting in the upcoming RVA Street Art Fest discuss their work and the festival’s impact on the arts scene

Amy David | April 21, 2016

Topics: Chris Milk, ed trask, manchester, muralists, RVA ARt, RVA muralists, RVA street art festival, Southern State silos

This Friday will kick off the third annual RVA Street Art Fest bringing together national and local muralists, sculptors and other artis
[Read more…] about Muralists painting in the upcoming RVA Street Art Fest discuss their work and the festival’s impact on the arts scene

RVA Street Art Fest returns this month to revitalize the Southern States silos in Manchester

Taylor Nice | April 7, 2016

Topics: All the Saints Theater Company, Art on wheels, Chris Milk, ed trask, james river, manchester, Mickael Broth, No BS! Brass Band, RVA ARt, RVA artists, RVA muralists, RVA murals, Slave Trail, Southern States Silos, Studio Two Three

The mural project that transformed the downtown canal walk and the old GRTC bus depot is returning to bring some color to Manchester.


RVA Street Art Festival
, which takes place April 22-24th, will be centered around the iconic Southern State silos and will reach into the surrounding neighborhoods and a neglected park close to the site.

The hope is to revitalize a dilapidated piece of Richmond, an area that was recently reported to have 109 potholes in a 55-acre area.

“In my mind that’s the next arts district,” said local artist and RVA Street Art Fest co-founder Ed Trask. “It’s great when you can reinvent an industrial area like Manchester and instead of completely scrapping the history of what was here, you can start reinventing the buildings without losing the character so that’s why I love this area.”

The nearly sixty-year-old Southern State Silos are a seminal piece of the Richmond skyline, and are one of the three largest silo sites in the country. Due to their gargantuan size, they will provide one of the most colossal canvases that the participating artists have ever worked with. These murals will be visible from downtown to 95, to anywhere along the river.

“Millions of people travel down the highway and would be seeing it,” Trask said.

The last few years, the RVA Street Art Fest, has been held at the former GRTC bus depot on South Davis Avenue, but back in September the property was sold to local developers DKJ Richmond to be turned into a mixed use property.

Trask said organizers decided to hold the festival at the silos to bring life to an iconic structure in Richmond.

“How incredible would it be to reinvent those silos?” He said. “Immediately with talking to people, those silos are an iconic simple to a lot of people. “Whatever we’re going to do, it had to be something that brought the community together that talked about the industrial revolution, that talked about race, that talked about what was happening in Manchester. The whole theme was going to be bringing people together bringing the community together.”
About 15 local artists including RVA’s own muralist Mickael Broth, Chris Milk, Matt Lively, Andre Shank, Ross Trimmer, Hamilton Glass will be on site painting along with six national artists.

“We have this really nice tie in with the VMFA in that we’re using this African American photographer {Leroy Henderson} he’s photographed a lot of civil rights marches,” Trask said. “This guy called me out of the blue and I started realizing this imagery is completely pertinent to where we are.”

This year, the organizers are focusing on “Bridging the River” by revitalizing a park in Manchester alongside the James River and some surrounding warehouse spaces.

Some history of the area is not to be celebrated as it includes a trail that was a major pathway during the time when Richmond was the largest origin of African slaves on the east coast.

There will be an interactive exhibit along the Slave Trail in front of the silos to educate visitors on that piece of Manchester’s past.

In addition to the interactive exhibit, there also be steamroll printing from Studio Two Three, sculptures, a makers market, food trucks and craft beer from Taste the Local.

All the Saints Theater Company is participating a major way in this year’s RVA Street Arts Festival.

“Lily {Lamberta, Director} will be Leading a march that goes down Hull Street Saturday,’ Trask said.

And Saturday night, No BS Brass Band will end the day with some live tunes.

The festival will cost an estimated $125,000. About 85 percent of these funds have been raised and Trask has turned to the public with an indigogo campaign to try to raise the remaining $20,000. These funds are needed for paint, lifts for painters, security and hotels for out- of-town artists.

Check out the video below the organizers behind the street arts festival made to see the impact it has had on the community and how your contribution can help.

Trask said funding has come from a number of sources this year.

“Evreything from private donors, to private businesses, to corporations, the city’s not giving us anything this year that’s why indideogogo’s important,” he said.

Money raised at the RVA Street Art festival will go to organizations that provide art education for children including Art 180, Art On Wheels, and Studio Two Three.

The three-day RVA Street Art festival begins its rebirth of Manchester on April 22 and runs through the 24th. To be apart of this process you can donate here or sign up to volunteer here.

Go check out Ed Trask’s new murals at Stir Crazy Cafe this Saturday!

Amy David | September 10, 2015

Topics: ed trask, muralist, RVA ARt, RVA coffee, RVA muralists, RVA murals, Stir Crazy Cafe

Our friends at Stir Crazy Cafe on Macarthur are hosting a reception Saturday for well known RVA mu
[Read more…] about Go check out Ed Trask’s new murals at Stir Crazy Cafe this Saturday!

Artist Ed Trask paints mural across Millie’s Diner as part of Route 5 Coalition’s “Take 5” initiative

Amy David | June 30, 2015

Topics: bike race, ed trask, Hands on Greater Richmond, Hardywood, Millie's, muralists, murals, RVA ARt, RVA artists, RVA Street Arts Festival

Ed Trask has used this city as his personal canvas for years.
[Read more…] about Artist Ed Trask paints mural across Millie’s Diner as part of Route 5 Coalition’s “Take 5” initiative

First Friday RVA, June 2014: School’s Out, But It’s Not Quite Summer

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 5, 2014

Topics: 1708 Gallery, Amelia Blair Langford, Andrew Brehm, Art 180, Barcode, Books Bikes & Beyond, Chet Naylor, Diamond Hairbrush, ed trask, EDIT Gallery, Elizabeth Kendall, Functional Art Movement, gallery 5, Ghostprint Gallery, Glave Kocen Gallery, Harrison Haynes, Henry Street Gallery, Luke Harman, Mary Fleming, Nathan A King, Navi, New Normal Apparel, Nicholas Crider, Page Bond Gallery, PT Burnem, Quirk Gallery, Rachel Rader, Sam Shaban, Spencer Lee Erickson, The Mix Gallery, Turnstyle, Uptown Gallery, VCU Anderson Gallery, Willie Anne Wright

I don’t know about you, but I’d love for summer to take as long as possible before getting here this year.
[Read more…] about First Friday RVA, June 2014: School’s Out, But It’s Not Quite Summer

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