Nico Cathcart

Nico Cathcart’s Resilience Highlights Virginia Beach’s Thriving ViBe Creative District

John Donegan | January 15, 2019

Topics: birds, BOJUart Gallery, Nico Cathcart, painting, Resilience, ViBe Creative District, Virginia Beach

Cathcart’s mural exhibition at BOJUart Gallery is a great example of the growing artistic scene in Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District.

It’s the first First Friday of 2019 in Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District, and Nico Cathcart is beginning her live mural; a 25-ft long stretch of paper, located in the main room of BOJUart Gallery. On it, outlines of birds: halcyon kingfishers, eastern bluebirds, a Gray Jay — an aide-memoire to her previous life in Canada. Cathcart will be painting the mural as a live exhibit spanning the next four weeks, but not just because she finds birds totally super cool.

Cathcart is in the process of becoming deaf. The hairs of her cochlea are slowly balding through a process of tone-based, degenerative hearing loss. She wears hearing aids which helps her hold conversations and listen to some of her old favorite songs, but her condition affects both volume and tone. An avid birdwatcher, Cathcart first took notice of her condition when birds in the woods bordering her home began to go silent.

“I first started noticing when I was missing words,” she said. “But really, the birds I noticed, because my trips to the woods started to go silent. I can’t hear cicadas, birds, crickets — normal stuff along the James. I realized this was gone, and I can’t get that back.” Currently at 30% hearing capacity, Cathcart fully understands that, one day soon, her hearing will stop, its remnants relegated to memory.

Her work has since been a myriad of bird paintings, most oil, pencil, and gouache-based. The majority of these are featured as part of Resilience, her latest exhibit, an immersive, interactive experience curated by BOJUart Gallery. The exhibit encircles the other three-quarters of the room in which she’s painting her mural. The works operate as mementos, whether to her departed loved ones or as chapters of her own mythology.

Cathcart’s exhibit at BOJUart is an example of the growing arts initiative in Virginia Beach, part of the Virginia Beach Arts District’s effort to reclaim a resort town ailing from its own irrelevance.

Though state lawmakers began offering tax incentives for Virginia art localities as early as 2009, it wasn’t until 2015 that an organization, The ViBe Creative District of Virginia Beach, was approved under an ordinance and officially tasked with roping in an ensemble. The ViBe is an official 501(c)(3), recognized by the IRS as a non-profit, with the ability to accept tax-deductible contributions and offer tax incentives to artists and entrepreneurs looking to rehabilitate buildings.

In 2018, the city announced the ViBe Creative District Matching Grant Program, which provides grants to small, locally owned and operated businesses located within the district for building improvements and equipment.

Kate Pittman, Executive Director of the ViBe Creative District nonprofit, is the linchpin of this great machine. She acts as liaison between the city’s public efforts to build the arts district, the private-sector small businesses, and local artists. She knows the right people and speaks in bureaucratic tongues. She knows well in advance which permits to apply for, she attends every First Fridays, shakes the hands, and always wears a smile.

*Mural by Lisa Ashinoff at Superior Pawn. Photograph by BirdMad Media*

Pittman was hired in November 2016, after she’d spent 11 years working for Virginia MOCA overseeing museum operations. ViBe co-founders Andrew Fine, of The Runnymede Corporation, and Laura Wood Habr, of Croc’s 19th Street Bistro, worked on and off with the City of Virginia Beach’s Office of Cultural Affairs since 2013; researching, holding City stakeholder meetings, and engaging in grass roots efforts with local businesses to discuss the creation of an arts district.

“When I was hired in 2016, the nonprofit and supporting business association were fairly new,” Pittman said. “My role was to get everyone activated, which involved meetings with local government, grant funders, and private donors.”

Since the ViBe’s inception, Pittman and involved artists have overseen the successful expansion of a district unmatched in the Hampton Roads area; an artistic sprawl of artists and creative businesses, including restaurants, galleries, museums, and roasteries, as well as murals and sidewalk art.

“All this has resulted in the creation of 30 new businesses since City Council established the ViBe boundaries and incentives in 2015, and the addition of over 100 works of art in the neighborhood,” Pittman said. “My previous role at Virginia MOCA, and [my] established relationships with City staff, were an absolute benefit… but really, it took everyone involved, from a grass-roots effort all the way to the top of City leadership at City Manager and Council level, for this success to happen.”

*Group on walking tour in the ViBe District. Photograph by Andi + Zoe Photography*

Pittman is involved in virtually every function of the district. She’s also the only official staff member, with the exception of her intern. She does a bi-monthly mural tour for interested patrons, 75 tours per year, even when that entails standing out in the cold, Coleman lantern in hand, waiting for strangers to show up. “I run two boards — a non profit board and a business association board,” she said. “We have approximately 75 local business members and engage with over 100 local artists. In addition, I work with around eight different City departments to execute projects, from Cultural Affairs to Public Utilities to the Public Schools.”

Pittman stressed that the key to the ViBe Creative District’s success was to cater to art in a broad sense, and strive for it be self sufficient. This commitment shows in the broad spectrum of organizations they work with; on weekends in the right season, the Old Beach Farmers Market sets up at the corner of 19th and Cypress St. In other parts of the year, the Virginia Beach Flea Market sets up adjacent to convention center on the west end of 19th street. And of course, there’s always a strong connection to the local community — most of the restaurants are farm to table, and anything not grown feet away from the kitchens is usually purchased from local farm stands.

Pittman says the district looks to continue its growth indefinitely. That said, continuing work on the city is visible, and far from complete. Streets along the fringe of the district are still littered with construction blocks, cracked roads, and caterpillar cranes. Stripped down malls, chipped-paint warehouses, and worn-down city streets still appear every other block or so. At 19 square blocks, the district still has the room for expansion.

And as Pittman tells us, that expansion is coming. “In 2019, we look forward to a 2nd annual ViBe Mural Festival, to add ’10 Murals in 10 Days’ throughout the district,” she said. “These large scale works have the greatest impact in our neighborhood. Smaller public art projects, such as sidewalk art, creative crosswalks, and a new utility box project, are also planned this year, with a potential to add 75-plus new works of art to the district.”

And that’s not even all — Pittman also mentioned a new brewery opening up on 18th Street in 2019, the arrival of the Virginia Beach Art Center and Artist’s Gallery on 17th Street, and numerous new commercial tenants coming to the district. “Private development will be big in 2019-2020,” she said.

*Mural by Igor (original artwork by American painter Peter Helck) at Abacus of Hampton Roads. Photograph by George Culver.*

Virginia Beach has always had the reputation of an up-and-coming resort town, but until recently, the city never seemed to see any real change come to fruition. It was a town of forgotten and misplaced projects. But large gains in tourism over recent years, with 2017 marking its sixth consecutive year of growth, have changed all that.

“Our organization is recognized, and was a catalyst for several others in the city, as a model to follow to engage private sector with city leadership,” Pittman said. “And perhaps most importantly, the positive media attention that the ViBe generates for the City of Virginia Beach is undeniable — we are a point of pride for our city, and represent the authentic Virginia Beach experience.”

However, some city officials are concerned over how much revenue a new arts district is able to bring to the city. With a new slate of leaders elected this past November, it remains to be seen whether the city’s new administration will have the same enthusiasm as previous ones. Former City Councilman Bobby Dyer took office as Virginia Beach’s new mayor after defeating Ben Davenport in the November election. In a November interview with the Virginian-Pilot, Dyer ensured he would “continue to honor [his] promise to build positive bridges with the City Council and my commitment to the public.” We reached out to Dyer’s office for comment, but no response has been sent over.

However, Pittman feels positive about the district’s ability to survive the transition. “We are very positive that our documented success to date will encourage City leadership to continue investing in the ViBe Creative District as the City’s one and only art district,” she said. “Programs that we helped advocate for and administer, such as the ViBe Small Business Matching Grant program, are piloted here to prove success and are transferable to other areas of our City.”

*Nico Cathcart, Millie and William, oil on canvas, 48 x 30 inches*

In a corner of BOJUart Gallery’s main room, a poster is taped to the wall, with a wooden stand beneath. On the stand are bowls of cut-out birds and markers, shared so that guests to write in forms of loss and pain they experience. For Nico Cathcart, this part of the project is a way to connect with members of the local community, by sharing their experiences on a murmuration wall. With this communal aspect of the project, Cathcart hopes to make some broader meaning of the grief that accompanies her loss.

Cathcart will be working on her mural at BOJUart Gallery, located at 1703 Mediterranean Ave in Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District, throughout the month of January, with the grand finale taking place on Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25 from 6-9 PM. Once it is completed, interested enthusiasts will have the opportunity to purchase the complete mural, or one of the five 4’x5’ panels of which it is comprised, for either indoor or outdoor display.

Check out the BOJUart Gallery for more information on Cathcart’s work and upcoming exhibits. For more information on the ViBe District, follow the link here.

Top Image: Nico Cathcart, Together, oil on canvas, 24x 48 inches

“Fresh Paint” Offers Fresh Look At Virginia’s Complicated History

Jack Clark | November 6, 2018

Topics: Austin Miles, Fresh Paint, Hamilton Glass, Mickael Broth, murals, Nico Cathcart, noah scalin, Virginia history, Virginia Museum Of History & Culture, Wing Chow

For Richmond, 2018 is a time for us to come together to understand not only the present we live in, but the ways in which the past has influenced us. The Virginia Museum Of History & Culture is doing just that with their most recent installation, Fresh Paint: Murals Inspired By The Story Of Virginia. Armed with their creativity, ten Virginia artists used an item from the museum’s collection as inspiration to create their murals. The result is ten complex and very different works of art.

Speaking with several of the artists provided the opportunity to learn what their murals communicate.

Nico Cathcart is a native of Toronto, Ontario, but is currently, in her own words, “adventuring in the southern wilds of Virginia.” We spoke briefly about the three women who played a key role in Virginia’s past, who are pictured in her mural: author and abolitionist Elizabeth Keckley, who fought for freedom; suffragist Adele Clark, who fought for the vote, to have a voice; and activist Casey Dokoupil, who fights for those who are currently disenfranchised.

“These women guide our everyday life through their actions,” said Cathcart. “They made it okay to use our voices, and break away from the traditional role of women in the household. I hope my piece tells a story of hope to the women of today, and of tomorrow. That we have the power to enact real, positive change. I hope my piece speaks of the value of being strong, a leader, and a survivor.”

Muralist Mickael Broth is the founder of Welcoming Walls, a project which brings art to “the highways and gateways of Virginia.” His mural uses a powerful image of a mother mourning for her dead son in a wartorn landscape. His use of blue is reminiscent of Picasso’s blue phase, or Chet Baker’s melancholic jazz.

According to Broth, he had ”connected with the internal and external struggles of war — in this case, World War One — to depict the way in which decisions on paper have real world ramifications.“ Losses suffered in war “ripple out throughout society,” Broth said.

Modern-day renaissance man Noah Scalin explained his mural, The Readjusters, as “an attempt to show how much Virginia’s history hasn’t changed, both good and bad.” Scalin’s use of figures such as Janie Barret, who created a school in Hampton to help incarcerated African-American girls, and Samuel Tucker, who took part in the first civil rights sit-in in Virginia, demonstrate a response that modern-day activists may look to for inspiration.

“The issues we’re grappling with today about racism and intolerance are longstanding,” said Scalin. “But there have also been amazing models of civil rights activism and collaboration in support of social justice that have existed throughout our history as well.”

Scalin describes his mural as “a story about how even during our darkest times there have always been people who have risen up, spoken out, and worked tirelessly to make sure that this country truly lived up to the values it proclaims.” He compared today’s activists to the multiracial post-Civil War coalition known as the Readjuster Party, active in the 1870s following Reconstruction, which placed priority on African-American education. “[My mural is] a story of the ‘readjusters’ who exist today, who are fighting to tell a new story about our priorities as a state and a nation,” Scalin said.

Austin Miles is a graduate of VCUarts. Her piece, By Any Means, tells the story of Black women utilizing education as a tool to free themselves and others from physical and mental enslavement. It is inspired by two American women of African descent: Mary Smith Peake, a free black woman in Hampton, VA who educated slaves and former slaves both before and after the Civil War; and Barbara Johns, a black Farmville, VA high school student who led walkouts at her school in the early 1950s to speak out about how separate education was NOT equal. “These were two Black women who stressed the importance of education and actively worked towards change,” said Miles.

By Any Means features a woman moving in a forward motion, holding the bright burning “Torch of Knowledge” representing the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next, with an eager flame in her left hand, while she releases her right wrist from the shackles of slavery that once bound her. As the woman moves forward, she is guiding and lighting the way for others to follow. For us in the present, “this guiding light allows us to dig deeper into the psychological bondages that could be occurring within our present community,” said Miles.

The installation features a number of other highlights, including Hamilton Glass’s powerful mural (pictured at top) depicting a pair of black hands bound by a rope with both an American flag and a Confederate battle flag in the background. The most difficult mural to understand is that of Endeavor Gallery’s Wing Chow, whose mural seems to be a vegetal portal to another world; it arouses curiosity standing next to the other murals, and left me wondering what object from the museum inspired it.

You can ponder all ten of the murals for yourself at the Virginia Museum Of History & Culture, located at 428 N. Blvd in the (you guessed it) Museum District, where they will be on exhibition until April 21st 2019.

Images via Virginia Museum of History and Culture

“Glitter and Grit” Exhibit Pushes Female Artists Out of the Margins Into the Center

Brianna Scott | September 6, 2018

Topics: Amelia Blair Langford, art, female artists, Gallery5, Glitter and Grit, graffiti, Kate Duffy, Meme, Nico Cathcart, RVA ARt, street art

“It’s sort of my mission in life to empower women in the arts,” Nico Cathcart said, dressed in her paint covered jeans and plaid shirt, fresh out of working on her latest mural.

It’s an honest goal to want to use your platform to help elevate others in the margins. Richmond’s art scene is bursting at the seams with artists of different mediums, creating diverse and beautiful works across the city in galleries and on the side of buildings. But even in a city with a top arts school, the newly opened ICA, and an abundance of art galleries hosting exhibitions, it still can be a challenge for women and minority artists to have their talent appreciated and supported.

“Sometimes I’m the only woman on the bill…people aren’t taking the extra step to get outside the boy’s club,” said Cathcart, a local muralist and sign maker.

Image may contain: 1 person — Nico Cathcart, “Mother Missi” – Oil, Spray, Gold Leaf on canvas

So, in an effort to lift up and highlight female artists, Cathcart worked with Gallery5 to put together the “Glitter and Grit” exhibit opening this Friday. At first, the gallery approached her about doing a solo show, but the artist had a much bigger idea in mind.

“I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to gather female artists who were strong artistically, with strong voices and get them all in the same room,” she said.

Over 10 artists with mediums ranging from graffiti to abstract to drawings are featured. And while their styles differ, the one factor that ties them together is their connection in trying to navigate the male-dominated art world.

For many of the artists, it’s not about putting men down—it’s about creating a space for female artists to thrive where their art and voices are front and center.

“I think it’s very important for women to have the lens in the art world,” said Amelia Blair Langford, a fellow Richmond artist who is among those participating.

Many of the artists took the opportunity to make something meaningful that may not be feminine in nature.

Artist Kate Duffy has been working on a piece called “Trail Eyes” for the exhibit. It focuses on being outdoors, playing outside as a kid, and getting down and dirty with bugs and picking flowers.

“I keep joking with friends that I’m not bringing any glitter I’m only bringing the grit,” she said. “I think it’s cool for Nico to curate this, but then also trust us to create whatever we want because she respects us as artists. It’s important for us [women] to network with each other to help each other get opportunities.”

For some of the artists like Duffy, finding confidence in their work and finding a voice was a major challenge to overcome.

“I wasn’t taught to advocate for myself and take up space and to take what was mine,” Duffy said. “We teach our young men, and society is shifting, but that this is their world and it’s for them so they take these opportunities. For some young women, it can be difficult finding that confidence and taking what is yours.”

Shaylen Broughton, a local abstract artist who uses acrylic paints and ocean water to create her fluid artwork, is also on the bill. The “Undercurrent” artist echoed similar sentiments as Duffy on the male-dominated art scene.

“People tend to think that the men, especially with mural art, are better cause they’re stronger or more capable. I think it’s important to push that away and highlight female artists to show that we can do just as good if not better,” she said. Broughton will showcase her bright, colorful, and electric art on canvas alongside Amy Smith Marie, Andrea Owens, Austin Miles, Chelsi Fiore, Lucky Signs, Nikki Leone, and Meme.

Miles, a local painter, tends to focus her work on women of color and stressed the importance of representation in art.

“It’s interesting when you’re in a show with a group of artists and notice you are one of a few women or one of two black artists,” she said. “But it’s also a proud moment when I’m able to enter this space, what I’m doing is paving a way for other artists.”

Most of the participating artists are based out of Richmond, but Meme hails from the West Coast. The Northern California graffiti artist and skateboarder found there weren’t many females involved in street art or skating. Meme helped form Few & Far, a movement that brings together creative women involved in various forms of art.

“I wanted to be more about what I can contribute to society, more than just taking for myself,” Meme said.

Like Cathcart, the two artists who hail from different backgrounds, have used their platforms to expand the network of women they work with and put more female artists on the map.

“I had a guy say to me that feminine art isn’t serious and guys won’t respect that—it made me really angry,” Cathcart said. “Women are powerful and create life. I get called a ‘bitch’ because I call out sexism and racism, but it’s important for people to question why an art show has no women or only one female artist. It’s normal to have a show with a bunch of guys. Question that.”

“Glitter and Grit” opens this Fri., at Gallery5 at 7 pm. In addition to the art showcase, check out music from Georgie Isaacs, Dani Nelson and Chris Smith, Shangri Lords, and Adar. Gallery5 will have a market with fellow vendors Dag Nab it, The Raw Aura, Eliza Jane Prints
Lebow’s Art & Design, Caroline Seaman Resin Art & Jewelry, and Gold Star Vintage.

Top photo: Amelia Blair Langford