Shockoe Artspace Archives

Building A Collection, Building A Scene

Will Gonzalez | October 21, 2020

Topics: Bill Royall, Curtis Newkirk Jr, Don Childress, Heide Trepanier, Kehinde Wiley, Nick Seitz, Pam Royall, Ron Johnson, Rumors Of War, Ryan Lauterio, Shockoe Artspace, The Builder, Virginia museum of fine arts

Shockoe Artspace founder Ryan Lauterio’s documentary, The Builder, spotlights Richmond art collector Don Childress in an effort to show how important collectors are to keeping the art world alive and thriving.

In 2017, VCU professor and founder of Shockoe Artspace Ryan Lauterio told his friend Don Childress that he knew he would one day tell his story. This year, on September 7, The Builder, directed and edited by Lauterio and Richmond filmmaker Nick Seitz, won top honors in the special interest film category at the Art Is Alive Film Festival in Milwaukee. The documentary, which was also nominated for best feature and best director, follows Childress, a contractor and Oregon Hill native who has an art collection that’s famous among the Richmond gallery scene.

The collection features prominent Richmond artists like Heide Trepanier and Ron Johnson, as well as world-renowned painters such as Francesco Clemente. Despite having works made by artists who are featured in museums, Don didn’t see himself as an art collector prior to the making of the film. According to Lauterio and Seitz, one of the messages they wanted to send with the film was that the world of art is not one of insiders and outsiders, that anyone who creates is an artist and anyone with a love for art can be an art collector.

*Artist Curtis Newkirk Jr; Photo via The Builder*

“The walls that my paintings hang on are the ones that [Childress] built; those walls are just as valuable as the work itself. In fact, they’re in a syncopated relationship that is mutually beneficial and mutually enhancing,” Lauterio said. “We are walking in a world of abundance and we miss it by narrowing down what we think an artist is, and so part of this film was to say Don’s as much an artist as the ones he’s collecting.”

The film features interviews from several Richmond artists, including Johnson, Trepanier, Curtis Newkirk, Jr., Sally Bowring, and Casey Criddle, as well as some curators from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Valerie Cassel Oliver and Dr. Michael Taylor. Also featured in the film are Pam Royall and the late Bill Royall, who passed away this summer from ALS at the age of 74. The couple have donated over 100 works to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and donated $5 million for the building of the Institute for Contemporary Art on Broad St. near VCU. They befriended painter and sculptor Kehinde Wiley, and Bill, who was a member of the VFMA’s board and was president from 2014 to 2016, persuaded the board to acquire Wiley’s sculpture Rumors of War in 2019.

Including so many creators and collectors was important to Seitz and Lauterio. The art world is Richmond is made up of people who are interconnected in ways that, in some cases, they aren’t even aware of. The pair wanted to bring those connections to light with The Builder.

*Pam and Bill Royall. Photo via The Builder*

“Richmond has this rich history of people being unified while diverse,” said Lauterio. “And if you tell a story and neglect the context of people that have come before you to do the hard work, then we’re doing a disservice to them, to ourselves, and those who come after us.”

Because many people may see the world of art collecting as being inaccessible, Seitz and Lauterio wanted to use the film to show people that this isn’t the case, especially in a city like Richmond, where there are so many galleries spread out across its neighborhoods. Even though most people may not see it that way, according to Seitz, the first step to becoming an art collector is as easy as walking into a gallery or show.

“I don’t think anyone in Richmond would dispute the fact that this is an artsy city,” said Seitz. “So I think that this film was especially aimed at the people that already have some access or knowledge or proximity to art, but they have those mental barriers.”

*Artist Ron Johnson. Photo via The Builder.*

Childress’ enthusiasm for art is infectious, and he inspired his team of electricians to start collecting art. According to Lauterio, much of the art world can be elitist, but Childress represents what the art world could be if the community was more open to people who are typically viewed as outsiders.

“The builder is Don Childress primarily, but it’s also a proxy for culture builders that may or may not realize that they are,” said Lauterio. “He’s actually a real person, this is all a true story, but he also metaphorically gives license to other people to realize how much they matter, even when they don’t see themselves as mattering in that way.”

The Builder will be showing in more film festivals and in museums in the future, and is also available to rent online on shockoeartspace.com and builderfilm.com.

Top Photo: Don Childress, via The Builder

“Prometheus Rising” at Shockoe Artspace

Brianna Scott | September 18, 2018

Topics: art, Endeavor RVA, Ian Hess, mixed media, RVA ARt, sculpture, Shockoe Artspace

Ian Hess was just another art student trying to find his place at VCU. Getting lost in the sea of aspiring artists on campus, Hess flunked out of his drawing class. What could have derailed his career, though, ended up leading to his first solo show, when Hess found himself in a summer make-up course with Professor Ryan Lauterio.

The relationship that would form between professor and student would feed a storm of creativity and individuality brewing inside Hess, nurtured by the teachings of Lauterio.

“This is solidly the most meaningful bar-none relationship in the arts that I’ve had. I’ve been injected, IV-style, into this overall process,” Hess, now 26, said while laughing.

Even after Hess completed Lauterio’s class and moved on to painting and printmaking, he kept up with his former professor. Lauterio, co-founded and director of Shockoe Artspace, invited Hess to regular critiques at the gallery, an experience Hess found more helpful than his university education.

“During one of the critiques, I asked Ryan when am I gonna get a show here? And he was like, ‘Uhhh, I don’t know man, not anytime soon!’” Hess laughed. Years later, and after two other artists had to back out of doing a group show, Hess got the chance to debut his work at Shockoe Artspace with his solo exhibit, “Prometheus Rising,” which opened earlier this month.

Dozens of paintings and a few sculptures by Hess fill the downtown gallery. They’ve been inspired by Greco-Roman busts, Hess said. The artist feels drawn to the style and period by an interest in antiquity and the fallibility of the Greek gods. Despite the fall of Rome, and the noted flaws of gods like Zeus, remnants of Greek culture remain in American society today, enshrined in our democratic processes and displayed in great architecture.

“There’s some part of power that corrupts people, so even in the gods there was an idea of perfection, an understanding of what is human that could not be separated from any of their philosophies or religion,” Hess said. “There are things within this civilization that fell…that still stand.”

By bringing it back to the classics, Hess has created vividly intense images that are whimsical, erratic and bold.

His paintings are physically distressed, creating the appearance of character and age. Hess used a variety of mediums from etching to cross-stitching to even recycled arcade machine parts to create the artwork for this exhibit.

A unique feature of Hess’ work, even going back to his older art, is his ability to obscure the face. While this came out of Hess not feeling skilled at drawing faces, he has carved his own style out of broken fragments, literally, from Greek culture whilst studying portraiture.

Using busts that were either seriously broken or just had a chip on the nose, Hess gravitated towards these imperfect sculptures. “It’s the broken aspects that end up naturally in the work, and a large part has come through me,” Hess said, revealing that this project started after a romantic break-up.

“You’re thrust into the ether, the mercurial madness of chaos of trying to figure out what the hell is going on,” Hess said. “There is no doubt everyone’s going to experience loss and in some way, I’m trying to get those moments into the work.”

Hess said the pieces of art are having a conversation with each other, but he’s still figuring out what the dialogue is about. “If in the pieces, there is enough room that someone can insert their own story in such a way that it resonates with them more so than the reason it was created, then there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

It’s been a long journey from Hess’ school days to having his own solo exhibit. He went from holding down a job trying to teach people how to paint while they drank heavily, to now being one of the founders of local gallery, Endeavor RVA. Many aspiring artists have the dream of making their talents a full-time gig. When I asked Hess how he made this transition, he said it’s about taking every opportunity.

“It’s such an organic and relentless process but it’s one of those things that the work you put into it, you’ll get the rewards or experience or meet the right people,” Hess said.

The theme of the exhibit,”Prometheus Rising,” stems from the title of a book by Robert Anton Wilson. The subtext of “Prometheus Rising” is “Whatever the thinker thinks, the prover proves.” From a psychological perspective, this means that your brain wants to manifest the thoughts you have. For Hess, a quote from a book he read at 16, became a way of life.

“From this book and what it’s taught me, I’m gaining my own power through my thoughts,” Hess said. “I think we have unlimited power to make the most utopic, incredible vision for all of civilization ever.”

On the night of the opening, the gallery was filled with people gazing at beautifully bizarre paintings–many of which would be sold by the time I stopped in. The utopic and incredible vision Hess talks about came true in a space he stood in as a young art student only years ago.

“Prometheus Rising” will be on display until Nov. 24 at Shockoe Artspace, located at 12 N 19th St. Follow Hess on Instagram @ian.c.hess to keep up to date on his future projects.

‘Found Affinity’: VCUarts student explores geometry, color, & design in new Shockoe Artspace exhibit

Caitlin Barbieri | August 30, 2017

Topics: art, geometry, RVA ARt, RVA First Fridays, rva painter, Shockoe Artspace, vcu, VCUarts

Standing among nearly 30 brightly colored geometric paintings and other works, local artist Dakota Becker (who uses they, them pronouns) is preparing for their first solo art exhibition in time for RVA First Fridays at Shockoe Artspace.

A senior painting and printmaking major at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, Becker is the first undergraduate student to display work at the gallery, located on North 19th Street.

Becker covers canvases in patterns of bright geometric shapes that range from trance-inducing to visually calming in their latest exhibit, Found Affinity, and the artist’s work is primarily non-objective, and the patterns range in complexity.

“I would describe my style as hard edge, geometric abstraction,” Becker said.

According to Becker’s artist statement, they consider the paintings to be a reflection of the way they process thoughts and surroundings. By striving to create pieces that go beyond “the spatial boundaries of the painting as well as multifaceted effects” they create complex paintings that reflect Beckers mind and skills.

“ If you look at them {the paintings}, they are like a little map of my brain and the quality and craftsmanship that I aim for, it’s something I crave,” Becker said.

The exhibition is a display of that craftsmanship, which Becker has spent the past two years developing. After completing The Art Foundations Program at VCU, Becker found an affinity for painting and through struggling with self-portraits, began to develop the style they have today.

“It was kind of like a serendipitous discovery that just evolved into what it is today,” Becker said.

When they first began making hard edge geometric paintings, Becker used darker colors in complex patterns and spent less time focusing on small details. Using precise measurements and tape, Becker creates sections of color that all come together to form one fluid piece.

Today Becker’s paintings consist of bright, vibrant colors in more symmetrical patterns and they examine the details much more closely.

“Even what started out as something really relaxing was still hard and as I get more and more into the style I want it to be more and more perfect and sometimes I become very frustrated,” Becker said.

Becker spends hours examining lines and paint thickness to ensure the pieces are as pristine as possible. Each piece has its own life and origin in Becker’s mind that comes onto the canvas as a non-objective piece that viewers can interpret.

Ryan Lauterio, the owner of Shockoe Artspace, first met Becker when they were a student in his drawing class at VCU. His vision for the space is to create a gallery that any artist can be displayed in and he was particularly intrigued by Becker’s work.

“If you went through different cultures you might find a lot of this strong geometry, colors, and cleanliness that resonates and gives their work a transcendent quality,” Lauterio said.

After going to one of Becker’s artist critiques and seeing their work, Lauterio knew he wanted to show Becker’s work at his gallery. The two previous shows he held resulted in opportunities for both those artists and Lauterio hopes the same for Becker.

“Dakota is the first student who is getting a solo exhibition here and it’s because the work is extremely good and extremely focused,” he said.

While Becker is a student, Lauterio does not want that to be a defining aspect of the art work. He hopes people will look at the art and think ‘wow that’s really good work’ as opposed to ‘wow that’s really good student work.’

Through his space, Lauterio also wants to break down the “hierarchy of art” and view all artists with the same amount of respect and appreciation.

“I’ve been waiting to show a student artist to be able to say it’s not about whether you have a master’s or not it’s about the artist, and to me it’s thrilling,” he said.

Dakota Becker’s exhibit, “Found Affinity” opens at Shockoe Artspace this Fri., Sept. 1, from 6 to 9 pm. An artist talk will follow the next day from 2-3:30 pm.