PAST COMMUNITY EVENTS
Intuitive Vessels Workshop
January 9, 2021
We had a chilly but wonderful morning today with OA’s artist-in-residence @stephaniej.woods and teens from @blueskyfund ‘s OLI program! Stephanie led us through collaboratively designing and painting “Intuitive Vessels” for our future edible garden at our outdoor learning park. The group also spent their service day helping us assemble over 200 art kits for our giving libraries and we are so grateful for everyone’s help!
Fall Community Concert
October 31, 2020
We were so grateful for the @virginia_opera to perform live their community curbside concert series Stayin Alive! In keeping with Oakwood Arts tradition, we also had over 100 Halloween costumes to give out!
Say Their Names Quilt
June 15, 2020
What an incredible day we had yesterday making cyanotypes for a community quilt. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our tent and created squares. We had so many powerful conversations and met so many wonderful people.
Holding Space
June 4, 2020
We held sacred space today. Imbued with the hope and anger and wishes of this community. Thank you for holding it with us both physically and in spirit.
Valentines Photobooth with Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club
February 15, 2020
Such a fun night with all of our valentines over at the @salarmyrva boys and girls club! 💗Special thanks to Fran our newest photo intern for running our photobooth for their valentine’s fundraiser and capturing all the cuteness!
Chimborazo Winter Photobooth
February 1, 2020
“This is the best way to spend a Friday night!” shouted Natalie, OA mentee, while photographing tonight at the Chimborazo Elementary school Winter Dance —Tonight for the first time, Oakwood Arts mentors & mentees took on running a photo booth & documenting the dance side by side.
Beyond the Lens: Jackson Ward Exhibition
November 6, 2019 - December 21, 2019
Our students from our summer digital photography course at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) put up their beautiful images up for display at the BHMVA. All 22 students who completed the program have their images up for display showcasing their wonderful talent for anyone to come and see.
1708’s Inlight: Richmond Exhibition at Chimborazo Park
November 15th and 16th 2019 7-11pm
Kids and adults alike helped us continue our stop-motion character animation at Inlight. Mentors and mentees alike were seen all around the park helping us photograph the wonderful artwork!
Halloween Costume Drive
and Fall Fest at the Robinson Theater
October 27, 2019
Oakwood arts spent the month of October collecting new and lightly used costumes for children of all ages. This event is meant to encourage the recycling of old costumes, but also allow everyone the chance to dress up during this spooky season. The collection ends just before the Fall Fest at the Robinson theater where children can get the donated costumes and join in a fun party with games, photos, and food.
CURRENT Art Fair: Bon Secours Redskins Training Center
October 25th - 27th, 2019
We showed off our volunteers’, mentors’, and students’ work to to the Richmond art community. We informed a plethora of people on Oakwood’s past events and programs, and hinted at future events happening in the spring! Check out more about CURRENT here, and check it out in 2020!
Block Printing and Collaborative Walk Cycle Creation
October 26, 2019
During CURRENT Art Fair our talented Instructor-in-residence Sam Page taught all the visitors about block printing to create blocks for our community quilt using styrofoam to create a stamp. They worked alongside our Community Engagement Coordinator Alex Gwynn who worked with visitors of all ages to make parts of a collaborative walk cycle project inspired by VPM’s Pinkalicious and Peteriffic.
Walk cycle line art made by Reyane Ashtar (Instagram)
Field Trip Tour of Virginia’s Home for Public Media’s studios
October 20, 2019
Students got to take an indepth look around the Virginia’s Home for Public Media (VPM) studios with the ultimate tour guide, radio engineer Travis Hope. Our students got to learn more about the radio profession and how radio stations operate to create the shows that many tune into every day. This field trip marks the beginning of our collaboration with VPM. Stay tuned for more information about our future program together!
Intro to Animation Exhibition
August 9, 2019
Our intro to Animation class was given the opportunity to showcase their work at Capital One. The exhibition showcases the hard work of the students from Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School and Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club alongside the artworks from the mentors of the program together in one place.
Woodville Elementary School Field Day
June 12, 2019
It was such a perfect afternoon to be at the Woodville Elementary School Field Day! Our program mentors spent the day capturing the fun and teaching digital photo skills to our group of 5th grade event photographers!
Richmond Night Market
June 8, 2019
What an amazing night at the Richmond Night Market! Jumping off of our Story Hour book for the month, Izzy Gizmo, about a young girl who makes inventions that help out — we ran a booth to make inventions in the creative kids hangout. So many wonderful inventions were thought up in the company of many great vendors including DaVinciSnowCone machine which served as great inspiration!
Bindford Arts and Music Festival
June 8, 2019
Some more dancing characters were brought to life today at Binford Arts and Music Festival to contribute to a community collaborative dance animation.
Human Expression at the Market @ 25th
June 2, 2019
It was a lovely afternoon to join the Market@25th for their event centered around human expression! We ran a table for people of all ages to bring to life a character + contribute to a community collaborative dance animation.
Peter Paul Center’s Red Carpet Event - Miss Sweet Lady Play
May 17, 2019
We were thrilled to have been a part of Peter Paul Development Center’s Red Carpet Event. Oakwood Arts Staff and volunteers built the set and made the props for their one act play Ms. Sweet Lady. We are so proud of everyone involved! Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, especially Pat Storey for lending his professional skills!
Winter Dance Photo Booth at Bellevue Elementary
March 15, 2019
We were happy to be a part of the “Lucky You! Dance” snapping some photos while Bellevue dragons closed out the school week by getting down to music by @ant_boogie_
Living History Museum at Woodville Elementary
March 5, 2019
Thanks to Turnaround Arts Richmond for inviting us to participate in their living history museum at Woodville Elementary school to celebrate Black History Month. Oakwood Arts program mentor Maya Jackson shared about her craft as a photographer and had a chance to meet musicians Claudia Eliaza and Dan Zanes who are working with Woodville students this year!
Winter Dance Photo Booth at Chimborazo Elementary
Feb 8, 2019
We had a great time snapping pics and shaking kicks in our neighborhood at the Winter Dance Photo-booth with the Chimborazo Elementary School Jaguars. Thank you to our volunteers Marissa, Julie, and Raelyn for sharing their photography skills!
Winter Solstice at Candela Gallery
Dec 21, 2018
Huge thank you to everyone who came out to our Winter Solstice party at Candela Gallery last night. We are so grateful for all the love and support. Here is a sample of lovely photos from our photo-booth.
TEDxYOUTH Interactive Session
November 17, 2018
Oakwood Arts was invited to set up an interactive booth at the TEDxYouth event. We highlighted the work of our East End Quilt Collective partners—Unicia Buster ran a quilt-making and embroidery activity and we also exhibited the work of Erin Hollaway Palmer and Brian Palmer, who are creating a digital story mapping archive of the East End Cemetery. It was great getting to interact with many of our students as well as meet some new people and tell them about our Quilt Collective project.
Halloween Photo Booth at Oakwood Arts Office
October 31, 2018
We set up our annual Halloween photo booth at our offices in Church Hill. We had an amazing turnout and got to meet so many of our neighbors.
Halloween Costume Drive & Annual Fall Fest at the Robinson Theater
October 28, 2018
Oakwood Arts spent the weeks leading up to Halloween collecting costumes and accessories from our community. We got to distribute them at the Robinson Theater’s annual Fall Festival and had a great time creating images with our spooky lightbox!
Exhibition: Artist-in-Redidence Massa Lemu
May 10, 2018
Lemu’s site-specific installation at Oakwood Arts, the sea hums bearing strange gifts, charts his experiences as a Malawi immigrant who has since lived in various places around the world including Georgia, Texas, and Cape Town. Along with salvaged suitcases, original text, video pieces, and photographs, the project also features eighteen cots that were repurposed from the daycare center that now houses Oakwood Arts.
Thanks to our partnership with the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, we present the sea hums bearing strange gifts with the support of volunteers and VisArts instructors, who graciously donated their time and the use of the VisArts fiber studio.
Community Event: Women on the Move
April 13, 2018
Oakwood Arts took headshots at Henrico County Public schools "Women on the Move" Career fair in at the New Bridge learning center in Eastern Henrico.
Art and Activism: Studio Two Three: #March for Our Lives
March 24, 2018
We set up a photo-booth at March For Our Lives RVA protest today, and at Studio23's Art of Activism event hosted at Oakwood Arts the weekend prior. We printed them on postcards for community members to send to legislators and demand tougher gun laws.
Art and Activism: Studio Two Three: #Enough
March 14, 17 & 22, 2018
Oakwood Arts partnered with students, Studio Two Three, Moms Demand Action, and Richmond Teachers for Social Justice hosted letter writing, open discussions, sign making and t-shirt printing workshops.
Critical Landscapes: Aesthetics, Topography, and Environment
March 5, 2018
Liz Wells, editor of The Photography Reader (2003) and Photography: A Critical Introduction (2015) gave a talk at Oakwood Arts to emerging photographers and others in the community. Her talk covered the history of landscape photography and the ways that it has contributed to awareness of environmental degradation.
MLK Day: East End Cemetery Clean-Up & Restoration
January 15, 2018
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we invited our friends and family, staff and board, and members of the community to gather together for a lecture from Friends of the East End and a wonderful day of community service and conversation. Oakwood Arts joined the ongoing restoration effort to help clear vines, tend graves, and uncover Richmond's hidden history.
Holiday Portraits & Print Sale
December 3, 2017
We were able to raise funds to help us jump-start the New Year by hosting a holiday photo booth to create festive family portraits. Our print sale featured artwork by the young artists in our digital collage workshop, as well as prints by local artists, including our volunteers and staff.
Field Day at Peter Paul Development Center
Setember 16, 2017
We had a great day at Peter Paul Development Center making cyanotypes & digital collages. Oakwood Arts has the best volunteers in the whole world! We had quite a crowd.
Halloween Photo Booth
October 31, 2017
On Halloween we set up a photo booth at Oakwood Arts complete with accessories and props—and, of course, treats! Check out some of the fantastic costumes!
Halloween Costume Drive & Green Screen Photo Booth
October 30, 2017
We had a great time at the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center's fall festival. We gave away Halloween costumes that we'd collected during our costume drive, and we had a green screen photo booth. Our mentors demonstrated on-site Photoshop skills and techniques to mentees and community members!
Oakwood Arts Block Party & Illumination
July 27, 2017
We hosted our first event at Oakwood Arts—a block party complete with art, music, hot dogs, and ice cream. It was wonderful to meet so many of our neighbors and to share the work created by the young artists who participated in our workshops. A big thank-you to all who came out and to those who graciously donated their time and/or money to make the night happen! (Photos by Brian Palmer and Shannon Castleman)