Design for Conspicuous Transit
MFA Thesis Exhibition
Design: Visual Communications
Department of Graphic Design, School of the Arts
Virginia Commonwealth University
Opening May 1, 2009
6pm-9pm
1509 West Main Street
Richmond, Virginia
One preview (in progress):
Join us at the Binford Bash: A Celebration of the Visual and Performing Arts on Saturday, April 25 from 11 am – 6 pm behind Binford Middle School at 1701 Floyd Ave.
We will have live music, dance and theater performances; art to see, buy, and make; a silent auction; festival activities; a dedication of our rain garden; and more! To check out all the activities, go to www.binfordpta.org and click on any of the Binford Bash links.
Among the many activities, we will have a sidewalk art contest. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to Main Art & a $25 certificate to Penny Lane Pub.
Bring a canned good for the Food Bank, and play a game for Free!
Help create a community art project to hang by our rain garden.
And much more!
This event is sponsored by the Binford Middle School PTA, your neighborhood Middle School.
Times Dispatch reporter Karin Kapsidelis researched and wrote a good, fairly objective overview of outgoing Virginia Commonwealth University President Eugene Trani’s term. Of course, I may not be that objective as I was the ‘loudest protester’ named in the article.
“He’s expanded VCU at the expense of a lot of other components of Richmond,” said Scott Burger, president of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association.
I would have liked to have seen more examination of Trani’s role as powerbroker, especially when he used his Richmond Renaissance position to not so gently persuade City Council to approve Dominion Power’s Special Use Permit for its headquarters and trading floor expansion at the expense of the river view, but I know its difficult to cover everything, even in a front page article.
We are hopeful that the new VCU president will be a reasonable man and a man of
honor. The sign of a great leader will be to make things better for the
surrounding communities as well as being an advocate for the university’s
improvement.
VCU is blessed with many gifted faculty members and students. Its president
should serve as a role model and use this talented staff for the betterment of
all parties involved. Oregon Hill and the other historic communities of Carver,
Jackson Ward, and Randolph have paid a dear price for the unbridled VCU
expansion. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is a pretty tough
golden rule to argue with.
But what is interesting are the anonymous online comments on the article. Here is a sample:
Trani bears much of the responsibility for this, when he took over there was a quick and drastic shift in the attitude VCU took towards students, faculty, and staff. In the end, Trani’s work has benefited property owners, local politicians, contractors, and the corporate entities that he has allowed to prey upon his students (read commodities). The students have not benefited at all, unless the student is a college basketball fan.
As usual, the RTD has it wrong. The negative posts regarding Trani on this thread out number the positive, and for someone who lives in the university community and knows many people that work at VCU at many different levels I can attest they share no love for the man either.
Ouch, and people call me harsh. A Sunday school lesson for us all: arrogance and “pride goeth before the fall”.
Every Richmonder worth a salt should know who Grace Arents is.
http://www.rbc.edu/library/SpecialCollections/Women_history_resources/vfwposter2004.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/travel/richmond/OregonHillHD.html
One of the most important groups of buildings is the St. Andrews’s complex at South Laurel Street and Idlewood Avenue. Richmond philanthropist and social reformer Miss Grace Arents funded and supervised construction of the St. Andrew’s Church Complex (243 South Laurel) of 1901-1903, to the designs of the Indiana architect A. H. Ellwood. The complex also includes a parochial school from 1901 and St. Andrew’s Hall at 711 Idlewood Avenue from 1904.
Miss Arents’ work extended throughout the neighborhood well beyond the Episcopal buildings. In 1904, she built the brick Colonial Revival style St. Andrew’s Houses at 912-914 Cumberland Street and 200 and 202 South Linden Street, which constitute one of the earliest examples of subsidized housing in Virginia. She also built a complex of buildings for the Instructive Visiting Nurses Association, dating from 1904 and 1923 at 213 and 219 South Cherry Street, the Noland and Baskervill designed Grace Arents Free Library at 224 South Cherry from 1908, and the 1911 Grace Arents Public School at 600 South Pine Street. Miss Arents also donated the Holly Street Playground on Holly west of Laurel Street, one of the oldest public playgrounds in the City of Richmond.
http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/indexnew/sub/history/arents.cfm
So on that note…
An update from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden:
* There are still a few seats available for next week’s No Child
Left Inside: Restoring Nature to Early Childhood symposium (April 29th,
8a.m.-4 p.m.) We are excited to announce that Virginia’s First Lady,
Anne Holton, will provide opening remarks at the event. In addition,
you’ll see we’ve added Chip & Ashley Donahue, founders of Kids in the
Valley, Adventuring to the line-up. And, Tracy Kane, noted author and
illustrator of The
Series(tm),
books and help families build fairy houses in the Children’s Garden
during our Homespun Fun for Families event.
* We’ve just opened a few remaining slots for the FREE Dinner in
the Garden for Teachers. If you are an educator interested in attending
please see directions below.
* If your organization would like to provide an educational
display at the No Child Left Inside: Restoring Nature to Early Childhood
symposium, please contact Adele MacLean for more details. Call Adele
MacLean at 262-9887 ext. 222 or email her at adelem@lewisginter.org.
Anniversary Year Symposium: No Child Left Inside: Restoring Nature to
Early Childhood
Wednesday, April 29, 8a.m.-4p.m.
For a PDF of the agenda (subject to change), click here.
Join the national dialogue about the critical relationship between
direct exposure to nature and healthy childhood development. Learn about
the physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and creative assets that
young children gain through outdoor experiences, and how direct,
authentic experiences in nature can be created for children wherever
they live, play, and learn.
This symposium is for everyone concerned about the healthy development
of today’s children, including early childhood professionals, teachers
and administrators, recreation leaders, pediatric healthcare providers,
parents and caregivers, urban planners, environmental educators,
architects, landscape architects and designers.
Featuring presentations by:
Jane Kirkland, author of the award-winning children’s nature series,
Take a Walk books
Robin Moore, Director of the Natural Learning Initiative and Professor
of Landscape Architecture, North Carolina State University
Plus Chip & Ashley Donahue, founders of Kids in the Valley, Adventuring
(KIVA)
$25 includes lunch; advance registration required; earns 5 training
hours.
Related Events:
Teacher Workshop: Dinner in the Garden for Teachers
Tuesday, April 28, 5-8:30 p.m.
Presented in cooperation with the Center for Life Sciences Education,
Virginia Commonwealth University Homespun Fun for Families
This symposium is the second in a four-part series marking the Garden’s
25th anniversary. These events are made possible with generous support
from the Robins Foundation.
Calendar says April 17 but I think it is tonight…
From VCU Calendar of Events:
Date and Time Thursday, April 17, 2008
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Location Univ Student Commons – Ballrooms, Monroe Park Campus
Sponsor(s) VCU Registered Organizations
VCU Registered Organizations:
Speaker Susan Greenbaum & others
Audience All ( Open to the public )
Description Take Back the Night is an opportunity for survivors to have their voices heard & find empowerment through the stories of others. The event will be a combination of educational/professional presenters, survivor speak outs, a musical performance by Susan Greenbaum and a march around Monroe Park. For more information contact saves@vcu.edu or the faculty adviser, Tammy McKeown, VCU’s Coordinator of Sexual Assault Services at 828-2085.
As critical as I am of VCU, Oregon Hill does appreciate and enjoy many of the cultural benefits that being next to a large university allows.
One of these happens tomorrow, as it does annually- the VCU Student Intercultural Festival takes place in Monroe Park.
“Come and enjoy the cultural performances, food, activities, petting zoo, fashion show, and more!”
Hopefully there will be more coverage of the City’s budget process soon, but from what I heard at this morning’s meeting at the Main Street Library, the City’s new stormwater utility fee will cost Richmond homeowners about $45 each more every year, while VCU, as state property, will be exempt. Hopefully, I am wrong about this, but I am afraid that is what is coming down the pike. Keep in mind that under the current system, VCU already pays a much smaller rate for water use than Richmond citizens, who pay what is possibly the highest minimum water rate in the country. There are still a lot of questions as to what commercial property owners will be charge for stormwater vs. residential, and what developer property vs. undeveloped means.
As I have said before, I am not against a stormwater utility fee, as long as it is fairly applied and it goes towards actually preventing stormwater runoff problems in the City. The Public Utility is at least starting to dress the new entity more green, and they deserve some credit for that.
To find out more about the situation, citizens may want to attend City Council’s Finance Standing Committee Budget Work Session, Wednesday, April 8, from 2 to 5 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.
There is a lot more going on with the City budget as more economic devastation comes to bear and I urge citizens to get involved.
In a surprising move, Virginia Commonwealth University administration announced that its real estate foundation has signed an agreement to purchase the Hollywood Cemetery Company and all of its holdings. Hollywood Cemetery has been an operating since 1849 and covers roughly 145 acres. If this breaking news proves true, this new addition would put an exclamation point on what has been an incredible expansionary period for the university under its outgoing President, Eugene Trani. At press time, neither Hollywood Cemetery officials or VCU President’s Office was willing to answer too many questions about the startling development, although VCU did release a short statement saying that it was the culmination of a long term campaign “to give VCU a riverfront campus without impeding upon any ‘living’ neighborhoods or pre-existing agreements and create a world-class atmosphere for our university”. A purchase figure was not given.
Although VCU officials were less than forthcoming with plans for the acquisition, immediate speculation was that VCU would increase its residential presence with high rise dormitories while using at least some of the riverfront acreage for a football stadium. One VCU athletic official let slip that there was hope that some of the larger crypts could be ‘repurposed’ for squash courts.
When asked about the historical assets of Hollywood Cemetery, including the graves of Presidents Monroe and Tyler, a spokesperson shared that VCU had contracted with an outside firm to appropriately commemorate and memorialize the rich history of the gothic landmark. In addition, some local preservationists believe that VCU may try to move the Confederate White House from the MCV campus to a new historic museum portion of the Hollywood Cemetery location. A Virginia Department of Historic Resources employee, who refused to be identified, only remarked, “Well, Trani is still a very powerful man.”
Although many had still not heard the news, the VCU students who had were already excited about the expansion of facilities. “Hopefully, we are going to get some free parking”, said one. Another said that this move will bring more safety to a relatively unpopulated part of the City. A student government leader said that he had already been contacted by a campus environmental group that wanted to make sure some of the older growth trees in the cemetery were incorporated into any planning.
Please keep reading oregonhill.net as more details on this major development become available.
eager runners
The Ukrops Monument 10K was this morning. Its a fantastic, family-friendly, fitness event for the whole region. I know some Oregon Hill residents took part and I implore them to send some photos so I can post them here.
And I am really sorry to bring up a sore subject with such a great, happy event. But I need to…
It would almost be funny if it was not so damn sad.
As VCU has continued to bulldoze and expand into the neighborhood despite protest, Oregon Hill residents warned VCU and City officials that increasing commuter traffic was becoming more and more of a concern on Cherry and Idlewood. And its not just VCU, more riverfront development such as the Dominion trading floor and MeadWestVaco has put a lot of strain on Idlewood, where VCU and young St. Andrew’s students walk.
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association even championed a plan to create a traffic circle on Idlewood near Hollywood Cemetery that would slow down traffic coming of the Expressway and allow it to have a choice between east or west. It would make it safer and easier for Oregon Hill residents (yes, remember us?) and commuters alike. VCU President Trani ‘promised’ to contribute to this plan.
But, nothing has happened with it. And we continue to see stuff like this, in columns like this Sunday’s Times Dispatch’s Street Beat, that only partly answer questions:
Q:I frequently drive through Virginia Commonwealth University by way of Oregon Hill. There is a light at the intersection of Cherry and Main streets — where you can go only left or straight. When school is in session, it is hard to make a left turn because of all the pedestrian traffic. I often have to wait through several light cycles to get through. Please see if they will consider putting a left-turn signal for people turning left to Main from Cherry. — A reader
Answer: Sometimes you can’t catch a break.
Here is what Jemila M. Woodson of the Department of Public Works said about this intersection:
“Pedestrians crossing West Main Street at this intersection are crossing simultaneously with northbound traffic on Cherry Street.” Therefore, an additional traffic phase to accommodate Cherry Street traffic would not improve traffic flow and would increase delays for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, she said.
“To improve pedestrian safety at this intersection, crews will install a ‘Turning Traffic Must Yield To Pedestrians’ sign for northbound traffic turning left on Cherry Street. They will also repaint the faded pedestrian crosswalk. These improvements will be completed within 30 days.”