vol. 283 / TraskExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 283 / Trask
This week we welcome back artist, musician, and community leader Ed Trask as guest editor. A Richmonder requiring no introduction, Ed sums himself up like this: “Painter, drummer. A scattered mess trying to push stories, color, composition, rhythm, love, and light on to the masses.” That restless energy has defined Ed's work and his place in the River City for more than three decades.
A graduate of VCU with a BFA in Painting & Printmaking, Ed made Richmond itself his canvas, transforming forgotten buildings with murals that gave walls new life. After graduating in 1992, he kept painting wherever he went, sometimes illegally and sometimes while on tour with punk rock bands, always in search of rhythm and story.
Back home in Richmond, he has been a driving force in using public art as a catalyst for community. He co-founded the RVA Street Art Festival, served as a commissioner for the city’s Public Art Commission, and worked with nonprofits to bring inclusive, collaborative murals to neighborhoods across the region. He has also shared his perspective in classrooms, boardrooms and community spaces, reminding people that art is most powerful when it belongs to everyone.
Today Ed’s paintings and murals can be found in collections around the world, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Modern & Contemporary Art Collection, but his roots remain firmly planted in Richmond, where he lives with his wife and two children. On the horizon for Ed is Universal, a gallery space created by Artists for Hope to incubate new creative endeavors that give back. Artists exhibiting at this nonprofit gallery will donate a percentage of their proceeds to the charity of their choice.
Take it away, Ed ...
Camera to Canvas Fundraiser
On September 12, I’ll join fellow Richmond artists for Camera to Canvas, an annual event that blends photography and painting to benefit the Friends of the James River Park System. For more than five decades, the James River Park has been Richmond’s beating heart. It's a place that has shaped my art, my music, and my life. I’ve biked its trails and paddled its rapids. I've cast a line into its waters and found endless inspiration for the stories that end up on canvas.
This year, I’ve donated my painting Train Songs, a piece that echoes the rhythm of steel, water, and movement along the mighty James. Few places capture Richmond’s creative pulse like the James River Park, and Train Songs is my way of honoring that soundtrack.
At Camera to Canvas, you’ll be able to bid on this painting, as well as photographs by Richmond photographer Bill Draper, plus original works from other artists. Attend the show, or bid on artwork online, or just spread the word. Every dollar raised helps protect and expand the park that we all love to call home.
Vitals:
Camera to Canvas / Friday, Sep 12, 2025 / 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM / 6228 Forest Hill Ave.
Walk the Dams Under the Manchester Bridge
This is my favorite spot to breathe, fish, and decompress. It is the perfect blend of nature and the energy of rushing water pounding rocks for millions of years, with trains in three-quarter time carrying goods, coal, and people slicing between osprey and herons looking to roost. The water drowns out the sound of the Manchester Bridge, which has its own rhythm of passing trucks and car horns. Together they create an orchestra that is peaceful, layered, and at times a little discordant, touching every sense. Yet just half a mile away, a completely different rhythm and song rises from the heart of a city that is changing rapidly. And here you can also walk the dam to the now-closed Pipeline Trail, a beloved spot for so many who seek solace and connection to a river that carries both a difficult history and the promise of unity. I encourage everyone to support the “Save the Pipeline” efforts led by groups such as RVA Paddlesports and the James River Outdoor Coalition, who are working to restore public access to this special place.
Vitals:
Under the Manchester Bridge, near the end of 12th & Byrd Street in downtown Richmond
Health Arts in Healthcare
I just wrapped up a collaboration with VCU Health Arts in Healthcare and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, bringing a little extra color and energy to the Virginia Treatment Center for Children’s Northside campus. This mural is meant to welcome kids and their families with warmth and imagination, but most importantly with hope. While I was painting, it struck me that there are so many ways we Richmonders can support CHoR beyond large financial gifts. The Child Life Department keeps Amazon and Walmart wish lists for toys, books, and art supplies. And the Virginia Treatment Center for Children has its own wish list to support recreation therapy and mental health services.
You can also join events like Extra Life, which unites gamers from across the globe to play games to change kids' health to change the future. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Or start your own project, from a neighborhood art show to a “Shop for a Cause” event at a local business. Supporting CHoR doesn’t always mean writing a big check. Sometimes it’s as simple as sharing your time, creativity, or even a box of crayons.
Do yourself a favor and revisit Kuba Kuba today. Here you can stand on the tiles worn down by nearly three decades of footsteps and lean against this well-worn neighborhood bar, its edges smoothed by years of elbows, while you wait for a plate of Cuban pork. Out front there's a mural I painted years ago, still bright with color. Inside, if I listen closely enough, I can still hear Papi reminding me that Rana's house hot sauce, not sriracha, is the sauce you want. Here you'll find sunlight drifting through the front door, cutting across the chorizo smoke. Regulars laughing over what is probably their fourth espresso of the day. The walls are lined with photos, chalkboards and well-loved artifacts that retell decades of neighborhood stories. Even the dogs know to pause at the door for milk bones. For me, Kuba Kuba has always been a home and a family, and Richmond is lucky to have it. If it has been a while, stop by. Order the pork, sip an espresso, and remember why we rally around the places that feel like home. Cheers, y’all.
This is not your normal podcast. It takes place on an island in the James River in downtown Richmond. For more than 200 years, Richmonders have built on this narrow sliver of land, only to watch the river reclaim it. Still, people keep returning, keep building, and keep trying to find their footing. That spirit is at the heart of Richmond’s newest podcast. Check out the recent episode featuring Ed Trask, recorded with feet in the sand and the city skyline in view, as guests talk about what it means to keep pushing the place we love to call home forward. Richmond Grid and Here Weekly are proud partners of the Sharp's Island podcast.
vol. 282 / It's Your MayorExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 282 / It's Your Mayor
We’re proud to welcome this week’s guest editor, your mayor, Danny Avula!
Born in Hyderabad, India, Danny immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1979. A father of five, he and his wife, Mary Kay, have called Richmond’s East End home for more than 20 years. Mary Kay is a teacher with Richmond Public Schools.
Mayor Danny holds degrees from the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins. He was named one of Richmond’s Top Docs every year from 2013 to 2022, Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year in 2019, and Style Weekly’s Richmonder of the Year in 2020. And in case you didn’t know, he even won Dancing with the Richmond Stars in 2017.
He took office as the 81st Mayor of Richmond on January 1, 2025. Before his election, he served as Virginia’s Commissioner of Social Services, and prior to that, led the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. During that time, he worked to expand access to care for the city’s most vulnerable residents, elevate the voices of those with lived experience, address the root causes of health outcomes, especially poverty and race, and highlight the connection between housing and health.
Today, in addition to serving as mayor, Danny continues his work as a pediatrician and hospitalist at Chippenham Hospital.
Take it away, Mayor Danny ...
Mutuality
One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is that we’re profoundly shaped by the people we live in community with. When my wife and I moved to Church Hill more than 20 years ago, relationships with our neighbors weren’t just enjoyable; they were transformative. I came to understand poverty, educational barriers, and housing instability not from a policy brief, but from friendship. But I also learned so much about generosity, resilience, and the way a community shows up for each other in the face of adversity. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The decades we’ve spent in true community with neighbors who became dear friends have absolutely affirmed that sentiment, and have changed how I show up as a father, neighbor, leader, and human.
This week, I’d encourage you to lean into that same spirit of mutuality. Invite a neighbor you don’t know well to coffee. Volunteer at a local school. Show up for a community meeting not just to share your voice, but to listen to someone else’s story. The more we are willing to step into someone else’s shoes, the more capacity we have to show up for one another, and the stronger we all become.
Richmond’s history is painful and powerful, and one of the most meaningful ways to connect with our city is to experience its stories in the places where they unfolded. Confronting the truth about our past, including slavery, racism, and the struggle for Black empowerment, is essential to understanding who we are today and where we will go in the future. To do this, start your journey along the Richmond Slave Trail, following the route enslaved people were forced to take from the river into Shockoe. Along the way, stop at Lumpkin’s Jail, known as the Devil’s Half Acre, and pause at the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground to pay respects. This walk is at the heart of the future Shockoe Project, which will honor and transform this space through education, art, and storytelling.
One thing I love most about Richmond is that when we see something that’s not working, we roll up our sleeves and do something about it. I’m inspired by the ways I see our community live this out every day: organizing meals for the unhoused, welcoming immigrant families to our city, community efforts to clean up the streets, etc.
This week, I’m asking all of us to bring that spirit to our own neighborhoods. A hallmark of this administration is creating ways for our city to serve together. I passionately believe that serving together teaches us about the critical issues facing our neighbors and helps us see perspectives beyond our own. It’s relationship-building and change-making at its best! Our next Days of Service event is coming up September 18–20, and I’d love to see you out there! We have opportunities to plant trees, build a house, clean up a park, or install a pollinator garden!
Mayor Danny paddles to Sharp’s Island in downtown Richmond for a wide-ranging conversation about listening, leadership, and the future of Richmond.
Hey, Richmond: The Newsletter
Mayor Danny recently launched a new city-wide newsletter, and every issue begins with a friendly welcome: “It’s your Mayor, Danny!” Recent editions have spotlighted the Parks and Recreation Department — did you know Richmond is the only locality in our region that maintains public pools, and that our summer camps were completely full by April 1? He’s also shared an early look at the redesign of City Hall’s first floor, resources for paying utility bills, and his vision for building a culture of service across our city. And as always, the newsletter includes plenty of photos and even a touch of poetry. Make sure to sign up so you don’t miss the latest.
vol. 281 / Unlocking FaithExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 281 / Unlocking Faith
This week’s guest editor, Faith Wilkerson, Ed.D., is a higher education powerhouse and community connector who has spent over two decades crafting inclusive programming and leading institutional traditions at the university level. With her strategic leadership in student affairs and diversity work, she's shaped the experiences of thousands of students while maintaining her commitment to equitable engagement.
Currently juggling roles as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond and Founder of UnlockingRVA (plus its nonprofit arm, Unlocking Richmond), Faith is all about bringing communities together one unforgettable event at a time.
This three-time VCU graduate and former Alumni Council President has racked up some serious accolades, including Style Weekly's Top 40 Under 40 and the Richmond Times-Dispatch Women Who Drive Richmond award. But here's what really makes Faith tick: she's perpetually plotting her next adventure (Jamaica 2026, anyone?), believes wholeheartedly in the restorative power of a good nap, and shares her home office with Axel, her scene-stealing Yorkie who's mastered the art of photobombing Zoom calls and has somehow landed himself on the "unpaid intern" roster.
Between changing lives professionally and keeping Axel from redecorating the furniture with his teeth, Faith proves that impactful leadership and a sense of humor make the perfect combination.
Take it away, Faith …
Happily Natural Festival
Celebrate culture, wellness, and community at the 2025 Happily Natural Festival. Also known as Happily Natural Day, this three-day Richmond tradition uplifts holistic health, African and African-American culture, and social change. Expect an African-centered business expo, cultural arts and crafts, workshops, lectures, live music, and more. The main festival day is Saturday, August 30 — don’t miss it.
Happily Natural Festival / Friday, August 29 - Sunday, August 31 / Richmond, VA / times + locations vary, updates and details here
RuPaul's Drag Race Werk the World Tour
Starring RuPaul’s Drag Race icons Sasha Velour, Jaida Essence Hall, Kim Chi, and more, this larger-than-life show brings dazzling performances, fierce fashion, and unforgettable energy to the stage.
This two-day celebration brings together tabletop gaming, arcade classics, esports championships, cosplay photoshoots, and more. Whether you’re a casual fan or a competitive gamer, ImmerseCon is the place to play, connect, and explore.
Vitals:
ImmerseCon 2025 / Saturday & Sunday, August 30 – 31, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM, prices vary / Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa Short Pump, 12042 W Broad Street
THE WELL Fest
Curated by The Well Collective, THE WELL Fest is a full-day gathering of people, art and creative connection in the heartbeat of our city. This celebration will highlight Richmond's arts, culture, and music scene, along with welcoming Charlotte-based Sainted Trap Choir to the stage. Taking place at Main Street Station on September 6th from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM; 10:00 AM if you plan to attend the morning wellness class led by local instructors.
You can expect a high-energy Wellness Bar featuring kombucha, cold-pressed juices, coffee, and teas from local favorites like The Beet Box and Urban Hang Suite. There will be an Art Walk curated by The Art Seen, where you can enjoy artist showcases and be a part of the creation of a public mural. The Market will feature a selection of hand-picked vendors, artisans, and creators. There will be giveaways, a mind-body lounge, and activations that inspire connection with Richmond’s city center, yourself and each other.
Go
