vol. 111 / Night Owl🦉The Night Owl shares his favorite ways to explore and celebrate Richmond.
VOL 111/NIGHT OWL
Say hello to this week’s guest editor—Mickael Broth, also known as The Night Owl! Requiring little intro, most Richmonders have a favorite Night Owl mural, sculpture, or water tower by now. What you might not know is that Mickael moved to the River City in 2001 with the intention of painting as much graffiti as possible. His involvement in vandalism resulted in a ten-month jail term, which he chronicled in his book, Gated Community: Graffiti and Incarceration. Since that time, Mickael has gone on to pursue an active (and legal) career in the arts. He was awarded a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship for his studio work and is now shown widely around the United States; from museums and galleries to alternative spaces and abandoned buildings. He has painted over two hundred public murals around the world, in addition to helping curate multiple public art festivals and working with youth groups. Mickael is also the author of Murals of Richmond, which documents Richmond’s public art explosion. Take it away, Night Owl!
Texas Beach
DIY Skatepark
Texas Beach DIY Skatepark sits on an abandoned plot of land near Texas Beach of the north bank of the James River. It was started by skateboarders who took it upon themselves to provide for the community what the city has not. In recent years, skateboarders have poured concrete ramps and revitalized the area for all to enjoy. Now overseen by Richmond Area Skateboard Alliance (RASA) in conjunction with the James River Park, groups of volunteers—from dads with their young kids to teenagers kicking it after school—are in the process of building Richmond’s first city-sanctioned DIY concrete skatepark. This is one of the few organizations where every single cent contributed goes directly to the effort! Everyone involved is pouring their time, talent, knowledge, and in many cases, their own money, into this project on a 100% volunteer basis. As a side note, RASA also runs after school skate programs for Richmond Public Schools called RVA SK8 Club. Show them (and the local skate community) some love!
This spot on the river is popular for obvious reasons; it’s an amazing blend of industrial might, decay, and natural beauty that literally puts you in contact with the river. This is the spot I’ve been coming for over 15 years to experience the serenity of the river on a warm summer day or the terrifying torrent of chocolate milk that the James morphs into after heavy rains. This love of the river is the inspiration behind a new book project I’m working on with my homie, Sotheby’s realtor Justin Owen. We're aiming to create a book that celebrates the river in the way that people now enjoy it, as a place to be active, to learn, to meditate, to build rope swings and drink cases of cheap beer (take your cans with you!). For me, the river, and more specifically Pipeline, is what made me fall in love with this city in the first place.
I hesitate to mention my favorite restaurant, but Dinamo has been around long enough that if you haven’t been there (and become a regular) by now, then I just don’t know what you’ve been doing with your life. This place can do no wrong. From the white pizza with anchovies to the succulent rockfish, the eggs in tuna sauce, the squid ink pasta! I could probably list every item on their menu from memory and tell you why each one is amazing. And each tabletop is literally a work of art with reverse painted glass pieces that also line the walls. And the black and white tile floor! And the slowly spinning propeller in the window (dinamo)! I just love everything about this place so very much. Plus they’ve got great neighbors (Salvation Tattoo and 821 Cafe)!
Grid Supply Co., operated by Richmond Grid magazine and Here Weekly, is now featuring the original artwork of Richmond based illustrator Clara Cline (also known as The Wild Wander). Check out our new collection celebrating the flora and fauna of some of our most beloved wilderness.
