Stride and ride: Walking is Art class takes the Pulse of Richmond

By Drew Thompson

By foot – and by free bus fare – a unique Virginia Commonwealth University course is blending art, exercise and community exploration, years after the pandemic brought it to life.

The brainchild of School of the Arts associate professor John Freyer, Walking is Art is a film and photography course offered in the spring semester. His classroom partner is Michael Lease, the director of facilities and experience design at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU.

“The class is built around the Pulse,” Freyer said of the local GRTC bus route. “We wanted to essentially walk the entire city of Richmond, using the Pulse as backbone for the class.”

Once a week, in a class that is almost entirely outdoors, the Walking is Art students gather and take the Pulse to one of its stops, then explore the surrounding areas by foot. Neighborhoods, shopping centers, surrounding nature – all things around the stops are discussed and examined for their significance. The class often takes students to places they have not previously seen, and it prompts them to think about the relationships between normal objects in everyday life.

“I thought this class was an incredible and unique way to experience learning outside of the traditional classroom setting,” said Ella Floyd, a 2024 VCUarts graduate who took the course in her final semester. “My experience was one of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone by meeting new people and learning more about the GRTC Pulse bus system, and how it historically ties into our Richmond social and political environment.”

Walking is Art has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic. When social distancing and home isolation were the norm, Freyer envisioned a class that could bring people together while still abiding by the health guidelines.

“I wanted to come up with a way to be in person with people,” he said. “Essentially, I pitched this class that we never had to meet in a classroom.”

Freyer initially was the sole instructor, but Lease joined him soon after its introduction. An avid walker, Lease would regularly ask Freyer about how Walking is Art was progressing, and Freyer’s invitation to a class session turned into a lasting partnership.

“I was just so curious about it,” Lease said. “It just sounded like a perfect thing to do.”

Freyer and Lease ask the Walking is Art students to attempt 10,000 steps a day throughout the semester, which totals roughly 1 million steps. And on the creative side, students have a large final project that revolves around their experiences walking.

One set of students developed a custom Google map, and another created a podcast that is available on the class website. For the upcoming spring semester, one prospect is experimenting with zines. The small custom booklets or magazines would document the students’ progress throughout the semester and could be donated to the Cabell Library afterward to preserve their experience.

Walking is Art meets regardless of weather, and students have shown themselves to be durable.

“It started hailing and thunderstorming out of nowhere, but [Freyer] was so quick on his feet and helped me lead the class to a nearby bakery to wait out the storm,” Floyd recalled of one session. “I would say that walk was the most turbulent, but everyone had such a great time, and the storm cleared up within 30 minutes!”

For the Walking is Art instructors, the true impact of the course is developing a like-minded community built on walking.

“What I hope is that students’ relationship with the city has been changed,” Lease said. “That they feel more comfortable in the city. They’re more knowledgeable about the city. They engage with people in the city in different ways. They walk more in their life just in general.”

Floyd said she developed such an appreciation in Walking is Art – and a great set of memories that she hopes others can forge for themselves.

“If you enjoy Richmond history, public transport, walking or even just sharing laughs that split your sides, this is the class for you,” she said. “I just wish I could take it again!”