VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood has long held a special place in the heart of the Virginia Commonwealth University community.

The historic area comprises unique eateries, spacious homes and St. John’s Church, made famous by Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. Throughout the years, VCU faculty and students have increasingly chosen to live in the area — a bike ride away from both the MCV and Monroe Park campuses.

So when Traci Garland, gallery coordinator and collections specialist, and Michael Lease, head of exhibitions and design, both of the VCU School of the Arts’ Anderson Gallery, were approached about teaching a service-learning course to students in the Departments of Art History and Photography and Film, they knew they were going to be part of something special.

“From our perspective, the intention of this project was to provide a platform for people to share their experiences and stories about a particular place, and to provide new experiences for a group of talented and dedicated VCU students,” Garland said.

The course, Social Practice in the Museum, was partially funded by a VCU Council for Community Engagement grant. It became part of the larger community project, “Made in Church Hill: A Community-Crafted Collaborative Exhibition,” a multimedia exhibition by and about people from the historically African-American Church Hill neighborhood as it undergoes gentrification. The exhibition opened in January at the Valentine Richmond History Center's new community galleries.

Students who don't engage with the city where they are attending college are missing an important part of their education.

“Students who don't engage with the city where they are attending college are missing an important part of their education,” Lease said. “Many of our students were not from Richmond and to them Church Hill was largely a place where they might get some pie (Proper Pie), or some bread (Sub Rosa) or splurge on a nice dinner (The Roosevelt). … This class was important because it got VCU students out of their comfort zone and interacting with — often older, lifelong — citizens of Richmond.”

During the fall 2014 semester, VCU students taught photography and descriptive writing skills to high schoolers from Church Hill Academy so they could create portraits of neighbors, neighborhood landscapes and treasured objects evocative of the neighborhood.

Undergraduates from the University of Richmond partnered with the same group of Church Hill Academy students to collect oral histories from their neighbors and create spoken word poetry. Written excerpts of these oral histories are paired with the portraits, giving insight into the changing nature of the neighborhood as experienced through multiple generations.

“The road to an exhibition is always a winding one,” Garland said, “but part of the adventure is meeting challenges, questioning misconceptions and celebrating the people you meet while creating a show like ‘Made in Church Hill.’ Working together with students from University of Richmond and Church Hill Academy, these dedicated and talented VCU undergrads crafted a remarkable exhibition. This project was truly a collaborative effort, and the journey was just as interesting as the destination.”

 

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