Art Lovers

Richmond, Virginia

Take a trip East to savor an experience no far from Washington DC to a less traveled destination.  Over the past five years, the most interesting arts attraction in Richmond has become the city itself. In 2012, Shane Pomajambo of Blind Whino SW Arts Club, a nonprofit and gallery in Washington, D.C., brought his month-long showcase of street art, the G40 Art Summit, to the downtown Richmond Arts District. “As I was asking business owners’ permission to use their walls, I kept hearing the same story—that they fell in love with the city’s eclectic, laid-back vibe but wanted more feet in the street,” he recalls. In response, he partnered with the city to produce more works, with the aim of “enforcing the district as a place to see arts.” Today, the Richmond Mural Project is an annual event, responsible for the largest collection of murals in the country. Pomajambo picks ten international muralists, like Polish duo Etam Cru, to spend two weeks every year adorning the city with artwork. Now, he says, “I’ve seen people do bike tours, photo shoots, and meetups around the murals.”