FREEFALL and FALL OF FREEDOM RECAP!!

It has been a little over two weeks since FREEFALL at The Manchester Contemporary Studio & Gallery, and I have been soaking in all of that energy since then. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together, as well as support my fellow Richmond artists!

It’s been a year since the day that I last opened the Studio for an Open Studio/ Exhibit, so an event like FREEFALL was well over due. It was especially gratifying to work under the FALL OF FREEDOM national banner, with their organized partnership and national marketing efforts. The fact that this event counted as part of the national effort as a registered FoF event means a lot for an artist like myself exercising my artistic abilities as an agent of change.

I hope you join me in looking forward to the next FALL OF FREEDOM activation in RVA in October! The mid-terms will be just around the corner then, so I look forward to being a part of the push to encourage others to stand up against injustice and vote for leaders who want to see a more harmonious society. Please follow their handle on Instagram to stay in the loop!

It was great having the other artists there for the shared experience which added to the presence of The Manchester Contemporary. I am not much of a gallerist, so there was some hesitation on how to represent other artists in presenting their works. After the fact, based on the fun that was had by all, I feel like everyone was happy with the presentation of our collection of our city’s significant art! They are artists dedicated to their expression, and I am  truly honored to have them included. It was especially gratifying getting to know them better and discuss ways we can formulate future collaborations here in Richmond and elsewhere.

Huge thanks to the band, Armistead & Andrew!!

If there is one thing that characterizes RVA is that we love to party around art, and what would a RVA event be without live music?I must shout out our guest band, Armistead & Andrew, who really added to the fun with their protest and non-protest repertoire.  The music and the art produced the vibe to prove that we are not helpless. We have a voice!

Our actions and opinions matter! We need this energy in our life, and I am grateful that we have talented musicians such as them to help motivate us and keep our spirit alive! 

When I look at the overall effect of FALL OF FREEDOM’s second activation here in Richmond, I can see the movement growing. Going out to the other First Friday events the next day after FREEFALL, I was impressed with the number of people who came out to take in everyone’s art with the powerful statements they possess. Working with Todd Hale at The Antennae Gallery was great. To be included in a larger cadre of local artists in the gallery’s group show felt like being among a family of art warriors!

I must point out that 1708 had a great presentation of the CURRENT — 1708GALLERY Let’s Get Free: Ecologies of Care, Love & Abolition. It is an exhibition celebrating ten years of the People’s Paper Co-op (PPC). I highly recommend you check out their exhibit on view until June 14, 2026. 

From 2014 - 2024 the People’s Paper Co-op (PPC) used a collaborative and multidisciplinary process to work directly with communities in Philadelphia that were impacted by the criminal legal system. These projects reshaped the reductive and discriminatory stories that criminal records tell into creative projects and installations that imagined a future world beyond our broken systems. Their massive public art campaigns and exhibitions reached tens of thousands of viewers and their art raised over $240,000 to free Black moms and caregivers.

Richmond, VA now has two FALL OF FREEDOM activations under our belts now, and can begin to go bigger in the Fall! Per usual, I look forward to sharing my thoughts, contemplations, and even my plans for new art between now and then. HINT: I have been working lately with acrylic and cardboard and loving the disposable immediacy of the two!

Thank you for your continued interest and support! 

~ Charlie