The Valentine explores family dynamics in new “It’s All Relative” exhibit

Local museum The Valentine opened its newest exhibit, “It’s All Relative: Richmond Families (1616 – 2016)” to commemorate 400 years of Richmond history through the lens of family relations on Nov. 10.

“We’re about telling Richmond’s stories, and it’s everyone stories,” said David Voelkel, curator of the museum’s general collection. “It’s the famous, the infamous, but it’s also about every man. The people who don’t leave history, or artifacts behind.”

Voelkel said the ultimate focus of the exhibit is on the dynamics of the word “family” and the unique role and history of families in Richmond.

“It’s especially important now, with the legalization of the gay marriage and the recent election to understand what family means and how it changes,” Voelkel said.

The exhibit begins in 1616 with the well-known marriage between Pocahontas, later re-named Rebecca, to John Rolfe in what is now Chesterfield, Virginia. Voelkel highlighted this as defining point in American culture, as it was the first interracial marriage recognized by the English Royal court.

Patrons entering the exhibit will see a mix of interactive multimedia displaying the hundreds of family photos from The Valentine’s archive.

The exhibit ends with a series of filmed first-person interviews with people of various backgrounds exploring how they navigate the challenges and joys of living in the city after finding a home for themselves and their families in Richmond.

Voelkel, alongside VCU adjunct professor Dana Ollestad, worked on the exhibit’s multimedia. Voelkel said it was an intentional decision to blend and balance multimedia with the traditional presentation of artifacts and labels seen in museums.

“This was an opportunity to bring in a contemporary format for a millennial generation who are more comfortable reading from a device rather than a traditional label,” Voelkel said. “Also, this can bring an older audience to become more comfortable with (technology).”

The use of multimedia to end the exhibit is a gateway to discuss and highlight the contemporary Richmond families in contrast with those from previous eras, he said.

For example, Voelkel mentioned an interview with a couple who faced resistance to their marriage as an interracial, interreligious Chinese and Polish-Jew couple.

Voelkel said one of his favorite pieces, the death mask of Lady Nancy Astor, epitomizes the relationship between wealth and family. Astor was the first woman in British parliament, and also married into one of the richest families in history, which Voelkel said gave her room to question the traditional familial structures.

On the other hand, a painting, titled “Elisha and Joseph,” from circa 1935 depicts a married sharecropping couple who worked for and were painted by the Mayo family. Voelkel said the limited information on the couple captures Richmond’s history of slavery.

“Unless you were a rich white patriarch, you were subservient,” Voelkel said. “They built this city, and then they their families were taken away, never to see them again.”

According to Voelkel,this intentional dissemination of slave families causes centuries of Black Americans, even post-slavery, not having a chance to to share the oral history of their families, let alone pass down physical artifacts of lineage.

“It’s All Relative” is open until June 18, 2017. Voelkel said he hopes the exhibit will make people question their history:

“I really just want to open the door to start more conversations,” Voelkel said. “We’re life long educators and we aim to promote lifelong learning.”

STAFF WRITER

Siona Peterous
Siona is a senior majoring in political science with a concentration in international relations and a double minor in media studies and Arabic and Middle Eastern studies. She is heavily influenced by her family’s immigrant background and often writes about the intersection of politics with identity. Siona is an advocate for grassroots activism and political movements, and her dream job involves multimedia-based investigative journalism. She has a plethora of life goals but is only focusing on two right now: learning as many languages as possible and perfecting her Instagram aesthetic. peterous@commonwealthtimes.org