Crimson Beauties: A curation of women’s creativity

Maeve Bauer, Contributing Writer 

Anne’s Visual Art Studio gallery opened its doors to “Crimson Beauties,” a Women’s History Month exhibition featuring paintings by artists Sheila Holland, Diana Urbiztondo and Anne Hart Chay on March 7.

Chay has been running her gallery since 1997 and was one of the key members in starting First Fridays, according to Chay.

Chay said it has been ten years since she has featured a Women’s History Month exhibit. 

“Diana Urviztondo, she’s the one who told me about International Women’s Day. I held a show of her work in March of 2015 for International Women’s Day,” Chay said. 

Chay said that she tries to select a plethora of different artists who create in different mediums than her. 

“I have all kinds of artists represented here from many different countries and cultures, so it’s not just different kinds of medium,” Chay said. “I work in oils and black and white photography, so I like to find artists that do things that I don’t do. I like to find artists that are doing things creatively and that you don’t see in other places.”

Chay said some of the other artists and mediums she has featured during past Women’s History Month exhibits include paintings by visual artist Terrie Powers and ceramics by poetry artist Carolyn Gabs.

Chay has known Holland, one of the featured artists, for over 20 years. They are both VCU alumni and have been in the Richmond area ever since graduating, according to Chay. 

Holland has been painting for over 35 years and teaching for 18, according to her website. 

Holland said she got involved in the project after Chay called and asked if she would like to join the project. 

“Anne called me and asked if I wanted to be a part of it for Women’s History Month. I have been an artist who has been a part of her gallery for over 20 years and she thought it would be a good idea,” Holland said.

Holland’s current medium of art is eggshells, creating landscapes and floral designs using a mix of the shells with gessoed, resin and acrylic paint, according to a press release on Richmond’s Culture Week. 

Holland said she started using eggshells as a way to challenge herself with art and enjoys incorporating different textures into her pieces. 

“I’ve been painting for so many years. I got a little bored painting flat, so I wanted to add texture and make it more of a challenge to myself,” Holland said. I started adding different things in my paint to do that and I happened upon the eggshells because one day I was just looking in the biodegradable trash that would be thrown in the garden, and I was like, ‘Hmm, you know that might be interesting.”

Holland said it took years to get it just right, but once she did, she stuck with it. 

After being in the art scene for over 20 years, Holland said her biggest piece of advice is to get your work out there. 

“Just do as many shows as you can to get your name out there, because once people see your work — and if they like it — more people will see after it and want to show your work and they’ll buy it, hopefully,” Holland said. 

Holland said she never felt that she was too in the scene since she was a commuter student. 

“I think I’ve always just done what I wanted to do and try not to go with what everybody else was doing. I think the scene didn’t actually affect me at all, as far as my artwork anything. Ever since I was at VCU I did landscapes,” Holland said.

Information for Crimson Beauties can be found on the Richmond Culture Works calendar, an online space where different creatives can share their events. 

Richmond Culture Works’ goal is to strengthen art and culture organizations to increase their impact in the region, according to their website. 

They support events such as First Fridays as a way to benefit the community, according to Calie Bain, Culture Works Community engagement strategist. 

“Supporting local venues and events has never been more important. Arts and culture are critical aspects of community health, in addition to clear social and educational benefits,” Bain said.