Fakeha Naeem, Contributing Writer
Set in The Galley, courtesy of Black Iris, an art gallery and social space club, had live murals and art pieces for auction. Park Raiser, an event held on Sept. 4, at 321 Broad St., offered a glimpse into a world full of color, friendships and community built through art.
Despite the unpredictable weather, with intense heat and downpouring rain, the event was abuzz with art enthusiasts across all ages, watching and supporting artists as they painted murals live.
The free fundraiser to support the art park was unique because the organizers blended live music and art from noon to midnight.
The live painters included Jesse Smith, Jason Ford, Anna Perdue, Tedi Kuma and Barry O’ Keefe.
The Little Giant Society, a nonprofit whose mission is bringing Richmond’s first public art park to life underneath the Manchester Bridge, was created alongside vice president Kathleen Cortez and marketing director Ben White, according to Ian C. Hess, director and president of the Little Giant Society.
Hess gained inspiration while visiting FlevoPark in Amsterdam, where he discovered pylons stacked one after another with graffiti work.
The nonprofit was unintentional, and instead put together in the spur of the moment to create a dedicated space for creating, according to Hess. He believes the addition of an art park is inevitable.
Since then, the organization has held many events including Proof in the Park, which displayed murals on nine large walls created by varying artists, according to Hess.
Artists are excited about the art park’s completion so they can come and paint, Hess said.
“It is truly giving something to Richmond,” Hess said. “It has given me everything I have from my business, career and the nonprofit.”
Hess, whose art style is in the realm of realism and surrealism, has worked as a full-time artist in Richmond for the past 12 years. He said he personally reached out to artists to contribute their work for the event.
Perdue’s work is a hybrid mix of tide creatures and unique plants. For this event, she painted hybrid Orchids with alien-like features.
“I want to encourage people to embrace unnatural and weird,” Perdue said.
Tedi Kuma is an illustrator and VCU arts alumni recognized for his distinct black-and-white, hip-hop style street art. Kuma contributed to the Park Raiser event by creating a live mural of a black and white lady inspired by a record cover.
Kuma began drawing at an early age, carrying his sketchbook wherever he went. His picture book “Off The Wall” is the work that he believes is the closest representation of him, including some of his son’s drawings. Previously, he created murals for Park in Deck and Proof in the Park.
“Some murals take a few hours and some might take up to a whole weekend to finish,” Kuma said. “Proof in the Park mural took 8 hours to complete. I see creating murals as a challenge and also being part of the artist community.”
Kuma said he would love to see a space dedicated to street art.
Edward Alan Gross, an artist and VCU alumni, attended the event with his family.
Gross’s daughter, Maxine, said she enjoyed watching the artists paint live.
Mara Beatnick, an attendee, said the vibe was great and each piece of art was unique to its artist.
Lauren Jones, an illustrator and graphic artist, said the event brought attention to the street art community and its often overlooked subculture.
The event caught the interest of many local and international artists. The park raised funds through auctioning art from Little Giant Society’s previous events, including Hess’s work.
The live art auction will continue until Oct. 3 and can be accessed through the Little Giant Society Park Raiser auction website.