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“Richmond has been a wellspring of inspiration for
artists for hundreds of years,” says Brooks Smith, an environmental
attorney with the Hunton and Williams Law
Firm. “We occupy a rich and irregular place in the world.”
Now, if you’re asking yourself, “What does an environmental
attorney know about art?” chances are you
haven’t met Brooks Smith, Chairman of the Board of the
newly formed Culture Works. First, a little about Smith
himself. While you may not have met him personally, you
may have met his voice...or at least you recognize it. As
a commentator on the local NPR radio station, WCVE,
Smith has often focused on the city’s art history.
But a little more bio from the man himself. “I hail from
the tiny hamlet of Craftsbury, Vermont,” he says, “where
I attended a one-room schoolhouse from the first through
the third grade. I finished high school in Annapolis,
Maryland.” After doing his undergraduate work at the
University of Richmond, Smith earned his law degree at
the Vermont Law School.
As far as his interest in art is concerned, he says, “I
have long had an abiding passion for art and music. I
majored in art history at UR and have always played some
kind of instrument, first trombone, now various strings.”
Writing has also served as an outlet for his artistic passions.
“My dad was a gifted writer and I guess he passed
on some of his talent, or at the very least his love for
words and the craft of writing,” he says. “What I couldn’t
seem to do with paint or clay or horn, I found in the pen
– a way to communicate those passing, fragile moments
of beauty in the world.”
In early 2007, Smith became acquainted with John
Bryan, President of the Richmond Arts Council. The
two worked together on a project for the Capital Region
Land Conservancy. This relationship led to his involvement
with the Arts Council, which has, in recent months,
been somewhat reborn as CultureWorks.
“CultureWorks,” Smith says, “was born out of the
Richmond Region Cultural Action Plan, a year-long process
that engaged the voices of hundreds of independent
artists, arts and culture organizations, corporate and
foundation leaders, government officials and the general
public on how to make our region’s arts and culture even
more vibrant than they already are. CultureWorks will
help bring the Plan to life.”
How so? “We will serve as a champion for arts and
culture, a go-to organization for information and services,
a catalyst for collaboration, and a source of grants for the
arts and culture community,” he answers.
If CultureWorks truly succeeds in its mission to bring
to fruition the Cultural Action Plan’s “Call To Action,”
residents of the entire region will be the beneficiaries. As
Brooks Smith acknowledges, the Richmond area has long
been a “wellspring of inspiration.”
Now, so states that call to action, “is the moment to
enhance its standing as a cultural destination.” Here’s
wishing Brooks Smith, the new CultureWorks board,
and the more than 150 volunteers thus far involved in
CultureWorks, much succes
_______________________________
SONGLINES OF
RICHMOND
Alvin (the chipmunk) stated it, so eloquently, in that
classic motion picture, The Chipmunk Adventure: “I
need a little culture in my life.” Don’t we all? The fact is,
many of us, don’t appreciate how much culture there is,
or has existed, in the Richmond area.
Brooks Smith, in developing his commentary series,
Rediscovering Richmond, for WCVE Public Radio, discovered
for himself the rich, diverse culture here. “Over
the past year,” he says, “I have been telling old and nearly
forgotten stories about the roots of performing arts in our
region, from the first fine arts academy in the new world
to the greatest tap dancer who ever lived.”
Now, Smith has put together his collection of essays
in the recently released book, Songlines of Richmond.
To help vividly tell the stories of the city’s cultural history,
Smith has collaborated with his long-time friend, and
well-known Richmond photographer, Wayne Dementi.
“Wayne,” he says, “helped to bring these stories to life in
print, with new and vintage photographs.”
Brooks says his hope is that, “the book will be appealing
to anyone involved in the arts, entertained by them,
or simply hoping to learn more about this Muse I call
Richmond.”
Songlines of Richmond is available in all area bookstores,
as well as many area museum and specialty
shops. It can also be ordered online at www.dementimilestonepublishing.
com. |
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