Shockoe Bottom in Photos

I just got a new camera (Canon Powershot SX100is - 8 megapixels, 10x real zoom with 3x digital zoom) which I am in love with. As an homage to my new camera, here are a few photos of Shockoe Bottom, one of my favorite Richmond areas.

17th St. Farmers Market

Thursday the 17th marked the 2008 opening of the 17th Street Farmers Market. While I didn't make it to that first day open, I was able to spend an hour enjoying the outdoor market today. At 75 and sunny, today was a beautiful day to wander around Schockoe bottom and talk with local farmers and artisans.

The market wasn't as crowded as it is later in the season by either vendors or buyers, but the extra space and time meant that today's market felt almost like a family affair. Those who were there got to chat while enjoying not only an outdoor market but a musician whose piano playing was amplified throughout the market space.

I bought a dozen fresh brown eggs and a jar of homemade copper kettle cooked apple butter.

I'd love to meet you in person.

As I mentioned last week, I am a grad student at the VCU Brandcenter and I am working on my thesis right now. At this very moment, I am looking for people who might be willing to give me their opinions on a variety of things. If you have a point of view on any of the following, please let me know!

1. Do you like to buy American-made products?

2. Are you a big NASCAR fan?

3. Do you think that you have really strong American values?

4. Do you practice a religion, and can you tell me how that religious practice fits into your everyday life?

5. Can you tell me what you're focusing on in this coming election?

6. Will you speak with me about where you see America's place in relation to the rest of the world?

If you would be willing to give me half an hour of your time this week, I will meet you at the Brandcenter at your convenience, and will provide you with food and my everlasting gratitude.

Thanks!

4/19/08: Thanks to everyone who participated in my project! My thesis is now finished.

Pocahontas State Park

Last weekend, with its perfect blue sky and 60+ degree weather, was the perfect day to be outside. Spring is definitely springing in Richmond and I decided to take advantage with a visit to Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield.

I've been wanting to visit Pocahontas State Park for months, but somehow hadn't yet made the time to get around to it. If you have not yet been, the park is a must-see. Whether you're a runner, a hiker, or a couch-potato/weekend outdoors-woman like myself, Pocahontas State Park has something for you. Their woods are filled with hiking biking and bridle trails that wind through forest and around the edges of lakes and streams, as well as a nature center and Civilian Conservation Core museum.

My afternoon at the Park was focused on a walk around Beaver Lake on the Beaver Lake Trail, which took about an hour. After walking the lake trail, I spent another hour lazing in the sun, soaking in the spring air. Pocahontas State Park is only about twenty minutes from my apartment, but the air there smells different. As someone who grew up loving the outdoors, especially deep woods, relaxing on a bench at Beaver Lake is about the most relaxing thing I can think of.

The musky-green smell of forest has always been a sort of elixir of life for me, and Pocahontas State Park did not disappoint on that front. Spring is coming to Richmond and I can't think of a better way to welcome it than an afternoon hiking one of the Park's trails.

Get out of your cubicle and go!

I am a desperate grad student...

And it would mean a huge amount to me if you would take my survey and/or pass it on.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rYXQ5vpaKtnaFH2r0hbLYw_3d_3d

I'm looking for as large a sample size as possible, and the results are anonymous.

Thank you!


4/19/08: Thanks to everyone who took my survey. The survey is now closed.

Hirshhorn Museum

Yesterday, I took a mental health day and visited Washington D.C. After weeks holed up in my apartment doing work, I felt the need to experience a new culture for a day. As I normally do when I visit D.C., I took the Metro straight to the Smithsonian stop. I love the National Mall for two reasons in particular:

1. It's a national park that actually looks lived in; people run and play football but somehow it still feels like sacred ground.
2. Standing on the Mall, you have the opportunity to visit museums of all types, for free. It's like a museum buffet!

For this visit, I chose to stop at the Hirshhorn museum, one of my favorites. The Hirshhorn focuses on contemporary art and sculpture. They put together fabulous exhibits and the current exhibit is no exception. I spent two hours watching and listening to "The Cinema Effect: Illusion, Reality, and the Moving Image. Part 1: Dreams." According to the Hirshhorn's website, the exhibit "addresses film's ability to transport us out of our everyday lives and into a dream world." That description, while a bit bland, is scarily accurate.

The exhibit is so dark at points that wandering through its twisting hallways is both frightening and disorienting. Combine that with video installations splashing brightly onto walls and the exhibit is both shocking and memorable.

I don't know how to describe it other than to say that it is a must-see. Odd but incredibly interesting.

Modlin Center for the Arts

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the University of Richmond's Modlin Center for the Arts. At the time that I visited the Joel and Lila Hartnett Museum of Art, the gallery on the first floor of the building, they were running a particularly cool exhibit. The instalation, called "Figures of Thinking: Convergences in Contemporary Cultures" featured fourteen artists from different countries.

The exhibit was mixed media and included everything from a thought provoking video to a piece of art made out of hair-like nylon strings eight feet tall. I was captivated by the flow of the exhibit and found myself wanting to meet the person who had designed the layout. Each piece told its own story, but the placement of pieces in the exhibit seemed to tell one larger story as well.

While "Figures of Thinking" left the University on February 10th, I highly recommend a trip to the gallery. The University runs exhibits throughout the year, and even offers free public programs.