Richmond's
First Public
Art Park.
At Little Giant Society, we are currently working with the City of Richmond to bring our vision for a Public Arts Park to life! This park will be installed south of the James River, underneath the Manchester Bridge, and on the Fall Line Trail.
Mission
Little Giant Society's main purpose is to cultivate and scale Richmond's thriving arts community by providing essential support, resources, and training for emerging talent and established artists.
Open the Gates
Building inclusive Third Spaces that empower the creative community to collaborate and connect.
Cultivate the Soil
Securing a dedicated sanctuary for Richmond’s street art scene to gather and evolve.
Give back
Providing mentorship and programs that equip the local artists to lead the next generation of talent.
The Art Park
Project
With support from the city government, we are well on our way to creating a free Public Arts Park under the Manchester Bridge. This hub will reduce crime, boost tourism, and retain talent by reinforcing Richmond's status as a premier Arts City.
Our vision with this first major initiative is to create a public arts park with the goal of it becoming a cultural landmark in the city. It will be free and open to any artist who lives in or is visiting Richmond (we believe that this type of project is ~35 years overdue). The city government constantly presents itself as an "Arts Forward City," and it's time to get our leaders to put their money where their mouth is.
This project ties in perfectly with Richmond's Public Arts Master Plan and can set forth a new, more future-focused Richmond. Richmond is in a position to become a defining Arts city on the East Coast. When people think of the Arts in the United States, we want them to think of Richmond.
A park with free, interactive walls will become a place where a father takes his son on the weekend to paint something together, a Girl Scout troop can make a design together and paint to earn a badge, a space where teens and young adults can hang out and paint without getting into any trouble, a place where local and international artists alike can spend a weekend mingling and painting. Ultimately, we strive to create an outdoor third Place where all are welcome, where the art is constantly changing and growing in a way that it becomes not only a training ground for future muralists but also a tourist destination that reflects Richmonders and our culture.
International and domestic trends have proven that cities where a Public Arts Park has been constructed see general reductions in crime, vandalism, destruction of local businesses and homes, while also creating a space for new artists to emerge, careers to be made, and it promotes a public image that welcomes new blood and talent to these cities.
According to Mural Arts of Philadelphia's comprehensive study (muralarts.org), Richmond is #4 in the nation for Public Arts. Other cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and more all recognize this. With this recognition from different towns, we humbly ask, "Why can't our city officials realize this?!" We feel that this represents a categorical failure of our city to capitalize on its reputation because currently, artists don't see Richmond as a place to prosper, but more like a stepping stone, and for decades, we have seen an exodus of talent, and it's time to do something about this.
This is why we are proposing a Public Arts Park (to be officially named by the public) and installed underneath the Manchester Bridge on the south side of the river, adjacent to the Flood Wall. Working alongside architect Katie Cortez, we have formally proposed this project to every single relevant department in the entire city and have gained support from the sitting Mayor, Danny Avula. NOW IS THE TIME!
Proof In The
Park
On April 25, hundreds of Richmonders came down under the Manchester Bridge to paint, dance, and prove that a Public Arts Park belongs here. Mayor Danny Avula grabbed a can himself, and the city has now invited us to submit our full plan. The proof is in: Richmond wants this park.
On Saturday, April 25, we got our shot: a one-day, city-sanctioned trial run of the Public Arts Park, and Richmond showed up. From 12 to 5pm, hundreds of people flooded the space under the Manchester Bridge on the south side of the river, adjacent to the Flood Wall, to experience exactly what this park can and will be. The forecast called for rain. Richmond didn't care. The rain held off and the people came anyway.
We built nine 8ft x 12ft walls and threw the doors open to everyone. This was a true open call: all artists, all makers, all skill levels, bring your own paint and your own ideas. Alongside the public, roughly ten of Richmond's heaviest hitters came to put in work, including Emily Herr, Eli McMullen, Nils Westergard, Jon Murrill, Earl Mack, Catie Lewis, Erek Jones, Jered Fykes, LOBOS, Steve Lahaye, George Arturo, and Tedi Kuma. DJs Dan Knots, JON JAR, Ran, and Profound79 kept the energy up all afternoon. Pros painted next to first-timers. Kids painted next to legends. This park is the place we have been talking about, and for one day, it was real.
And then the moment that says everything: Mayor Danny Avula came underneath the bridge, gave a speech, and when we handed him a can, he asked for a skinny cap and threw his own tag on the wall. It cannot be overstated what it means for the sitting Mayor of Richmond to stand in this space, see the vision, and literally put paint on it. Our city's leadership didn't just endorse this from a podium; they participated.
None of this happened by accident. This event was three years in the making, built in collaboration with the Fall Line Trail, Bike Walk RVA, and the Manchester Alliance, with walls constructed by local carpenters Alé Melgar, Philip Meyer, and James Loving. The site sits at the crossroads of the Flood Wall, the Buttermilk Trail, and the Potterfield Bridge connections: thousands of Richmonders already pass through this space every week. On April 25, they finally had a reason to stop.
So what happens now? The big news: the city has formally given Little Giant Society permission to submit the full scope of our plan. Proof in the Park did exactly what it was designed to do. It proved to City Council, to city departments, and to every skeptic that this project is viable, safe, and wanted. The walls are painted. The community has spoken. NOW WE FINISH THE JOB!
The Sticker Bus
- 200+ Artists: Plastered head-to-tailpipe in work from Shepard Fairey, RxSkulls, and the global scene.
- Sealed Forever: Every slap is coated in automotive clear coat to survive the streets.
- Built to Drive: Fully mobile, AC-blasting, and ready to haul art to the people.
Team
Ian C. Hess
President/Director
Ian C. Hess is the business owner of SUPPLY, Richmond's only locally owned Art Supply Store. He is also the President and Director of Little Giant Society and an internationally exhibiting Fine Art painter who has shown work in Rome, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, and at Art Basel in Miami. Ian is a native Richmonder who is wholly dedicated to creating a flourishing arts community in Richmond.
Kathleen Cortez
Vice President/Treasurer
If we have eyes to see, our spaces illustrate for us the dialog between beauty, place, and culture. Katie operates her own Architecture practice with a focus on emphasizing the power of design, space, and place. A native of Pennsylvania, Katie studied Architecture at Lehigh University, and moved to Richmond 15 years ago after earning her Master's Degree in Architecture at the University of Virginia.
Ben White
Secretary/Marketing Director
Benjamin White, a Richmond, Virginia native, works as a commercial photographer, continually looking for new avenues to progress his vision through the lens. Utilizing digital and film mediums, Ben focuses on commercial portrait, product, and event photography.
Our Partners
Our Sponsors
Recent
News
(ARTICLE) PHOTOS: WET WALLS ON BROAD STREET
For the past two days artists have been making a little stretch of Broad Street more colorful. Little Giant Society and the Richmond Arts District brought together a group of artists to a vacant stretch of Broad Street for a little artification.
(ARTICLE) ‘WET WALLS’ EVENT IN RICHMOND SPARKS CREATIVITY ON BROAD STREET
RICHMOND, Va. — Broad Street is getting a burst of color this week as the Little Giant Society hosts “Wet Walls," a two-day community street art event aimed at re-imagining a long-blighted block in the city’s Arts District.
(ARTICLE) NON-PROFIT PROPOSES VISION FOR RICHMOND’S FIRST PUBLIC ART PARK
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Hiding below the hustle and bustle of the Manchester Bridge, an explosion of creativity, eye to eye with the serenity of the James River — Richmond’s proposed public art park is waiting to be discovered.
Upcoming
Events
Park Raiser 2
Details coming soon for Park Raiser 2.