Exploring Richmond’s Murals

Richmond Mural Project

The Richmond Mural Project (RMP) was dedicated to improving Richmond culture by creating 100 murals from 2012-2016. Many different artists, some local and some from around the world, were involved in this project. The creator of the RMP, Shane Pomajambo was born and raised in Queens, New York.  Pomajambo has been an art collector for over 20 years, and a gallery owner  in Washington, D.C., since 2007. R. Anthony Harris, a local collaborator, worked with Pomajambo to bring the project to Richmond. Richmonder Ed Trask is a Richmond musician, painter, and muralist who transformed many of the old buildings around the city into his very own art gallery. Internationally, D*Face– is a British contemporary street artist, known for pop-art that looks at consumerism and the American Dream. Murals created by the RMP were mainly located in the Arts District along Broad Street between Belvidere Street and 5th Street. 

Learn more about the Richmond Mural Project. 

U.N.I.T.Y. Street Project

The U.N.I.T.Y. Street Project was created to commemorate and celebrate local Richmond history. U.N.I.T.Y stands for “Upholding, Networking and Inspiring Together in Celebration of Yesterday.” From 2016-2017, artists created five different murals. Artist Sir James Thornhill and Hamilton Glass focused the project on community-driven art. The U.N.I.T.Y murals were located primarily in the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood to honor its legacy, as well as in at Battery Park and on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge. One of the murals honors neighborhood entrepreneurs, James Russell Stallings Sr. and Neverett Alexander Eggleston Sr.  

Learn more about  U.N.I.T.Y.  

RVA Street Art Festival

The first RVA Street Art Festival was held in 2012. This project was created to transform places around town into pieces of art, including the Haxall Canal Hydro Plant, GRTC Bus Depot, Manchester Silos and The Diamond.  The RVA Street Art Festival involved lots of local artists, including Ed Trask, Mickael Broth, and Hamilton Glass, along with Nils Westergard, Emily Herr, and Austin “Auz” Miles. Their murals transformed many old buildings, making it easier for the public to interact with the art by creating ideal places for selfies and group photos.  

Learn more about the RVA Street Art Festival.

Mending Walls

The Mending Walls Project was created to advance social justice by connecting the arts community in conversations highlighting their different backgrounds and creating art. The project creator, Hamilton Glass, brought together many different artists including Sir James Thornhill, Matt Lively, Jowarnise Caston, Nico Cathcart, Austin “Auz” Miles and Ian Hess. More than 45 artists created around 21 different murals from 2020 to 2022 in the Downtown and Southside areas of the city. Glass created this project to get people talking to each other after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked outrage in Richmond and around the world. The goal was to have “empathy, healing, and meaningful conversations about racial inequality and social justice.” 

Learn more about Mending Walls. 

But why are these projects important? These projects are important for many reasons. Murals transform places around the city into galleries, inspire local creators, and attract tourists to Richmond. These murals helped artists  express themselves  and expanded the culture of Richmond.