Ron Lee and Michael Pierce are currently working with a steering committee with Jennifer Yane in leadership to help create the Black Lives Matter art exhibit previously hosted by First Unitarian Universalist church. The new exhibit in 2021 will be virtual on website that Michael has developed. Ron is working on a public outreach group, to promote the news of the art exhibit and encourage local and regional artist to participate. Therefore BLM RVA Art 2021 press release is here:

Black Lives Matter RVA 2021 Art Show goes virtual!

The fourth version of the Black Lives Matter Art Show will be virtual rather than being hosted at its traditional home at the First Unitarian Universalists Church in Richmond. The original art show started in 2017 and had two other iterations but the 2020 show was waylaid by Covid-19. The Art Show organizers felt that the significance of the moment meant it was important to continue the artistic tradition despite the challenges of not being able to exhibit work in a physical gallery.

The 2021 show will be available for viewing beginning on Feb 1, 2021 which is the first day of Black History Month. The mission of the show is to assemble a virtual collection of works from local and regional artists that intends to gather the community together to combat institutional racism, to champion racial justice, to promote spaces for the black imagination and to celebrate black joy.

There are three major purposes for the show: Inclusivity is an important aspect of the show—meaning that artists of any race may submit work. Anti-racism is another aspect of the show. The message of the show is that this is the time to advocate for anti-racist policies, anti-racist educational initiatives and police and legal reform

centered around racial equality. Celebrating black joy is a third goal of the show. Too frequently, the black experience has been belittled, dismissed and silenced. This show aims to celebrate black empowerment, resilience and beauty. In short, this art show aims to honor all black lives-past and present-regardless of age, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation or identity by using the visual [and recorded] arts (dance, spoken word, music, etc.).

The deadline for submissions is Dec 15th, 2020. Artists can view the submission requirements through https://bit.ly/2GT3W4D.

or by emailing blmrvaart2021@gmail.com for a prospectus.