In The Legacy Museum’s Visual Voices Exhibition

Art does not exist in a vacuum; art can inspire, lend a voice, unite, and motivate.
—Brooke Marcy, Guest Curator of the Legacy Museum’s current exhibition, Visual Voices, A Celebration of African American Artists from Lynchburg and Surrounding Areas

The Legacy Museum of African American History arose from the Legacy Project, Inc., which was established by the Lynchburg NAACP in 1993. After becoming incorporated and designated a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1995, Legacy bought a two-story Victorian house in a historically black neighborhood with the hopes of turning it into a museum in 1997. Three years and a hard-earned $300,000 later, the Legacy Museum opened its doors.

“The initial group of founders felt that the Legacy Museum filled a void in the Lynchburg community,” says Talea Teasley, Grant and Social Media Coordinator at the Legacy Museum.
“They decided to create a place to honor, preserve, and share the stories of the African American leaders and experiences of this area. Legacy programs and exhibits have been instrumental in raising awareness for many students and adults about people of color—people who, despite obstacles, have thrived, owned businesses, paved the way, led the fight for social justice, and have contributed to our community in many ways.”

Since opening in June 2000, the Legacy Museum has showcased 11 exhibitions that give voice to different aspects of the African American experience in and around Lynchburg from 1800 to present day. Among the themes spotlighted in past exhibitions are medicine and health, education, religion, business, military, Jim Crow laws, the Civil War, and music. The museum’s current exhibition, Visual Voices, A Celebration of African American Artists from Lynchburg and Surrounding Areas, turns its lens to local African American artists. This exhibition not only speaks to the experiences of local African American artists, but it also sings with a chorus composed of many distinct and talented voices.

“The exhibition is designed to create a comprehensive representation of the multi-talented African American artists who currently live or have lived in Lynchburg and its surrounding areas,” Teasley says. “These artists open doors to a greater understanding of our community through varied visual interpretations. Some of these artists have had extensive formal education in the arts, while others are self-taught. What they have in common is a passion and dedication to the creation and exploration of the world through visual expression.”

Visual Voices, which opened in August and will run through April 30, 2019, features art in many mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, soft sculpture, wood carving, portraiture and sketches.

Former NASA astronaut and Heritage High School graduate Leland Melvin contributed a photograph he took of the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station near the close of his 2009 STS-129 mission.

“Our orbital home 240 miles from Earth is a starry beacon in the night sky where nations work in peace,” reads part of his artist statement.

Some of artist Christina Ball’s work speaks to her ideas about feminism and beauty, artist Gerald Cheatham’s work portrays his love of and concern for nature and the environment, and artist Ruby Rittmeyer’s soft sculptures are inspired by her childhood memories of growing up on a tobacco, cotton and peanut farm. Each one of these artists, along with the many other featured artists in this exhibition, tells an important story that will inspire individuals and the community at large.

As is the case with all great art, the inspiration provided by Visual Voices is two-fold: the artwork is inspiring in and of itself, but it is also inspiring because of the stories it tells—stories of hope, strength and solidarity.

As the exhibition’s Guest Curator Brooke Marcy eloquently states, “art does not exist in a vacuum; art can inspire, lend a voice, unite, and motivate.” This exhibition “is a celebration of these gifted artists as well as a celebration of art itself,” she adds.

The museum is offering accompanying workshops, lectures and activities to further enrich the Visual Voices experience. “We hope these programs will initiate a dialogue on the importance of art in the African American community, as well as highlight talented artists in our community as a whole,” says Teasley.

Teasley is very encouraged by the response to the exhibition thus far. “So far, the responses to the exhibit have been extremely positive,” she says. “After each tour the docents request that visitors complete a questionnaire about the gallery offerings. Legacy reviews these comments and any recommendations are taken under advisement and discussed during exhibit committee meetings.”

For Legacy Museum Board President Joyce Dixon, garnering feedback from individual museumgoers is the highlight of her job. “The most rewarding thing about my job is witnessing the reactions of visitors as they respond to our exhibits with comments,” she says. “Whether the comments are good or bad, it’s all useful and good.”

In addition to providing valuable feedback after visiting the museum’s exhibitions, community members also play an important role in initially deciding which exhibitions will be featured. “The idea for the present exhibit was first proposed by the organization’s exhibit committee,” Teasley notes. “This committee requested suggestions from various community members and through many meetings and subsequent research, decided that artistic expressions in varying mediums needed to be explored as a possibility. The exhibit committee then held several meetings with supporters, previous contributors, collectors and museum partners for their input.”

As Visual Voices continues its successful run, the Legacy Museum Board of Directors is also working on events for Black History Month and beyond.

On February 25th, the museum will sponsor a Black History Program and Celebration at the Lynchburg Parks and Recreation Miller Center Theater. A featured speaker will discuss the history and evolution of Black History month in the United States and around the world, and a traditional southern Sunday supper will follow the presentation.

During the spring, the museum will focus on fundraising efforts and honoring donors. “Special fundraising activities are being undertaken to cover the expenses of brick and mortar repairs outside of the exhibit galleries,” says Teasley. “There are also plans to honor ‘Legacy Legends’—our longstanding supporters—for their continuing support and assistance.”

In the future, the Legacy Museum Board hopes to see an increase in community participation and collaboration. “We’d like everyone in the community to know we’re here and have something valuable to offer to the entire community,” Teasley says. “The Board would like to see an increase in attendance as well as collaborations with other community organizations that expand and lead to joint programming. We look forward to an increase in fundraising and the ability to continue to grow and fulfill Legacy’s mission: to enrich the lives of local residents and museum visitors by fostering and stimulating an appreciation of the diversity of the African American experience in Lynchburg and surrounding communities.”

Learn more about The Legacy Museum at legacymuseum.org.

While cardiologists attend to physical needs, this group heals the emotional wounds of heart surgery patients

In the midst of heartache, literal and emotional, Lynchburg’s Mended Hearts chapter is there to offer an ear, a shoulder, and, more importantly, a heart, open and beating strong with a desire to offer some comfort during a difficult time.

Chartered almost three decades ago, in 1989, Blue Ridge Mended Hearts Chapter No. 16 visits patients undergoing heart surgery, and their families, to offer personal, emotional support. Volunteers also follow-up with them over the phone and the chapter sends monthly newsletters. Mended Hearts holds regular meetings—usually the fourth Thursday of the month—in the Pearson Cancer Center (across from Lynchburg General Hospital), which are free and open to the public. These programs feature guest speakers and provide invaluable information on key health topics.

“I feel that we are helping heart patients get well,” said Betty Drinkard, Chapter 16 President. While she has not suffered from heart problems, Drinkard noted that about 99 percent of the club’s members have had some kind of heart issues.

“Those of us who do have heart issues, we tell the patients, ‘I truly understand how you feel.

It is all right to be afraid. It’s all right to get a little bit depressed. But I promise you one thing, when you go home, you will feel better than you have in a long time. I am sure you are going to take better care of yourself than you have in your life.’”

Mended Hearts brings healing in ways that physicians cannot.

“We offer hope and encouragement,” Drinkard said. “We visit every heart patient at Lynchburg General Hospital. When a heart patient is having any type of procedure, we visit with the patient’s family.”

Centra has even provided Mended Hearts with an office and computer on the third floor of the hospital, where the heart patients are. (Volunteers also served at Virginia Baptist Hospital back when it had heart patients.)

“The cardiologists email us with information on every single heart patient,” Drinkard said. “The patients, they are so appreciative; once they find out [their visitor] has heart issues too, boy, they open up and they are ready to tell their life story. And we enjoy hearing it too. We definitely offer them as much encouragement as we can.”

Mended Hearts is the nation’s oldest and the largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular support group in the world, with more than 300 chapters supporting over 460 hospitals in North America. Annually, Mended Hearts touches approximately 2,000 people in the Lynchburg area.

This year at the annual Mended Hearts National Education and Training Conference, Blue Ridge Mended Hearts Chapter No. 16 received the Award of Excellence, recognizing Lynchburg as the No. 1 chapter out of over 40 in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Every year Lynchburg’s chapter sends 10 people to the conference, consistently one of the most strongly represented chapters. This is because Chapter 16 recognizes the important educational benefit afforded at this national training event.

In the area, it started in the early 1980s with a small group of cardiologists, nurses, and volunteers who dubbed themselves the “Cardiac Club.” When they heard about Mended Hearts, they soon worked toward becoming a chartered chapter, and today, Chapter 16 has over 85 members.

Much of this growth is simple addition through impact.

Like so many current members, Carol Bryant got involved after a Mended Hearts member visited her during a difficult time.

“My husband had the surgery,” Bryant recalled. “I was the caregiver. A Mended Hearts member came in and talked with us about his experience.

We talked about the feelings and how to go forward; it was an encouragement.”

That was in 1993. Since then, Bryant has served as the chapter’s president, among other roles, and is currently the president’s advisor.

The power of the peer-to-peer connection is what drew First Vice President Laurel Dodgion to Mended Hearts. Her family suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a rare, incurable heart condition.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition includes abnormally thick heart muscle that may make it more difficult for the heart to pump blood. Symptoms include pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fainting. Growing up, Dodgion did not know of her condition and she and her siblings struggled because of it. For decades they endured several tests, studies, experimental medications, treatments and so forth as experts sought to learn more about the condition, which is often (as with her family) caused by genetic abnormalities. She has lost four brothers and a sister, as well as children, nieces, nephews, grandkids and other family members to the disease.

Though she did not personally receive Mended Hearts visits (she was treated at hospitals outside of Lynchburg), when Dodgion read about what the organization was doing here in Lynchburg, she wanted to get involved. Since then, Dodgion—as well as her sister, Dee Dee Stevens—has discovered a “calling” in visiting patients.

“I get so much just out of listening to the poor patients,” Dodgion said. “I try to tell them where I am coming from and they can see why I do this, because I have been through so much with my family. … Some people, it really just blows them away.”

Two years ago, Dodgion had the opportunity to share her story at the national conference.

She said that she has really embraced Chapter 16’s motto, “It’s great to be alive and help others.”

“I say [to the patients I visit], ‘There is life after surgery. We all have difficult days … [but] each day you get a little bit better. And once you get your body in shape and get to a place where you can get back to your life, it makes a big difference.’ I give them as much encouragement and hope as I can. It just makes them feel so much better; it makes me feel good, helping them.

And with some of them, you really see the difference.”

Drinkard also knows firsthand the emotional gamut families go through when dealing with cardiac issues. She saved her husband’s life with CPR when he went into cardiac arrest while they were having lunch at home. She was his caregiver for 32 years. Ty Cobb Drinkard was a charter member of Chapter 16. And even since his passing eight years ago, his legacy lives on.

Betty Drinkard’s involvement by his side, and now in his honor, has not waned. The annual Ty Cobb Drinkard Memorial Golf Tournament at London Downs regularly raises tens of thousands of dollars that goes into the community.

Lynchburg’s Mended Hearts has committed to investing nearly $20,000 each year for the next three years to various charities, scholarships and aid efforts. In December, the first Nancy Eggleston Memorial Scholarship (named for a recently deceased charter member) was awarded to a nursing graduate specializing in cardiology. Chapter 16 has purchased AED defibrillators for a number of community organizations and churches, has donated $25,000 to help build the Rosemary & George Dawson Inn, a nonprofit facility that provides affordable lodging to patients (and their friends and family) who are receiving care at a Centra location, and contributed toward Centra’s renovated Pediatric Center. The organization also regularly supports rehabilitation therapy for heart patients whose insurance does not cover it and purchases rehab recovery items for several patients.

“I’ve never worked with an organization as dedicated as Mended Hearts,” said Drinkard, who has been involved in a number of charitable organizations over the years. “I guess because most of our members have been through a lot of trauma, heart-wise. It makes you appreciate life more, that is for sure.”

Mended Hearts is always looking for more volunteers to carry the legacy forward. Connect with Chapter 16 at (434) 200-7611. For information on the organization, visit MendedHearts.org.

It’s a frigid afternoon aboard the Atlantic Explorer, a 65-by-31-foot catamaran, capable of fitting a crew of 132 people over its two hulls, which provide a stable platform able to handle rougher conditions during storms with heavy seas. With no squall in sight, we bid ourselves bon voyage from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s dock at Owl Creek in Virginia Beach, traversing Rudee Inlet and a fleet of yachts and fishing boats as well as bald eagles nested among the treetops and oysters strewn about the shores. But, we’ve embarked on this journey, led by the Virginia Aquarium’s staff of marine experts, to seek out a far more imposing species that calls the deep blue sea home—whales.

These Virginia Aquarium Sea Adventures Boat Trips, beginning at Thanksgiving and carrying on throughout the winter to early March, bring passengers up close with wildlife on the coast of Virginia Beach. “By allowing folks to have a personal connection and experience viewing these animals in their natural habitat, it inspires them to want to be able to do what they can to help,” explains Alexis Rabon, boat trip coordinator, who indicates that learning more about these creatures in a direct way enables us to do more to protect the environment and the animals themselves. A portion of the sales from Sea Adventures Boat Trips contributes to initiatives of the Virginia Aquarium to further its research and conservation efforts and the work of its Stranding Response Team.

Despite a wind chill and overcast skies, the conditions are ideal for catching a glimpse of whales today, as Atlantic Explorer makes haste beyond the 1st Street Jetty at the Oceanfront and between barges loaded with transatlantic freight headed to and from port. We’re not far offshore from the same beaches that host hoards of tourists in the summer months in the vacation destination; these migratory whales are seemingly right here in the resort city’s own backyard (or, if you will, backyard swimming pool). Last year the Sea Adventure Boat Trips yielded a 100 percent success rate for whale sightings, indicating an optimistic outlook and turnaround for certain whale species that were once considered endangered or critically vulnerable.

The most common whale species seen on these outings are humpback whales, measuring up to 52 feet and capable of weighing an upwards of 79,000 pounds.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) currently estimates that there are between 10,000 to 11,000 humpback whales in the North Atlantic Ocean, which have made a considerable comeback from the days when they tragically dwindled from whaling. However, while most humpback whales no longer need endangered species protection, researchers are still concerned with recent mortality rates within the area.

During these trips, spectators also might see steadfast and swift fin whales and minke whales, but they are more of a challenge for the naked eye due to their agility and breakneck speeds. The North Atlantic right whale can also make an appearance, though this is only during rare occasions due to its critically endangered status. Since whales are mammals, they must head to the surface to breathe air and exhale water from their blowholes, which is an opportune time for sightseeing before they plunge and hold their breath.

I’m at the bow of the ship in anticipation, giving myself a vantage point for anything that may emerge from the water, as we cruise to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, with the 23-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the horizon and the Cape Henry Lighthouse shining its beacon through the cloak of clouds. We come in contact with bottlenose dolphins, the sociable mascot of Virginia Beach and a focal point for the aquarium’s summertime Dolphin Discoveries Sea Adventures Boat Trip. By air, seabirds nosedive into the water, scourging their prey with their talons. Hours into our odyssey and the wishes for whales seem to slip by in the ocean, as though they were an elusive mariner’s mirage of our desires lost at sea.

Rabon shares with me that during the Sea Adventure Boat Trips the aquarium uses a designated data collector with a GPS unit, hitting a waypoint wherever there’s a viewing of a whale. Photo identification of individual animals helps their research and conservation division, which studies the whales’ migration patterns, their seasonal behaviors and how the waterways serve as supplemental feeding areas.

Though retracing these areas marked by these waypoints improves the prospects of seeing whales, it’s still a matter of dealing with Mother Nature.

As we circumnavigate back to the 1st Street Jetty and Croatan Beach, suddenly, we spot a whale’s footprint within the water, an indication of a breach of the surface where the flow of the ocean has been disrupted. The stench of dead fish fills the area, another telltale sign of a whale—it’s the smell of their breath carried in the air. The crew in its entirety, families and staff jump to the Atlantic Explorer’s railings—there they are, two stunning and majestic humpback whales, the colossus of the sea, a gentle giant peering its fins from the water composed of unequivocal gracefulness. I’m completely awestruck in the sheer enormity of seeing these creatures dwarf us in comparison. Buoying at the surface, water spouts like a geyser from their blowholes, draping the sea in a mist.

Humpback whales are a whale watcher’s dream, Rabon explains. They’re more surface active and acrobatic, as they dive down and plunge to the depths of the ocean and reemerge to spend time in our environment hunting and foraging. They’ll even echo songs to one another in an indication of their behavior. “We’re really lucky here in our area that we do get a chance to see so many of the different feeding stocks coming through,” Rabon shares.

In the warmer months of the year, North Atlantic humpback whales take provisions in the feeding grounds of the Gulf of Maine, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada, Iceland, Western Greenland and Norway while ensuring their blubber stores are thick for the migration south during the winter. In their breeding grounds of the Caribbean Sea near the West Indies and Dominican Republic, they’re essentially fasting while they mate and give birth to their calves. Here in Virginia Beach though, there are both reproductively mature humpbacks that won’t breed every year and juveniles not yet ready to reproduce that are devouring their food source of krill and a variety of small fish.

At sundown, the two humpbacks we see frolic near the Atlantic Explorer vanish for a moment before a theatric reappearance. We keep observing for some time before the boat must head in for the day, returning a captivated crew with fortunate tales from our seafaring whale watching excursion.

Make your plans for your whale watching adventure at VirginiaAquarium.com

Come. Sit. Stay.

It’s the perfect slogan for one of downtown Lynchburg’s most recent culinary additions.

My Dog Duke’s Diner at 1007 Commerce Street opened in November, and customers have been heeding the commands.

“It’s a welcome addition to downtown’s growing list of eating options,” said lunch customer Judy Walker. “The menu is varied enough to appeal to most tastes. I try to eat mostly plant-based foods, prepared in a healthy manner, so I was happy to see several sandwiches and salads that appealed to me. I had the Harvest Salad, which was fresh and tasty and exactly the right size for lunch.”

The gleaming counter and stools are reminiscent of an old-fashioned diner, but it’s an updated, shiny version. Plate-glass windows front the street and exposed wooden beams also appealed to Walker.

“The decor puts a slightly modern spin on the classic diner, making it seem like a place that would appeal to all ages,” she said.

“The noise level was much less than expected for a full lunch crowd, and I was able to carry on a conversation easily. Service was excellent—no waiting but also no hovering. I’ve been recommending it to everyone.”

The diner started out serving breakfast and lunch, but soon added an impressive dinner menu.

Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., the eatery also offers brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As you might expect, breakfast is served all day long. You can order “The Barking Dog,” a buttermilk biscuit with bacon, egg and white cheddar cheese for $5, or try “The Benny Nova,” egg, salmon, Hollandaise sauce on an English muffin for $9.

As a vegetarian, I sampled “The Italian Job,” a tasty croissant with egg, provolone, arugula, red onion and tomato with Dijonaise.

The Espresso Bar features coffee and its kin: espresso, cappuccino, latte and mocha, as well as chai and tea.

The lunch menu offers a variety of sandwiches for $9 including the diner musts— meatloaf, Reuben and Italian. There’s also the more whimsical “Green Goat,” which features zucchini and goat cheese with avocado, green apples and Green Goddess Dressing. The diner also offers gluten-free buns for sandwiches.

Salads range from $9 to $11 and can be topped with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp for an additional $4.

“The menu offers a nice variety of sandwiches and salads, and the bread is especially good,” said Anne Nash, another lunchtime customer.

“I’ll definitely go again.”

The dinner menu suggests pan-roasted “striploin” or shrimp and grits for $18, as well as Joan’s lasagna or a hot roast turkey platter for $13. And yes, meatloaf is on the dinner menu, along with fried chicken and “Barking Dog Burgers.”

A full-service bar includes a nice variety of wines, craft beers and ciders, and signature mixed drinks, including martinis and margaritas.

Brunch features free-range fried chicken and waffle, as well as a vegetarian skillet.

If you can’t find something you like to eat and drink at this diner, you don’t like to eat and drink.

The diner is owned by the Parry Restaurant Group, which also owns Shoemakers, Waterstone, El Jefe, Fire & Hops and Bootleggers in Lynchburg, and other restaurants throughout the state.