What the Curation of The Cocktail Party Could Mean for Anne Spencer’s Legacy
Photos by Ashlee Glen

Although she never set foot in New York City, Anne Spencer was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Spencer’s involvement in this hugely important cultural movement, which fostered and celebrated the intellectual and creative accomplishments of African Americans, began with a visit from James Weldon Johnson. In addition to being a renowned African-American writer, Johnson was also a civil rights activist and field secretary for the NAACP.

When he came to Lynchburg, he—along with Spencer and other activists—established a Lynchburg chapter of the NAACP. Johnson became fast friends with both Anne and Edward Spencer, and he discovered early on that Anne was a talented writer whose poems demanded exposure and deserved acclaim. Before long, Spencer had a poem published in The Crisis, an NAACP-published magazine, and another poem published in The New Negro: An Interpretation, a groundbreaking anthology of African-American work edited by Alain Locke, who is often referred to as the father of the Harlem Renaissance. Anne and Edward’s Pierce Street home quickly became a hub for African-American artists, writers, and intellectuals passing through the South.

Despite her increasing popularity and friendships with such prominent people as Johnson, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes, Spencer valued her privacy and enjoyed spending time working alone in her garden. Additionally, only about 30 of her poems were ever published even though she likely wrote at least a thousand during her lifetime.

“Anne’s poetry has activism in it, but it’s not in-your-face activism,” says Shaun Spencer-Hester, one of Anne’s granddaughters and the executive director and curator of the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum. “She kind of used nature and incorporated it with activism to address things that she didn’t think were always fair or equal.”

Spencer’s simultaneous compulsion to write (and disinterest in seeking fame for her writing) led to the existence of a painting in the Spencer House with a fascinating backstory.
When it came to writing, no surface was off-limits for Spencer—including her own bedroom wall. Spencer would wake up in the middle of the night and write any number of things—poems, ideas, grocery lists—on the wall of the bedroom she shared with Edward. At one point, he suggested they have a painting done on the wall. Anne agreed.

“My grandfather was trying to protect my grandmother,” Spencer-Hester says.

“My grandfather had a pool table in the attic, and in order to get to the attic, you had to walk through my grandparents’ bedroom.

The community of people who knew of her knew she was a person who often wrote for privacy, so they could have said that the writing on the wall meant that she didn’t want to be bothered with people. They also could have said, ‘What about that Anne Spencer? She’s just too much!’

My grandmother wasn’t afraid to step out, but that wasn’t the kind of thing women did during that time period.”

Ultimately, Dolly Allen Mason, a friend of the Spencers, painted The Cocktail Party on a canvas that was pasted directly onto the Spencers’ bedroom wall in 1944. The painting depicts a large gathering of smiling, well-dressed men and women, along with two large disembodied grins in the background.

In a 2018 C-Span interview, Spencer-Hester mentioned that her grandmother said the painting was “about having to go to a party and put on a phony smile.” Spencer-Hester notes that this statement refers to her grandmother’s aversion to disingenuity rather than an aversion to social gatherings in general.

“She was definitely not an introvert, but she also didn’t need to have people tell her who she was,” Spencer-Hester says. “There was nothing phony about her and she would tell you exactly what she thought but was never cruel with her words. I think she was just saying that people don’t always act genuine at parties. When you go to a party, you’re in the moment, feeling out the room, and maybe you’re not really being you.”

There is another intriguing layer to The Cocktail Party: who it potentially depicts. Spencer-Hester speculates that some of Spencer’s famous friends may be portrayed in the painting.

“In my 12 years of involvement with the museum, I have gotten to know these people by reading my grandmother’s papers,” she says.

“They have really become familiar to me. I pass this painting daily, and one day I looked at the gentleman in the bottom righthand corner, at his profile, and I’m like, ‘That’s James Weldon Johnson with his big forehead! And that’s his wife Grace! And that could be W.E.B. Du Bois in the bottom lefthand corner with two of his smart women that he liked to travel with!’”

Spencer-Hester believes that Spencer herself might be depicted in the painting as well.

“My grandmother used to talk about, and has written about, her and her friend Mary Rice putting on their best red dresses or red hats, and that meant that they meant business,” Spencer-Hester says. “When they wore red, that meant they were going out into the community to do some shaking up!

In the painting, you can see two women with red on, so maybe that’s them.”

Regardless of the particular figures portrayed in the painting, its historical and cultural significance are undeniable. In January, The Cocktail Party was selected from more than 40 applicants as one of the Virginia Association of Museum’s “Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts.” Although the top two prizes ultimately went to other artifacts at other museums, the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum received an award of $500 to put towards the painting’s restoration.

Mark Wittl, conservator and owner of Virginia Art Conservation and Restoration, LLC, recently met with Spencer-Hester to look at the painting. “It is a well-executed, whimsical painting of social interaction in happier times,” Wittl says.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting project and hope the joy I personally feel when I complete a restoration can be shared by all who view it in the future.”
Following a May visit to inspect the painting, Wittl returned to the Spencer House in June to remove the oil-on-canvas artwork from the wall—a necessary part of the restoration process since portions of the wall are experiencing internal failures, he explained.

The removal was successful, but intense—it took Wittl about four hours to extract the canvas inch by inch. He transported the painting to his studio in Roanoke for restoration, which includes cleaning, mounting it to a suitable substrate, touching-up and framing. Wittl believes the entire process will take eight to 12 weeks.

After it’s restored, the original painting will be framed; a copy will be printed and rehung inside the museum where the original used to be located. Spencer-Hester also says they are making some limited edition copies available for purchase, with proceeds going toward the restoration of The Cocktail Party.

Once the painting came off the wall, Spencer-Hester was thrilled to unearth another surprise: more art. The Cocktail Party was covering up three smaller paper paintings. “One of the three paintings is intact. The other two adhered to The Cocktail Party,” she said.

As The Cocktail Party is restored, Spencer-Hester is excited to investigate these new pieces of her grandmother’s past—and hopefully unearth more secrets of her legacy as well.
“There is another layer to remove as we get down to the plaster. Dranny’s scribbling on the wall has yet to be seen,” said Spencer-Hester. “How exciting to find the artwork. It adds another layer to the story. Oh, if these walls could talk…”

Disc golf is a refreshing, challenging activity for all fitness levels

Photos by D.W. Moore

One of the fastest growing sports in the Lynchburg area isn’t played on a court or field. It’s free and you can play it on your lunch break. If you haven’t tried disc golf yet, you might want to give it a shot. “I think there’s something for all ages when it comes to disc golf,” says Trevor Freitas, Athletics and Aquatics Supervisor with Lynchburg Parks and Recreation.

How to Play
Disc golf is a lot like regular golf, played on a nine-hole or 18-hole course. Except instead of using clubs and balls, you use discs (heavier and smaller Frisbees). The goal is to get your discs from the tee to the basket in as few throws as possible. You can throw the disc any way you want: overhand, underhand, sidearm—or anything else you can come up with. It usually takes about an hour to play an 18-hole round.

Like golf, you will have to navigate around obstacles: trees, tough hills, even ponds and creeks. Finding your way around the course is fairly intuitive, but if you are unsure where to go look at the diagram located at each hole: there’s an arrow that shows you where to go next.

The game is free to play, but you have to provide your own discs. Freitas recommends getting at least a “driver” disc and a “putter” disc. You would use a driver for longer distance shots and a putter around the baskets. Locally, he says Play It Again Sports is a great place for beginners to buy inexpensive discs. Make sure you bring a good pair of walking shoes as well.

Where to Go
Lynchburg Parks and Recreation runs two 18-hole courses, at Peaks View Park and Sandusky Park. The course at Peaks View offers two sets of baskets on each hole, to suit people of different skill levels. Freitas describes the Peaks View course as being moderate in difficulty, and Sandusky as moderate to high. Both courses feature holes in the woods, so you will have to navigate around some trees.

One great thing about disc golf is that you can play it year-round. The parks are open from dawn to dusk every day. Freitas says he’s seen plenty of people out playing in January and February on nice days.

A sign at the newer Sandusky course offers thanks to the Peaks and Creeks Disc Golf Club and the Liberty University Disc Golf Team for putting in countless volunteer hours to make that course a reality. LU Disc Golf Coach Steve Bowman helped design the course as well.

There are also disc golf courses located at LU, the University of Lynchburg and Randolph College that are open to the public.

Why It’s Exercise
You might not think of disc golf as a great way to exercise, but you will get more health benefits than you realize.

“You’re doing something to take your mind off the actual exercise part of it,” says Freitas.

Playing a round means about an hour to 90 minutes of fresh air—and it also gets you moving. You’d be surprised how many steps you will clock in 18 holes, going up and down hills.
Freitas says you should expect to burn about 200 calories just from walking around the course.

Some people take it to the next level. “I’ve seen people out there that are looking for more of a cardio workout.

They’ll pick up their disc, throw it, they’ll run or jog to where the disc landed,” says Freitas. “There are people who go out of their way to make it a workout. But most people walk it.

It’s very low impact on the joints.”

Learn more about the Peaks View and Sandusky Park disc golf courses at www.lynchburgparksandrec.com.

A Guide to Growing Your Own Greens

Conventional nutrition advice is very clear: Leafy greens should be a big part of our diets. But, let’s be honest, sometimes the green options at the grocery store just don’t look appealing, are noticeably nearing their expiration date, or, as we’ve seen in recent years, are part of a widespread recall.

If you’ve considered a DIY approach, there’s good news. You can grow a number of lettuce varieties at home with very little effort. Not only will you save money, homegrown lettuce also is more nutritious because it has more Vitamin A the closer you eat it to harvesting. And it’s not too late for you to try this out in 2020. The growing season for lettuce can be in the spring or fall. I would suggest a fall planting in mid-August, with the latest planting in mid-September to avoid a mid-October frost.

To start, first you need to find a seed vendor. Two of my favorite sources are Johnny’s Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Southern Exposure is located in Central Virginia so their growing and cultivation information is always right on target. Whether you’re ordering online or buying from a local nursery, be sure to read the cultivation information so you can grow your varieties successfully.

Then, there are many types of lettuce to choose from. This includes head, leaf, and cut-and-come-again forms. If you are curious, but are not quite ready to “dig in” just yet, go buy some of the great fresh lettuce mixes available at the Lynchburg Community Market or the Forest Farmers Market. Ask the grower which varieties they grow and make yourself a list to try.

Next, there is some simple soil preparation. Work or hand-till a small plot (about 4’x4’ is enough room) about 8-10 inches deep if the soil is not compacted. If it is a new bed, you need to prepare the soil 12-18 inches. But if you’re just not into all that work, you can take a hoe with a wide blade and make several rows side by side. Then, fill the rows lightly with the well crumbled soil. Slowly sprinkle in your seed over the soil that’s been returned. Then barely cover the seed with dirt.

I usually do this by hand. Next, take the backside of your blade, or your hand, and lightly pat the soil.

Finally, water lightly, wait and get ready for fresh greens. Lettuce grows quickly, so you will see seedlings in 7-10 days. When’s it’s time to harvest, I recommend using scissors rather than pulling it. Wash leaves in a sink full of cold water and salt, which will repel any bugs hiding amongst the leaves. Rinse and dry in a salad spinner.

As probiotics surge in popularity, we asked Angie Chapman—sales associate at Nature’s Outlet in Forest—to answer a few top questions.

Lynchburg Living Editor Shelley Basinger: Angie, first off—what exactly are probiotics?
Angie Chapman: Probiotics are what you call healthy gut bacteria. It’s also used to describe the supplementation of good gut bacteria.

SB: How can they help you?
AC: Your gut is what really runs the body, so having a healthy gut biome can affect how your body and mind works, how you react to stimuli, how your body heals and its immune system. You want to make sure all the little bacteria are in balance for your body’s needs.

SB: How do we develop bad gut health?
AC: Existing good gut biome can be damaged by many things including: overdoing sweets, alcohol and tobacco, certain medications and some artificial sweeteners.

SB: There are different strains of bacteria in various probiotics. Why is that?
AC: Certain strains have been proven ideal for men while others work best for women. Some target lung health and others focus on bacteria to help with mood.

SB: In what forms can you take probiotics?
AC: Probiotic supplements typically come in capsules, though some come in powders and liquids. They are also naturally occurring in fermented and aged foods such as sauerkraut and certain cheeses and meats.

SB: Should you take them on a certain schedule?
AC: We typically recommend that you take your probiotics with a high fiber meal. For some, this is breakfast—for others, it will be dinner. The reason for this is that the fiber acts as food for the bacteria and can keep it healthy while it reaches the gut. The best results will come from personal experimentation with what timing works for you.

SB: What are some misconceptions about probiotics?
AC: That they aren’t important! Probiotics are a huge factor in total body health due to how interconnected your gut is with the rest of your body. Your immune system has its headquarters in your gut, and especially now, we have to keep it in tip top shape. There is a misconception that there is a one-size-fits-all probiotic. Every body, a physical body, is different! What works for some won’t work for others.

SB: Why have probiotics become more popular in recent years?
AC: Right now, there are a lot of big names talking about them and a lot more science exploring it. The more the science brings to light and defines how bacteria helps the human body, the more people will be asking why they hadn’t paid more attention to their gut biome before.

SB: What should a person know before starting to take probiotics?
AC: A few things: First, there may be an adjustment period for any probiotic supplementation. This means for a couple days you may feel some discomfort, usually gas. This is bad bacteria dying off in your gut and it will typically subside in a few days.

Second, prebiotics could boost the activity of your healthy gut biome. There are fiber- and bacteria-based prebiotic options.

The bacteria-based ones are effective for really getting rid of those overgrown strains that are causing troubles, priming your gut for the good bacteria you’re supplementing with.

Third, you may not see a difference. We’ve had people start a probiotic regimen and say they don’t notice anything different. That is what we call “maintenance.” You’re better able to maintain an existing healthy gut biome. It’s common in people who don’t have any existing issues linked to an imbalanced gut biome.
Finally, you may not find your perfect probiotic for a while! Try different products to find what really works for you.

Lynchburg Living Editor Shelley Basinger: Christina, you made headlines in June for your mural on 13th Street, “Make Waves,” that was created right at the height of local demonstrations about racism. How did you learn about the blank wall at Hill City Hardwoods?

Christina Davis: At first I was tagged on the social media post and then the owner, Randy Smith, ended up messaging me directly. We have been trying to get together on a project for awhile but the timing wasn’t right since I just had my daughter a couple of years ago. We agreed, “Let’s do it now. It’s so needed.”

SB: This all happened pretty quickly, right?
CD: It did—we tried not to procrastinate because we really saw this mural as an opportunity to join in on what was happening in our nation and community. With assistance from family and Randy, we spent about four days working on the mural—which included scraping and fixing up the wall. It might have taken less time if it weren’t for the heat. We worked mostly in the morning before it got too hot.

SB: Tell me a little bit about the mural. Who is it we see there?
CD: A lot of my work exhibited at the Academy Center of the Arts and other local places is portrait work—animals and people. A lot of my portrait pieces are almost like a self-portrait, because artists always put a little of themselves into everything they create. I wanted every black woman to feel represented as beautiful, strong members in our social and family circles. So this piece is coming from the community—a positive visual of a black woman and the role models we can find in our own community. “Black Girl Magic” can happen in small towns and we don’t always have to look to big time stars for that.

SB: She appears to be swept up into water. Why did you portray her in that way?
CD: More like she is setting it in motion. It’s a play on the social media movement we are seeing right now—people tagging and passing things along, tagging other women and uplifting them. “Make Waves” is just like when a hashtag goes viral, and we were hoping that would happen with #blackgirlmagic—that other people would take their own pictures and use their own visuals. Water is constantly in motion and we hope that the current Black Lives Matter movement keeps flowing as well. It is one powerful way to spread a message with almost little to no words.

SB: Personally, why did you feel a need to tackle this project?
CD: As a black art teacher and a woman having grown up here, I think our voices are very important and need to be heard. As an art teacher, you wouldn’t believe the things I have heard children say about race. I believe we are seeing the result of being silent. Generations before me were often silent or turned the other cheek, and over the past 100 years that’s proven it does not work. But I must point out this is not an angry piece. I’m trying to speak my thoughts and reach out in a strong visual way.

SB: What’s next for you?
CD: I work with lots of local camps (Blue Ridge Montessori school, Discovery Kids, Jubilee, etc.) teaching art classes, so that will be a large part of my summer. But I plan to do three more murals this summer and they are going to be in spaces that the community can see.

Local Openings & Closings
Hello! to Nomad Movies, a spin-off of Nomad Coffee that offers a drive-in movie experience.
Hello! to Fratelli Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, located on the Bluffwalk.
Goodbye to longtime restaurant Carol’s Place in Forest.
Hello! to Kissed Cupcakes in Forest at the Gables of Jefferson Commons.
Goodbye to Shanghai Express on Wards Road after 30 years in Lynchburg.
Goodbye to Cheesy’s on Wards Road.
Hello! to Hill City Pub inside the former Cheesy’s restaurant.
Hello! to the rebranded Rivermont BierHaus, formerly Brauburgers of Rivermont.
Hello! to a new brick-and-mortar location of Rookie’s in Forest.
Hello! to the Pied Piper VA, a Forest food stand offering sweet and savory pies.

BEHIND the SCENES
Timing was everything for this issue’s Art feature. As Editor Shelley Basinger scrolled through Facebook one day, she found an old post on the Anne Spencer Memorial Foundation page about a painting in the historic home, The Cocktail Party, that was listed on an endangered artifacts list. That led to more research and a call to Shaun Spencer-Hester, Spencer’s granddaughter and executive director of the foundation. Spencer-Hester loved the idea of doing a feature about the painting—and better yet, she said a curator was going to be visiting the house the following week. In late-May, photographer Ashlee Glen and her daughter, Emeri, worked together to capture the scene as Mark Wittl inspected the painting.

Lighting was crucial due to the older home’s darker rooms. Read more about The Cocktail Party and the efforts to preserve it starting on pages 41.

When making photography assignments for the July/August issue, the Lynchburg Living team knew just who to ask for our Home feature. Not only is Woody Watts a versatile, easy-to-work-with photographer, he also has a drone! This glorious piece of technology came in handy at the Smith Mountain Lake home to capture gorgeous, sky-high views of the property. Take a tour of the home starting on page 47.

After a week of rain, the clouds parted one Sunday morning in late May just in time for our cover shoot in Downtown Lynchburg. Photographer Ashlee Glen insisted on an 8 a.m. start time to catch the perfect early morning glow. Patrick Hubble and Kim Soerensen, members of the Vespa and Lambretta Club, were great sports as Ashlee gave them instructions on where to ride. Read more about the unique local group starting on page 69.

Starr Hill Brewery Kicks Off Downtown Lynchburg’s Taproom Explosion
Photos by Ashlee Glen

Dan Powers shares the excitement many people in Lynchburg feel about the opening of Starr Hill Brewery’s newest location. “I can’t tell you just how often I go in somewhere and I’m wearing my Starr Hill gear and people are always asking about it,” Dan said. “People are just so excited to have us open up in Lynchburg and open up in downtown.”

Dan is the general manager of Starr Hill’s Lynchburg location at the corner of Main and 13th streets. The company started in Charlottesville in 1999. They moved to Crozet in 2005 and opened locations in Roanoke and Richmond in the past three years. Dan joined the Starr Hill team in February, but he has a lot of experience in the beer industry, previously working in beer distribution for Virginia Eagle.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many businesses in our area, but it didn’t slow down construction at Starr Hill. “The construction team, Jamerson Lewis, they have been just fantastic. They have done a fantastic job of staying on task, on timeline,” Dan said.

It did impact how they opened, though. Starr Hill started off offering beer for pickup on Friday afternoons, while waiting to hear when they would be able to open up the taproom. Then on June 19, they were finally able to open the taproom in a limited capacity.

Starr Hill offers 24 different beers on tap. Popular brews include the Ramble On Juicy IPA and The Love Wheat Beer. Dan says The Love is a hit with people who might be newer to craft beer. “It’s pretty palatable and it’s not necessarily hoppy or bitter. It’s very approachable,”
Dan explained. They don’t offer food, but you can bring food in or have it delivered. You can also get bottles, cans and growlers to go.

Dan is also working to add some outdoor seating, so you can enjoy Starr Hill’s beers while social distancing. He is turning two parking spots on 13th Street into a “parklet.” “It’s basically a pergola deck. That is something we are looking to do here pretty soon so that we will be able to offer some sort of patio seating,” Dan said.

Starr Hill is the first of several breweries opening up downtown in 2020. Others include Champion Brewing Company and Three Roads Brewing.

Standing Together to Fight Racism and Discrimination

Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there was a renewed focus on combating racism in our country—from the biggest metro areas to smaller cities such as Lynchburg. Professional and amateur photographers in Central Virginia captured powerful images as people from all walks of life came together to pray or protest. While some gatherings turned disruptive, most were peaceful and, in many cases, helped form new relationships and partnerships in the community.

In college I took a Voice and Diction class for my journalism major. I clearly recall our professor teaching us how to take “cleansing breaths” to prepare ourselves for public speaking engagements. I hadn’t gotten into yoga yet so the concept of deep breathing was new to me.

Inhaling deeply through my nose, taking all of the air into my stomach, and then slowly exhaling through my mouth…the whole process was a little awkward at first, but man, after that first breath, I was hooked. I could feel a little bit of stress just melt away.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been taking a lot of “cleansing breaths” lately.

Thankfully, since taking this job four years ago, the Summer Issue has always been a bit of a breather for me. Partly because of the season—warm days and sunshine make deadlines feel less oppressive. But also because this is the one issue of the year that’s less formulaic—a delightful hodgepodge of all that is light and bright (and possibly outdoorsy, but not always) in the Hill City.

You’ll find what I believe to be little breaths of fresh air throughout this publication, including a local scooter club that’s featured on our cover. This unique group has a passion for Vespas or Lambrettas and you may catch them “zooming around town” in their often colorful mod-inspired outfits.

There is plenty of encouragement to head outside: grow peaches, play disc golf, or even trek across the state to encounter one of Virginia’s mysterious pony herds. We also have inspiring stories that will make you smile—from our 2020 Healthcare Heroes, which include one of the frontline nurses in the local fight against COVID-19, to a new downtown mural that’s spreading the word about “Black Girl Magic.”

But before you dive in, consider taking a moment to reset: inhale, hold, and slowly exhale.

I hope this magazine is a breather for you.

All My Best,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Business Booster
A little press in Lynchburg Living can go a long way! Local interior designer Katrina Morris, featured in “Farmhouse, Refined” (May/June), says the article brought customers into her new shop inside James T. Davis Paint & Design Center. It doesn’t end there—Katrina & Co. is already expanding inside the store! She sent us a message saying: “The shop has been very successful so far, even with [the coronavirus]… The magazine has helped a lot! People have come in and said that’s where they saw us, so THANK YOU!”

Positive Vibes
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we rebranded our May/June publication to become “The Community Issue” and worked with a local artist for an illustrated LYH cover. We received encouraging notes from readers, including the below:
“[I got the new magazine yesterday] and just wanted to say it looks great! LOVE THE COVER and the whole issue being so upbeat and positive. … The colors are so vivid and make me smile.” – Deborah Fears Keeling

“Thank you so much for the May/June 2020 Community Issue, which warmed my heart even more about this community. …this issue just confirmed my reason for moving to the City of Lynchburg.” – Carol Pomper

Voting Begins
It’s that time again! Voting for our annual Best Of Lynchburg Awards starts July 16 and runs through August 31. Be sure to visit our website, lynchburgliving.com, to vote for your favorite restaurants, destinations, people and more. The results will be published in the January/February 2021 issue of Lynchburg Living.

Idea House in Progress
Our 2020 Idea House is under construction, and we can’t wait for you to see the finished product! The three-bedroom, Colonial-style home is located on Clayton Avenue in the heart of Lynchburg’s Boonsboro neighborhood and was designed to tie into the historic aesthetics you see in that part of the city. Follow Lynchburg Living on Facebook and Instagram for more teasers, and look for the full feature in our next issue!

We Want To hear From You!
Send us an e-mail to shelley@lynchburgmag.com. Correspondents must identify themselves; names may be withheld on request. Lynchburg Living may edit or condense.