Dishing up exquisite portions of food and art, ElectricCoArt, Bistro & Market brings a big city vibe to the “World’s Best Little Town”

Tucked away from the heat of a typical Virginia summer day, and with an ice-cold carafe of water on the table in front of me, I sat with a passionate group of people who are on a mission to elevate Bedford’s art and food scene—all under one roof.

Surrounding our interview group is art—lots and lots (and lots) of art. From large, multi-colored abstracts to traditional pastoral landscapes to shelves displaying the most detail-oriented, whimsical sculptures I’ve ever seen. Almost every empty space in this historic, magnificent room is filled. It’s hard not to be inspired here.

“People walk in and say, ‘I feel like I’m in New York City or Downtown Philly.’ They will pick a city and fill it in. And that’s our goal,” said owner Wendy Witt.

The vision for ElectricCo started forming when Witt, a real estate agent, had the Depot Street building listed for sale.

“We just started daydreaming about what this building could be,” she explained, adding that her partner, Bill Mauser, had been looking at vacant commercial spaces to put his blacksmith forge.

Once the couple made the move to buy the space, they had the end goal in mind—a maker’s market, art gallery, and restaurant. Naming the business was easy and was pulled straight from history—the ElectricCo building was constructed in 1895 as the original Bedford Electric Department and it functioned that way until 2000.

Getting to their end goal, however, didn’t unfold quite like they thought it would and ended up happening in stages.

“We wanted to open up everything all at the same time, but we soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. The market was first and was the easiest,” Witt said.

In June 2021, their makers market opened to the public. It’s located on the lower level of the two-story building, with its own separate entrance, and features a little bit of everything—pottery, candles, jewelry, clothing, and more. Witt says local makers and artisans, who had been working at home during the pandemic, jumped at the chance to have a spot to showcase their goods.

Next came the art gallery, located upstairs. Witt and Mauser didn’t have much experience in this arena and weren’t sure how easy it would be to find artists who wanted to display their work in a new Bedford gallery. They were stunned by the initial feedback.

“It went so much easier than we expected.

As we started talking to artists, they told us, ‘oh my gosh, we are dying for a place to show’ or they were even looking for a second location to show,” she explained. “We got a lot of compliments from artists about how the place looks and feels.”

The front of the gallery is where visitors can peruse—and purchase if they choose—a wide variety of local and regional artwork, and artists swap out their pieces often so there is always something new to see. Keep walking to the rear part of the gallery, and you’ll find a larger, more comprehensive showing from a featured artist that typically stays on display for about six to eight weeks.

With the market and gallery underfoot, the restaurant seemed straightforward—a completion of their business model trifecta. It was going to be a relatively simple eatery, a limited kitchen offering some select sandwiches. But just like an artist who lets their imagination guide them on a canvas, the restaurant idea started taking a different direction when renovations began.

“We didn’t expect the demo of the building to open up the spaces as much as they did. The kitchen went from two small, dark rooms to a big open kitchen. We started knocking out walls, removing sheetrock, found windows that were hidden,” Witt said. “The whole vibe just changed.”

And the more the environment changed, the more their expectations for the restaurant expanded. Witt and Mauser’s limited kitchen concept had morphed into a full-service, fine dining experience.

“Then, Chef Thomas and we came together, so it’s like it was all supposed to happen,” Mauser added.

The “cupid” in this serendipitous introduction, according to Witt, was the man who installed the restaurant’s kitchen equipment. One interview later and Chef Thomas Schmidt was hired to lead the way for ElectricCoBistro, which opened to the public in April.

Schmidt, a Blacksburg native who now lives in Lynchburg, graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. His resume includes the Sanderling Inn on the Outer Banks and the Willow Grove Inn in Orange, both of which are highly rated in the culinary world.

“After that, I broadened my foundation into some other things and then the opportunity to come back to fine dining arose with ElectricCo and I jumped on that and couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Creating a forward-thinking, upscale menu in a small town comes with its challenges—one of them being, you don’t want to scare people off.

“So it’s only about this much intimidating,” Mauser joked, holding up his thumb and forefinger.

Schmidt quickly jumped in to add, “You want it to be friendly, somewhat familiar. So people won’t go, ‘what is that?’ Our ingredients are all recognizable and everything is from scratch.”

There’s a lot of fusion-style cuisine. Schmidt has enjoyed pairing many well-known dishes with flavors inspired by Asia, France, or Germany. For example, one of their top selling appetizers is prosciutto risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and topped with a Southwestern marinara and Mexican cheese. Schmidt’s recipe for ahi tuna with Asian slaw and sushi rice further highlights his love for international flavors.

Their chicken marsala is also a huge hit with customers, along with the bistro’s grilled salmon entrée.

“We have a few things on the menu that are standbys because they are so popular. Ultimately we will probably have a base menu, but we will always be switching things out,” Schmidt said.

The menu is dynamic, just like the art on the walls and Schmidt doesn’t have to work too hard to find inspiration for new dishes—he just looks around.

“When the art is always changing, you want the food to change too,” Schmidt said. “You want it to be as special as the art.”

Those two elements, art and food, play delightfully off of each other here at ElectricCo—creating a special experience not only for locals but hopefully lots of out-of-towners as well.

“We want art lovers from New York to Atlanta to come up here to our area, from Roanoke to Lynchburg,” said Witt. “We want to create an art scene in this region and be part of that.”

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Photos by Ashlee Glen

The Academy Center of the Arts Continues to Hone their Mission

Photos Courtesy of The Academy Center of the Arts

In its nearly 120-year history, the Academy Center of the Arts has seen highs and lows.

It was once a prominent, glamorous theater that brought in traveling shows, musicals, and performers.

At its lowest point, it was shuttered for six decades before restoration groups fought and fundraised for years to finally renovate the historic landmark back to its former glory.

Dr. Bill Kershner, volunteer archivist at the Academy, said there have been several stages in the life of the theater lasting longer than a century.

The golden age of the Academy began in 1905 and lasted until about 1915, he said.

The Academy opened in February of 1905 and had first and second class touring companies who would come to the Academy after their Broadway shows.

“Lynchburg was an important stop because these touring companies didn’t want to travel without making any money every day. They didn’t want to play for, say, a week in Washington D.C. and then a week in Atlanta, and then lose a couple of days traveling. So they would book these things together,” Kershner said. “So Lynchburg was on that circuit. We had the same shows that everybody read about during this period.”

The Academy also offered cheaper events that were popular with different groups in the community.

“So the Academy always served several different parts of the community,” Kershner said. “It wasn’t just the wealthy folks.”

Aside from the touring companies, the Academy also held concerts and recitals, some of them by internationally famous acts. They even tried wrestling in 1914, and Kershner says he is still wrapping his head around how that was pulled off.

Parts of the Academy burned down on April 20, 1911, and the interior was destroyed. No one knows what caused the fire, but the best guess was it was caused by the furnace, Kershner said.

It was rebuilt and reopened in December of 1912 and the interior was even grander than the original—and it was that version that became the prototype for the restorations in 2015. The next period of the Academy brought in silent films, though the building wasn’t fitted for that type of venue until a third stage was built in 1928 for talking movies.

“For about two years, it does first run films and the Academy is once again on the forefront of entertainment in Lynchburg—but that only lasts a few years, because in 1930 the Paramount, designed as a movie theater, opens across the street, and after that they’re really a second-run theater,” he said.

Most people who remember the Academy from this time will remember viewing the serial films shown on Saturdays.

The theater showed some movies that were about a year or two old, ran serials, and held the occasional vaudeville show until it ultimately closed in 1958 and remained shut for 60 years until it reopened in 2018.

For the first 10 years of its closure, it fell into disrepair until the announcement that the 5th Street bridge would be built right through it in the late 1960s

A group of citizens rallied to secure a historical landmark status in 1969 and got the bridge rerouted, Kershner said, and although that group had hoped to restore it, raising money was difficult, so it continued to sit for another 15 years until the early 1980s when it was bought by Liberty University who had the idea to restore it.

That never happened though.

In the 1990s it was sold to the Friends of the Academy for the low price of about $10, Kershner said, and in 1996 it merged with the Fine Arts Center.

“That’s when the Fine Arts Center was torn down and they raised the money for the Warehouse Theater and the building next door, which became the art galleries,” he said.

It wasn’t for another 20 years when other spaces were being renewed downtown that people saw possibilities for the Academy to be a part of that renovation work. “People saw that downtown was coming back to life,” Kershner said.

In 2015 they began seriously raising money and were successful, which was around the time that CEO Geoff Kershner—Bill Kershner’s son—took over.

“So that was pretty gratifying to us that it was while Geoff was executive director that it actually happened,” he said.

By December 2018, the historic theater was back open after a $30 million restoration project.

Nearly 50 years after community members were able to begin fundraising efforts for the Academy and save it from demolition, the beloved historic space was able to live on with the same mission it’s had all along of serving citizens from all backgrounds.

That inclusivity is an important piece of Chief Programming Officer Michelline Hall’s job, who said the mission of the new Academy is to have arts be accessible for all people in the community.

“A part of that is having camps and classes that people can attend and participate in and then another piece is providing financial support for people who can’t afford it,” she said.

New to the Academy that was not a part of its original function is the art galleries and educational classes that the community now has an opportunity to be a part of.

It recently has begun offering Academy in Motion, a mobile arts program that seeks to impact members of the Lynchburg community by providing arts access to groups and individuals with barriers that would otherwise prevent exposure to the arts on their physical campus.

Hall said the bus goes to the YMCA, adult day care centers, and schools to bring programming straight to participants.

She said it also has a partnership with the Virginia Cooperative Extension on an initiative called Plates and Paints, which is a food and nutrition program. The program works with people digitally to make a healthy plate of food in a way that is diverse in color just like a paint palette would be.

The Academy is also open for school field trips and offers students to take a class, see a performance or the art galleries, or learn the history of the building.

“That’s the programmatic aspect of being intentional about how often we’re creating those moments where we’re able to tie in that educational and cultural component because a lot of these kids, just by expanding their horizons, you never know what they may decide they can do,” Hall said.

Hall said the Academy is going to invest in the best acts and artists that it can bring in, but wants to make sure that it’s bringing everyone to the table to enjoy it.

“I don’t know how many doors were opened just from people seeing something or experiencing something or hearing someone that inspired them and allowed them to go down a certain path,” Hall said. “I’m not anticipating that kids that come in here to all become amazing visual artists, but maybe they feel like they can do something else in their lives that they thought they wouldn’t be able to do.”

That’s a beautiful thing about the arts. The arts are cross-cultural, Hall said, and reach across all demographics.

“Good music touches everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t have a zip code, it doesn’t have a salary cap or limit. There are certain things about the arts that just unify all of us together.

And we’re trying to constantly be the catalyst for that.”

Be Kind Gallery 101 Cultivates a Caring and Inclusive Community for Creatives

Viewed from different lenses, a single work of art can tell innumerable stories.

Art possesses a singular ability to speak to different people in different ways, and that is part of its power. That being said, there is also great power in an artist’s intent, in the often deeply personal message they seek to share. At Be Kind Gallery 101, both interpretation and intent are given space, thus creating an atmosphere where creativity, conversations, and connections thrive.

Be Kind Gallery 101 was founded by Stability X, an artist and veteran who sustained traumatic brain injuries after jumping out of airplanes during her service in the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina. When she decided to leave the military so she could better care for her daughter, X was met with little support.

“I sustained multiple traumatic brain injuries doing those jumps and decided, as a single mother, that I needed to stop so that I could have some cognitive abilities to take care of my daughter,” X said.

“She is, overall, top mission. I needed to do what was best at that time for my health and for my daughter’s safety. I did not get a positive reaction from my leadership when I made that decision. I could no longer perform human resources work, which had been my job for nine years, to the best of my abilities because traumatic brain injuries affect your executive functioning skills. I ended up getting disability compensation, but it wasn’t enough to take care of my daughter and me.”

X started a stationery notebook company to bring in some more income but discovered that the burnout resulting from being an entrepreneur with brain trauma made the situation untenable.

In addition to dealing with financial struggles due to lack of support, X was also dealing with isolation.

“When you’re in the military, you’re part of a team of soldiers,” she remarked.

“You are rarely isolated. When you’re a veteran out in the community, if you’re not with a company that has six or seven other employees in your immediate vicinity, you can feel immediately isolated… What I want people to understand about veterans, especially those recovering from injuries, is that it’s important
to reach out. Talk to them, ask them about their journeys, and see how you can help introduce them to different resources and organizations.”

These experiences, paired with X’s long-standing love of and talent for art, led her to open Be Kind Gallery 101 in March. She currently invests her disability compensation into the gallery, and her ultimate goal is to attain 501(c)(3) status.

“I wanted people to know that I was trying,” she said of her decision to open the gallery. “I wanted to say, ‘This is how I’m trying. Come in and ask me questions, and let’s talk about it.

See how I’m still working.’ Veterans who are injured don’t get enough compensation nine times out of ten, and they still have to work. This is how I choose to work.”

X and her partner, John Rose, are both artists with unique styles. Rose likes to incorporate found objects that are often perceived as trash, such as empty beer cans, into his art, thus giving them new life. “I feel like I’m still discovering myself as an artist, and I feel like you always need to be open to evolving as an artist,” he noted. “It’s an ongoing process.”

X is a mixed-media artist. “Including pictures that are already made can give more of a story to a piece and inspire more conversation about a piece,” she said. “I enjoy doing the ‘unordinary’ when it comes to art. Often when you go into galleries—to this day—you’re just seeing paintings. I want the mixed-media niche to expand.”

In addition to showcasing a wide array of styles and mediums, Be Kind Gallery 101 invites artists of all skill levels to share and sell their work as space allows. “I want to bring awareness that this is a space that’s not going to say, ‘We’ll consider your work when we do another exhibition,’” X noted. “Bring in your work, and as long as we have the wall space, we will hang it up.”

Providing a safe and welcoming space for artists to share their stories through their work and for visitors to browse, talk, and shop is the gallery’s primary mission. Rose says that he “would like to help people find confidence in who they are as artists and as people,” and X hopes that coming to the gallery will provide people with a sense of refuge.

“Coming into this space is a break from what’s going on out there,” she remarked. “There is so much consumption and consumerism. You don’t have to buy anything when you come in here. You can just look and explore. I think we need more spaces like this where you don’t feel pressured. Giving that refuge is so rewarding to me, as is having people ask questions about the art.”

X can personally attest to the triple-fold power of creating, sharing, and talking to others about one’s own art. One of her pieces took 18 hours to create. “Every hour that I spent making it, I knew that it was helping me to get it all out and not keep it bottled up,” she said. “I want my art to get me in good trouble.”
With its intentional and inclusive approach, Be Kind Gallery 101 is undoubtedly fostering invaluable connection and bringing much-needed awareness to talented local artists.

“I want people to know more artists the way that we know Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber,” said X. “We need to know painters and sculptors. Our experiences need to be shared and spoken about.”

Whether you choose to enter the gallery as a storyteller or an interpreter, you will likely empower others to share their stories. Together, our stories paint a beautiful picture—or perhaps, more accurately, create a dynamic and powerful mixed-media piece.

A Cold War Relic

Photos Courtesy of The Maier Museum of Art

Many Lynchburg residents are unaware of the Cold War relic humbly nestled on the campus of Randolph College. As one of Lynchburg’s staple art locations, the Maier Museum of Art’s history is as rich as its unique collection of original paintings and photographs.

In wake of the Nazi escalation of power, which pinnacled in 1938, Adolf Hitler confiscated thousands of European artworks, paving the way for a new kind of art—one that emphasized the Volksgemeinschaft (the racial community).

This menacing operation, titled Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, confiscated more than 20 percent of Europe’s art collections, making it the most detrimental heist of art in the world.

It robbed its own citizens and countless galleries and museums throughout Europe.

While some of these stolen treasures were eventually recovered following World War II, thousands were either lost or destroyed. Many items included works from Van Gogh, Michelangelo, and other celebrated, world-renowned artists.

But the conclusion of WWII ushered in another period of foreboding conflict—the Cold War, which stretched from 1947-1991. Fearful of the disastrous art robbery from the previous decade, the United States government knew it needed a backup plan for the nation’s art collection should the Cold War escalate and eventually manifest on U.S. soil.

The National Art Gallery in Washington D.C. devised a strategy to transport its valuable collection of art 150 miles Southwest, to Lynchburg, onto the campus of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (R-MWC).

The college, founded in 1891, had built a strong reputation of art appreciation. Louise Jordan Smith, one of the first five resident professors at R-MWC, wanted students to be submerged in art, regardless of degree program. She taught Art and French and was the pioneer in building the college’s art program, even launching one of the first American Art History survey courses in 1913. Randolph’s annual exhibition of contemporary art, approaching its 111th uninterrupted show, was also Smith’s brainchild.

“She thought it was really important for all students to be surrounded by high-quality original artwork everywhere,” said Martha Johnson, who has served in various roles at the Maier Museum of Art since 2002. She now serves as director. “Where they ate, where they studied, where they socialized. It had to be a part of every aspect of their lives.”

The National Gallery board of trustees took notice—among other reasons—of the college’s powerful emphasis on the visual arts and authorized an emergency project to guarantee safety of its art collection should the Cold War turn dark. The National Gallery would transport its valuable collection of American art to R-MWC.

The confidential feat was dubbed “Project XYZ” (the “Y” referring to the college).

In 1951, the U.S. government funded a storage building between 6,000 and 7,000 square feet, with roughly 25,000 square feet of vertical space for sliding screens.

The fireproof structure, costing just under a quarter million dollars, was finished in the spring of 1952. Steel-reinforced concrete made up the building’s roof and floor; all aspects of the project were constructed in accordance with industry-standard codes for museum creation.

“There was a sense of urgency in getting this structure built quickly,” Johnson said.

Additional features included more than 60 rows of steel and aluminum sliding screens, a loading dock, and ample space for security.

The agreement would last for 25 years, and it was specified that R-MWC would have complete agency over the building unless the National Art Gallery needed it for its intended purpose. Given the confidential details surrounding the building, the college advertised it as space to house an outstanding collection of campus and American art.

A test evacuation drill occurred in 1962 to sample the abilities of the truck drivers and to ensure the trucks fit into the new building’s loading dock.

In March of 1976, the agreement was renewed for an additional 25 years.

The renewal included a $12,500 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to fund renovations, which included additional gallery spaces, fresh paint, and other miscellaneous upkeep expenses.

Thankfully, America’s prized art collection never made its way to the college. Instead, the building now houses Randolph College’s astounding collection of paintings, photography, and more.

The museum welcomes thousands of guests every year. Prior to COVID-19 regulations, the museum brought in around 7,000 annual guests. The galleries are open to both students and members of the public.

The museum features five distinct galleries, each presented in chronological order. Upon entering, a portrait of Louis Jordan Smith greets visitors. Walking through the galleries, spectators can enjoy art pieces from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. While two galleries are devoted to changing exhibitions, three remain relatively consistent, featuring the best from the permanent collection, such as pieces by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, and a multitude of other artists throughout the centuries. The museum even shows a piece by Gilbert Stuart, who painted George Washington’s official portrait.

Randolph College’s Maier Museum of Art carries a rich collection of art and a fascinating history, even floor markings from the original sliders, but it also serves the Lynchburg community by boasting one of the greatest stories of art preservation.

“You have people who come in here and don’t care about art at all, but they love this story,” Johnson said. “There is a lot of history to try to live up to. We do our best to honor that. It’s a proud history to be a part of.”

The Maier Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Sunday 1-5 p.m. Admission is free. For additional information or to browse the current exhibitions online, visit maiermuseum.org, or call (434) 947-8136.

Recognizing Educators

Lynchburg Living is recognizing and honoring the amazing, inspiring educators in our area with the Lynchburg Living Top Teachers Awards. Submit your entries for your favorite current and local teacher who, if chosen, will be honored in our upcoming March/April 2023 issue of Lynchburg Living magazine. Nominations begin October 1 on lynchburgliving.com.

Corrections

In our July/August story, Calling All Good Dogs, photo credit wasn’t appropriately given to Raspberry Hill Adult Daytime Center. Thank you so much to Raspberry Hill for hosting our photoshoot and for being such wonderful hosts to Cece and Joyce. Photos by Ashlee Glen.

In our July 2022 issue of Lynchburg Business, Central Virginia Family Physicians was listed as Gold in Best Health Insurance, when Weaver and Weaver should have been listed as Gold. Lynchburg Business regrets this error.

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

Carefully crafted pottery and vibrant stained-glass line the shelves and windows of the Jackson Heights Art Studio, a creative haven for many of Lynchburg’s passionate artists.

Opening officially as the Jackson Heights Art Studio in 2013, this unique neighborhood studio exists to carry out the legacy associated with the building’s long-standing history of devout education and community.

“It’s a really special thing to show up somewhere for the first time and know you are a part of something greater,” Sara Billings, a pottery instructor at the studio, said. “That is the reality we try to create and remind people of every time they walk through the doors.”

Formerly known as the Jackson Town Elementary School, the building was purchased from the Lynch family in 1826 by free African Americans. One hundred years later, in the midst of segregation, the men of the neighborhood built the two-room schoolhouse so the children in the community could attend school, according to Doug Washington, a museum volunteer who presented the “Jackson Town Tour.”

Although the school no longer educates and guides elementary grade students, it cultivates the same spirit of education through creativity for all ages and walks of life.

Currently, the art studio is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday at varying times for pottery classes, and on Thursday evenings for stained glass classes. With 10 potter’s wheels, an array of clay and glazes for creating hand-built wheel projects, and vibrant colored glass sheets for stained glass, the space naturally opens a new door of creative expression for many.

The art space sustains the legacy of shaping an intentional space to educate, learn, and grow by striving to make classes hands-on and supportive, no matter your experience level. Located at 720 Winston Ridge Road, the art space is now a part of the City of Lynchburg’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“We truly are a small part of a bigger picture with such support from the Parks and Recreation Department,” Brittany Helm, the Community Recreation Programmer for the studio, said. “We are striving to teach people a new craft. Whether they’ve been doing pottery and stained glass for years and years, there is still always something to be discovered.”

Helm was placed in the Community Recreation Programmer role as the studio grew to require more attention. The art space is now professionally managed with full financial support from the City of Lynchburg’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“It is so unique that the Lynchburg Parks and Rec. department funds this art studio,” Helm said. “It’s not often you see a department with so much responsibility tending to the community the way the City of Lynchburg does.”

In July, the studio closed its doors to participants for an entire month for the installation of entirely new floors. After its final facelift, there will be a grand re-opening on September 3 for the public.

“The renovations are important because we are always improving and expanding and seeking out ways we can improve the space for the sake of our students,” Billings said.

In addition to the aesthetic updates, the studio seeks to ensure that there is a place for everyone by providing participants with a financial assistance program.

“We really try to make our classes accessible. We don’t want finances to be something that holds anyone back from attending a class,” Billings said. “The financial program is how I was able to continue my journey with pottery; it was this very program that helped me start taking classes again while I was in college.”

Billings, one of the two highly skilled pottery instructors at the studio, juggles three businesses while also instructing at the art studio on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For Billings, the pottery prevails as her “labor of love” and creating a piece is a “long and patient process,” she explained.

“Ideally, I get my students throwing, centering, and creating at least one piece in their first class with me,” Billings said. “The next week you come in, the clay will be in the ‘leather hard’ stage, where we are able to trim it. From there, it goes in for its first firing, then you glaze it, and fire it for a final time.”

Pottery and stained glass alike require patience and focus. Several students unanimously described the classes as “a form of therapy” and “their favorite form of self-expression.”

“Even if you get one piece out of an entire session, there is something so special about being able to engage with what’s in front of you and turn everything else off around you,” Helm said.

Pottery and stained glass, like any experience, has the ability to teach a lesson through simply trying and experimenting.

“Failing at pottery is a practice in and of itself,” Billings said.

“You learn to forgive yourself and realize at the end of the day, it’s really just mud. We want students to leave and realize, ‘I can do this again next week and do it even better.’”

To learn more about the Jackson Heights Art Studio and to sign up for an art class, visit the Parks and Rec website, www.lynchburgparksandrec.com. To keep up with upcoming events, programs, and activities, you can follow along on their Instagram, @jacksonheightsartstudio.

Take a walk down Pierce Street and you will find some pretty remarkable history. You may also find some gardeners and fresh produce.

At 1301-1303 Pierce St., the Pierce Street Community garden sits behind the old Calloway Store.

The garden is part of the Pierce Street Gateway, an organization that is seeking to preserve the history of Pierce Street and renew the community and neighborhood. The garden has become an integral part of the Pierce Street Renaissance District.

The two blocks of Pierce Street hold the homes and stories of many brilliant people. As the smallest of Lynchburg’s seven historic districts, it is recognized more for the people that resided there than its historic architecture.

At its start, an old Civil War hospital was run out of Pierce Street. The district was also the home of Anne Spencer, the renowned Harlem Renaissance Poet; her son Chauncey E. Spencer, a pioneer of the Tuskegee Airmen; and C.W. Seay, the first Black city council member and vice mayor of Lynchburg. There are so many others who left a mark not only on Lynchburg history, but on our nation as well.

Ghislaine Lewis, the director of Pierce Street Gateway and a founding member of the garden, knows that Pierce Street consisted of more than just the famous people.

“What you find on Pierce Street, if you look at housing records, is a lot of people who were educators and a lot of people who were seamstresses and businessmen and women who really helped to shape the African American community here in Lynchburg,” explained Lewis.

The Pierce Street Garden exists for the current residents of Pierce Street, while the Pierce Street Gateway exists to honor the residents of the past.

The idea for the garden began to take shape when Lewis spoke with Nina Salmon, a Pierce Street board member, about the gateway’s strategic plan. Salmon said they really wanted a garden.

Starting the garden became part of Lewis’ Lynchburg Leadership project. She was joined by six other members to form Team Big Hearts and, in 2021, the team established the garden behind the Calloway Store, one of the first Black-owned grocery stores in Lynchburg.

Currently, there are no grocery stores near Pierce Street, making it a food desert. This means that people do not have access to fresh, affordable produce—but with the garden they do.

“Food options are becoming really limited in the neighborhood. One of the big impediments when you’re talking about poverty is always access to food, particularly access to fresh food. It’s really important that people have access to fresh food,” Lewis said.

Before anything is planted, neighbors are asked what food they would like to see grown. Once grown, fresh produce is distributed to the neighbors’ houses every Saturday, and they can come into the garden at any time to get what they need.

On Saturday mornings, neighbors and volunteers—those who are charged with the ongoing garden maintenance—can be seen weeding and watering. Whitney Chauta, volunteer and head gardener, says there is a lot that goes into maintaining the garden.

“You have to decide what plants would do well in this setting, how much you should grow, making a schedule of when to start seeds and when you can move plants outside, and how to make the most of the space by doing some companion planting,” Chauta detailed.

According to Chauta, gardening is a very rewarding process, too.

“There’s a feeling of satisfaction when you work with your hands and can see the effects of that growing in front of you. Gardening is a never-ending learning experience.”

Eventually, Chauta would love for one of the neighbors to take over.

“I want it to be a true community garden. I want the people that live nearby to take charge of it and make it their own,” she said.

Both Lewis and Chauta expressed that one of the greatest pleasures of the garden is simply seeing the neighbors enjoy it and take part in it.

“I think the biggest joy is if you pop by on a Tuesday and you see someone getting something from the garden. Or if you come in on a Saturday morning and realize that there’s stuff that’s gone. That means somebody came. Somebody’s come in or a family’s come in and taken food. That’s been really important for us,” Lewis explained.

Chauta told a story of how she was in the garden and saw some strawberries that needed to be eaten before they went bad, so she offered them to a man passing by.

“His face lit up and he told me this story from when he was a little boy and he got into his aunt’s strawberry patch and ate all of them and how she wasn’t too happy about that. That’s the sort of thing I love—the history of a place, and the stories of a neighborhood that continue living on in the people still there. I think it’s a really positive place, in the way that it reminds people of good memories.”

Lewis conveyed that the goal of the garden and the Pierce Street Gateway is for the memories and history of the people of Pierce Street to continue to grow.

“We want to be able to create a hub to be able to tell the stories of Pierce Street—not just the stories of the famous people, but the stories of the ordinary people.”

To learn more about the Pierce Street Gateway, garden or make a donation visit www.piercest.org.

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Photos Courtesy of Ghislaine Lewis

Taking art to the streets

Artist John Rose—one part of the duo behind Be Kind Gallery 101—took a break from creating art to showcase a more performative art style. Just like Rose uses the city’s landscapes to create stunning paintings, he uses the local architecture to perform incredible tricks on his BMX bike. 

If you’re ever driving down Church Street and happen to see Rose on his bike, give him an encouraging wave!

See more on Be Kind Gallery on page 49. Photos by Ashlee Glen.

Whether your home is a perfectly preserved period piece or an eclectic hodgepodge of eras, the right antique or vintage furniture can make a statement or pull a room together. But with estate sales, consignment shops, social media marketplaces, yard sales, and everything in between, where to begin with finding the right vintage furniture for your home?

Vintage vs. Antique
First thing’s first: There is a difference, albeit slight, between vintage and antique furniture. By definition, a piece of furniture isn’t considered an antique until it is at least 100 years old. Anything else younger, but still at least 20 years old, is considered vintage. “Collectables” on the other hand, can be either vintage or antique.

Original antiques—furniture that is the first of its kind and style—tend to be rather pricey depending on where you find them. Reproductions of those pieces that pre-date the 1940s will look just as beautiful, will still have excellent craftsmanship, and can be very affordable.

Where to Search
Finding vintage and antique furniture is a veritable treasure hunt full of excitement, unique finds, and, yes, some disappointment. Because you’re looking for a diamond in the rough—whether a particular style or something that is just right for your home—be prepared to go on a few furniture hunts before you find the right piece.

Estate sales, auctions, flea markets, antique stores, and social media or internet marketplaces are all perfect for finding the right vintage or antique piece for your home. The benefit of visiting a physical store, of course, is that you can inspect the piece yourself, take the appropriate measurements, and determine if the piece is really what you’re looking for.

What to Look For
So how do you identify the real thing from a modern day look alike? Talk with the shopkeepers or sellers of the pieces and ask them questions about the piece you’re interested in. Store owners and workers especially are knowledgeable, not just about the type of furniture you’re looking for, but vintage and antique furniture in general. Ask them how to tell how old something is or what style something is made in.

If you find a piece that you genuinely love, inspect it for:
Reasonable and practical signs of wear and usage. Think about what the piece was likely originally used for. For example, a vintage washstand will show stress signs from where the heavy wash basin sat day after day. These signs can indicate that the piece is authentic.

Dovetailing on drawer joints. As a general rule of thumb, the farther apart and larger the dovetails, the older a piece is. If no dovetail joints are present, the piece is likely not vintage or antique at all.

Cracks, broken pieces, chips, handles that have been replaced. These will either need to be areas that you will need to refinish or repair, or will make use of the piece less-than-ideal.

Proof of provenance. In other words, proof of provenance is the proof of origin, history, or previous ownership. Real silver pieces will contain hallmarks, or furniture may bear a label or stamp from the maker. Occasionally, an original shipping address or maker’s location will be etched onto the back of a piece of furniture. These ultimately will help you authenticate the piece you’re interested in.

Collecting vintage or antique furniture for your home will certainly take longer than shopping for a brand new piece at a furniture store, but the hunt is half the fun. Part history lesson, part treasure hunt, you’re in for an adventure as you seek out the perfect piece for your home.