2021 Lookback

THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF THE 2021 INFO; DATES ARE OBSOLETE –FROM 2021

PHOTOS ARE BELOW ALL THIS TEXT. Painting continues! Most artists will finish during 2021’s Labor Day weekend, but some activity will continue weeks later. In the photos below, ALL MAY BE PUBLISHED FREELY (credit: VSAF). Press use is encouraged. See filenames for detail like artist names and whether the images is processed to high-res and sized for TV or is “raw” (and feel free to crop and process to your own specs).

New murals for 2021 include the firefighter tribute by Artist David Wayne, an octo-paint-us by Artist Peyton Moore, a birdhouse girl design by Artist Andie Peach, and a balloon girl stencil piece by a secret guest-artist from out of the area. Additional art TBD may appear. An anonymous artist has been making huge autumn leaf outlines in the Arch Avenue parking lot (yo, with permission –VSAF does not support illegal graffiti). We also thank our remote OG subway artists Lady Pink, SMITH, and the great Kenny Scharf (the latter, in his TV-cartoon-inspired style, also our “honorary atomic poobah”).

In a year beginning with full CoVid lockdowns and shifting toward freedom (or not) followed by mask-policy confusion and Delta Variant uncertainty, the Virginia Street Art Festival (VSAF) just won’t deal with the usual the large-crowd-capable performance aspects of the event: to our regret, the 2021 VSAF will have no bands, belly-dancers, DJs, drum circles, kid activities, vendor activities, or beer tents. The greatly-scaled-back “events” aspect of the festival will include:

1) A MICRO-EXHIBIT of street art small pieces by some famous artists and some aspiring others is in the shop window of the Shenandoah Valley Art Center (a long-running friend of VSAF). Artists featured in the “Street Bits” micro-exhibit include Shepard Fairey (of Obama HOPE poster fame and creator of the “Obey Giant” clothing line), OG New York subway artist Lady Pink, NYC subway artist SMITH, Kenny Scharf (the Old School street artist who ran with Keith Haring et al [represented here by paint-spattered pebbles from the base of the Bowery Mural Wall when he painted it –since Kenny sent VSAF original art for this show but it was stolen in the mailing]), Russell King, Terry Ward (lending a Therapy Duck large sticker), and Bart Lanman (with a BC emblem sticker from right in Waynesboro). Rounding out the micro-exhibit are sometimes quarter-inch-THICK fragments of the former Charlottesville “free speech” mural wall (paint chunks on- and below the glass case), and similar paint-layer fragments and scrapings from NYC’s famed Bowery Mural Wall from the Keith-Haring-painting-on-it era (within the glass case). The site is at the corner of Wayne & Federal (126 S Wayne Ave) in Waynesboro (MAP PIN here: https://goo.gl/maps/QJ4K7cH62NJSohrE9).

2) A WALKING TOUR of VSAF highlights in the Main Street corridor of Waynesboro gathered on Sat. 8/28/21 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Wayne Theatre parking lot (MAP PIN here: https://goo.gl/maps/W1n6sWrmH8CYfwMU6 ). Led by VSAF founder/executive producer Ian MacRae, the tour included the following (still walkable) sites:
1) Wayne lot mural by master world muralist Nils Westergard (https://goo.gl/maps/pSarLnEd9ZmdZfHt6), also, underfoot, some giant leaf outlines for VSAF’s future citywide Sky Leaves ground mural by an anonymous artist.
2) Main Street small piece/s by Terry Ward (https://goo.gl/maps/27QZrPdXjdgW4hNf6)
3) Wayne-Lumos alley mural by Kimchi Juice (https://goo.gl/maps/Novpx5bB8UKhGY5c6)
4) Micro-exhibit “Street Bits” in a SVAC window (https://goo.gl/maps/6FvCsYshQzPRZZpd7)
5) Walk back to Main, then turn at the Moss Gallery from Main Street to Lumos Plaza connector path (https://goo.gl/maps/CSaLDpfiFkjMaMW39)
6) Site of new planned mural (octo-paint-us) by Peyton Moore (https://goo.gl/maps/gMENJX6aj9JRrzDv8)
7) Site of new planned mural (birdhouse girl) by Andie Peach (https://goo.gl/maps/56bxBonxHEYLqWoW7)
8) Site of new mural (firefighter/rescuer tribute) by David Wayne (https://goo.gl/maps/dTbW74WkfS1nxwuh8)
9) Site of future mural by TBD (https://goo.gl/maps/KFMR7ydAQbmkBRRu8)
10) View toward Constitution Park’s parking lot with some giant leaf outlines for VSAF’s future citywide Sky Leaves ground mural by an anonymous artist. (Note: future site of state natural history museum branch)
11) View toward giant mural on old cold storage tower, again by Nils Westergard (https://goo.gl/maps/gLQEFFTu582N9rjE7)

If the gently-downhill hike of not not quite a half mile works up your appetite and if you bring a wallet, the close-by food options might interest you. Not far from that last stop just uphill a bit on Main Street are: pub and fine dining at Heritage on Main Street, almost comically-large pizza at Benny Stivales’s, and (further uphill on Main Street) local eateries The Green Leaf Grill, Sam’s Hot Dog Stand, and Stella, Bella, & Lucy’s. On Wayne Ave. a short block north of the Wayne-and-Main traffic light are burger bar The River and artsy coffee house The French Press.

The walking tour includes only the VSAF art in the Main Street corridor.
Additional VSAF art in Waynesboro, perhaps better reached by car, includes:
12) Race Ave. piece by Kimchi Juice (https://goo.gl/maps/uoxvEjmZRq4gHQKV7)
13) Short Street 100-foot-long flock of Therapy Ducks by Terry Ward (https://goo.gl/maps/3x1TrrLGhHX4xF9h7)(Note: future site of children’s museum)
14) YMCA Main Street face by Nils Westergard (https://goo.gl/maps/U7bST9mqH1Rf9KSF7)
15) YMCA Arch Street face by Kimchi Juice (https://goo.gl/maps/8QZmn3fXpkZxnC4J7)
16) YMCA Market Ave exterior area by (undisclosed)
17) Royal gasoline Rife Rd face by Cody Brogan (https://goo.gl/maps/DGF1h79M6yrcegpe7)
18) Commerce Ave. & 5th Street (old EN Computers bldg) by various artists (https://goo.gl/maps/VmbeYHrrQLH2UDqu9)
19) Rear of Basic City Beer Co. off/behind Main Street (https://goo.gl/maps/AxcAKCaWbgvWiQXr8)

3) A MURAL-PAINTING WATCH EVENT as artist Cody Brogan does a giant chase-themed TV cartoon homage on the north wall of 330 Commerce Ave in Waynesboro on 9/26/21. UPDATE: Thanks friends who came to watch: 80% painted at day’s end on 9/26, more painting to come as able on 9/27, 9/28.

VSAF is a non-profit beautifying urban areas with legal street art. VSAF is all-volunteer with no paid staff, and in the non-profit world, “cash is capability.” Contributions help fund the paint and artist-travel. If you like what VSAF does, perhaps you, your organization, or your business could contribute. Here’s the GIVING info/form page.

FORMS for
ARTISTs….WALL/SITE-OWNERs….SPONSORs,GIVERs….VOLUNTEERs….PERFORMERs….VENDORs.