A new art exhibit at the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville exploring the building’s history of segregation and celebrating 60 years since the passing of the Civil Rights Act was up a matter of days before it was torn down last weekend.
And while the work, “Walking Dualities,” was restored — with some very visible repairs — over the past week, police have not identified who was behind the vandalism and why they targeted the artwork.
The artist herself initially said it is clear what motivated the vandal or vandals, given the city’s history of racial violence and political unrest.
“This is Charlottesville. We are not unfamiliar with our history here,” Culpeper native and President of the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective Kori Price told 29News in an interview shortly after her art came down. “So, I wasn’t surprised, but you know, again, I’m just frustrated and upset by it.”
But by the time she had repaired the damage done to the piece and was re-erecting it, Price had softened her position.
“Hopefully, we do find out who did it and the motivation behind it,” she told The Daily Progress.
Price’s work went up on July 2 outside the Paramount Theater on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. She had beat out a slate of other local artists to be among three to have their art displayed outside the historic Third Street entrance as part of a project using art to address the history of segregation and civil rights at the entrance reserved for Black patrons during the Jim Crow years.
Price’s work, “Walking Dualities,” comprises a series of vinyl banners strung from the trees outside the entrance and printed with a black and white photograph depicting a progression of apparition-like figures drifting past the theater entrance.
Then as now, Price noted in a prior interview with The Daily Progress, countless passersby have breezed past the Paramount without even noticing the portal that lifted audience members past the everyday indignities they faced into the restorative realm of art.
“The first thing I noticed was how many people walk past the [Third Street] box office and never notice,” said Price. “I walk past it, and I have not paid attention to it. People are walking to meetings and lunch and going to Fleurie and looking at their phones.”
Price said she wanted to confront “how do you live with that dual nature of these places that were harmful places” and give passersby today a chance to learn and reflect. She also said she wanted to honor the past, invisible generations of Black men and women “who endured, who fought to make the world better” but who may not be immortalized in stone in city parks or in the print of history books.
“Walking Dualities” was selected to be the inaugural exhibit of the Third Street Box Office Project.
A ceremony was held July 2 to mark the installation of the artwork. Price was seen smiling and laughing as she stood before her work.
But everything came crashing down last Saturday night.
Sometime before Sunday morning, police say it appears someone tore down the banners, cutting them down from the trees at their corners. There was also a large cut made in the middle of one, directly through the image of Black woman with a small child.
Charlottesville police have not identified a suspect or a motive. City spokeswoman Afton Schneider said that the investigation remains open and active, but there is no information about who was behind the vandalism or why they targeted Price’s work. The police have asked surrounding businesses on the Mall check their surveillance footage and come forward with any information related to the incident.
In the meantime, the art has been repaired and restored.
Three days after Price found her artwork cut to the ground, she returned to the Third Street entrance at the Paramount to re-erect it. This time it would be more secure — and with some very obvious repair work.
But the latter was on purpose, Price said.
The artist worked with theater staff to mend the cuts and tears in the vinyl banners using gold leaf, inspired by the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi.
Kintsugi, which means “golden joinery” or “golden repair,” is the practice of fixing broken pottery using gold leaf, rendering the seams and repairs not only visible but aesthetically pleasing.
“Instead of just discarding the ceramic, you repair it, and you make it more beautiful by adding gold to where you’ve repaired the ceramic,” Price said. “After that tradition, I’ve done that with each of the cuts on the banner. … It’s important for them to be seen.”
The damage, she said, will now become a permanent part of the piece.
She also plans to write an addendum to her artist’s statement accompanying the work, reflecting on the incident and its significance.
“It’s important not to hide what’s happened,” said Price. “It’s important that the vandalism becomes a part of the pieces and is an opportunity to show how we can grow from when we’ve been hurt.”
Price also said that additional security measures were being put in place to prevent the banners from being torn down again.
Theater staff have adjust the way the banners are mounted, opting not to tie them down with paracord as they had before but instead hanging them from bungee cord hooks. This will allow staff to take down the banners every night and hang them back up every morning in an effort to avoid future defacement.
Julie Montross, CEO and executive director of the Paramount, said that the theater would not allow the vandalism to interfere with the Third Street Box Office Project and recognizing the tremendous progress that has been made since the days of segregation.
“We are more determined than ever to continue with this project,” Montross told The Daily Progress. She added that the incident is a reminder of why continued community discussion of Charlottesville’s history of race relations remains important.
Price said she was grateful for that community Wednesday as theater staff moved around, working to resurrect “Walking Dualities.”
“Having the staff here volunteer their time to help me make sure that this art is up for the entire duration of the exhibition really means a lot,” said Price. "It takes a community to make art happen. … I think it’s very much a testament to what it means to be an art community.”
Montross said the fact that Price repaired and reinstalled her work “speaks volumes to her determination. Having it on display with the scars, if you will, speaks to the determination and tenacity of the artist.”
Even so, there is always the chance the vandals could strike again.
But that won’t stop Price, she promised.
“I’ll repair it. I’ll add more gold if I have to.” she said. “This deserves to be here.”
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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