2015 RVA Street Art Festival location announced

An old property in Manchester will get a new coat of paint (or a million).

November 12, 2014; 9:53 AM • by Nathan Cushing

Organizers of the third annual RVA Street Art Festival announced today that the 2015 event will occur in Manchester at the Southern States silo complex along the James River and floodwall September 10th – 13th. In addition, a year-long initiative will improve the look and feel of Manchester as a city arts district.

“This festival will be bigger than anything we’ve done in the past,” said Ed Trask, one of the founders and organizers of the event. “Our goal is to keep creating large community-driven experiences like last year’s event at the GRTC bus depot.”

Beginning Spring 2015, a partnership between festival organizers, the Manchester Civic Association, and other local groups will start bringing “art, color, and creativity to the neighborhood” throughout the year to help cement Manchester as a vibrant arts district, said the press release. Details about the community-driven project will be announced in the spring.

For the September event, the 57-year-old Southern States silos, large water tank, warehouse, and several nearby buildings will serve as canvases for artists and muralists still yet to be announced.

Festival organizers have tapped local group Release the Hounds to showcase the site. “We’re working on several ideas to transform the silos from an industrial relic into a modern beacon for RVA, all while preserving the character of structure,” said John Mills, founder and principal of the group. “We are assembling an amazing creative team of graphic designers, artists, technologists and producers here in Richmond to bring the project to life.”

Next year’s festival takes place one week before global eyes fall on Richmond as the city hosts the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. Festival co-founder and organizer Councilman Jon Baliles (District 1) believes the large-scale event will leverage local and international attention.

“This is an incredible opportunity to showcase the creativity of RVA, not only to residents and thousands of people daily on I-95, but also to the world just before the 2015 UCI World Championships kick off to hundreds of millions of viewers,” Baliles said. “They will all see the creative spirit of Richmond.”

The 2015 RVA Street Art Festival runs Thursday, September 10th – Sunday, September 13th. The Southern States silos location will be open daily 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

Photo by Jim