Julianna Brown, Contributing Writer
Main Street Station held the closing reception for its first “I Love Main Street Station” art exhibit on Jan. 31, at 6:00 p.m. The week-long exhibition featured 20 local artists with pieces each speaking to the station’s significance as a cultural and architectural landmark.
Richmond Main Street Station has been a hub for the well-known Amtrak transit since 1901. Having gone through many renovations, the station not only welcomes newcomers but also harbors a space for new love as a wedding and event venue, according to the Richmond Main Street Station website.
The week-long art exhibition is one of the many events that event organizer Nigel Richardson has spearheaded. Richardson works for the Department of Public Works and the office of Equitable Transit Mobility, with a little over five years’ worth of experience in event planning.
“The Main Street station has gone through fires and floods but is still here,” Richardson said.
Richmond’s history is so much more than just architecture; it is also community engagement. Richardson said that the station has been bringing Richmonders together through transportation since the early 19th century, and recent events like the week-long exhibition are what continue to keep the public engaged.
“It’s really exciting that this public space is now open for people to come here. To know that this public venue is offering local artists an opportunity to present their work is not always something artists get the opportunity to do,” Richardson said. “So we’re very humbled by that opportunity and we’ll continue to provide both platforms into the future for as long as Main Street Station is around.”
The Main Street Station has not always served as an event space. Richardson said that in 2018, the city led renovations to the transit hub, making it an open space for public events.
“The station is owned by the City of Richmond through The Office of Equitable Transit which recognizes it as both a transportation hub and public space,” Richardson said.
The station can be considered a relic of Richmond. Despite attempts to tear it down over the years, the historic structure still thrives because of its community impact. Richmonders love the station and consider it a monument to the city’s resilient history, according to Richardson.
“The station has been here since 1901, so if you look at any picture since that time, you always see Main Street Station represented because railway transport is so important. It has been exciting to see the enduring impact of Main Street Station,” Richardson said.
Richmond is known for its potent art scene that cultivates many unique art forms. The event specifically spoke to the intersection of art, history and community whilst highlighting the cultural landscape of the Main Street Station, according to the Richmond Main Street Station website.
Sarah Burnely, contributing artist and native of Hanover County, won first place at the event for her portrait of the Richmond Main Street Station.
Burnely attended VCU for her undergraduate education and said she walked her dog by the station daily before moving to a new location.
The young artist has not been a part of an exhibition since 2018 and said she felt speechless about winning.
Burnely said she humbly looks up to fellow artists featured in the exhibition who are making art a professional career and taking it to the “next level.” Though Burnely is not actively engaged in many art exhibitions, she said she shares her artistic knowledge through her career as an art teacher for Hanover public schools.
Burnely said she describes the Richmond art scene as having a variety ranging from VCU art students to other local artists like herself. She said she believes that every artist has a different perspective of what art can be, and for her, art is a way of communicating.
“It is kind of just something I have to do, it’s just natural to me,” Burnely said.
The event featured live music, refreshments and hands-on art experiences. Several local artists shared their pieces.
The Main Street Station today can be counted as the center of Richmond’s vibrant history. Amid constant societal and cultural shifts, the building is still faithful to its roots as a space for community, according to Richardson.
“50 years from now, it will be here, it was here 120 years ago and it’ll be here 120 years from now because the community loves the space and wants to continue to cherish it,” Richardson said.
