I’ll admit, it took me a while to cotton on to the whole concept of the Arts and Culture Xpo. They give you money? For free? And it’s yours to give to whatever nonprofit you choose, including JRW? Why, sign me up!
The Xpo is an annual event presented by CultureWorks, a consortium whose sole purpose is to promote cultural and artistic endeavors in the Richmond area. The Xpo, held this year at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on June 29th, spotlighted the region’s many nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Over 100 local groups were represented, including not only the James River Writers, but Henley Street Theatre, Gallery5, the Library of Virginia, Richmond Shakespeare, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Conciliation Project, Podium Foundation, and many, many, many more. Patrons (technical term: “Cultural Shareholders”) were given bank envelopes with “Xpo Bucks” and encouraged to browse the booths, checking out the variety of artistic and cultural endeavors available in Richmond, and supporting the organizations that caught their fancies. Ninety (“real”) cents out of every $1 Xpo Buck went directly to the nonprofit at the end of the day. Some booths displayed their creative wares and services; others snared visitors’ eyes and Xpo Bucks by offering something in exchange: t-shirts, CDs, raffle tickets.
At the JRW table, it was custom-written haiku and zombie stories.
Executive Director Katharine Herndon and Program Director Sheila Sheppard Lovelady manned the booth, churning out zombie gore and poetry while chatting with visitors and fans. Youth Advisory Board member Annesha Sengupta was also there to lend a hand for much of the day, and poets Shann Palmer and I stopped by to write a few haiku on our way to the stage.
Another great aspect of the Xpo was the opportunity to catch mini-performances by many of the organizations in attendance; there were two stages at either end of the exhibit hall where one could catch opera or orchestra, ballet, theatre, and of course, as in our case, poetry. It was definitely an honor to be included in the lineup of Richmond’s talented artists and performers!
JRW would like to thank CultureWorks, the organization responsible for making the event a success and for helping JRW raise hundreds of dollars in support of our mission.We would also like to thank everyone who came out to the Xpo on Saturday in support of arts and culture in Richmond; it was wonderful talking with all those who stopped by our booth to connect and to inquire! We hope you know a little more about what we do, and maybe even feel inspired enough to join us, if you haven’t already.
If not, here is a last custom haiku, just for you:
Summer is passing
and our conference is coming.
You know you want to.
— Joanna Lee, Poet and JRW Board Member