Science and art belong to the whole world, and before them vanish the barriers of nationality.

~Goethe 

Richmond is home to all kinds of public art. We have a good deal of monuments, especially ones dedicated to civil war veterans. There is one of Bojangles that I always liked, Arthur Ashe (by Fulton Hill artist and neighbor Paul Dipasquale)and a new one called the Reconciliation monument that went up last year. If you've been here in Richmond for a while (I've been here since 1990), you will likely be familiar with the mural paintings of Ed Trask along with his musical inklings and regular ole paintings to boot. Ever since I've lived in Richmond, I've lived with Ed Trask art. I can't tell you how many folks, including my children and I , who were taken aback by the whiting out of the Princess Diana mural that used to adorn Club Velvet, a local strip joint on E. Main Street.

In my last post about the new Globe Hopper coffeeshop here in my part of town, also on E. Main Street, one can see the concentric circles in black and white that were painted by Mr. Trask. I was happy the coffeeshop had kept the circles but when I drove by the very next day I saw that they were being painted over. It seemed like a bleak day for Ed Trask paintings on E.Main Street.

My eight year old son, feeling pretty down about the disappearance of art, asked me "Mom, why does Ed paint them if he knows they are going to get painted over?" I told him he should ask Ed :) 

Fortunately, I spoke with Mr. Trask last night while I dined on crispy duck and foie gras mac & cheese at Millie's Diner for my birthday celebration. He confirmed that he is painting a new mural on the Globe Hopper coffeeshop. It will be of the High Priestess of Soul,Nina Simone. I already know  I'm going to love it, it is Nina Simone dammit !

In other news, after dining out with friends and the incomparable Millie's, we headed to Toad's Place to see Benevento Russo Duo. Chris and I have been enamored with these guys for a while now and we were "like totally psyched" when we saw they were playing Richmond. I don't think I've been to a show since before our girlchild was born. We were not disappointed! I really don't think I could describe the music. Describing music is like trying to draw how something tastes...ya know. However, I will say that Russo's drumming was dumbfounding (AND he wore a blazer for most of it) and Benevento's overlapping melodies are not only mesmerizing but so fucking catchy. There is nothing like watching to consummate musicians enjoy having fun. I love how , at times, they both looked like they were having out of body experiences. They were doing what they love and I'm thankful they were!

Happy Birthday to me, I was spared over for another year :)

*Special Thanks to Ed Trask, Chris Bopst and Russell Cook for making my birthday so tasty and cozy! 

That goes double for Cat, Clint, Daisy, John and John !