M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

(June 1, 2018 – Richmond, Virginia – CORRECTED) The Festival of the River is a three-day celebration of Music, Art, and Environment taking place on Brown’s Island June 8 -10, 2018. We are pleased to announce that in addition to performances, ICA artist activities, and educational offerings, distinguished sculptor/artist Jacob Stanley and 1708 Gallery will bring light to Brown’s Island with two installations on the T. Tyler Potterfield and 7th Street Truss Bridge. Facilitated by 1708 Gallery, these commissions will debut on the first night of the Festival of the River. Both installations are endorsed by the Public Art Commission of the City of Richmond and funded through the efforts of festival partners.

Jacob Stanley is a sculptor who focuses on temporary site-responsive installations. His work is generated from informed intuition, design thinking and installed in improbable urban locations. His work exists in a state of dynamic stasis, which entreats viewers to question: is the work finished, has it just begun or is it a prank? These projects often subvert the original purpose of an industrial material to foster a dialogue that focuses on engaging a non-art audience. Jacob’s national exhibition record includes a forthcoming exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis as well as 1708 Gallery’s InLight Richmond 2010 and InLight Richmond 2015.

Glowing Cadence: T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge Installation
Five thickets of light will serve as anchor points along the bridge, punctuating the long expanse. As you walk along, the stems create points of interest on the bridge, framing viewpoints of the James River. Growing from the bridge like reeds, the stems shelter visitors and create an inviting space to reflect. At the same time, the combination of warm and cool LED lighting takes its cue from the dynamic city lights and the differing scale mirrors the energy of the city’s urban landscape. This installation is made possible through generous support from University of Richmond.

Fluid Tonality: 7th Street Truss Bridge Installation
As you walk through the bridge, LED net lightings from above immerse you in a cool light. Creating forms that highlight the truss structure, the light gathers to create gentle curves that point outward. As you look over the railing long arcs of light guide your eyes to the canal and under the bridge. The light connects to the opposite side of the bridge, creating a playful reflection on the canal water. This installation is made possible through generous support from the Virginia
Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts).

As part of the Festival of the River, Capital Region Collaborative will be hosting a collaborative River Cleanup on Saturday, June 9. Registration begins at 11:00am, and the clean-up will be from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Volunteers will meet at the Tredegar Street Boat Ramp and then will disperse to three clean-up sites: Belle Isle, across the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, and east to the Pipeline & 14 Street Bridge. Please bring water, gloves and wear closed-toe shoes. Sunscreen and bug spray are highly encouraged. All cleanup materials will be provided by The James River Park System. Visit https://www.handsonrva.org/opportunity/a0C1J00000H53Lr?Id=a0C1J00000H53Lr to sign up. For
additional Festival of the River volunteer opportunities visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b45afa72caafe3-festival.

Lyft, the fastest growing rideshare platform in the US, is proud to be the Official Rideshare Partner of Festival of the River. In this capacity, Lyft will be offering discounted rides for attendees to/from the event with promo code FEST18 and will also have a dedicated pick-up / drop-off point for passengers at 700 Tredegar Street.

Accessibility is a main goal of the Festival. While Saturday and Sunday will be ticketed, we ask participants to pay what they can/wish, as they are able. For tickets: www.festivaloftheriver.org.

The Festival of the River will include contemporary art installations, performances under the Symphony’s “Big Tent,” cleanups along and around the River, and family-friendly environmental education activities including Back to the Bay in celebration of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. This one-time festival will feature artists like Rhiannon Giddens, No BS! Brass Band, Savion Glover, Paul Rucker, Marinella Senatore, and Hope Ginsburg, and will showcase the very best of the James River, Chesapeake Bay, and the Richmond Region.

The Festival planning committee includes over 30 partner organizations (see full list after schedule of activities) steered by a coalition between the City of Richmond, Venture Richmond, the Richmond Symphony, VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, 1708 Gallery, James River Association, and Capital Region Collaborative.

The Festival is made possible through generous support received to date from the City of Richmond, E. Rhodes and Leona B.Carpenter Foundation, Richard S. Reynolds Foundation, University of Richmond, VCUarts, SunTrust Bank, League of American 3 | Page Orchestras, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Windsor Foundation Trust, Loveland Distributing, Stone Brewing and Lyft.

The current schedule of activities is as follows:

Friday, June 8, 2018 ($10/ticket)
6:00pm – 9:30pm
Tickets: https://www.myticketstobuy.com/event/1277
• Friday Cheers with Rhiannon Giddens and No BS! Brass in performances with the Richmond Symphony
• Lighting Installations by Jacob Stanley and 1708 Gallery
Saturday, June 9, 2018
2:00pm – 9:00pm
River Cleanup registration at 11:00am
Tickets and information: www.festivaloftheriver.org
• Morning activities including region-wide cleanups along the James River and Chesapeake Bay Watershed
• Back to the Bay, family-friendly and educational activities in celebration of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
• Performances by contemporary artists Hope Ginsburg, Paul Rucker, and Marinella Senatore are presented as
part of VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art’s opening exhibition Declaration, in collaboration with the Richmond
Symphony and Sound Arts Richmond
• Tap-dancing phenomenon, Savion Glover performing Ellington’s The River, with the Richmond Symphony at
7:30pm plus the finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor with the Richmond Symphony
Chorus, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, and more!
• Lighting Installations by Jacob Stanley and the 1708 Gallery

Sunday, June 10, 2018
11:00am – 3:00pm
Tickets: www.festivaloftheriver.org
• Performances by Host of Sparrows Aerial Circus and Glass Twin
• Community picnic to create a ‘Richmond Community Member Quilt’ with Art on Wheels on Brown’s Island
• Family concert by the Richmond Symphony at 1:00pm, featuring John Stafford Smith’s The Star Spangled
Banner, Alan Silvestri’s Captain America Theme, George Bizet’s Suite No. 1 from Carmen, and more!
Other activities and artists to be announced. Stay Tuned!
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Current Festival of the River Partners Include:
1708 Gallery
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
American Civil War Museum
Art on Wheels
AWARE
Blue Sky Fund
Capital Region Collaborative
Capital Trees
City of Richmond
– Department of Public Utilities
City of Richmond
– Department of Public Works
City of Richmond
– Public Art Commission
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Children’s Museum of Richmond
Host of Sparrows Aerial Circus
James River Advisory Council
James River Association
James River Outdoor Coalition
James River Parks System
Junior League of Richmond
Keep Henrico Beautiful
Keep Virginia Beautiful
L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School
Maymont Foundation
Middle James Roundtable
Pamunkey Indian Museum & Cultural Center
Peak Experiences
Reedville Fisherman’s Museum
REI
Richmond Aubudon Society
Richmond BridgePark Foundation
Richmond Region Tourism
Richmond Riverfront Plan
Richmond Symphony
Sound Arts Richmond
Studio Two Three
Tricycle Gardens
The Valentine
Venture Richmond
Virginia Canals and Navigation Society
VCU
– Institute for Contemporary Art
VCU
– Life Sciences Outreach
Virginia Conservation Network
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Virginia Department of Forestry
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Virginia State Parks
Visual Arts Center
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Vogt Oyster Co. / Big Island Aquaculture
Watkins Nurseries
WCVE / The Community Idea Stations

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Contacts:

Erin Frye: Marketing and PR Manager

p. 804.788.4717 ext. 121 e. efrye@richmondsymphony.com

Scott Dodson: Director of Advancement and Patron Communications

p. 804.788.4717 ext. 120 e. sdodson@richmondsymphony.com