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Belle Magazine September 2012

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Page 1: Belle Magazine September 2012

SEPTEMBER 2012 FREE

Six energetic activists elevate Richmond culture.

Page 2: Belle Magazine September 2012

Eileen Kitces, MD, FAAD

Edward Kitces, MD, PhD, FAAD

Melissa Schwarzschild, MD, JD, FAAD

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Page 3: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle september 2012 | 3 |

Style and SubStance 5Once it was armor, but now maille is jewelry … Costumer to the stars Sue Griffin deconstructs her craft … Historical novelist Susann Cokal guides writers …

Belle gives the pop quiz to ballerina Lauren Fagone … Cakes make a career for Kara Buntin … Find

your art form at local classes. by Elizabeth Jewett

luSh life: Vinyl, coffee, stories

and other diversions give September

its oomph. by Karen

Newton 10

feature 12Belle Women in

the Arts 2012: Six energetic activists pump up Richmond culture. Meet Janine Bell, Sonya Clark, Li Jin, True Luck, Georgianne Stinnett and Erin Thomas-Foley, whose work inspires us and elevates our city. by Karen Newton. Photos by Scott Elmquist

faShion cueS 22detailS: Fit everything you need into these capacious bags for fall. By Lauren Healy 22

faShion Statement: Teacher and make-up artist Jade “Elle” Hickman transforms herself for every occasion. by Ranee Kamens 24

PerSonalitieS 20Leigh Ruble is the artist behind the extraordinary displays at Anthropologie… by Karen Newton

body and Soul 25Private PartS: Meet a divorce attorney who’s known for getting it done. by Julie Geen

artS and entertainment 26agenda: Our picks for September reading, listening and enjoying on stage and elsewhere. by Julie Geen, Elizabeth Jewett and Hilary Langford

great taSte 28an educated gueSt: Food truck operators tell us what it takes to serve meals on the fly. by Ellie Basch

firSt PerSon 30Chauvinistic thinking is a two-way street. by Valley Haggard

on the cover: Photo illustration by Joel Smith

belle

Belle is published monthly and is free. One copy per person. Belle may be distributed by authorized distributors only. Style Weekly subscriptions are avail-able for $49 (third class mail) and $99 (first class mail). Style Weekly, 1313 e. main st., suite 103, richmond, Va. 23219, 804-358-0825; General fax 804-358-1079; News fax 804-358-9089; Classified phone 804-358-2100; Classified fax 804-358-2163.

www.styleweekly.com e-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © by Style Weekly Inc. tm 2012 All rights reserved.

PubliSher: Lori Collier Waran [email protected]

editor in chief: Jason Roop [email protected]

editor: Deveron Timberlake

art director: Joel Smith

PhotograPhy editor: Scott Elmquist

faShion editor: Lauren Healy

contributing WriterS: Ellie Basch

Julie Geen

Valley Haggard

Elizabeth Jewett

Ranee Kamens

Hilary Langford

Karen Newton

coPy editor: G.W. Poindexter

dePuty managing editor: Ed Harrington

SaleS manager: Hannah Huber [email protected]

PubliShing and neW media

develoPment manager: Dana Elmquist

[email protected]

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[email protected]

Senior account eXecutive:

Toni McCracken

account eXecutiveS:

Gracie McGurn, Myra Watkins

SaleS aSSiStant:

Kimberly Hall

advertiSing graPhic artiStS:

Kira Jenkins, Chris Mason

adminiStration/buSineSS manager:

Chris Kwiatkowski

buSineSS aSSiStant:

Jennifer Waldbauer

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SEPTEMBER 2012

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Page 4: Belle Magazine September 2012
Page 5: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle SEPTEMBER 2012 | 5 |

StylE&SubStancE

photo by scott Elmquist

Hot products, new ventures and local discoveries. by elizabetH Jewett

Personal MailleSome days we can all use a little extra armor to face the world.

This chain maille necklace by local artist Celeste Miller is equal parts strength and style. It’s $189 and available at the gift shop at the

Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road. For information or to register for one of Miller’s chain maille

jewelry classes, visit artsglenallen.com.

belle SEPTEMBER 2012 | 5 |

Page 6: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 6 | SEPTEMBER 2012 belle

Kara buntin is an artist whose palette just happens to in-clude fondant and gum paste. since 1999 she’s taken the once-humble cake to heights of willy wonka-esque cre-ativity with her custom business, a cake to remember. the award-winning baker and self-described “frustrated artist” describes her five most memorable cake creations:

robot cake: this was for a couple who had a tech history. it blended twitter birds, binary code that actually spelled a message out, robots and the traditional white cake all in one. this was fun to do because of the subject matter, but also because it required some structural manipulation since it featured a robot holding a cake sitting on a cake.

scream cake: this was based on the [edvard Munch painting “the scream”]. the bride and groom had seen my van Gogh and Monet cakes and jok-ingly said that since the entire wedding planning process had made them feel like screaming they should do that. i said “why not? they were up for it, so i did swirling butter cream painted on the cake like oil paints, then made two little screaming figurines for the topper. it was very existential.

Gnome cake: this was a birthday cake for a man whose family had a thing for gnomes, and he was going to deploy overseas soon. i added dog tags and a cigar to incorporate his personality and the military. it took me over eight hours to put together, and i used chocolate clay, which handles like a soft modeling clay, to cover it and model the details.

Fish cake: the bride wanted to surprise her fiance with a replica of the prized fish that he had caught. she said that

she’d bring me a model, but when i opened the door she was standing there holding the full-sized, mounted fish. i was slightly shocked, and she said, “i know it’s awful, but he loves it.” be-cause i had the actual fish to work from, it was horrifyingly realistic.

“lost” cake. this was a birthday cake for a friend who is a “lost” fan. i used a technique called choco-late transfer, where you basically do a mirror image of a pic-ture. First i piped the outline in chocolate, and then i went back in to fill in the colors and paint the details with melted chocolate tinted with food coloring.

For information visit acaketoremember.com.

Layered Look

A Novel History susann cokal writes at night, in bed with her cat

and her fiance, when the world is, as she describes it, “a little more dreamy.” but by day, the writer and vir-ginia commonwealth university director of creative writing is a bit of an amateur historian. “i write histor-ical novels,” cokal says, “and i really enjoy doing the research.” the native californian is the author of two novels, “Mirabilis,” set in 14th-century France, and “breath and bones,” set in the 19th-century american west.

Formerly a professor at california polytechnic state university, cokal moved across the country be-cause the vcu job was “such a great opportunity,” she says. inspiration soon followed. “i’ve been writing a novel that’s actually set in richmond in the 1920s in my house,” she says. “i’ve been doing research by going into the closet or into the crawl space. it’s been really cool.”

that passion for research has taken her to local vintage stores and etsy shops, where she searches for period objects to surround her while she writes. “one of the characters in the novel is in the meat-juice business, which was actually fairly popular in richmond during that time. and i managed to actu-ally find a bottle of meat juice,” cokal says, laughing.

“there are a lot of nice things about richmond,” she says. “it’s more artsy than the place i was living. there are a lot of writers here, and it’s nice to be in a community of writers, both at vcu and James river writers. i think that James river writers is one of the best organizations for an artsy woman that i’ve ever been around. it’s a really wonderful, supportive group.”

To find out more, visit susanncokal.net.

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Kara Buntin's robot cake

Page 7: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle SEPTEMBER 2012 | 7 |

st yLe & substance

pop Quiz with lauren FaGonecompany Member, Richmond ballet

For most people, movement functions as a sometimes-clumsy necessity. But for

a woman like Lauren Fagone, motion is the highest form of art. In her eighth season as a company member with the Richmond Bal-let, the striking dancer can be seen in this month’s “Streets and Legends.” We asked the Pennsylvania native to take our Pop Quiz.

1. Growing up I wanted to be a … ballerina.

2. In one word I would describe myself as … passionate.

3. I knew I had “made it” when … the moment an artist thinks she’s made it is the moment she stops growing.

4. My inspiration comes from … everywhere and everything.

5. I can’t live without my … family and friends.

6. My favorite Richmond hangout is … anywhere I can order a glass of deliciously earthy malbec.

7. My obsession of the moment is … anything vintage.

8. My last meal on earth would be … cooked on a grill, and shared with family and friends.

9. My guilty pleasure is … cereal, bowl after bowl after bowl of cereal.

10. The one item I would never leave home without is … funky, patterned sunglasses!

photo by scott Elmquist

Page 8: Belle Magazine September 2012

st yLe & substance

| 8 | SEPTEMBER 2012 belle

sue Griffin, costume director for the virginia repertory theatre, puts in hours of creativity and meticulous effort to ensure that every last button enhances the world of a show. the audience never sees her take a bow, but if you’ve gone to richmond theater in the last 30 years, you’ve likely seen her costumes. we chatted with Griffin to find out more about the woman behind the fabric.

Belle: When did you first become interested in costume de-sign, and how did you get involved professionally?Griffin: when i was growing up in connecticut, my family came down to williamsburg in the early ’50s. i was in second grade, and i saw those women walking around in colonial dresses and i was fascinated. i’d never seen anything quite like that before.

when i was in college i majored in art history, which was the closest i could get to [costume design]. i went to new york city and became a buyer. i ended up in norfolk and richmond, and i was a buyer for Miller and rhoads in the ’60s. and then finally i got a job with theatrevirginia in 1981. thankfully the director there was looking for somebody and he hired me. i had never been in a true costume shop before, but then i was running one. i was there for 21 years.

What is it like for you when you first see the costumes on stage?it used to be terrifying. i’ve gotten to the point where for me the dress rehearsal is probably the most exciting night of the

whole production. i see that as a problem-solving situation, because you can’t know how everything is going to fit or look on the set or actually move. the four or five days going up to the actual opening are really challenging and exciting, how to refine what you’ve actually done. opening night you’re amazed.

How important do you think costumes are to the world of the show and telling that story?to me, it’s very important. Many people after a show will talk about the set or the lights, things that are a little more obvi-

ous to them. but in a way that’s good too. costumes shouldn’t overtake the actors. they should feel comfortable in them. but for a period show you’re looking for something showy, like with “My Fair

lady.” you want them to really be focusing on, for certain scenes, the costumes. and that’s really nice when people will applaud a scene when a dress is revealed.

As a woman, how have you experienced the Richmond arts community?as far as being a woman in theater, it’s a very nongendered industry. i’ve never, never felt that being a woman was a tre-mendous advantage or disadvantage. there are guys in the costuming world, and they are just as successful as many of the women. i feel that theater is extremely open as far as ac-cepting all kinds of people. i doubt that you can find an in-dustry where that is more so.

StaR DReSSeR

Express YourselfArt isn’t meant to be only a spectator event. Even if it’s been years since you’ve picked up a paintbrush or sat at a sewing machine, you can still get back in the game. Richmond offers a bounty of art education opportuni-ties for adults of skills. Here are just a few of them.

The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen2880 Mountain Roadartsglenallen.com 261-2787Sample classes: Stencil It Cool, Cake Decorating and Design with Fondant; Uke-A-Rama-Introductory Workshop on the Ukulele; Felt a Wooly Ladder Scarf for Fall; Photoshop A-Z.

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond1812 W. Main St.visarts.org 353-0094Sample classes: Paint Fin-ishes and Techniques for Furniture; the Well Traveled Photographer; Fused Glass Jewelry Design; Introduction to Blacksmithing Workshop; Upholstered Headboards.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts200 N. Boulevardvmfa.state.va.us 340-1400Sample classes: Ceramic Sculpture and Hand Build-ing; the Nuts and Bolts of Playwriting Workshop; the Black and White Darkroom; Basic Drawing: Step One; Dog Portrait Workshop.

The Center for Creative Arts4825 Pouncey Tract Road, Glen Allencenter4creativearts.org 360-2687Sample classes: Introduction to Drawing and Painting; Intermediate Oil Paint-ing and Pastels; Oils and Pastels Studio Class.

Crossroads Arts Center2016 Staples Mill Roadcrossroadsartcenter.com 278-8950Samples classes: Basic Mosaics Class; Patterns and Doodles: the Ultimate De-light; Encaustic Wax Painting; Faux Painting Techniques; James River Photo Shoot.

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Page 9: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 9 |

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Page 10: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 10 | SEPTEMBER 2012 belle

Listen to secrets, catch new talent and get classics in the woods this month.

Can it really be that another school year is beginning and autumn is just around the corner? On the plus side, it means that another season of cultural activi-ties is kicking into high gear. But there’s

still time for a few lingering summerlike activi-ties, so get out and enjoy the pleasures of Septem-ber while you can.

Origin of the species. If you haven’t yet experi-enced Secretly Y’all, Tell Me a Story, it’s time to get on board with this increasingly popular evening of storytelling. It comes around again Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Balliceaux. Held bimonthly, it’s a guaran-teed good time with both professional storytellers and members of the audience sharing tales based on a theme. This month’s is Origins, which leaves the possibilities wide open of what you’ll hear. And that’s really the beauty of a Secretly Y’all evening. The audience gets to hear true stories of the type usually told only to close friends … or sometimes kept secret until one of Balliceaux’s fine cocktails loosens the tongue sufficiently.

Saturday in the park. If you’re one of those deli-cate creatures who avoids outdoor activities dur-ing the heat of a Richmond summer, here’s your

chance to spend an evening being serenaded without sweating. The Richmond Symphony will perform a free show in Pocahontas State Park on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. as part of its Pocahontas Premieres 2012 series. I tend to be a city girl, but after expe-riencing the pleasure of hearing classical music played in the great outdoors, I make an exception for the sake of hearing violins and French horns against a background of trees. The gates open at 5 in case you care to picnic in the park first. dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/premieres.shtml.

Stacks of wax. With the comeback of music on vinyl, record stores are becoming a destination for more than just perusing the bins. Summer Sounds @ Steady is a monthly series taking place at Steady Sounds, Jackson Ward’s premier record shop at 322 W. Broad St. On Sept. 15 from 4-6 p.m. it’s host to the fourth in a series showcasing local musicians. Grab a coffee drink from nearby Lift and check it out. It’s a casual vibe, so come whenever, stay as long as you want, and expect to hear some up-and-coming talent. The visually inclined should check out the monthly art show hanging on the walls. And I dare you to not look at the record bins to see if any of your high-school favorites are there. Bet they are.

The other side of lost. If you’ve never heard of Found magazine, you’re in for a treat when Davy and Peter Rothbart bring their Found Magazine 10th Anniversary Tour to the Firehouse Theater on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. The magazine gathers found objects — lists, love letters, notes on cars, anything left behind by strangers — and compiles them for the amusement of readers. This tour will celebrate the release of Davy’s book of personal essays, “My Heart Is an Idiot,” Peter’s new album and a new issue of the magazine. Props go to Chop Suey Books for bringing these talented and funny men to Richmond nearly every year. But fair warning, it almost always sells out, so get your tickets in ad-vance. And rest assured, the Firehouse bar will be open. chopsueybooks.com.

Now that’s a month full of variety, not to mention two kinds of voyeuristic fun. By the time you’re finished hearing other people’s found Dear-John letters (“If you had to work tonight, why is your car in front of her house? You’re a liar and a cheat and a disgusting pig and I hate you. I don’t know why I ever believe anything you say. Amber. P.S. Text me later”), you’ll be laughing so hard you won’t even notice it’s practically October.

Lush LifeBY KAReN NeWTON

photo by scott elmquist

Page 11: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 11 |

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Page 12: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 12 | SEPTEMBER 2012 ● belle

They create. Inspire. And pass along their passion to new generations. Belle honors six influential arts leaders who invigorate culture in Richmond.by Karen newton • Photos by scott elmquist

Please Join usWe’re holding a luncheon honoring the recipients of Belle’s 2012 Women in the Arts, and you’re invited. The event will be held Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, from noon to 2 p.m., in the Plant Zero Event Space, 0 East Fourth St. Luncheon tickets for individuals are $35, and table sponsorships are available for $400. To respond or for further information, please contact Tonie Stevens at 804-358-0825, ext. 331, or email [email protected].

Page 13: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 13 |

It all began with a dream for Erin Thomas-Foley. She’d started at SPARC in 1997 as adjunct faculty and went full time in 2005, doing after-school enrich-ment classes, summer camps and creating cultural outreach programs as director of education. But on this day, when she awoke, she had a vision for a music event. “I have a special spot in my heart for special needs kids. Could we create a huge, new thing for them that they could be successful at?” she wondered. “First we created classes, then came Live Art.”

She conceived of a big music concert that would offer inclusive opportunities for special-needs students as well as typically developing students. “I wanted to make all the kids feel like rock stars,” she says. “And I wanted the musicians to be young, hip and appeal to a wide audience.”

The Live Art performance at CenterStage on June 3 featured Jason Mraz, Jesse Harper and Steve Bassett, along with a singing and signing choir of autistic, deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children. “Dancers danced with paint on their feet on a canvas, creating visual art live on stage. Susan Greenbaum sang while they painted. Technology was featured in “Modern Movement,” where children moved computer mice that made a light show.

“It was obviously Erin’s passion and love of what she was doing that drove the whole thing,” says Chase Kniffen, associate artistic director of the Vir-ginia Repertory Company. “She’s a mainstay of Rich-mond’s theater community — not just with SPARC but in starring roles and throughout the city. Live Art was the most wonderful two and a half hours I’ve ever

spent in a theater.”Singer Mraz felt privileged to give voice to part of Thomas-Foley’s dream.

“I’ve performed on a thousand stages and shared dressing rooms and curtain calls with legendary ensembles and superstars alike,” he writes in his blog. “But nowhere have I received the kind of grace and elation I did onstage with the actors, dancers and musicians of Live Art. During two of the numbers, I thought to myself, honored, ‘This is exactly why I wrote these songs.’”

“We tested new music every day, but putting it in front of an audience changes the experience. I believe music, movement and color bring things to-gether in a way that nothing else can. We all need that human connection. I hope with my life I can offer that kind of connection to people. That’s what gets me going in the morning. That and my 2-year-old wanting Golden Grahams.”

Erin Thomas-FoleyDirector of Education, School of the Performing Arts in the

Richmond Community

“We’re going to be in trouble if we don’t find a way to get future generations to appreciate the arts. We’ll lose appreciation for live forms of art.”

Page 14: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 14 | SEPTEMBER 2012 ● belle

Some old black and white negatives led Georgi-anne Stinnett to her calling. Coming across them four years after she’d taken a post-college trip to Eu-rope, she decided to take a photography class to learn to develop them. Despite having worked as an envi-ronmental scientist in Washington since graduation, she says, “I realized that photography was what I really wanted to do.”

She put together a portfolio and applied to Virginia Commonwealth Univer-sity because it offered a master’s degree in fine arts in photography and she’d grown up in Richmond. Degree in hand, she decided to teach photography and work on her art, two things she carries on. Recently two patrons bought one of her large-scale black and white photographs, “Dog,” and went before the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ board to donate it. “It was really thrilling,” Stinnett says of its acceptance into the collection.

She’s enthusiastic about the local art scene. “It’s really dynamic, which is surprising because the city is conservative,” she says. “It’s the people, the physicality of the place and the sense of history. The river is inspiring and the

light can be exquisite. The river is inspiring and the light can be exquisite.”

To the budding photographers she teaches at the Maggie Walker Governor’s School, she has plenty of advice. “I abandoned one career because I wasn’t happy with it and went for it,” she says. “Find out

what you like to photograph and go for it. And I encourage them to be collectors of art in general. Find something you respond to and don’t worry if other people will like it. It’s exciting to cultivate connoisseurship, to give them a foundation to trust their own aesthetic. I’m really lucky to be a part of it.”

Jeff Hall, chairman of the fine arts department at Maggie Walker, sees the school as fortunate. “The students absolutely love her,” he says of Stinnett. “They call her ‘Mama G,’ and many of them come back to visit her long after they graduate.

“When you walk into one of her class critiques, students are engaged, laughing and learning. She’s a great photographer who takes her passion for photography and darkroom and instills that in young people.”

Georgianne StinnettPhotographer and Instructor,

Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School

“I wish there was more of a true appreciation for the effect art can have on our daily lives. The way to do that is to have everyone exposed to stuff outside of what they think art is.”

Page 15: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 15 |

Janine Y. BellFounder, Elegba Folklore Society

When Janine Bell came to Rich-mond 22 years ago, she felt she’d found a place well suited to her talents and passions. She set out to learn more about the city’s en-slaved past only to have, she says, many stories find her.

“It caused me to see the signifi-cance of giving back the informa-tion through programs, classes and events. Being able to interpret data, facts and images meant being able to grow our world view and bring perspective to others,” she says of founding the Elegba Folklore Soci-ety, an organization devoted to cele-brating African and African-Amer-ican culture. “We’re contributing to the character of downtown,” she says. “Visitors happen on us and are

surprised there’s someplace like this here. We’re cultural ambas-sadors for the city and we take that very seriously.”

Once the local Kwanzaa festival stopped happening, a light bulb went off. “Maybe I can do that,” she recalls thinking. Today the orga-nization she founded presents the Capital City Kwanzaa Festival, one of the largest on the East Coast and the largest in Virginia. Along with the Juneteenth Freedom Celebra-tion and the Down Home Family Reunion, the festivals attract thou-sands of people every year.

“We hope people come and have a hoot of a time and leave a little bit changed,” she says from her incense-scented gallery on Broad Street. “We present world dance, music and spoken word onstage so people can broaden and deepen their view. And after so many years, we see young people whose parents brought them come now as parents themselves.

“I’ve had students we taught stop me on the street and tell me that we changed their life,” she says. “Our intent is to be transforming.”

“There are four or five African-American

festivals here. And I know we’re not the be-all, end-

all, but if our organization went away, three of them

would disappear.”

Page 16: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 16 | SEPTEMBER 2012 ● belle

True LuckPhilanthropist, Visual Arts Center and VCU Institute for Contemporary Art

Growing up in Roanoke, True Luck’s mother took her and her sister to every event that had anything to do with art. That early start ignited a lifelong pas-sion for the arts that continues unabated. Luck’s art collecting began in the ’80s in Santa Fe, N.M., and Jackson Hole, Wyo., where a friend and art mentor taught her how to deal with galleries, negotiate and have confidence in her choices.

“My involvement with the Visual Arts Center had been as a board member, but you have to have the right combination of people,” she says. “In 2007, we formed a small group called the Dream Team to raise $6 million for the renovation of the Visual Arts Center, or VAC. It made me realize that you do have to be able to raise money to make things change.”

Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed, center board member Carter Reid says. Luck had such an impact that in 2010, Reid says, “she was awarded the Visual Arts Center’s Visionary Award, which was created to celebrate contributions to our organiza-tion of a profound magnitude — and True is its sole recipient.”

Once she felt she’d done all she could do at the center, she joined the board of Virginia Commonwealth University’s planned Institute for Contemporary Art. “It’s so thrilling,” she says of the group’s fundraising efforts. “It will be a gateway to Richmond. I think it’ll draw from all over the state and even international visi-tors. You don’t have to speak English to en-joy art. We have to raise $32 million and we’ve raised $20 million. Basically, it’s be-ing funded by private donations and we’re working on Richmond corporations, too.”

A passionate art collector, Luck raves about Richmond’s devotion to art. “It’s more exciting than it’s ever been. I think young people need to get involved in the art scene. Not every young person will be an artist, but exposure to art makes all the difference. They’re the future of our art world. I know there’d be a big void in my life without art.”

“It was a fascinating experience to see at-risk

children in programs at the Visual Arts Center and see

how creative and excited they got because they’d never been

exposed to it.”

Page 17: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 17 |

Most curators have galleries, but perhaps most curators aren’t as patient as the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s curator of East Asian Art, Li Jian. After arriving in Richmond in 2007, she’s just now getting galleries to house the museum’s collections of Chi-nese, Korean and Japanese art that she was hired to oversee.

Like an expectant mother carrying ultrasound pictures of her child-to-be, she’s never without a notebook with pictures of every object that will be in place in the galleries when they open for the first time to the public Sept. 20.

Because you can’t really get to know a curator without seeing her galler-ies first, she leads an informal tour of the spaces in progress, enthusiastically pointing to where the early Chinese bronzes will stand and where VMFA’s large collection of Japanese woodcuts will hang. The museum’s Korean col-lection has doubled since she became curator at the invitation of the museum’s director, Alex Nyerges.

“Li Jian is everything you want in a curator — brilliant, great eye, a true schol-ar, personable, energetic and diligent beyond imagination,” he says. “I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with her at two institutions over the course

of what is now nearly two decades. To put it in perspec-tive, she is one of the most respected and successful curators of Asian art in America today and she’s right here in Virginia. How lucky can we be?”

One of her big projects is helping organize a large-scale exhibition to come here from the Palace Mu-seum in Beijing in 2014. It will send art and staff, and

the local museum will send an exhibit in return, making it the first to make that kind of exchange with the Beijing institution.

Over jasmine tea at Best Café, she talks about how things are coming to-gether. “The new space will show the three major cultures in galleries that are not too large,” she says. “I like that they’re separate. That way the visitors can see the differences in the art. When donors come, they see the variety of the collection in a sleek design and clutterless aesthetic, like in those cultures. It allows them to see that their collection can work in this space.

“The designer and I worked hard on how to divide the space. It was very important for the galleries to flow. You can feel the feng shui. I hope the local community, students and all ages will come to the museum and have a fresh look at our wonderful exhibitions, big and small.”

“Art relates to our daily lives for children and adults. You don’t need to have an art history degree. Just go there and be open and learn. The more you see, the more you understand.”

Li JianE. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of East Asian Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Page 18: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 18 | SEPTEMBER 2012 ● belle

For Sonya Clark, becoming chairwoman of Virginia Commonwealth University’s craft and material studies department meant leaving the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she felt supported as a young professor and received multiple grants and awards to fund her art. But the VCU position was an opportunity to try her skills as an administrator while bringing the craft field to the foreground in the way she thought it should be. She felt up to the challenge, having previously proven her mettle in another way. “I already had a mixed marriage,” she says, laughing. “I married a musician.”

Of her own work which celebrates the hand and the head, she says: “My interest in textiles within cultures led me to hairstyles as a marker of identity. Both textiles and hair are cultural identifiers. The tools of both those media is combs, so I’ve been doing a lot of work involving combs recently. I’m mining them for their relevance in a material-culture world. They’re disposable and small enough to always have with you, but they also say something about our

dependence on petroleum products.”“She’s found a way to combine the needs of an admin-

istrator as chair of the department and balance that with the incredibly ambitious efforts she has in terms of her creative endeavors,” says Joe Siepel, dean of the school of arts. “Her creativity, research and visibility, both nation-

ally and in the world, have made a difference in VCU’s School of the Arts. Graduate applications in that department are up because of the influence of that kind of national reputation.”

Clark sees Richmond’s art community as a work in progress. “We’re educat-ing a diverse group of students,” she says. “With the faculty, they make up a fair amount of the local arts community. But I wish more people not with VCU would get involved. Richmond is still, by its history, very segregated. I wish there was more of a mix across cultures and classes. At some events, it’s all VCU people or no VCU at all. We need to work on this collectively. One person can’t do it alone.”

Sonya ClarkArtist and Chair,

VCU Craft Material Studies

“Find your authentic expression and go with it. Never think that what you make isn’t interesting to other people.”

Page 19: Belle Magazine September 2012

To this year’s winners. Thanks for making our city

as amazing as you are.

The Locks and Fountainhead Properties extend admiration and gratitude to this year’s Women in the Arts. Our new neighborhood on the Canal Walk is all about bringing the beauty of Richmond to life. And we know you prove that mission every day.

Janine Y. BellFounder, Elegba Folklore Society

Sonya ClarkArtist, Chair VCU Craft/Material

Studies Department

Li JianE. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter

Curator of East Asian Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

True LuckPhilanthropist, Visual Arts Center and VCU, Institute of Contemporary Art

Georgianne StinnettPhotographer and Instructor,

Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Emeritus Council, 1708 Gallery

Erin Thomas-FoleyDirector of Education, School of the

Performing Arts in the Richmond Community

Congratulations to the 2012 Belle Women in the Arts recipients:

To learn more about our four repurposed historic properties on the Canal Walk or to reserve your apartment or commercial property, visit lifeathelocks.com. Or call 888-811-7622. The Locks. On downtown’s waterfront, and the edge of everything.

GREY:R= 153G= 153B= 153

BLUE:R= 41G= 171B= 226

Page 20: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 20 | SEptEmbEr 2012 belle

personalities p r o f i l e

Theme AgentLeigh ruble builds ideas out of pieces.

photo by scott elmquist

Leigh Ruble has an enviable job. She’s been display coordinator for Anthropologie Rich-mond for the past three years, spending her time creating a cross between installation

art and set design. Meet a woman who loves weav-ing wire, sketching layouts and developing dis-plays for a living.

What led you to this position?I’ve been making things for as long as I can

remember. I came to VCU as a painting and printmaking student. In addition to the aes-thetic component, I’ve always been interested in projects that involve a problem-solving element. I had the opportunity to work for Joan Dan-ziger, a sculptor based out of DC, who works in wire armature, resin, fabric and a type of clay made from paper. There I worked on developing armatures and experimented with adding a few of my own materials to the process. Process and material experimentation prepared me well for the display coordinator role.

How are the art displays designed?I start with a sketch of the space, considering

the structure of the building itself, the product and furniture placement. I consider what will be relevant to the themes of the company, the season and the product, as well as the feeling that we as a team want the space to evoke. The next part is what I enjoy the most: experimenting with various materials and manipulating them to create visual interest within a particular space.

What’s your role in the process?The visual process in our store is a collabora-

tive one, and involves both a merchandising and a display aspect. My role is to develop the display aspect. All of our displays are hand-crafted in the store, and designed with our specific space in mind. Nothing is prefab. We always start out with raw materials, so the options are virtually limitless.

You implement locally, so how important is it that your vision sync up with corporate’s?

The great thing about Anthropologie is that they encourage each store artist to interpret things dif-

ferently. The company employs a full-time artist in each of their stores, and while we work from the same initial ideas, we have the freedom to propose our own ideas for each display, as long as it relates well to the initial ideas and themes.

What’s your favorite part of being the Richmond link to the larger company vision?

Richmond has so much character and eccen-tricity about it, there is so much inspiration to draw from. The arts community is really strong. One of my favorite things about working in the Richmond store is working with the colleges in the area. Anthropologie has a display internship program where students aid in developing and crafting the displays while getting a behind the scenes look at how the visual aspects of the com-pany translate into the individual stores.

How is the Richmond customer different?Our Richmond customer is so enthusiastic and

responsive to the changing displays in the store. Her interest in how the displays are developed and constructed is so encouraging, and I enjoy discussing my process with our customer as I in-

stall the pieces in the store during the day.

What advice do you have for women looking for a career path?

There’s a line that’s always stayed with me. Pi-casso once said that “inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” This saying has always chal-lenged me to keep pushing new materials and de-veloping my process and to keep making things consistently. Continue to work, even if it doesn’t turn out exactly as you imagined the first time. You will revise, your ideas will develop, and you will grow through your process.

Tell us something about yourself.I really enjoy working behind the scenes, which

is where I get to be most of the time. I’m an intro-vert by nature, and I don’t like drawing too much attention to myself. This job lends itself quite well to these tendencies. My work is out there for ev-eryone to see, but I get to keep working behind it all, focusing on the next project.

What’s your greatest job satisfaction?Every single day I come to work, I get to make

something.

INTERVIEWED bY kAREN NEWTON

Page 21: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 21 |

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Page 22: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 22 | SEPTEMBER 2012 ● belle

fashion cues d e t a i l s

Waxed coated canvas book bag with leather accent by Will ($175) at Pink.

Blue horizons tie-dye bag handcrafted in Burkina Faso ($39) at Ten Thousand Villages.

by lauren healy

backto thepackJump into school, work and play this fall carrying these.

Acid-wash backpack by Deena & Ozzy ($42) at Urban Outfitters.

Brown leather backpack by Osgoode Marley ($175) at Saxon.

The Field Collection black and tan striped backpack with Cordura fabric by the Herschel Supply Co. Brand ($110) at Need Supply Co.

Green triangle canvas backpack by Baggu ($20) at Urban Outfitters.

finD iT hERE:Need Supply Co. 3100 W. Cary St. 767-1825 needsupply.comPink 3158 W. Cary St. 358-0884 pinkstore.comSaxon Short Pump Town Center 11800 W. Broad St. 285-3473 saxonshoes.comTen Thousand Villages 3201 W. Cary St. 358-5170 richmond.tenthousandvillages.comUrban Outfitters Short Pump Town Center 11800 W. Broad St. 364-5216 urbanoutfitters.com

Page 23: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 23 |

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Page 24: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 24 | sEptEmbEr 2012 belle

fashion cues s t a t e m e n t

photo by scott elmquist

Fresh FaceJade “Elle” Hickman lets her artistry show in her ever-changing looks.

Jade Hickman, who also goes by Elle, is a preschool teacher who also works as a freelance makeup artist for Make-up Art Cosmetics, known as MAC. She tells us how she pulls her look together for the various parts of her day and night.

Belle: How do you define your style?I’m dainty and girly with a bit of rocker. I’m Audrey Hepburn crossed with Rihanna.

What do you normally wear? When I am at work at the preschool we have to wear uniforms; a colored polo and navy or khaki pants only. We get to pick the styles out of a catalog. When I am at MAC we wear the universally, professional makeup artist look which is to wear all black. It’s also a limitation or uniform; however, I can be more funky and creative. I like to mix and match metals, either silver with black or gold with black. I like to express myself as the artist that I am with both my clothing and my makeup.

You’re pretty tiny – any problems finding clothes? Yes. I wear a size 1 and I think that after stores put out the new season’s clothes all the other small girls in Richmond snatch them up first! I have to keep looking and looking until I find something that is close to my style. I am grateful for my friend who is a seamstress and who will take in anything I bring to her.

How do you choose your makeup for the day? My makeup look jumps from A to Z depending on mood and where I am go-ing. When I teach I wear only tinted moisturizer, mascara and lip gloss, but at MAC I can wear glitter. I draw and I write poetry so I am always trying to let my artistry show first.

Why makeup? When I was a junior in high school I fell in love with makeup. I was fascinat-ed and started buying products and trying the looks I saw in magazines. At first I thought it was a phase, but later it became a passion, and as I got older I knew I had to do what I really wanted.

IntERvIEWEd And StYlEd bY RAnEE KAMEnS

Page 25: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 25 |

Vera Duke’s shoes sum her up perfectly. They’re cream and black spectator stilet-tos that manage to have both badass studs and sweet bows. I can’t take my eyes off of

them while she walks me to her office. Rocking an elegant cream sheath dress, and of an absolutely indeterminate age, Duke smiles when I tell her that a friend was given her name and the advice, “If you need a bitch, call Vera.” In fact, she looks down-right pleased to hear that.

Duke is a lawyer, practicing since 1977 and spe-cializing exclusively in family law since 1989. In other words, divorce. “I used to have a general practice,” Duke says, “and I just gravitated to this. It’s hands-on, helping families and individuals through a crisis. I know you do have to have a cer-tain personality.”

Sitting across from Duke isn’t something anyone can imagine on the day they say “I do.” But if you end up seriously considering divorce, she advo-cates visiting an attorney right away. “You should always get advice early,” Duke says, “so that you can make good decisions. And your decision might be I want to try mediation, I want to try counseling. But you need to know what your legal rights are.”

Mediation and collaborative law are options Duke educates her clients about. “I always talk, believe it or not, about trying to do things out of court,” she says. “But there are two times when I know it never works. One is if there is a huge power imbalance or abuse. If you are afraid of the person, or always manipulated by them, mediation is not going to work because you are going to lose. They don’t want to mediate. They want to win.”

The other time she doesn’t advise mediation and collaborative law is when both parties have very different and fixed ideas about what they should get as far as property and support. “You’re going to need some judge to make a decision,” Duke says. “Even if they are nice people and there is no abuse

or power imbalance, if their ideas of starting are so unrealistically far apart, you can’t get to the middle.”

Most divorcing couples will settle at least a few is-sues out of court, she says, even when their starting points are vastly different. They tend to be more willing to settle when they see their money going to lawyers. Duke acknowledges that she enjoys court. “I am nice outside of court,” she says. “I’m not nice in court. I am good at my job in court. It’s fun to litigate. But it’s not in my client’s best interest un-less that’s the last alternative. It’s expensive, and it’s never fun to go to court, except for me.”

If you think your spouse is cheating and you’re considering divorce, Duke advises getting a pri-vate investigator even before you get a lawyer. “If the person is cheating, they always swear that you are losing it, that you’re crazy and you don’t know what you’re talking about; you’re paranoid. So you just need to get basic information. If you are a nor-mal, sane person and your spouse is acting oddly, you’re not crazy.”

As a bystander to much bad behavior, drama and suffering, Duke has learned a lot. “I will tell you,” she says, “it is a wonderful thing to strengthen my marriage, because every time I look at these other people, I don’t care how mad I am at my husband — he’s not so bad.”

When she started her practice, a long mar-riage was around 25 years. “Now we are looking at seven,” Duke says. “They are getting shorter and shorter. I do think it’s important to go into the mar-riage with the commitment that you are not going to immediately run to the door if it’s not comfortable, because there is no marriage where there will not be downs as well as ups. And I think you have to wait it through.”

But if you can’t, and you’re married to someone who won’t play fair, you might need someone on your side who can dig in and fight.

The Breakup ArtistDivorce attorney Vera Duke lives up to her reputation. BY julIE gEEN

• Get therapy to help you through a difficult time, but remember that anything your therapist writes down can be subpoe-naed by the other side and used in court. Pastoral counselors, however, are privileged and cannot be subpoenaed.

• More than 80 percent of divorce lawyers have used information from Facebook,

LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and other com-puter and social networking sites. If you don’t want a judge to see it, don’t post it.

• If you’re doing your own investigation on a possible cheater, remember that stealing a password and getting into his or her email or phone is a federal offense and nothing obtained can be used in court.

• Get your estate in order if you sepa-rate. That way if you die unexpect-edly, your spouse won’t get everything if you don’t want that. You can always change it back if you reconcile.

• Don’t send angry texts and emails to your future ex. They can be used against you in court.

body & soul p r i v a t e p a r t s

Divorce advice from Vera DukeI Don’tp

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Page 26: Belle Magazine September 2012

AGEndAC o m p i l e d b y Julie Geen, elizabeth Jewett and hilary lanGford

| 26 | sEptEmbEr 2012 belle

InsIde storyalison has intimacy is-sues, and they make for fine reading. “a theory of Small earthquakes” (Soft Skull press, $15.95) takes you through 20 years of her life while she loves her way through them. this honest, beautifully written first novel by meredith maran tells the story of a modern berkeley, Calif., family with humor and passion. — J.G.

drop It Allafter a scandal involving her angry teenage daugh-ter and a boy, Susannah delaney decides to pack up the family and move it to remote Sounder island, off the oregon coast. in the novel “a Simple thing” (william morrow, $14.99), author Kathleen mcCleary delivers a mov-ing exploration of secrets, guilt, forgiveness and the transformation that occurs when you’re brave enough to leave every-thing behind. — J.G.

WAlk thIs WAyrichmond joins the growing list of cities to walk in support of the message that sexual as-sault is never the victim’s fault on Sept. 22. this free, two-mile walk begins at monroe park and ends at fountain lake park, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for registration information or to learn more about the mes-sage behind Slutwalk visit slutwalkrichmond.org. — E.J.

slIck streetstwin Shadow, aka George lewis Jr., makes moody, pretty-boy retro pop in the new-wave vein of the psy-chedelic furs and human league. reportedly inspired by motorcycle rides taken after an accident, “Confess” (4ad) explores the bruised corners of hearts and bloated egos through the lens of a classic rebel. while it comes off a bit silly and melo-dramatic at times, the irresistible synths and passionate vocals make up for it. fans of the singer’s debut album, “forget,” might need to warm up to the slick production on this one, but likely will appreciate lewis’ ever-evolv-ing style. — H.L.

Mood MAkerswhat happens when Canada goes crunk? you get purity ring, an insanely exciting duo fusing rib-rattling bass and skittering, plasticized percus-sion with tender vocals over 38 huge minutes of music. megan James and Corin roddick seem less concerned with making catchy songs and more interested in evoking moods, though they achieve both in “Shrines” (4ad). there are obvious nods to trip-hop bands such as Sneaker pimps, but these ladies are anything but derivative. — H.L.

pure GArbAGeanyone with access to mtV in the ’90s knows Garbage, Shirley manson and the song “only happy when it rains.” Catch up with the alt-rock band when it plays the national, 708 e. broad St., Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. $25. thenationalva.com. — E.J.

proM reverIeif too many episodes of “teen mom” have darkened

your outlook on youth culture, go back to a more innocent time with “the marvelous wonderettes,”

a musical set in the 1950s about four crinoline-clad girls at prom. it plays at Swift Creek mill

theatre, 17401 Jefferson davis highway, Sept. 13 through oct. 20. tickets are

$35. details at swiftcreekmill.com or 748-5203. — E.J.

Page 27: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle ● SEPTEMBER 2012 | 27 |

NEED A GIRLSʼ NIGHT

OUT WITHOUT HIM IN THE

PICTURE?The only thing you need to pick up is a paint brush for a good time at Spirited Art. Instructors guide you from a blank canvas to your fi nished masterpiece, as you and your friends enjoy food and drink from The Wine Loft. Nightly classes are offered seven days a week.

To register, call 360-5909 or visit myspiritedart.com.

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Page 28: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 28 | SEPTEMBER 2012 belle

great taste a n e d u c a t e d g u e s t

What does it take to run a food truck?

ph

oto

by

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an

iel

A delicious road rage is on the rise in Richmond, fueled by food carts and trucks. Once a lunch staple for down-town office dwellers and Virginia Com-monwealth University students, mobile

dining now can be found at farmers’ markets and parking lots across the area. Menu specialties include things as var-ied as hot dogs, vegan soy chorizo, pasta, caprese salads, regular and fusion tacos, cookies, cupcakes, and fresh-out-of-the-mobile-oven pizzas.

Food carts and trucks are serving dinners, too. Almost every weeknight there’s a food-truck court in town. Sschedule and updates are at foodtruck-court.com.

One of the reasons these roving restaurants are popular is affordability for both customers and entrepreneurs. The relatively low start-up and

operational costs, when compared with brick-and-mortar places, allows vendors to sell their food at cheaper prices than at restaurants. Based on my research and interviews, start-up costs can range from $30,000 to $80,000. A do-it-yourself food

cart can be constructed with a lot of el-bow grease for about $2,000. Depend-ing on the equipment in them, a used trailer-sized cart can be had for $20,000, while a used full-sized catering truck can cost upwards of $50,000. A sizeable car is needed to tow carts.

The kitchens on mobile units are tiny, often with room for only one person once a cart is outfit-ted with sinks, fridges, storage and a small stove or griddle. The food preparation is done at a larg-er commercial kitchen. Depending on the menu and bolstered by coolers and ice packs, a typical cart can serve 100-200 sandwiches. A food truck

can feed 300-500 diners. Crystal Morris of Street Deli has her routine

down. She starts her day at 7:30 a.m. to do last-min-ute prep, and by 10 her cart is parked at its down-town location. She powers up the fridge and panino presses, sets up signs and a tent, then unloads the food from the coolers into the cart’s fridge. After serving lunch, she tackles the next day’s prep.

For Jen and Luke Mindell, siblings who own Rooster Cart, a three- or four-hour event requires at least five hours of cooking, transporting and setting up. Add two hours of packing and clean-ing up, and the duo often works 12-hour days. At Pizza Tonight, two or three people are responsible for the kitchen prep, which includes making and rolling dough for more than 500 pizzas a week. For an event or market day, they usually have two pizza-makers, one fire maestro, and one person to take orders and payments. Patrick Harris and his Boka Trucks have three or four staff members si-multaneously cooking in the kitchen and restock-ing the two trucks and a cart throughout the day.

Fast-paced cooking, nonstop orders and lines of hungry fans mean that working in a mobile unit can be exhilarating. But there’s also the risk of heat exhaustion. Confined in a tiny metal box full of hot equipment and little circulation, the tem-perature inside a cart easily soars to triple digits. So be patient if you have to wait 15 minutes for your lunch while the food cart operator takes a break to cool down.

Despite the challenges, food cart and truck op-erators generally love their jobs. The thing they wish were easier is the permitting process. Mobile dining is fairly new and regulations aren’t yet in step with the market’s demand. In addition to a certificate of occupancy for the commissary kitch-en, vendors must have a health permit for both the kitchen and mobile unit, a city or county business license, a vendor’s or peddler’s permit, and a per-mit to tow the oven, in Pizza Tonight’s case. In a perfect world, communication among these vari-ous offices flows seamlessly. Not so in real life. One vendor had to reapply for a permit because a clerk left the job and the new person couldn’t find any records of the pending application. It was more than an inconvenience for the vendor; weeks of opening delays and no income easily drained the start-up company’s resources.

As one vendor puts it: “It’s a business with its own heartaches and sacrifices just like any other. Mobility solves one set of problems and, at the same time, creates a unique set of challenges for the entrepreneur.”

Eat and RunWhere to find the carts and trucks mentioned here: •Boka Truck: Fusion tacos in various locations.

bokatruck.com; Twitter @bokatruck• Pizza Tonight: Freshly baked artisanal

pizza and bake-at home pizza kits. pizzatonight.com; Twitter @pizzatonight

•Rooster Cart: Vegan and vegetarian sandwiches. Facebook: Rooster Cart.

• Street Deli: Salads, sandwiches and paninis at 10th and Byrd streets. streetdelirva.com

By ELLIE BASCH

Crystal Morris of Street Deli operates a food cart at 9th and Byrd streets during weekday luncheon hours.

Page 29: Belle Magazine September 2012

belle SEPTEMBER 2012 | 29 |

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eclectic collection of jewelry, clothing and accessories

Page 30: Belle Magazine September 2012

| 30 | SEPTEMBER 2012 belle

first person

I want it all. Who doesn’t?by Valley Haggard

Once upon a time on a dude ranch far away, the big boss man, tired of all the fussing and chest beating between the sexes, made the wranglers and cabin girls

switch roles for a day. We girls wrangled the hors-es while the cowboys stayed at the lodge to do the dishes, serve the meals and make the beds.

Of course we did everything perfectly — even if I did tie the wrong knot and let one horse out for a little joy ride — only to come down the mountain and find that all of the beds had been made, twice. The wranglers had put new sheets on right over the old ones. Still, we had to grudgingly admit that the western Freaky Friday was a valuable lesson. We saw how the other half lived and began to appreci-ate it more for it.

Which is what’s been happening around my house lately, if in a more long-term, less organized way. While I’ve been working longer hours, my husband’s been picking up more of the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and child care. a few weeks ago after getting home from a particularly long day, I found myself standing in the midst of a pile of half-finished art projects, found objects from the river and science experiments gone

wrong. I tried not to hyperventilate. “Why isn’t my dinner on the table? Why is this house such a mess? What have you been doing all day?” and then it hit me as I flashed on all of the stereotypi-cal scenarios of the working dad berating the stay-at-home mom. My god, I thought. It’s happened to me. I’ve become a female chauvinist pig!

Though I’ve always considered myself a progres-sive, modern woman — a feminist — I’ve recently started to examine what’s really brewing beneath the surface of the buzzwords I’ve dressed myself in. and what I’ve uncovered is at least as much cave woman as modern woman. “Me, Jane! Me want big man to kill buffalo, pay mortgage and take care of kid!” beneath my “let’s not stereotype according to our gender roles” facade, I secretly think my hus-band should be responsible for the lion’s share of the finances, all of the manual labor, a lot of the household chores and half of the child care. In oth-er words, I want to not only have my cake and eat it too, but also eat it with two scoops of honey-vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and wet walnuts. Who doesn’t?

I love the tri-fold sense of empowerment, free-dom and creativity I get from my work, but deep down, part of me feels I should do it only because I

want to, sort of for fun, and not because I have to. I also should get lots of room for me time, self-explo-ration and minivacations — while he pays the mort-gage, does the dishes and checks over the home-work. When and if I do choose to work, I should come home to a hot meal, a sparkling house and a foot massage. Not that I provided any of that for him when he worked all day. Oh, no. That’s when I pulled the feminism card. but thankfully, my husband is a feminist too. He’d be just as happy to give me all of the responsibilities I’d like to give him. Which is why, in a sometimes civilized, some-times barbaric way, we’re doing our best to work it out so that we can both have it all, or at least a tiny bit of each part of most of it. Without score sheets or timecards, we’re dividing up the work it takes to run a marriage, house and family in as egalitarian a way as possible.

To get a sense of the division of labor, at least in the child care department, I recently asked an im-partial judge for his opinion. “Well,” our son said, “it’s 50-50. actually, it’s 51-49.” I didn’t ask who did the extra 1 percent because, of course, to keep ev-erything in perfect balance, I still need to believe it’s me.

photo illustration by joel smith

Female Chauvinist Pig

Page 31: Belle Magazine September 2012

Time to CelebrateSave the Date for the 9th Annual Saks’ Key to the Cure benefiting women’s

cancer research at VCU Massey Cancer Center on October 18, 2012.

Richmond’s most fashionably fun night out features tastings by the area’s premier restaurants and

caterers, creative cocktails, music and amazing shopping incentives.

NEW THIS YEAR: An enticing silent auction with exclusive experiences

and fabulous fashion up for bid. Mercedes-Benz Man Cave that will have guys

begging to stay later!

MAKE IT A GIRLS’ NIGHT OR A DATE NIGHT, BUT DON’T MISS OUT ON THE FUN!

Reserve your tickets today! Find us on Facebook as Team Massey and

follow event updates at www.massey.vcu.edu/keytothecure

Host Print Media Partner

www.massey.vcu.edu/keytothecure

FashionShop with a passion and enjoy special savings at this kick off event and Saks Fifth Avenue will donate a percentage of sales from Oct. 20 – 23.

Guest appearance by Virginia – born jewelry designer,Temple St. Clair!

Temple will be sharing a very

special selection of her latest designs.

100% of this year’s Elie Tahari

designed T-shirt sales (from Saks at Stony

Point) will be donated to Massey!

Join usThursday, October 20th

6 pm Saks Fifth Avenue Stony Point Fashion Park

$100 per personTo benefit

women’s cancer research at:

Host Print Media Partner

www.massey.vcu.edu/keytothecure

FashionShop with a passion and enjoy special savings at this kick off event and Saks Fifth Avenue will donate a percentage of sales from Oct. 20 – 23.

Guest appearance by Virginia – born jewelry designer,Temple St. Clair!

Temple will be sharing a very

special selection of her latest designs.

100% of this year’s Elie Tahari

designed T-shirt sales (from Saks at Stony

Point) will be donated to Massey!

Join usThursday, October 20th

6 pm Saks Fifth Avenue Stony Point Fashion Park

$100 per personTo benefit

women’s cancer research at:

Host Print Media Partner

www.massey.vcu.edu/keytothecure

FashionShop with a passion and enjoy special savings at this kick off event and Saks Fifth Avenue will donate a percentage of sales from Oct. 20 – 23.

Guest appearance by Virginia – born jewelry designer,Temple St. Clair!

Temple will be sharing a very

special selection of her latest designs.

100% of this year’s Elie Tahari

designed T-shirt sales (from Saks at Stony

Point) will be donated to Massey!

Join usThursday, October 20th

6 pm Saks Fifth Avenue Stony Point Fashion Park

$100 per personTo benefit

women’s cancer research at: host

Cocktail Counter sponsorWells Fargo

Man Cave sponsorMercedes-Benz

Vision of Beauty sponsorErnst & Young

Media Partnerstyle Weekly

Guest hostMelissa Chase, 103.7 the River

special thank YouVirginia Living

Beverage PartnersA. smith Bowman Distillery,

Chandon, terrazas de los Andes

silent Auction spotlight sponsorsBea Gonzalez, David and Cindy Powell,Practice Integrity, shaheen Law Firm, P.C.

suntrust Mortgage, Whitehead & Chiocca

Food PartnersCakes by Graham, Designworks, Fleming’s Prime steakhouse & Wine Bar, Gearhart’s Chocolates, KDW home – Kitchen, Lemaire, Mosaic, Pearl’s Cupcake shoppe, P.F. Chang’s – China Bistro, t.J.’s Restaurant &

Lounge, sedona taphouse, spoonfed, Very Richmond Indeed

Page 32: Belle Magazine September 2012