RVA Street Art: The GRTC Bus Depot (Part III) and The Light of Human Kindness

Today, I'll be sharing the last batch of photos from my visit to the bus depot and talking about the site since the GRTC relocated.  Plus, The Light of Human Kindness!

In 2010, the GRTC relocated its headquarters, leaving the seven acre property and it's nine buildings empty and unused.  In 2013, Ed Trask's second Street Art Festival took place at the site, giving new purpose to this place that had been both historically relevant and functional to Richmond for so many years.  For a very short time after the festival, the bus depot was open to the public as an art park.  In November of 2013, a security guard patrolling the property was brutally attacked, forcing the GRTC to once again lock up the site.

The long alleyway between these two buildings was reserved for tagging.  It looks like these artists had so much fun!

 

The former art park has been fenced off and empty, with the exception of a handful of events, for almost two years, leaving the people of the River City to speculate what would become of it.  On the day I visited the site, it was announced that it was for sale.  The future of this fascinating and beautiful property is, unfortunately, still uncertain.

This wizard is one of my favorite parts of the whole place, but the light was just not doing me any favors that day.  Stupid sun.

Kitties!

I noticed that the exterior wall had been repainted since my visit last year.  Here's what it looked like the first time I saw it:

And here's what it looks like now:

I like how the eyes from the mural in the background peek over the wall.

From The Light of Human Kindness Website:

"The Light of Human Kindness is an interactive mural in RVA that explores the relationship of light and darkness and what can happen when art, technology and kindness come together to illuminate the power of human connection."

This unique and interactive project that was unveiled during the Street Art Festival in 2013 explores truth, kindness, and the light and darkness inside each of us.  You should really check out the website, it's pretty cool.

This picture is actually from last year, but I really like it.  There weren't as many odds and ends attached to the wall this year.

Once again - if you know who painted any of the pieces inside the bus depot, please let me know so I can add their names!

You can see all of my RVA Street Art posts here.