All City Art Club brings new murals to South Side

“I moved to Richmond in 2004 and I spent my first 15 years over here on the South Side,” Richmond muralist Silly Genius said. “I go into the city, to the museums and see all of this art, and then I go back home, it’s nothing. Abandoned buildings, tire shop, tire shop, corner store, abandoned building. And that’s it. I wanted to bring that back to where I was. Like, why can’t I just walk outside and see art like everybody else? That was what started All City.”

The All City Art Club is made up of local artists who share a goal to introduce street art to underserved communities without the goal of tourism or gentrification.

The group’s project titled “Dreams that Dream Back” was one of five projects selected to receive the National Academy of Design’s 2023 Abbey Mural Prize, a grant to support the creation and restoration of public murals in the U.S.

Since 1940, the National Academy has awarded funds to individuals or organizations that use public murals as a way of social activism, neighborhood revitalization and community engagement. The grants range from $10,000 to $40,000.

All City Art Club received $40,000. The first mural can be found at 1224 Hull St.

Painted by club members Silly Genius and Chr!s Visions, the mural celebrates Richmond music legends, depicting Mad Skillz, DJ Lonnie B and Danja Mowf, also known as the Supafriendz, a Richmond-based hip-hop crew that originated in the ‘90s. All three are still prolific in Richmond’s music community today.

In November, Mad Skillz earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category for his album “The Seven Number Ones.” Another Richmond underground rap icon, Michael Millions, is credited as a mastering engineer for the album.

“We were just taking note of all of these sort of cultural icons,” Silly Genius said. “Michael Millions, Nickelus F and Radio B have a mural but surprisingly Skillz didn’t have one. Skillz just did his final concert, and Lonnie had just gotten the key to the city, so we decided to play into that Supafriendz concept.”

A tragic story behind the space

The mural covers the side wall of Bobby’s World RVA, a building owned by Tyrone Davis, 47, who purchased the space in 2023.

At the time, Davis was searching for ways to honor his son, Tyrone Davis Jr., who was killed by gun violence in 2021, just blocks away from the building. He was 19 years old.

After his son’s death, Davis searched for other South Side shops willing to let him use their walls for murals, but no one was willing to give up space, prompting Davis to buy his own.

“The day he (Silly Genius) knocked on this door, I was in this building having a breakdown,” Davis said. He had put all of his savings into buying the space and was starting to get frustrated finding a use for it.

“I was talking to my son like, ‘Man, you got to help me. I need help.’ He (Silly Genius) knocked on the door that next morning and said, ‘Hey, can I paint a mural on this building?’”

For Davis, it was a sign.

“It’s dope,” Davis laughed as he reminisced on attending parties in Richmond when he was a teen, hearing Mad Skillz, DJ Lonnie B or Danja Mowf DJ. “That makes my building a landmark having legends like that.”

He says his son would be proud.

“I feel like he made it all happen,” Davis said.

Inside the shop is a hair salon, barbershop and a peer recovery service, an addition inspired by Davis’ son who Davis says had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Before plans for the mural, the space was a desolate fenced-in lot with overgrown grass and weeds. Davis had the lot cleaned up and repaved, envisioning a South Side spot where locals can hang out and admire the artwork in the future. He said he would like to bring in DJs, food trucks and lighting.

‘Dreams that Dream Back’

The second mural, right across the street at 1212 Hull St., was completed in December representing the power of imagination and the ability to bring ideas to life as artists. The mural features lyrics from the song “Blacksugar,” by Richmond’s own Michael Millions, Nickelus F and Fly Anakin; “Imagine greatness, who knew we’d be the ones they choose to rise from out yo basement.”

There are plans to complete a mural of Davis’ son on the other side of the building at 1224 Hull St.

The collective of artists is grateful for a chance to fill in the gaps.

“It feels amazing to me,” said Chr!s Visions. “In the moment, while you’re painting, you can feel the vibration and how people are responding to it. You can see how people are connected to it. They tell you how much it makes them feel better about their walk or drive to work and you can see it really impacting people’s lives, and that’s really special. It makes me feel like I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and using my abilities to make a difference in the way that I know how.”

The project’s name, “Dreams that Dream Back,” was inspired by a excerpt from the Toni Morrison novel “A Mercy”: “I dream a dream that dreams back at me.”

“When they started doing a lot of murals downtown, they were not pouring into South Side at all, or Black neighborhoods, period. And then Silly started All City Art Club to pour into Black neighborhoods, to bring artwork that we want to see. To see us,” added Auz Miles, a member of the collective, which has also created other South Side art such as a mural of activist Claudia Jones at Sankofa Community Orchard.

The collective has been working to secure more support for Richmond artists. In a recent petition, the group asked for the city, including new Mayor Danny Avula, to update the Richmond 300 Plan to include a vision for the arts, to establish affordable housing and studio spaces, and to provide more funding opportunities for artists and arts organizations.

The collective cites the city’s various accolades for its world-class talent, musicians, artists and culture as reasons for more support.