Meet this week's guest editor, Noah Scalin. As many Richmonders know, Noah is the creator of the award-winning project Skull-A-Day and the collaborative science fiction performance art project League of Space Pirates. Noah was the inaugural artist-in-residence at the VCU School of Business and his fine art has been exhibited internationally, including installations in Times Square, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Mütter Museum and multiple solo exhibitions in Krause Gallery in NYC. His work has been commissioned by Old Navy, Capital One, and Goodwill; and has been featured in dozens of publications including Fast Company, USA Today, The Telegraph, and the New York Times. Noah is a sought after public speaker on the topic of creativity and the author of six books — most recently Creative Sprint, which he co-wrote with his sister/business partner Mica. Together, Noah and Mica also founded an art and innovation consulting firm called Another Limited Rebellion.
Read on for Noah's top recommendations for ways to explore and celebrate this place we call home.
Chop Suey
Books
Browsing a bookstore is one of my favorite pastimes, but it’s something I haven’t been able to do since the start of this year, for obvious reasons. Luckily, Chop Suey Books has managed to recreate the experience on their Instagram page! Not only can I quickly discover new and used books in their stories, but I can keep up on the adventures of my favorite store cat Wonton. I love the fact that I can order any book I want (even one that’s not currently in the store) and it’ll be on my doorstep within the week (often hand delivered by owner Ward Tefft himself). Did I mention they also have a virtual book club, so you can connect with your fellow librophiles? And now more adventurous folks can even sign up for a solo browsing time inside the store during the month of October (though don’t wait, they’re selling out the time slots fast)!
Local entrepreneur extraordinaire Larkin Garbee wasted no time shifting her gears at the start of the pandemic to meet the needs of our healthcare community. She figured out a way to not only quickly make and distribute reusable face shields, but also how to support our essential healthcare workers even more by offering to give one shield away for every one purchased through the Good Work Society Store. I’m a particular fan of the Orchid Shield which has a beautiful design on it courtesy of my friend and fellow artist Hamilton Glass. Each of these shields has an additional benefit of also supporting the work of Girls For A Change, who receives a donation from each sale.
Speaking of Hamilton, now is a great time to get out and see the creative transformation that’s been happening in this city these past few months courtesy of his Mending Walls project. I was honored to be included in the roster of artists asked to collaborate on large scale visual conversations about race and social justice. Since it launched in June there have been ten new murals, addressing the most pressing issues of our current moment, added to our landscape and several more are currently in the works. Want a unique way to see some of the murals firsthand? Check out the upcoming Bike & Brunch Tours that feature the murals and conversations about our local Black culture and history.
Today marks the start of my company’s annual 30-day challenge: Creative Sprint®! It’s a free, fun way to get inspired and find new opportunities. And it’s not too late to join me and build your creative muscles alongside a supportive international community. Sign up now and look for us on Instagram.
