Earth Day / Fencelines Installation
Saturday, April 22, 10am-4pm (Community Remarks at 3pm)
Richmond Parkway Bay Trail between Gertrude and Vernon Avenues
Take a stand along the fenceline!
The Fencelines public art installation event is happening on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. Community members are invited to meet at Richmond Parkway between Vernon and Gertrude Avenues to install the painted slats. This event will take place between 10am and 4pm, with a program of remarks from community organizers, artists and poetry happening at 3pm.
About the Project: Fencelines centers circumstances of environmental injustice through a public art installation along the Richmond Parkway, where an existing fenceline separates Richmond residential neighborhoods from the Chevron petroleum refinery. For generations, this refinery has polluted the community’s air, water, land and people.
The art installation encompasses painted slats, milled from locally reclaimed trees, placed on the fence itself and adorned with ribbons animating the direction of the wind. Over the past year at community workshops in Richmond hundreds of individuals and families have recorded their stories and messages on these slats, documenting the impact of the petroleum industry on many lives and together forming a collective monument to resilience.
“We are here, we want to be seen, and we are lending our hand to make all of these initiatives work to end pollution of our communities.”
–Princess Robinson, Community Organizer and Fencelines Co-Creator
A large-scale exhibition and free community events at Richmond Art Center accompany the Fencelines public art project, offering opportunities for community participation and designed to amplify the work of local environmental justice organizations.
