2023 Rotary Golf Tournament

2023 Rotary Golf Tournament

by | Sep 29, 2023 | community, Fun, Rotary

‘Tis the season of golf tournaments! On Saturday, Paul participated in the 2023 Rotary Golf Tournament at Heritage Oaks Golf Course to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Charlottesville. It was a beautiful day to compete together and support an amazing organization.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Ronald McDonald House of Charlottesville, their “primary mission… is to provide lodging for the families of pediatric patients while the children are receiving medical treatment at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital. The House offers an affordable, calm, comfortable haven – a home away from home – for its guests. For exhausted parents, who are already stressed by the illness of their child, it is a place where families can relax, eat together, and find support from other parents who are in similar situations.” We thank them for everything that they do.

 

Pictured below from left to right: Mike Wolfe of Simpson Strong-Tie, Paul (Principal of our Charlottesville location), Blake Gordon of Titan America Roanoke Cement Company, Eli Strauss of Strauss Construction.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House Charlottesville and for ways that you can get involved, check out their website here.

First Friday Artist: Angela M. Carter

First Friday Artist: Angela M. Carter

by | Sep 26, 2023 | First Friday

On Friday, October 6th from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening featuring artist Angela M. Carter! Angela is a multi-talented artist with many works – published, spoken, performed, and visual. Join us to view her exhibition “Rewaken (to become awake again)” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community.

First Friday Artist Angela M Carter.

Bio:

Angela M. Carter is a mom, author, poet, novelist, motivational speaker, spoken word performer, visual artist, and advocate/activist. She is the owner of 2nd Avenue Press, and is the author of Memory Chose a Woman’s Body (unbound CONTENT, 2014) and a forthcoming book, Love is the Dying Dog (2023). Angela is a 2014 Pushcart Prize nominee, nominee for the 2015 Virginia Library Literary Award (poetry), and has been featured in a multitude of venues, including The KGB Club in Manhattan and Busboys and Poets. Her publications include Silver Birch Press, Deep Water Literary Journal, Whurk, Vox Poetica, the Plath Poetry Project, Premiere Generation Ink, City Lit Rag, The Word Ocean, Worst Week Ever, Our Stories Untold, Gutsy Living, and several anthology publications. Angela is the Programs and Initiatives Manager for JMU X-Labs.

Rewaken (to become awake again):

Medium: Abstract acrylic and ink paintings on canvas, various sizes.

This show embodies a transition from treading to floating atop the turbulence life has recently handed to me, and finding newfound gratitude in the aspects of my life that I feel blessed to have: motherhood, new beginnings, self-love, art, literature and acceptance.
This is my new beginning. My rewakening.

Rewaken poster by Angela Carter for her First Friday gallery opening event.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

First Friday Artist: Cassie Martin

First Friday Artist: Cassie Martin

by | Sep 25, 2023 | First Friday

On Friday, October 5th from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist Cassie Martin! Cassie is a talented mixed media artist with skills in a wide variety of mediums, including ceramics, which she will be showcasing. Join us to view her powerful vases that “give voice to those who felt like they couldn’t speak” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community.
First Friday artist Cassie Martin.

Biography:

Cassie Martin is a mixed media artist with contemporary practices, skilled in a wide variety of mediums in the two-dimensional form and three-dimensional form. She is currently a senior at James Madison University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a painting and drawing concentration, a General Business Minor, and an Art History Minor.

Artist Statement:

These vases give a voice to those who felt like they couldn’t speak up. I sent a question to many of my female friends asking what is something they wanted to say but didn’t at the time whether that’s because of a bad relationship, work environment, or just a situation. The first vase has the responses. The second vase represents how those words were silenced, so they are in Morse code. The final one shows the opportunity women have to empower each other.

A portion of a vase by Cassie Martin. There is a crack in the pottery with an imprint of a kiss overtop. Vase by Cassie Martin imprinted with words. Three vases by First Friday Artist Cassie Martin. vase with morse code
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!

Big Brothers Big Sisters Mini-Golf for Kids’ Sake 2023

Big Brothers Big Sisters Mini-Golf for Kids’ Sake 2023

by | Sep 20, 2023 | community, Fun, team

This past Friday The Gaines Group team in Harrisonburg had the privilege of supporting the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) through some competitive mini-golf. It was a beautiful afternoon to get out into the sunshine to compete against each other in some (mostly) friendly competition.

Aimee, Deborah, Mariya, Jarod, and Asha at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Mini-Golf fundraiser.

This year our team split into two groups to compete for the lowest combined group score and a group lunch out. Team one, Par Vacation, was led by Interior Designer Jarod, with the dynamic marketing duo Charles and Asha. Team Two was led by Designer Mariya, Architect Deborah and Designer Aimee. Highlights include two hole-in-one’s by Mariya who backed up her smack talk, one hole-in-one by Asha which earned her a free dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme, an embarassing amount of 7-strokes on a hole, and two balls fished out from the water. In the end, though it was close, Team Par Vacation pulled out the win by 5 strokes. 

Jarod puts the ball during mini-golf.

Regardless of the score, we were thrilled to be a part of this event and support such an amazing cause! For more information about BBBS check out what you can do to get involved in your community!

Black Women in Architecture

Black Women in Architecture

by | Sep 15, 2023 | architecture, Leadership

By Aliyah D. White.

 

According to The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), just under .5% of licensed architects working in the U.S. in 2022 were Black women. This means that out of the 121,603 licensed architects working in the U.S., 2,492 were Black, and 566 were Black women. Becoming an architect is by no means an easy path – even without considering factors that disproportionately affect people of color. It can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in degrees and exams. Additionally, it takes an average of 13 years to become a licensed architect according to NCARB. The high cost and required level of dedication are factors that keep many people from pursuing architecture, but the added lack of representation can make it especially difficult for Black women to chase after the profession.

I have been drawn to architecture ever since my 7th grade science teacher pointed out how much I enjoyed doodling houses on my schoolwork. However, that enjoyment has not stayed with me through the years like it may have for many others. It has been a ten-year battle of deciding every day that my chosen path is worth it. For me, architectural design provides a way to find and express stories through space. As an architectural designer, who also writes avidly about the Black experience, this means that I feel a responsibility to uncover the ways Black people have been forced to move through space in history, how we have struggled and flourished through that movement, and how we can find better rhythm while moving through present-day constructed spaces.

Though I have dealt with these issues my entire life, they are only recently coming to the forefront of many peoples’ minds due to a heightened awareness of racial disparities in the country and abroad. In large part, this is due to a lack of representation – and consequently a lack of understanding the adversities people of color face as they move through the constructed environment. When Black women do not get to enter the room, we lose the opportunity to influence decisions and solve issues regarding the ways people move through space. Moreover, the people who are gaining entry are missing out on the unique perspectives and understanding we bring to the table. To be a good architect is to be a good listener while in the service of others. To be a great architect is to be a great empathizer while in the service of others.