Today, we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Walker. Michelle was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Meredith Ochoa.
Hi Michelle, we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond VA and the chair of the History and Reconciliation Initiative’s Memorial’s Committee. Among the work that the Initiative has done is a deep dive into the real history of St. Paul’s, a church known as the church of the Confederacy. After the history was completed, the Memorial’s Committee began to consider ways to embody that history, perhaps through art. I saw a timeline that Meredith did at a church in Charlotte, NC; took a bunch of pictures; and shared it with the committee members, who were enthralled.
We’ve heard great things about your organization. For our readers who might not be as familiar, can you please tell them about the organization?
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located in downtown Richmond VA and has stood on the corner of Grace and 9th (right next door to the state capitol) for 175 years. It was the home parish of Jefferson Davis and movers and shakers of the Confederacy. But we also hosted the worship service before Douglas Wilder’s inauguration as the first African American governor of Virginia. We have about 700 members. Our rector is the Rev. Dr. Charles T. Dupree. We are proclaiming Christ in the heart of the city.
As you know, we’re big fans of Meredith Ochoa and we know you’ve worked with them quite a bit as well. We’d love to hear about your experience working with.
I saw a piece of Meredith’s art at a church in Charlotte NC. I knew immediately tha this was the kind of work that St. Paul’s should pursue as a concrete expression of not only our 175 years in Richmond, but also an interpretation of the history that we were uncovering. I reached out to Meredith and we began to talk about what a project for St. Paul’s might look like. I put in touch with our historian and they began to walk through the history together. We did most of our work together through zoom and email in this time of COVID. I went down to the church one day, well into the pandemic when it wasn’t actually open, and Meredith and I facetimed from the area where the art would go.
When we received the proofs of the art, our committee met to review the work that Meredith sent us. And we were floored! Our older members were combing the work, naming the people that they recognized. We oohed and aahed. We also discussed our concerns and Meredith was open to hearing what we had to say and to make some changes in the art.
There was a delay in the delivery of the project due to COVID. But finally, the day came and Meredith and her team brought our art to Richmond. As they unwrapped each piece, the few of us who were able to be present were more and more thrilled. And then they brought out the piece de resistance: a piece based on the tetragammatron in the ceiling in our sanctuary. It is the most beautiful thing and the perfect capper to the work!
View more on Meredith’s website: www.meredithochoa.com/timelineart
