Black Space Matters: Episode 2 with Ashley Williams of BareSOUL Yoga

In Episode 2 of “Black Space Matters,” urban farmer, Duron Chavis, speaks with Ashley Williams—a yoga therapist, mindfulness educator, and founder of BareSOUL Yoga (https://www.baresoulyoga.com/​)—on how she leads with love, liberation, and connection in herself and her surrounding space.

In our new series "Black Space Matters," urban farmer, Duron Chavis, interviews Richmond-local community leaders, digging into the conversations about food insecurity and urban farming explored in his "Resiliency Garden" project for the exhibition, "Commonwealth." Over the course of five episodes (released every Thursday), Chavis talks with stakeholders in RVA that engage in food justice, environmental racism, Black space, and various modes of creativity, care, and healing for BIPOC. Watch as they talk resiliency, community, social justice, and why Black space matters.

For more information about Duron Chavis and his “Resiliency Garden,” visit https://duronchavis.com/​.

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"Commonwealth" (Sept. 12, 2020 - Jan. 31, 2021) explored how our common resources are used to influence the wealth and well-being of our communities. "Commonwealth" was the outgrowth of a multiyear partnership between three dynamic, socially engaged contemporary arts organizations: the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (ICA at VCU) in Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia Contemporary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Beta-Local in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The project explored the historical concept of “commonwealth” and its legacy in each of the three locations. It asks whether it’s possible to unleash the collective power embedded in that term while recognizing its connection to exploitation and colonialism. The question of how people understand common wealth, and the tension between individual choice and collective wellbeing, has become all the more relevant in 2020, a year that began with earthquakes in Puerto Rico and has continued with the historic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

For more information about “Commonwealth,” visit https://icavcu.org/exhibitions/common...

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To learn more about the ICA at VCU, visit https://icavcu.org/.
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The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (ICA at VCU) is a contemporary arts institution located in Richmond, Virginia that showcases the art of our era, existence, and cultural moment. We are a forum for discussion and collaboration on local art to international art, activism and innovation, all through ever-evolving exhibitions, performances, films, and special programs. We invite you to participate, visit, and share in our online and in-person community.