Mending Walls
By: Hamilton Glass
Language: en-us
Categories: Arts, Visual, Society, Culture, Documentary
In May of 2020, the citizens of Richmond, Virginia took to the streets to protest racial inequality, police brutality and the monuments to confederate generals that line on our historical streets and city parks. As a result, African American artist and community activist, Hamilton Glass, chose to create a public art project that brought together artists from different cultural backgrounds to create murals that start conversation and heal the divides between us. That project is called Mending Walls. Host Hamilton Glass sits down with the artist pairings as they discuss their mural vision, their process and the hard conversations that they...
Episodes
Trust Building/s: Empatía
Jan 09, 2026Hamilton talks with Artists Alfonso Pérez Acosta and Noah Scalin about their recent collaboration. Trust Building/s is a four-part mural series that will spread throughout the city. These murals will be co-created with the community to come alive with the gestures, stories, and faces of real people shaped by hands that don’t all look the same but move in rhythm toward a shared goal. Each mural centered around one of the foundational elements of trust:
ReliabilityEmpathyHonestyConsistencyHonest conversations between real people who...
Duration: 00:30:16Inspiring the Next Generation of Artists
Aug 12, 2025Hamilton talks with Ava, Tio and Bannessa, students in the College of Arts and Architecture who are members of the Mending Walls at Penn State student club. These students recently traveled to Richmond together to see the original Mending Walls murals, meet some of the artists that painted them, and find further inspiration for their Mending Walls experience on campus.
Resources for this episode:
Mending Walls Penn State -- find pictures of the murals the students created here.More information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural Project<... Duration: 00:18:42Mending Walls.. at Penn State
Aug 01, 2025Hamilton talks with Sarah and Adriana who are Art majors and designers of the second mural they completed along with other students from Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture and inspired by the Mending Walls project.
Includes: Pam Hervey, Producer/Director of Mending Walls: The Documentary and Mending Walls: The Podcast.
Resources for this episode:
Mending Walls Penn State -- find pictures of the murals the students created here.More information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassTrust Building/s: Reliability
Jul 25, 2025Hamilton talks with Artists Alfonso Pérez Acosta and Noah Scalin about their recent collaboration. Trust Building/s is a four-part mural series that will spread throughout the city. These murals will be co-created with the community to come alive with the gestures, stories, and faces of real people shaped by hands that don’t all look the same but move in rhythm toward a shared goal. Each mural centered around one of the foundational elements of trust:
ReliabilityEmpathyHonestyConsistencyHonest conversations between real people who...
Duration: 00:32:52Part 3: Transcending Walls (Education)
Jan 20, 2023Hamilton Glass, Taekia Glass, and Caitlin Black discuss their roles and they collaborate together to create deeper connections to the education space. In particular Caitlin, an adjunct professor and Ph.D candidate at VCU has used the Mending Walls project as the basis for her community centered learning approaches with her classes. She also served as the Mending Walls intern for the 2022 season which allowed her to experience different facets of the project, from developing and hosting workshops to reaching out to neighbors to garner neighborhood participation.
Resources for this episode:
Asset Based Pe... Duration: 00:30:20Part 2: Transcending Walls (The Artists)
Jan 13, 2023Hamilton Glass talk with the five artists of the Richmond Hill mural project; Nadd Harvin, Sam Skrimpz, Hope Morgan, Rian Moses, and Lizzie Brown as they discuss their experiences engaging with the community and partners and working together as a large collaborative.
Resources for this episode:
Richmond Hill The Warmth Armstrong Leadership ProgramThe Judy Project & Dwelling of the Enslaved AfricansMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassNadd Harvin Sam Skrimp... Duration: 00:47:55Part 1: Transcending Walls (Richmond Hill)
Jan 06, 2023Hamilton Glass talks with Taekia Glass, Rev. Lindsey Franklin, Rev. Ben Hadley-Goggin as they discuss the Transcending Walls project. This episode will explore the origins of the project, challenges and celebrations, and lessons learned that will carry through the present and future.
Resources for this episode:
Richmond Hill The Warmth Armstrong Leadership ProgramThe Judy Project & Dwelling of the Enslaved AfricansReclaiming The MonumentMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassNadd Harvin<...
Duration: 00:33:10We Want Clean Air. We Want Good Food. We Want Peace.
Oct 08, 2021Inspired by their conversations and experiences with the good people at Virginia Community Voice, artists Barry O’Keefe and Mahari Chabwera talk about how their mural along Richmond Highway (formerly Jefferson Davis Hwy) of Richmond was shaped by their experiences and understanding of what the neighbors in the South Side are advocating for and creating for themselves.
The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Virginia Commu... Duration: 00:24:58Reflection for Change
Oct 01, 2021Inspired by their conversations and experiences with the young people at RISE for Youth and their own backgrounds, artists Courtney Lebow and Hamilton Glass talk about how their mural in the Fan neighborhood of Richmond was shaped by their experiences with the young leaders and how they see themselves and want to be seen in the community.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
RISE for You... Duration: 00:32:37All Put Together
Sep 24, 2021Inspired by their conversations and experiences with the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers and their own backgrounds, artist Juliana Bustillo and Khalid Thompson talk with host Hamilton Glass about how their mural in the Highland Park neighborhood of Richmond brings together the idea of healing the mind, body, soul, individuals and the community through shared cultural principles.
The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Richmond Ass... Duration: 00:32:55The Golden Hour & NeoGenesis
Sep 17, 2021Inspired by Duron Chavis, local urban agriculture leader and Executive Director of Happily Natural, and the oasis he created at Sankofa Community Orchard,artists Sarah Apple and Ron Stokes talk with Host Hamilton Glass about their mural in the southside of Richmond.
The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Duron ChavisSankofa Community OrchardBlack Space Matters SeriesJohn Lewis TED TalkMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton Gla... Duration: 00:27:14Mending Walls 2021
Sep 10, 2021Host Hamilton Glass chats with his core Mending Walls team to discuss how 2021 Mending Walls is different than 2020 but still serves the same mission of artists coming together to have deep conversations about what makes our communities different from each other.
Mending Walls: The Documentary premieres on:
More information:
Mending Walls: The DocumentaryMending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassInstagram:
@mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ FuelIn Your Ear Studios Duration: 00:31:32BONUS: Meet the Mending Walls Documentarians
Sep 03, 2021At the end of the 2020 Mending Walls project, Hamilton Glass sat down with filmmakers Pam and Todd Hervey to talk about how they created a documentary about the project and why they believe it's a story that everyone needs to see.
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Mending Walls: The Documentary premieres on:
More information:
Mending Walls: The DocumentaryMending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassInstagram:
@mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ FuelIn Your Ear Studios Duration: 00:34:41Season 2 is coming soon + Documentary Trailer!
Aug 20, 2021Mending Walls: The Documentary premieres on:
September 7 @ The Richmond International Film Festival. Get tickets!September 16 @ 8pm on VPM PBS. Watch the Trailer.More information:
Mending Walls: The DocumentaryMending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassInstagram:
@mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ FuelIn Your Ear Studios Duration: 00:01:19Finding Tomorrow
Nov 27, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with Producer Pam Hervey and Artist Eli McMullen about his second collaboration in the Mending Walls Project, celebrating the life and work of Lorna Pinckney, and how our ancestors use their light to guide us in the right way.
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Give us feedback on Season 1 -- take our quick survey! And don't forget to give us a rating. Stay subscribed for BONUS episodes!
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Resources for this episode:
More information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassEli McMullenInst...
Duration: 00:30:13Once Upon...With Love.
Nov 20, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with artists Shaylen Broughton and Hasson Roberts about their commitment to showcasing the wishes of a younger generation after being gifted a wall at the Children's Museum of Richmond for their mural.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Children's Museum of RichmondMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassHasson RobertsShaylen BroughtonInstagram:
@sabartstudio@hassonworks @mendingwallsrva @19red.f... Duration: 00:22:50The Journey Forward
Nov 13, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with artists Humble & Nadd Harvin about their mural that celebrates the youth movement for social justice and change.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Art180 in Richmond, VAWashington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel LeutzeMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassNadd HarvinHumbleInstagram:
@hmbl__@naddthenomad @mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ FuelIn Your Ear Studi... Duration: 00:21:10The Blackwell Drip
Nov 06, 2020Inspired by a visionary local music star and honoring Yemoja, the African Goddess of the Ocean, artists Chris Visions and Heide Trepanier talk with Host Hamilton Glass about how their mural in the Blackwell area of Richmond has become a gathering place for many.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Yemoja, the African Goddess of the OceanAbout Cole HicksCole Hicks MusicMo...
Duration: 00:35:12African American Gothic
Oct 30, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with artists Andre Shank and Sone-Seere about their twist on a classical piece of American art by celebrating local urban agriculture advocates Duron and Nikaya Chavis.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Duron Chavis 1Duron Chavis 2Beautiful RVAResilency Garden at the Institute for Contemporary ArtAdinkra SymbolsMore information:
Mending Walls RVA Mural ProjectHamilton GlassAndre ShankSone-SeereInstagram:
@andr... Duration: 00:26:20It's Time for Change
Oct 23, 2020"Am I next?" is the powerful question on artists Sir James L. Thornhill and Kevin Orlosky's mural in Richmond's Oliver Hill Way. They talk with Host Hamilton Glass about how the answer to that question is a positive one for the Black community and how their mural starts that conversation.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Resources for this episode:
Adinkra symbolsMore information:
Mending Walls RVA... Duration: 00:27:07Silence Isn't Golden
Oct 16, 2020Drawing inspiration from her indigenous culture, Artist Meme and David Marion talk with Host Hamilton Glass about the importance of recognizing water rights for all people on their Mending Wall.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
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Duration: 00:27:27Black Lives Matter (Voices of Perseverance)
Oct 09, 2020Artist Ed Trask and Jason Ford talk with Host Hamilton Glass about their "new monument" honoring the citizens of the past, present and future who fight for racial equality in America.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
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Duration: 00:35:38Liberty Leads Her People
Oct 02, 2020Artists Nico Cathcart and Auz Miles' talk with Host Hamilton Glass about how their wall became a place of inspiration and peace, and where local activists could gather and speak their truth.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
... Duration: 00:35:30I Can/t Breathe
Sep 25, 2020Taking inspiration from the shocking history of Shockoe Bottom as the center of Richmond's slave trade, Artists Amiri Richardson-Keys and Emily Herr talk with Host Hamilton Glass about their "beautiful experience" working together and how the shooting of Jacob Blake in real-time played into their final design.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Gu...
Duration: 00:28:27Her Flowers
Sep 18, 2020Artists S. Ross Browne and Amy Smith talk with Host Hamilton Glass about their collaboration for their mural in the Manchester area of Richmond, VA.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
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Resources for thi...
Duration: 00:26:58In Conversation
Sep 11, 2020Think about the toys you played with as a child and the tv shows that you watched. How did they shape your future views on race and the differences between us? Host Hamilton Glass and Artist Matt Lively talk about their collaboration for their whimsical mural filled with childhood memories and the deep conversations about their childhood they had along the way.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the...
Duration: 00:31:39New Growth
Sep 04, 2020A lot of things in America need to be destroyed in order for a new one, a real one, to grow and prosper. Host Hamilton Glass talks with artists Charles Berger and PT Carroll about creating balance in their art, and in the universe, with their colorful and meaningful collaboration inspired by deities of Hinduism.
The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Dru...
Duration: 00:30:27Together We Rise
Aug 28, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with artists Alfonso Pérez Acosta and Noah Scalin about their instant artistic connection while creating a powerful mural across from a police station in Richmond, VA.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration. Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
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Resources for this episode:
Say Their Names
Aug 21, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with Nils Westergard and Silly Genius about their powerful collaboration and their personal struggles over painting the names of victims of police brutality on their wall.
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we can move forward with empathy through understanding and collaboration.
Join the conversation! Virtual community gatherings, hosted in partnership with the Drums No Guns Foundation and the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, have been scheduled. Register NOW!
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Resources for this episode:
Spirit of Sankofa
Aug 14, 2020The Sankofa bird, a symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, expresses the importance of looking to the lessons of the past to create a positive future. Host Hamilton Glass chats with Artists Ian C. Hess and Jowarnise about the many symbolic meanings in their mural painted inside the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
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Who is Marcus David Peters?
http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2020/jul/23/city-prosecutor-review-marcus-david-peters-case/
https://heavy.com/news/2018/05/marcus-david-peters/
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The public art created for Mending Walls addresses where we are now in society to inspire conversation about how we c...
Kintsugi
Aug 05, 2020Host Hamilton Glass talks with his friend Vanessa Diamond of The Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond about plans to use the murals created for Mending Walls to spark conversation and healing through civic talks.
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More information:
Instagram:
@mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ FuelThe First Conversation
Aug 04, 2020The honest conversation between Host Hamilton Glass and his friend and frequent collaborator, Artist Matt Lively, that sparked a community movement in Richmond, Virginia.
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More information:
Instagram:
@mendingwallsrva @19red.fuelProduction:
19RED @ Fuel