40 Lessons

Outside on a Saturday morning, Duron Chavis sits down at Canvas with Todd B. Waldo to discuss his “Resiliency Garden,” a project being constructed outside the VCU Institute of Contemporary Art in Richmond.  They discuss the importance of Black spaces, authenticity and collaboration.  Duron also shares stories from his life growing up in Richmond that still impact his family and his work as an educator and change maker. Duron Chavis started his career in community advocacy as first a volunteer then an employee of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of VA. He worked as a museum coordinator developing programs and conducting guided tours for groups of all ages and backgrounds. In 2003 he founded the highly acclaimed Happily Natural Day festival as a grassroots effort to supplement the summer jazz concert that was held annually at the institution. Presently Duron is engaged in coordinating innovative and dynamic initiatives around the topics of urban agriculture and food security in a culturall