Roanoke’s Gainsboro neighborhood is an important source of history, but much of the region’s character was removed as a result of urban renewal.
But that area was also home to an artist whose photographic memory led to more than 200 drawings, giving us idea of what’s been lost.
David Ramey’s family moved to Roanoke in the 1940’s.
That’s a time when Gainsboro was considered self-sufficient, complete with its own schools, medical facilities, and an entertainment district. Those locations were lost with urban renewal, as predominately Black neighborhoods were torn down or cut off to make way for projects like Interstate 581 and the Roanoke Civic Center.
Ramey died in 2017, but left behind material that’s rarely been seen until now.
Charles Price is one of two curators of the exhibit, at both the Taubman Museum of Art, and Harrison Museum of African American Culture.
"It’s quite rewarding to be looking at something, and then you say, 'oh, I remember the record shop that was there, and you see how he illustrates, or the Virginia Theatre that’s no longer there, or The Ebony Club," he said. "If you've been in that area, or if you were in Northeast (Roanoke), you would remember where Gilmer School is, and you would see something relative to that."
The illustrations of 'David Ramey: Gainsboro Road and Beyond’ is the equivalent of four volumes, only one of which was ever published. The Harrison Museum portion includes not only drawings, but a number of Ramey’s handwritten short stories that he self- published in 2012.
This is believed to be the largest collection of African American artwork documenting a community from a pre-urban renewal perspective.
Karl Willers is the exhibit's co-curator.
“Because it does document a history that is both celebrated, because this was an amazing community – almost unique in this country. It was often called the little Harlem," he said. "Because of the cultural, artistic, social, and economic vitality of this community was astounding.”
Price said people knew of Ramey's work, but putting it out for people to see was often difficult.
"What was unique, was his ability to recall situations," he explained. "He able to reach out to a location in his mind, and draw it to perfection."
Willers says he hopes Ramey’s work has a life that will travel outside of Roanoke, to show urban renewal’s impact on many parts of the country.
