The use of a historic Confederate chapel at a Richmond art show is causing controversy.
InLight Richmond, an annual event put on by 1708 Gallery in Richmond, was held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which shares land with the Confederate Memorial Chapel.
As thousands of people lined up to see the exhibit, members of the Virginia Flaggers, a pro-Confederate flag group, held a quiet candlelight vigil in protest of the art show, saying they found the use of the chapel to be disrespectful of the memories of the thousands of Confederate soldiers who had received their last rites at the historic site.
On the other side, a collection of people protested any celebration of the Virginia battle flag and carried signs that said "Not My Flag."
“I think it’s a direct slap at the veterans who served Virginia in the war,” said Barry Isenhour of the Virginia Flaggers.
The artists used lights to illuminate the outside of the chapel — and shine through the stained-glass windows. Mics record footsteps as visitors walk through, and those sounds echo through the building.
“I don’t think it’s proper,” said Isenhour. "They’re not talking about the people who built it, they’re not talking about the people who worshipped there. They’re not talking about the people who had their last rites read there.”
Most of the visitors told us they were intrigued by the controversy.
“Makes you think about our past and what we can do with our future,” Denise Pierce, who was visiting the exhibit, said.
