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Second Place (Tie): Happy the Artist and Missy Bane Photography

For the second year in a row, the popular Edward Jefferson Trask takes the top spot in the visual artist category. It's been a busy year for the painter, musician and activist — for one thing, he helped organize the ambitious RVA Street Art Festival, bringing together a bevy of talented regional artists to paint large murals on the downtown flood wall. "I truly believe that a good artist is a person that wants change," Trask said after last year's Best of Richmond win. "A good artist is a designer and curator that can weed through never ending information and influences, and find their own style. … A good artist knows that once he or she has declared themselves the best artist, they are f—-ked." The prolific Happy the Artist and family photographer Missy Bane share second-place honors.