Amanda Robinson: Founder / President
Amanda is the founder of Virago Alley and the Richmond Renaissance Faire.
Amanda has over 20 years of experience in the fine arts, having received her degree at The Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Painting and Art History. She is the founding director of Gallery5, a non-profit visual and performing arts center in Richmond, Virginia, where she received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2008 she received The Theresa Pollak Award for “Art Innovator of the Year”, and in 2006, was the youngest recipient of Style Weekly’s “Top 40 under 40” awards. Under her direction, Gallery5 was consistently awarded “Best Art Gallery of the Year” by the readers of Style Weekly and Richmond Magazine. She is also the owner of Sweet Fix, a custom cake studio in Richmond, VA.
She has continued her passions in Historical Art studies with a focus on Medieval Art and Architecture as well as creates in numerous artistic mediums including oil painting, woodworking and ceramics, most often favoring miniature scale. She is an avid traditional archer, hiker, forest dweller, abandoned house hopper and adventurer.
Bizhan Khodabandeh: Vice President
Bizhan is passionate about how the arts and martial practices overlap in aiding mental discipline, confidence, focus, and social growth.
He has a Masters in Fine Arts through Virginia Commonwealth University in Graphic Design. Khodabandeh has been teaching and practicing for over two decades. He has a background in illustration, comics, fine arts and graphic design with both international and national recognition for his work.
Khodabandeh studied up to a black belt level in Shotokan Karate, practiced Muay Thai for 7 years, and, wrestled throughout his youth. He now focuses on historical martial practices such as: traditional archery, Historical Persian Martial Arts, and Historical European Martial Arts.
Ashley Moore: Treasurer
Ashley has a B.S. Mass Communications with a concentration in Creative and Strategic Advertising from the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University. They have worked for a number of arts organizations in the Richmond region, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond Symphony, and now Richmond Performing Arts Alliance providing marketing support in various capacities. Ashley serves as the Board Secretary at Gallery5, an award-winning, community-motivated visual and performing arts center located in historic Jackson Ward in the heart of Richmond. Both through their work at RPAA and in their volunteer roles, they strive to provide accessible opportunities for community members to both experience and be a part of the arts.
Ben “BD” Madlinger: Secretary
BD, a nearly lifelong resident of Richmond, is excited to help promote the modern sport approach to historical martial arts in his beloved city. Fascinated by the historical record of blending sport and play with martial discipline, BD’s primary interest lies in Italian Renaissance swordsmanship, particularly from the 16th century, where the word used for swinging swords at each other, “giocare,” is the same word used for “to play” a sport or instrument.
BD has had the privilege of studying with historical fencing clubs across the country, gaining valuable insights into the diverse pedagogical approaches to a sport that is both ancient and pioneering. He is also an avid hiker, nature photographer, and cyclist, and volunteers at Rag and Bones Bicycle Cooperative.
Camille Trejo
Camille, aka Chiara Scuro, has been making costumes and doing costuming work for nearly 20 years. She has been involved in cosplay and costuming events across the country as a performance & craftsmanship judge for craftsmanship contests & masquerades, & as a coordinator, producer & MC for cosplay contests & fashion shows. A Richmond local, she works doing character and skit acting, and costume contest coordination at various local Richmond venues and events such as Fallout, the Hoffheimer, Reveler, Cosplay World, RVA Krampusnacht, and Markstercon Productions. Chiara has collaborated with companies like Arda Wigs, We Love Colors, Costume Supercenter and Marvel Comics, and has had her work featured on places like Cosmode, Worbla, Otaku USA, and Capcom. She has guested at conventions & events nationally, & teaches workshops & panels on sewing, worbla/armor making & costume makeup. Her costume work has been displayed at various galleries in Portland Or, Raleigh NC, and Richmond, VA.
When she’s not working on costume making, event coordination or character work, you can find her playing Soul Calibur, binging horror films, practicing in longsword classes, or probably at the nearest Taco Bell.
Spenser Jett
Spenser is a passionate artisan and fencer who has spent over a decade learning and teaching folk arts. With interests including brewing beer, hand-tool woodworking, and blacksmithing, he loves to discover the origins of the things around us by learning how their predecessors were made.
In addition to over ten years of combined experience in scholastic wrestling, combatives, and mixed martial arts, he has developed an interest in historical fencing, especially longsword and rapier, and the intersections between modern and historic fighting styles.
He hopes to leverage modern training and teaching methods for historic folk and martial arts, pushing for an increased understanding of how people used to live and an appreciation of diverse cultures by doing and making.