Michael Paul Curry, the first artistic director of Hampton Arts, has died. But his legacy remains.
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HAMPTON — Michael Paul Curry, the first director of the Hampton Arts Commission and the Hampton Arts Foundation who revitalized the city’s performance and arts spaces, died Oct. 21 following a brief illness at the age of 73. Curry was lured to Hampton by then-mayor Jimmy Eason in 1988 to lead the Hampton Arts Commission, which was formed by City Council the previous year. His first task was to oversee the renovation and reopening of the Charles H. Taylor Memorial Library as an arts center, now called The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center. In his 25 years with the city, Curry introduced Hampton Roads to diverse visual and performing arts programming, spearheaded the creation of the...