At the end of the very long list of Rian Moses-Hedrick’s accomplishments and interests, you’ll see a surprising item: she plays women’s tackle football for the Richmond-based River City Sting.

“It’s a release,” she says. “I spend a lot of time at a desk or a computer or working at a drawing table; I’ve got to get some exercise in.”

The work she does at her drawing table might end up on a wall—her mural for the Mending Walls Project can be seen in Taylor’s Hill Park—or in your hands. She created the “Richmond Now!” coloring book with friend Virginia Murphy in 2020, a chronicle of the changes happening in the city during the protests that year. They ended up producing five editions including a special book for Richmond Public Schools.

Her extensive work as a visual artist, offering her artistic services under the moniker Sea Plus, makes Moses-Hedrick’s commitment to promoting the local music scene through HearRVA and Richmond Music Week another surprise. “Richmond is a great music city,” she says. “But some fans here don’t know they’re fans yet. We want to be that bridge and creatively show ways that you can connect with local artists.”

Her support extends to serving on the board of the Newlin Music Prize, another vehicle for raising awareness of the diversity of the local music scene. “I’m not a musician but I like being around a lot of creative people,” she says. “Seeing their process and going to shows, it always fills my heart.”

Moses-Hedrick came to Richmond after a childhood traveling the world in a military family, spending time in Spain, South Korea and Japan. Those more transient times have cemented her interest in putting down roots in Richmond.  “I always said I was never going to marry someone in the military because I didn’t want those constant shifts,” she says, at the same time acknowledging that her disparate passions reflect a need for novelty.

“I want to be a balloon that’s tied to a rail,” she says. “Being able to sway anywhere but having a grounding place.”