It’s been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives. And how far we’ve come—this time last year, we thought “flattening the curve” would take two weeks, and the medical advice of the moment was “don’t touch your face.” A year later, toilet paper is no longer the hottest commodity on the market, […]
By Erika Howsare Most of us have experienced some degree of cabin fever during the past year. As we near the anniversary of the dramatic upheaval brought on by the pandemic, we look back on a full 12 months lived much closer to home than many folks are used to. At the same time, spring […]
Attempting to sum up a person’s life in a few words is often an unreasonable, almost futile, effort. But James Yates has a word for his wife, artist Beryl Solla, who died February 19 after a 13-year battle against cancer: Yes. At some point during their 43-year marriage, Solla made a wooden folk-art inspired sculpture […]
By Caroline Challe For Carolyn Johnson, a Charlottesville homeowner and care worker, the financial strain of the pandemic has been exacerbated by her high energy bill—almost $300 last month. “Water bill and electric–them the highest thing I got. It’s really hard. I am struggling trying to get it done,” Johnson says. Though her household’s […]
By Sarah Sargent Robert Reed’s “San Romano (Hip Strut)” explodes off the wall of the Jefferson School’s gallery. The bright colors and bold shapes are both abstract and representational—in one corner it’s all color and form, and in another corner there’s a chessboard, a gift from Reed’s son. Reed attended the Jefferson School as a […]
Ready to rumba: Before settling into a style influenced by the gypsies of Southern France, self-taught guitarist Vincent Zorn studied music in various global outposts, including Spain, Turkey, and Mexico. The Charlottesville-based musician, who frequently plays with his duo Berto & Vincent and tours with flamenco dance band Last Caravan, will perform his lively, mesmerizing […]
Summer better: Nothing says summer like a ripe tomato, fresh from the vine. But for novice gardeners, growing one may not be as easy as it looks. Ira Wallace, owner/worker with the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, talks viewers through trellising, pruning, mulching, watering, preventing disease, controlling pests, and amending the soil in her virtual lecture […]
Comic energy: When it comes to fine art, comic books have long been excluded, but anyone who’s curled up with a good one knows they can be creative masterpieces. With their virtual series The Art in Life, The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection are on a quest to remove the […]
By Will Ham Just 10 days after opening Now & Zen in 2011, chef/owner Toshi Sato’s hometown on the east coast of Japan was struck by a devastating tsunami. The disaster in Kesennuma was dubbed the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the seismic activity destroyed large parts of the region, spilling fuel from the town’s […]
Budget business New City Manager Chip Boyles has released a proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year. Even after coronavirus revenue losses, the $190.6 million plan is just a hair smaller—around $500,000 less—than the current operating budget. The new budget does not raise taxes, and includes budget increases for multiple departments and commissions. The Charlottesville […]