Sculpture and shadows: Renee Balfour’s “New Work” evokes a haunting stillness

By Ramona Martinez The 11 wood sculptures that make up Renee Balfour’s “New Work” at McGuffey Art Center have a haunting stillness. Hung around the main gallery, some white and some unpainted, they are reminiscent of bones and fossilized plants—like prehistoric objects suspended in time. The exhibition is full of contradictions, or maybe polarities: seemingly […]

Hitting home: Coronavirus closings rattle Charlottesville

Virginia reported its first two coronavirus cases on March 9. By March 13, Charlottesville and Albemarle’s governments had each declared a local state of emergency and Governor Ralph Northam had ordered all public schools in Virginia to close for at least two weeks. Charlottesville’s first positive COVID-19 case was announced on March 16, and as […]

Coronavirus coverage

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’re continually covering the impact of the novel coronavirus on our community–this page includes all our prior news coverage. The first case of COVID-19 in Charlottesville was confirmed on March 16. As of June 9, there were 649 reported cases in the Charlottesville area, and 19 deaths. Statewide, there were 51,251 cases and 1,477 deaths. […]

What’s happening…and what’s not

In an effort to contain the growing coronavirus/COVID-19 threat, a lot is shifting. Schools are closed, government proceedings are different, local venues are cancelling and postponing events, and local shops and restaurants are closing or pivoting to different business models. We’ll keep you updated as best we can on this page. On Monday, March 30, […]

Pick: Adventures in Beekeeping

Honey do: Ian Henry and Buzz Barnett get hive minded in their lighthearted Adventures in Beekeeping talk, discussing honey production and the importance of these hard-working insects to our ecosystem and food sources (a fact that can’t be overstated these days). The pair promises to indulge their swarm of listeners in a local honey tasting […]

Pick: Spider Mites of Jesus

Heart of an icon: If you have connections to Richmond or know your Virginia history, you’ve probably heard of Dirtwoman. He had an eventful life, suffering from spinal meningitis as an infant, working as a drag prostitute as a teenager, and defecating in the back of a police car to earn his nickname. Having screened […]

Pick: The Mousetrap

Agatha twistie: The Mousetrap is the world’s longest-running play for a good reason. It’s an Agatha Christie original, set in a manor house that’s isolated by a blizzard—a perfect setup for a thrilling plot of deduction. The play has a famously secret and surprising twist, one that Christie herself took pains to keep under wraps. […]

Pick: Nightcleaning

Zest for life: You’ve probably seen Denise Stewart around town. Sometimes she’s sporting a big bouffant and a sequined leotard as one-half of the bawdy comedy duo the Tip-Top Twins. She’s also glanced sideways at a scandalously unclothed Ken doll as she plays a younger version of herself in Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales. […]

Pick: Swing Into Spring

Swing by: An all-star lineup of local musicians joins the Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble for Swing Into Spring, an annual evening of jazz standards and pop and R&B hits  that includes Terri Allard, 14 Stories, Charles Owens, and Michael Elswick, and will have you cutting a rug in the aisles. Money raised from this […]

Getting real: CHS students join Robert Shetterly in truth-teller exhibition

By Charles Burns arts@c-ville.com In this age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” there are few values more precious than complete honesty. Robert Shetterly, an American artist, realizes this more than most. Years ago, Shetterly embarked on an ambitious project: a portrait series of citizens committed to addressing pressing issues with the kind of remarkable […]