Arts Culture

Keen on Keene

If you lived in Charlottesville in the early ’90s, you’re probably familiar with Steve Keene’s art. Keene worked as a dishwasher at Monsoon Café, which opened on the Downtown Mall in 1992, and owner Lu-Mei Chang gave him free rein to paint the walls, tables, and chairs. Chang’s early efforts to promote Keene are immortalized […]

Sarah Sargent | August 17, 2022

Arts Culture

Joys and sorrows

“Polly came into this world an artist,” says Carol Grant, speaking about her daughter Polly Breckenridge. “It was apparent from a very young age that she loved creating things out of whatever was available to her. That was her joy.”  Breckenridge, who died unexpectedly on April 22, 2022, is the subject of a memorial show […]

Sarah Sargent | August 10, 2022

Arts Culture

Color rush

As daily temps start to climb, and we await the vibrant colors of spring, Quirk Gallery offers a visually stunning show celebrating the work of two artists, Priscilla Whitlock and Mary Holland, whose work is guaranteed to lift winter’s gray grip.  Whether producing vignettes of her garden, open meadows, or mountain vistas, Whitlock’s “Eden” conveys […]

Sarah Sargent | March 9, 2022

Arts Culture

All the joys of life

The Charlottesville arts community lost one of its greatest champions and brightest stars in Carolyn “Lyn” Bolen Warren, who died on Sunday, November 21, at the age of 60 after a valiant battle with cancer. Warren’s art gallery, Les Yeux du Monde, has been a cherished Charlottesville institution for more than two decades, featuring beautifully […]

Sarah Sargent | December 8, 2021

Culture

Reach for the sky

Skyscrapers, in our modern imagination, are glitzy glass needles. It wasn’t always that way. The nation’s first towers were ornate and detailed. Intrinsically American, the designs embodied the qualities we like to associate with our national image: We’re can-do, bold, strong, technologically advanced, and audacious. The Fralin Museum’s new show, “Skyscraper Gothic,” explores the history […]

Sarah Sargent | September 29, 2021

Culture

Fresh eyes

When Haitian American art collector and curator Jeanremi Verella first encountered the Sen Soley art collective during a residency in Port-Au-Prince, he knew he had to bring the artists to America. But he quickly learned that strict visa quotas made this nearly impossible. So he brought their artwork instead. Sen Soley is a Haitian art […]

Sarah Sargent | August 18, 2021

Culture

Following curiosity

Feeling stressed? Suffering from pandemic anxiety? Need a staycation?  “Breathe with Me” offers a special respite. Inspired by dadirri, the Aboriginal practice of deep listening, “Breathe With Me,” an installation at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, invites visitors to slow down, attune to nature, and connect with the salubrious qualities […]

Sarah Sargent | July 28, 2021

Culture

Seeing Charlottesville

Most days, Charlottesville artist Edward Thomas could be found with his folding easel, set up on a sidewalk, by the river, or at a construction site, engaged in capturing “what the world looks like from where I stand,” he’d say. Thomas died May 8, 2021, at the age of 49. “Edward had an extremely good […]

Sarah Sargent | May 26, 2021

Arts Culture

The resilience will not be televised: Three artists dig into the psyche for Chroma’s winter solstice show

Chroma Projects Director Deborah McLeod has been keeping a unique holiday tradition for the past several years. “Every year at Christmastime, I showcase Aggie Zed’s oddly enchanting work,” says McLeod. “I think of it as a modern version of the sort of folkloric forms and superstitious practices surrounding not just Christmas, but Krampus, Samhain, and […]

Sarah Sargent | December 9, 2020