October First Fridays Guide

First Fridays is a monthly art event featuring exhibit openings at many Downtown art galleries and additional exhibition venues. Several spaces offer receptions. Listings are compiled in collaboration with Piedmont Council for the Arts. To list an exhibit, please send information two weeks before opening to arts@c-ville.com. The Bridge PAI 209 Monticello Rd. “Banner Days,” by Tom […]

ARTS Pick: Jessica Lurie and the Megaphone Heart Bands

A true instrumentalist, Jessica Lurie is an expert saxophone player, accordion player, and vocalist, accounting for the tremendous amount of praise she receives in the jazz community. The New Yorker is a real “jack of all trades” when it comes to her genre, and along with the Megaphone Heart Band, throws a complex melody over […]

Émilie Charmy defied convention with her masculine style

Born in 1878 in the town of Saint-Étienne near Lyon, France, Émilie Charmy was groomed for the proper profession of teaching. But Charmy, whom I had never heard of before the Fralin show, had other ideas, taking up painting instead. Initially, she focused on traditional scenes of domestic life in an Impressionist style. But, she […]

ARTS Pick: Humble Tripe

Unique folk project Humble Tripe graces local fans with a celebration of its sophomore release, The Giving. The album is a collection of the unique Americana the players are known for, and incorporates odd instruments like the theremin (producing a sound often found in old horror flicks). The soulful, and often tough to categorize, ensemble […]

The intriguing story of the Patterson family provokes questions at the Fralin

In 1932, a group of 21 African-American artists and intellectuals, including Langston Hughes, traveled from Harlem to the Soviet Union. The trip was part of an outreach effort by the Meschrabom-Film studio, which hoped to produce a propagandistic feature film, Black and White, criticizing segregation and racism in the U.S. The intention was to forge solidarity […]

C’ville Art Blog: A studio visit with Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke is a local artist who paints in a style similar to that of Alex Gross and Mark Ryden. Her studio at the McGuffey Art Center is filled with inspirational objects, and dozens of quirky paintings hang on the walls. We paid her a visit to find out more about her work and her artistic vision. Tell me a […]

The elephant in the room: Wildlife photographer Nick Nichols on conservation

From placid trunks and tusks to lively predators racing across plains, the African landscape holds a certain romance for most Westerners, and few are as familiar with it as National Geographic photographer Michael “Nick” Nichols. Nichols has worked with African elephants for over 20 years, capturing poignant images of these gentle giants, and his new […]

ARTS Pick: The Makers Series

Get an insider’s view of the creative process at The Makers Series, an artist salon that’s returning to Charlottesville after a four-year hiatus. Presented by The Garage and New City Arts, the series relaunches with featured artists Emma Rathbone, author of The Patterns of Paper Monsters, Clay Witt, visual artist, and singer-songwriter Carl Anderson. The […]

ARTS Pick: TEDxCharlottesville Open Mic Night

“The Difference That Makes a Difference” is the theme of discussion for the open mic night  being presented by TEDxCharlottesville, an independently organized offshoot of the ever-popular TED Talks. Thirty participants have been chosen to give their best two-minute presentation. Contestants deliver from a variety of talents including spoken word, poetry, and dance, all in […]

Band on fire: The Joy Formidable

It’s been a busy year for Welsh alternative rock trio The Joy Formidable. In addition to touring North America virtually nonstop, they released their sophomore album Wolf’s Law in January, contributed to Record Store Day in April, and released an EP, Silent Treatment, in July. But they wouldn’t have it any other way. Bassist Rhydian Daffyd took […]