“You can’t paint swimming pools without thinking about class and thinking about race,” says Sharon Shapiro. Pools figure largely in “Social Fabric,” Shapiro’s show at Second Street Gallery. Originally drawn to swimming pools for aesthetic reasons and because “they’re fun to paint,” Shapiro began to dig deeper into their history. “We didn’t really talk about […]
“You can’t paint swimming pools without thinking about class and thinking about race,” says Sharon Shapiro. Pools figure largely in “Social Fabric,” Shapiro’s show at Second Street Gallery. Originally drawn to swimming pools for aesthetic reasons and because “they’re fun to paint,” Shapiro began to dig deeper into their history. “We didn’t really talk about […]
Dragging your heels: The Summer of Drag celebration at IX Art Park features Virginia queens such as London Bacall, Christina Doll, and Enya Salad, who bring the glitz, glam, and body-ody-ody, as well as awe-inspiring death drops you never would have thought possible in stilettos. With hearty doses of lip syncs and laughs, summer is […]
Living on love: There’s something timeless about cash-strapped bohemians in love, which may be why La Bohème, first staged in 1896, has become one of the most performed operas in the world. Charlottesville Opera’s outdoor performance is updated to occur during the profound social changes of 1960s Paris, and the 90-minute abridged production features Charlottesville’s […]
Mixing it up: A band built during quarantine, The Wilson Springs Hotel typically finds Victor Mcmanus on electric guitar, Jacob Ritter on acoustic guitar, and Jacob Korona on upright bass, but since each musician plays multiple instruments, they may switch it up on you. Folksy, rootsy, and positively energetic, WSH draws from the musical traditions […]
By Sarah Sargent According to Greek mythology, Hades, lord of the underwold, fell in love with Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Hades kidnapped Persephone and pulled her down to his subterranean kingdom, until Zeus intervened and freed her. During her time in the underworld, however, Persephone ate a handful of […]
By Julia Stumbaugh The majority of Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s adult population have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine—and we may have an enslaved Black man from modern-day Libya to thank. Onesimus, who helped introduce the idea of inoculation to the West, is one of many enslaved Africans and descendants whose societal […]
Back to the Bard: Shakespeare knew something about quarantines, having lived through several during the plagues of the early 1600s. The urge to break out is palpable as American Shakespeare Center launches its season with safely distanced, outside performances that encompass the Bard’s work in tragedy, history, and comedy, starting with Macbeth. Actor-manager Chris Johnston […]
Art bargain: One of the best bangs for your art world buck is the annual Gallery Rally, when more than 20 local artists create work on site to be purchased to support Second Street, one of the oldest nonprofit contemporary art spaces in central Virginia. Book an appointment and score an original piece from Michael […]
David Wax Museum Euphoric Ouroboric, Mark of the Leopard As David Wax Museum, the husband/wife duo of David Wax and Suz Slezak have churned out studio albums brimming with their unique blend of Mexo-Americana whimsy for 14 years. In 2019, their debut label release, Line of Light, garnered the Charlottesville pair a performance on “CBS […]
Of all the changes COVID has brought to the arts world, one of the most significant has been to big-screen entertainment. Charlottesville theaters and moviemakers have done their best to adapt, whether it’s drive-in film festivals or rent-a-theater evenings, but the pandemic has undeniably sped up the trend of people consuming entertainment alone and on […]