Scrawled on a chalkboard in Jim Respess’ studio in the basement of the McGuffey Art Center is a Sol Lewitt quote that reads, “Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution.” It’s a reminder that the artist has used for years, seeking to push himself to higher levels of expression. In lieu of aesthetic perfection, […]
Scrawled on a chalkboard in Jim Respess’ studio in the basement of the McGuffey Art Center is a Sol Lewitt quote that reads, “Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution.” It’s a reminder that the artist has used for years, seeking to push himself to higher levels of expression. In lieu of aesthetic perfection, […]
A few years ago, Nia Kitchin went to an art exhibit at Charlottesville High School. She couldn’t help but notice the quality of work by a few non-CHS students, artists who were under the tutelage of her soccer coach, Marcelle VanYahres. “The work that I saw for the first time, I think, was a really large […]
“We know people are looking for creative ways to give. What we hear repeatedly is, ‘I don’t need anything, I don’t want anything,’” says Sally Day. As director of development for Service Dogs of Virginia, Day knows plenty about the importance of end-of-year philanthropy for local nonprofits. In response to this, the organization’s founder and […]
Though he comes from a long line of ranchers, Matt Kleberg was always that doodle-y kid who wanted to be an artist. That’s right: His genetic fate cast him as an honest-to-God cowboy, and he took up painting instead. “My family is all from south, south Texas, like a cattle ranch in south Texas,” Kleberg […]
Nestled among the tall trunks of a forested area in Ivy, a studio is situated a short walk away from the home of artist Dean Dass. When making prints, he’ll often use his UVA studio, but for long-term and large-scale paintings and collage works, this home studio is the locus of activity. “I always wanted […]
James Yates is on a quest to bring magic back during the holidays. “When I was a kid, we used to drive around the town looking at Christmas lights. I remember how awesome that was: me being in the back of the station wagon, drinking hot chocolate, looking out the windows,” the artist says. “Several […]
“It’s a fascinating place. It’s in my neighborhood, within walking distance from my house, but I had no idea it was there,” says filmmaker Jason Robinson, describing Moore’s Creek Wastewater Treatment plant. This type of facility probably doesn’t top most people’s list of neighborhood places to explore, but the allure was quick to present itself […]
Sculptor and painter Aggie Zed sees all of the beauty and strangeness in her imaginative ceramic and copper works as alive. Her complex elephant creations often feature elements of low-tech industry like wheeled carts that intricately express the physicality of the pachyderms. Zed names wings, particularly “clumsy, comic, metal wings,” as a part of her […]
When Sarah Carr started the annual Gift Forest pop-up holiday shop in 2010, it took place at The Bridge PAI. “I called the shop Great Gifts through 2012 and changed the name to Gift Forest in 2013,” says Carr. “I had a much stronger vision for things in 2013. That’s when I started to feel […]
Gilded beams of light break through dark clouds as an octopus wraps its tentacles around the curved tusks of two woolly mammoths. A flaming mandrill pushes his finger into the black earth and ignites a pool of gold. A small herd of ancient bulls gathers in darkness around a burning bush. An aura of myth […]