Installation artist Patrick Dougherty twists twigs and tames volunteers

If you’ve been in the vicinity of the Ruth Caplin Theatre and the Arts Commons at UVA, you’ve no doubt noticed some unusual activity in the bowl-shaped area between the buildings. Renowned installation artist Patrick Dougherty, together with a group of community and UVA volunteers, is hard at work weaving a sculpture made from locally harvested […]

C’ville Art Blog: The quirky and fantastical universe of Rob Browning

Rob Browning‘s paintings currently on display at PVCC‘s South Gallery is a less coherent series than his recent show at Warm Springs Gallery. However I find the variety of painting executions to be much more appealing. The content of this show is strange and disjointed. Some images like Mermaid are eerie and surreal. Others are […]

ARTS Pick: Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival

Etsy and art galleries meet on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge at the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival. Over 100 artisans from across the region and the country will showcase handmade wares that range from functional pottery to gold jewelry, little black dresses, and fine art photography. Indulge your inner creative with inspiring […]

Community Supported Art shares come to Charlottesville

For years, people around the country have been participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), programs where locavores and the green-minded can subscribe to weekly shares of local produce. Now The Bridge PAI is launching its own CSA: Community Supported Art. “You already eat local; it’s about time you ART local!” is the slogan. The program […]

C’ville Art Blog: A studio visit with Andy Faith

Recently I went to visit Andy Faith, a local artist whose artwork would fit perfectly in Baltimore’s Visionary Art Museum. It was a treat to meet someone whose personal sense of style so embodied the aesthetic of her art work. When I met her she wore a purple velvet cape with spiked hair, pink glasses, and […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]