“Oh, I’m going to have a field day with this.” These were my exact words to friend and artist Kyle Epps as I got up from my seat at Firehouse Theatre Saturday night. As we shuffled out of the theatre into the lobby, I took inventory of the stack of insights Dominique...
If English is your first language and you own at least 100 books, I’d lay even odds that one of them is the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Even if you’ve never read it. Shakespeare’s kung fu grip on the GOAT trophy is impressive for its 400-year title retention and his distant-as-all-hell competition in the rearview. When someone gets to...
Merenda Cecelia, a Richmond-based artist and instructor, was recently dismissed from her teaching position at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) after reading a statement aloud in class. She describes the statement as a personal expression of artistic and academic freedom, which led to the termination of her contract just three days later....
Richmond has long been home to a thriving arts scene, with well-established membership-driven spaces like Artspace and the long-running 1708 Gallery providing vital platforms for artists. However, as the city continues to change, younger creatives are seeking new ways to carve out their own space within the arts...
As reported by Axios Richmond yesterday, the sudden removal of the “Greetings from Richmond, Virginia” mural on Broad Street has sparked confusion and concern among residents and business owners, with no clear explanation from city officials or property owners. Photo courtesy of Richmond Region Tourism The mural by Ross Trimmer and Mickael Broth,...
Making it as an artist in Richmond isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s not just about talent—plenty of talented people are waiting tables, working construction, or stuck in uninspired design gigs. The real challenge is figuring out how to move from hustling for a couple hundred bucks a piece to commanding $10,000 per work—without...
7:00 PMWestlake Hills33°F and FrostyPlaylist: Gradients on Spotify Photo by Mike Avey of Penrose Projex "It's honestly a bit of my own therapy to just be by myself on my bike—no music or distractions. Really allowing everything around me to pass through my mind, but also going through cycles of thinking about my life and this reverberation...
One of the best things about being a Film and Digital Media teacher is seeing alumni continue to create and grow in this art form. In today’s digital landscape, where competitive algorithms impact the arts and audience engagement across constantly shifting platforms, filmmakers must innovate to connect with collaborators and viewers. The...
A Year of Magical Thinking—or Rather Dancing (Self Care for Black Men) How does self-care show up for you, especially in the wake of January 20, 2025? As we witness rollbacks in DEI initiatives and shifts in race relations, it seems that external affirmation is becoming harder to find. More than ever, it must come from within. For me,...
Names have power. They carry history, identity, and meaning. In street art, a name on a wall is a statement: I was here. I matter. For Richmond muralist Basta, names are more than words—they’re a tribute to strength. Through his project SuperName, he’s turning graffiti into a symbol of resilience for young people battling cancer. Photo courtesy...
