Every year around this time, Richmond slips a little. It starts small and you catch it out of the corner of your eye. Someone in armor pumping gas. A Jedi standing at the crosswalk on Broad, waiting for the light like everyone else. A guy in full wizard robes standing...
A few weeks ago, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported that the Haxall Hydro Power Plant is slated to transform into a new pickleball court and food-and-beverage concept. Yet, what's the fate of the RVA Street Art Festival and the art that is already there? Over the years, the plant has been a vibrant venue for this festival, but its success...
Richmond Shakespeare’s Born With Teeth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9stwktUCxo Richmond Shakespeare took on Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth and won. Holy shit it’s good. In this two-man show, Avery Michael Johnson and James Murphy (Christopher “Kit” Marlowe and William Shakespeare, respectively) pushed, pulled, tugged, and sawed at the play...
In April 2023, I had the opportunity to take a tour with William Martin, the director of the Valentine Museum, and Christina Swanson, the Director of PR and Marketing. They guided me through what appeared to be a significant renovation project within the building. This project involved the installation of a new cataloging system on the upper...
My god, I thought, this place will kill me one day… The door squeaked shut behind me; there was no turning back. The second floor of the office was as wide as a football field, with a maddening yellow tent and the stench of stale coffee and bleached paper. There was an unnerving clattering of phones, fax machines, and keyboards filling the...
“Once upon a time a little colored girl was born inside a goddess. With a heart made of dreams and a mind made of love, she took her long skinny legs and came into this world, Earth. Oh Lord, yes she did!” This is part of the introduction to the HBO Max documentary, Donyale Luna: Supermodel. It is part of a diary entry of hers, and is one...
Virginia Senators Attempt to Blackball Contractors An open letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin asked for the names of the Virginia contractors and to remove them from the list of eligible businesses to contract with Virginia. The letter was penned by Virginia Senators-elect John McGuire and Glen Sturtevant and outgoing Virginia Senator Frank Ruff....
Sitting down with Doug Orleski aka @rvacoffeestain, a local artist and Instagram celebrity known for his witty and relatable memes and art, offers a unique perspective on our city's everyday scenes and shared experiences. In this laid-back chat, our resident conversationist Christian Detres dives into the world of meme culture and art to figure...
Local author and comic artist, Kristin Beale has a pretty good sense of humor. While most of us would chalk up a bad or weird date to a night and an overpriced cocktail wasted, and roll our eyes over it with close friends the next morning before it fades into our personal history books of our lives, Beale decided to do one better. Beale decided...
In all of my years studying historical costume and working in Fashion, interestingly enough, I have just realized that great designers are not just creators of clothes—they are creators of movements! They inspire movement in our latent potential of being, and movement in our collective progression towards higher levels of showing up in the world...
