Writer’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. We feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week, we’re featuring a new story from...
An interactive protest: Richmond artist Anna Gahagan’s latest zine pushes for social and racial equality, detailing confederate monuments, police mazes, and the road to justice. As protesters continue taking to the streets after 62 days of demonstrations, artists have stepped in to contextualize this moment in Richmond’s history. Anna Gahagan, a...
Loose Screw Tattoo owner Jesse Smith painted an iconic mural of George Floyd on his boarded-up storefront. Now the tattoo artist is using his work to support local charities. Since the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests saw an outpouring of support in Richmond in June, many businesses have reacted to the movement in different ways. Some...
In light of the ongoing risk from the COVID-19 pandemic, 1708 Gallery has decided to hold this year’s InLight Richmond exhibition in multiple locations across Richmond, and has picked a theme of "Safety and Accountability." 1708 Gallery has been an institution in Richmond for more than four decades. Their annual fall public exhibition, InLight...
Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities opened at the VMFA July 1, giving visitors a glimpse into ancient cultural mixing and the world of underwater archaeology. On July 1, 2020, as Virginia entered Phase 3 of its COVID-19 plan, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) opened its doors to visitors for the first time since March. VMFA members...
With My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams, Ava Holloway, who quickly attained fame with her ballet poses at the Lee Monument, illustrates her “summer of activism” as she works for justice during the pandemic. What happens when the world forces you to become an activist at age 14? This has been the story for countless American kids in recent years, and...
As The Valentine prepares to reopen, we take a look inside their latest exhibit -- which heads back to the 1920s to feature Richmond’s culture of the era, and local stars like Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. As functions and businesses begin to open again, one of Richmond’s most iconic museums, known for their collection and preservation of the...
When the Poe Museum boarded up its windows and doors last month, they used it as an opportunity to collaborate with Mending Walls RVA and create messages in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. When riots and protests started crowding the streets and attracting national attention about a month ago here in Richmond, the Edgar Allan Poe...
With Crown'd, Leaf And Signal presents a collection of artistic responses to the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine from a variety of Charlottesville-based artists. Since the coronavirus pandemic started in early March, people have been forced to change every aspect of their daily lives drastically. Some professions have not been able to work...
Among the dreary days of coronavirus, a new handmade weaving business is bringing some color back to Richmond with Knot & Stem. The dreary reality of living during the COVID-19 quarantine is an abundance of spare time. It’s easy to lose days or weeks doing nothing when there’s nothing to do. However, the artistically talented have seen...
