DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION




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Review | Oscar Wilde Still Knows Exactly Who We Are

The Importance of Being Ernest has been on my radar since I was 13, when my beloved Morrissey mentioned Oscar Wilde in an interview. (Mind you, this was long before Morrissey’s far-right weirdo rants.) As a massive fan of the arch, wry, witty lyrics of the Smiths and...

Review | Little Bear Ridge Road is an Artistic Gut Punch

Little Bear Ridge Road, does something you rarely see in popular media these days. It reminisces on the period during and just after Covid. Somehow, collectively, we’ve silently agreed to just not talk about it anymore. We don’t want to relive it on TV, in books, or...

Richmond’s Famous Romantix Mural Gets a New Chapter

For a decade, the mural outside the Romantix adult store, formerly Taboo, on Midlothian Turnpike has been one of Richmond's most debated pieces of public art. Now it's gone, replaced by a new collaboration between tattoo artist and muralist Jesse Smith and Miami-based...

Can Firehouse Put Richmond on the National Theatre Map?

In the electric and perpetually sincere terrain of Richmond’s theatre culture, there are institutions that do more than merely reside, they lead. They serve as a measure of our city's potential beyond its natural aspirations. I've witnessed Firehouse Theatre inhabit...

Photos | Warriors in Bloom at Agecroft Hall

For one weekend, Agecroft Hall stopped being a museum and became a kingdom.  What began as a fundraiser to help launch Richmond's first Renaissance Faire has grown into a destination of its own. Warriors in Bloom, created by the folks at Virago Alley, returned with...

Everything We Did Was A Bad Idea

Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. We’re standing on some corner in downtown Richmond: me, my two friends, a pair of women, and their male friend we had met...

Review | SAFETY! Swings Big But Falls Just Short

WARNING: This review contains baseball metaphors.  Cadence Theatre’s Pipeline New Works Program is at the plate again, with its last batter, Witchduck, staring at home from third base. It is literally the first swing ever for the new musical, SAFETY!, at Firehouse...

Galfie: Spreading Love, Acceptance, and Queer Pride Through FLAGS

It's noon on a Friday. I'm sitting in Blanchard's on Broad Street, sipping a cappuccino and chatting with the founders of Galfie about life, love, queerness, and, of course, their business. Hannah and Jade Sullivan are partners not only in life but also in their flag company, Galfie. They're truly wonderful people. Galfie was conceived during a...

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galfie flags

Dissociative Gaze Into The Abyss: A Sunday Essay

Is the revival of the 2014 Tumblr girl how the internet copes with the end of the world?  The dissociative pout, also referred to as the dissociative gaze, was first coined by i-D Magazine in the 2022 article “The cult of the dissociative pout” by Rayne Fisher-Quann, and is characterized by staring dead-eyed and pouty lipped into a ring light....

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A Peek Into Someday

Not just an abstract concept, Someday is an actual store in downtown Richmond, one with a focus on sustainability and local community. Located in the heart of the Richmond Arts District, Someday is a sustainable shop with a homegrown aesthetic. Owner Audie McDougall tries to fill her store with goods that tell a story, and the resulting goods...

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Apparel With Purpose

With Van Herten Outerwear, designer Cate Latham creates rugged outerwear with an artistic flair drawn from her background in ballet. From ballet costumes to rugged outdoor wear, Cate Latham has climbed a fashion mountain. After leaving the costuming department for the Richmond Ballet, she began her own clothing and accessory business, Van Herten...

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Inside the Retro Goldmine of Justin Blyth’s Blog

So here's the scoop on Justin Blyth - he's been busting out some seriously cool TV commercials lately. You can totally check out his big-time creative chops at www.jblyth.com. But, let me let you in on something even cooler: his blog. Picture this - a world made up entirely of images that stir up inspiration like you wouldn't believe. This isn't...

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OURA X

Oura Sananikone is a mad scientist. Forget lightning, biodiesel, and solar panels—his imagination could propel the world on its axis. I was lucky enough to spend a lazy Monday morning sipping PBR with Oura in his makeshift factory of a home. Surrounded by technicolor creatures, I began to feel like I’d somehow stumbled onto the set of Darby...

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Oura Sananikone interview by Kimberly Frost_RVA Magazine 2005

The Quietly Amazing Dash Shaw

Dash Shaw’s work has appeared in anthologies and independent newspapers across the country. His books include Garden Head (Meathaus Press), Love Eats Brains (OddGod Press), Live with Passion (Sequent Media), a collection of his short stories titled Goddess Head (Hidden Agenda Press), and the...

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Dash Shaw Interview by Jane Samborski_RVA Magazine 2005