Before the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU was even around, and before the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts really began to embrace contemporary work, especially anything connected to street art or artists working in the present, Virginia Museum...
First Friday is upon us once again and maybe, just maybe, the weather won’t be horrible. 1708 Gallery has a lot in store this month and I hope we all get to make there. 1708’s exhibition, The Den of Ingenuity, puts five of Richmond’s most potent and recognizable artists on the gallery scene. The curation reflects a consistent push from the talent...
There’s a pretty cheeky juxtaposition of themes going on at the Science Museum right now. As you stroll through the BODY WORLDS: The Anatomy of Happiness exhibition, artfully posed cadavers go about their epoxied business with joints or muscle structures peeled back and splayed to give visual access to deeper layers of form and function. There...
In a city recently ranked second in the nation for public art, Richmond artist Ian Hess is looking to transform the underutilized space beneath the Manchester Bridge into a hub of creativity and culture. Hess, a 32-year-old local artist and business owner of art supply store Supply, has unveiled a proposal for a public arts park designed to...
A child and a 50 year old walk into a dinosaur museum. The kid, barely 4 years old, clutches a plastic stegosaurus in somewhat sticky, astronaut ice cream dusted hands, and squeals with delight in front of the bones of a tyrannosaur. The 50 year old leans forward to the mini plaque on the base of the exhibit and reads a list of facts, her...
In Virginia's countryside, picture a scene straight out of a postcard – rolling hills, farms, and winding roads leading through the sometimes misty mountains. That's Waynesboro for you, a cozy town nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. With about 22,000 folks calling it home, it's a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. At first glance, it’s like any...
Many of our readers have probably heard of or seen the Science Museum of Virginia — it’s that giant regal-looking building down on West Broad past the DMV — but how many of you have actually been inside? Notable for its wonderful architecture, having been a train station before its current inhabitants took over, the Science Museum of Virginia...
Created under a funerary theme, Of Mud & Blood fuses the talent of Richmond’s ceramic artists and tattoo artists into one collaborative art show. Over the course of about eight months, the ceramic artists of the Visual Arts Center (VisArts) and the tattooer community have dedicated their energy to unique ceramic pieces, adorned with tattoo...
Of all the things that I have been able to do and write about, being able to write the phrase “How the Big Gay Gameboy Was Conceived” is probably at the top of the list. The Big Gay Gameboy and about eight other exhibits are wrapping up their last week at The Iridian Gallery this week as part of the FREEPLAY! exhibit. Originally conceived and...
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...
