Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most popular stories in the murder mystery genre, foundational even. As such, it benefits from instant title recognition for motivated consumers, with the side effect that time and familiarity untangle its...
Standing among nearly 30 brightly colored geometric paintings and other works, local artist Dakota Becker (who uses they, them pronouns) is preparing for their first solo art exhibition in time for RVA First Fridays at Shockoe Artspace. A senior painting and printmaking major at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts, Becker is the...
With fall quietly approaching and school back in session for many Richmond students, now is the perfect time to gather friends and family for a fun night out. First Fridays is Richmond’s monthly art walk event, which showcases artwork from local artists, food from local vendors, and the various talents from people throughout the community. This...
"Art shouldn't be hidden. Art should make you think. Art has a tangible value on a community and can bring people together." - R. Anthony Harris After five strong years and achieving its original mission of 100+ murals throughout the city, The Richmond Mural Project (RMP) is scaling back a bit this year and painting one large mural on the VCU...
If you know who Ryan Kent is, it's probably from his role as a vocalist in several bands around town, most notably southern-fried metallers Gritter and brutal thrashers Murdersome. As a rather talented lyricist, though, it wasn't much of a stretch to move into the poetry game, as he did with his first book, Poems For Dead People, back in 2014....
Upstairs at the VMFA, contemporary art is meeting traditional Native American crafts as the new exhibition “Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present” opens a dialogue between Native American culture and the outside world. The project, which is two years in the making, was curated by Dr. Johanna Minich, the assistant curator for...
In 2012, the city officially designated the Broad Street corridor as the Arts and Cultural District of Richmond. However, there was one problem, it wasn't actually overflowing with either. The city had monthly First Fridays, Gallery5, and other small exhibit pop ups of course, but when it came to larger-than-life works of art Richmonders and...
This article was featured in RVAMag #29: Summer 2017. You can read all of issue #29 here or pick it up at local shops around RVA right now. Common House has been open for a few months at the time of this posting. In a building which was established as a social club within the boundaries of what was once Charlottesville’s vibrant and...
One summer, a grandfather decided to take his 10-year-old grandson on a roadtrip. The family had been through a great deal as the man’s wife was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. The man would take the boy from their home in Virginia and through the American landscape. The man had given the boy a camera, so he could take pictures along the way. They...
For Matthew Grimes, growing up in a beautiful old house in Winchester, Virginia, deeply influenced his view of the world. “When I was younger, I played outside a lot. We were raised in a rather old-fashioned environment,” Grimes said. “We were taught how to hunt and fish, but it wasn't about what goes up on the wall. It was about the commuting...
