The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...
The United States' relationship with diversity, equity, and inclusion is not anomalous but rather as American as discrimination itself. Since Donald Trump’s second term began in 2025, DEI has become a premier political target of his administration—matching past eras in principle and exceeding them in aggression. However, Trump is not the first to...
There’s a good chance you’ve seen the photos: packs of people in flowing kaftans, chunky jewelry, red wigs, and not a single damn given. These are the Mrs. Roper Romps—a growing national trend where folks gather to honor Helen Roper, the brilliantly nosy landlady from Three’s Company, by dressing up and letting loose. Audra Lindley and Norman...
By Someone Who Remembers When Buildings Had Souls As reported by Richmond Bizsense yesterday, the Feed More building is gone, and in its place will rise another stack of rectangles pretending to be a home. The renderings are in, and boy, they sure did it. They designed a building. Not a good one. Not a bad one. Just a building. It’s a triumph of...
“Ross is an incredible asset to this city. He’s helped small businesses stand out with that much-needed glow—always delivered with a sharp eye and a soft touch. He can make your coffee shop look classic or your record store look clean and intentional. He’ll knock out a massive mural for some corporate scumbags just to turn around and use the...
"You have to be delusional to be an artist." That’s how Peter Cochrane closes our conversation. We’re sitting across from each other in a quiet Richmond studio, the air thick with pollen and thought. The line lands not as a punchline but as a thesis offered without irony. What does it mean to believe in a practice that resists productivity...
Local community arts organization Studio Two Three has had a previously approved federal grant rescinded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), according to an email received this week. The grant, totaling $30,000, had been awarded for programming planned for the 2025 calendar year. In the email addressed to Kate Elizabeth Fowler, the NEA...
Protesting for your rights works—and it always has. Since the Industrial Revolution reshaped the economy in the late 19th century, workers have been forced to organize and mobilize in response to increasingly exploitative labor practices. The system was designed to prioritize production and profit, and it didn’t take long for business owners to...
If you walk into the 2025 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition expecting a finale or a big conclusion, prepare to encounter something else—something quieter and less resolved. A residue. A gesture mid-motion. An echo. When I walked into the opening reception on April 11, I was immediately haunted by my own MFA thesis exhibition from a year ago. I walked...
We’re probably past the point of sugarcoating where we are in America. The fear of authoritarian creep isn’t a fear anymore. Checks and balances, once the pride of our democracy, are failing. Congress has either abdicated its responsibilities or stood by in polite horror as the walls come crashing down. People are being disappeared into an El...
