COMMUNITY




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Richmond Artists Unite for ‘Fall of Freedom’ at Antennae Gallery

Fall of Freedom bills itself as “an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation.” The organizers aren’t pulling punches: they argue that democracy is under attack, threats to free expression are rising, dissent is...

Baltik’s Bagel Earns People’s Choice in the Heart of NYC

Every so often Richmond grabs a win that feels almost improbable, and this weekend we got one: Baltik’s Bagel came back from New York BagelFest with the People’s Choice Award. Yes, a Forest Hill Avenue shop walked into a competition packed with 25 of the “best bagel...

GIANTS! Makes the Case for a New Era in Richmond Art

The GIANTS! Exhibition Preview Party was last night at VMFA, and for the first time in my 20+ years moving within Richmond’s arts scene, I saw a mix of people I honestly didn’t expect to ever share the same room. High-end collectors, street artists, curators, younger...

How a Charlottesville Surgeon Found Purpose in Ukraine

Every morning at 9 a.m. in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, the world stops. Cars freeze in the streets, trams halt mid-track, and pedestrians stand silent as the national anthem plays. It lasts a minute, a ritual pause to remember the dead and remind the living what they’re...

Writer’s Block | The Poetry of Mary Beth Cox

Writer’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week we’re featuring two...

D(e)ad: A DIY Film That Laughed Its Way Past Hollywood Gatekeepers

Editor's Note: What makes D(e)ad a bit different isn’t just the story or performances, it’s the way it came together. 344% funded on Kickstarter with more than 5,000 backers, the film turned community support into momentum. After getting passed over by the big...

McCormack’s Irish Pub Sparks National Debate in Richmond

There’s no shortage of ways to send messages these days. The mediums are endless, bound together by infinite technologies and platforms. But sometimes the simplest forms make the strongest impact. And that’s exactly what William “Mac" McCormick, owner of McCormack’s Irish Pub, McCormack's Big Whisky Grill, and McCormack's Whisky Grill did last...

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The Richmond Gun Hole Goes to The Valentine

What started as a Twitter joke has officially entered the city’s canon. The Valentine announced this week that the now-famous “Richmond Gun Hole”, a gun-shaped indentation in the sidewalk on South Addison Street, will be part of the museum’s “This Is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition when it reopens with new additions later this month. According to...

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So You Want a Virginia Cannabis License? Read This First.

Editor’s Note: Following our recent coverage of Virginia’s cannabis market, where independent retailers face mounting pressure from enforcement and monopolistic lobbying, Max Jackson, founder of Cannabis Wise Guys and a presenter at the recent Virginia Cannabis Oversight Commission, has the following outline what new operators...

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D’Angelo, Groundbreaking Neo-Soul Artist from Richmond, Dies at 51

Michael Eugene Archer, better known to the world as D’Angelo, has passed away. The Richmond-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist didn’t just help create neo-soul, he refined it. His music, “thick as molasses,” as Rolling Stone once wrote, carried a voice “instantly classic, almost out of time.” It was D’Angelo who inspired Motown...

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Teen Drug Use in Chesterfield: A Student’s Perspective

In Virginia, teen drug use isn’t some distant statistic, it’s here, and it’s part of daily life. Nearly one in five teens in the state reports smoking marijuana within the past month, and Chesterfield County is no exception. What’s more troubling is how casual it’s all become. As a teenager myself, I see it every day: friends joking about coke in...

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