Artsline: Virtual Edition || May 17, 2021
“Art is a shadow of what a person is thinking… a small glimpse of what they hold inside. Little secrets, regrets, joys… every line has its own meaning.” ~Sarah, 7th grade, Los Cerros Middle School, Danville, California
Ever step into an art gallery only to have your emotions shift radically due to the color on a canvas? Ever become so submerged in a story that the characters feel like your own family? Ever rise and sink and surf over the sound of a violin? That is the power of art – the joy and the pain, the meaning in every line, every word, every note, every movement. RVA hosts an astonishing number of arts and culture experiences every week, where you can get lost in revelation and swim in meaning. Explore!
1. THE DIRTY SOUTH: CONTEMPORARY ART, MATERIAL CULTURE, AND THE SONIC IMPULSE
Visual Arts, Music
May 22 – September 6
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, 23220
$12/adult, $10/student
The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, investigates the aesthetic impulses of early 20th-century Black culture that have proved ubiquitous to the southern region of the United States. Purchase tickets online.
2. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE--ROMANTIC, IMPRESSIONISTIC, MODERN VIRTUOSO PIANO MUSIC
Music
May 22, 2pm
Online
Richmond Public Library offers their virtual Gellman Room Concert, Something for Everyone--Romantic, Impressionistic, Modern Virtuoso Piano Music with works by Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Debussy, and Prokofiev and presented by Mark Valenti on piano. Register online for this free event.
3. METHOD TO THE MADNESS: PANTSING OR PLOTTING; CHARACTER FIRST OR PLOT FIRST?
Literary Art
May 22, 12:30 pm
Online
James River Writers brings award-winning author Lilliam Rivera as she talks with Newbery Medalist Meg Medina about tackling these eternal questions in the writing realm: Should I map out a plan for my writing, or fly by the seat of my pants and just let the creativity flow? Should I start with developing my character(s), or pin down the plot first? Don’t miss the final Master Class of the 2021 season that is sure to inspire you to figure out the best way for YOU to approach the finish line in what sometimes seems like a marathon without an end in sight. Purchase tickets online.
4. LAND OF OPPORTUNITY: THE VIRGINIA THAT POCAHONTAS KNEW
History
May 21, Noon
Online
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture discusses the culture of the 17th century Virginia into which Pocahontas was born. Viewers will learn about what life was like at this time through a variety of artifacts from the VMHC collections, including archaeological objects, early maps and illustrations, early books, records of the Virginia Company of London, royal proclamations, and rare manuscripts. Tune in to discover what life was like in early Virginia. Register online for this free event.
5. WOULD I LIE TO YOU? MURAL WALKS
Visual Art, Storytelling
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays through 2021, times vary
Throughout RVA
$15 for adults, $10 for 13 & under
Would I Lie to You Mural Walks offers four fun walks around Richmond, visiting over 25 murals and hearing the captivating stories behind them. Ah, but is the host a reliable narrator? Sometimes, yes. Other times, no. Visitors guess who’s telling the truth before the real story is revealed. Purchase tickets online.
6. BOOK TALK WITH ALAINA ROBERTS: I’VE BEEN HERE ALL THE WHILE
History, Literary Art
May 20, 6:30pm
Online
Departing from the traditional story of Reconstruction, discover the connections between the debates about Black freedom and Native American citizenship to westward expansion onto Native land. As Black, white, and Native people constructed ideas of race, belonging, and national identity, this part of the West became, for a short time, the last place where Black people could escape Jim Crow, finding land and exercising political rights, until Oklahoma Statehood in 1907. Presented by The American Civil War Museum. Register online for this free event.
7. ORIGIN STORIES: COURT END NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING TOUR
History
May 22, 10am
The Valentine, 1015 East Clay Street, Richmond, 23219
$20/adult, 18 & under free
Join The Valentine as they explore Richmond origin stories in the museum’s own Court End neighborhood. One of the oldest Richmond neighborhoods, Court End grew into an affluent area in close proximity to the newly established Virginia State Capitol during the early 19th century. On this downtown walking tour, you’ll discover stories of early Richmonders and surviving architectural gems nestled among the ever-evolving center of the City of Richmond. Purchase tickets online.
8. POPUP MARKET AT THE DIAMOND
Visual Arts, Makers
Saturdays in May
The Diamond, 3001 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, 23230
The Diamond, home of The Flying Squirrels, hosts dozens of artisan, craft, and local business vendors to the “Blue Lot” every Saturday in May. Plus – there are beer, wine, and food trucks! Check out the vendors at River City Festivals. The event is rain or shine.
9. IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE: MUSIC IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS
Music
May 18, 6pm
Online
$10/adult, $7/student
Music was central to the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage. Blackfriars and The Globe Theatre had unique pit orchestras, involving six instruments: flute, treble viol or violin, bass viol, lute, bandora, and cittern. Along with singing and other instruments, this English consort helped to tell Shakespeare’s stories, moving the audience to laugh, cry, love, and hate. Agecroft Hall offers this opportunity to explore how music was used in Shakespeare’s plays when they were first performed at the turn of the seventeenth century. Purchase tickets online.
10. COMMON GROUND VIRGINIA HISTORY BOOK GROUP
History, Literary Art
May 18, 6pm
Online
Read and discuss compelling nonfiction handpicked by Library of Virginia staff, exploring Virginia history, society, and culture. May’s discussion surrounds American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse. In June, they will discuss Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar. Check your local public library to borrow titles, or purchase through the Virginia Shop or other online retailers. Go online to join this free opportunity.
If you are an arts or cultural organization with social-distance-safe events such as online classes, virtual exhibitions or concerts, or even book readings, submit your events to Artsline here. If you are an artist or an arts or cultural organization in need of resources and tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, check out the list of local and national resources from Richmond CultureWorks.
