Artsline: Virtual Edition || June 21, 2021
“You may kill me with your hatefulness. But still, like air, I’ll rise.” ~ Maya Angelou
Juneteenth celebrations continue this week, as the United States commemorates the day for the first time as a national holiday. Be on the lookout for cultural celebrations and deeper conversations about our shared history and the meaning of freedom. So, too, as Virginia edges toward the end of mask mandates and social distancing requirements, we will begin to see more music, theatre, and dance in the coming weeks. Let’s take a breath to remember the last 15 months – then turn out to support our arts and culture community as they return.
1. JUNETEENTH 2021, A FREEDOM CELEBRATION - 25TH ANNIVERSARY
Culture, Dance, Music, History
June 27, 1pm
Richmond’s African Burial Ground, 1540 East Broad Street, Richmond, 23219
$5 (Children under 12 are free)
Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, presents Juneteenth 2021, A Freedom Celebration. This year’s theme is “Dancing with the Ancestors,” expressing gratitude, remembrance and optimism through the light filled prism of Afrofuturism; the intersectionality of past with present and the multidimensionality of the future and liberation. The Get Woke Youth Summit begins at 1p. The stage and the grounds open fully at 2p, and the program concludes at 6p. Juneteenth 2021, A Freedom Celebration is Elegba Folklore Society’s 25th Anniversary Juneteenth observance. Purchase tickets online.
2. THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)
Theatre
June 25 & 26 and July 2 & 3 - 8:30pm
Dogwood Dell Amphitheatre, 600 S Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA 23220
Sit out under the stars and watch the irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). The show was London’s longest-running comedy having clocked a very palpable nine years in London’s West End at the Criterion Theatre. Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. Presented by Quill Theatre as a part of the City of Richmond’s Festival of the Arts at Dogwood Dell.
3. RPAA PARKING LOT PARTY
Music, Visual Art, Dance
June 26, 4pm
Dominion Energy Center (Parking Lot), 600 E Grace St, Richmond, 23219
$20/advance ($25/door) for those drinking alcohol
$10 for under 21 and non-drinkers
Children under 5 - free
Listen to great, local bands and drink great, local beer while supporting a great, local cause at the 2nd Annual Parking Lot Party, hosted by the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance Associates Board. The party will be in the Dominion Energy Center parking lot on Broad, between 6th and 7th Streets, and it will raise money to support RPAA’s educational and artistic programming for students of all ages and demographics in Richmond and surrounding communities. Lots of hands-on art activities for everyone. Purchase tickets online.
4. BUMBLEBEE JAMBOREE
Landscape Arts, Crafts
June 21-27
Maymont Park Children's Farm, 1001 Spottswood Roadd, Richmond, 23220
Celebrate National Pollinator Week with your family by strolling through the Pollinator Path at Maymont’s Children’s Farm. Signage directs your self-guided tour as you learn about the role pollinators play and what each of us can do in our own backyard to protect natural resources. While you’re enjoying the outdoors or from home, you can access enhanced content about birds, butterflies, bees, beetles, and bats from your phone or computer. This event is hosted by the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Chesterfield County Master Gardeners.
5. HIGHLIGHTS OF HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY WALKING TOUR
History
June 26, 10am
Hollywood Cemetery, 412 S Cherry Street, Richmond, 23220
Enter at Cherry and Albemarle streets, meet at the rear of the stone cottage on the left
$20/adults, Children under 18 - free
On a spectacular bluff overlooking the James River, Hollywood Cemetery has been the final resting place of some of Virginia’s most prominent citizens since 1847. Join The Valentine’s experienced guides as they lead an exploration of the graves of rebels and rockers, politicians and Pulitzer prize winners; and, of course, two U.S. Presidents: James Monroe and John Tyler. Also, learn about the 18,000 Civil War dead buried in Hollywood and the cemetery’s complicated legacy as a shrine to the Confederacy. Purchase tickets online.
6. GODSPELL, JR.
Theatre, Music
June 25 – 7pm & 9pm
June 26 & 27 – 2pm and 7pm
Online
$5/stream
Prepare ye for the timeless tale of friendship, loyalty, and love based on the Broadway musical that inspired a generation. Purchase tickets to this professionally filmed and streamed production, presented by Reveille United Methodist Church's Youth Choir.
7. 4TH FRIDAY ART SHOWS AND OPENING RECEPTION
Visual Art
June 25, 6pm
Exhibit runs through July 17
Art Works, 320 Hull St, Richmond, 23224
Summertime exhibits at Art Works are full of variety. There’s Clay Play, and Thryra Moore from Maryland, exhibits her imaginative, lyrical abstract paintings to the main gallery. Emma Lou Martin explores nature with painting and collage, and Tod Ramey simulates Expressionist painters with his photography. Visit Art Works’ website for gallery COVID-19 protocols.
8. WORLD WAR II AND WOMEN IN SERVICE
History
June 24, 11:30am
Online
Join Virginia War Memorial Archivist Heidi Sheldon to hear stories of women who served during World War II. Take a closer look at materials from the archives, learn how materials arrive at the archives, and discover how to include the stories of your own military service. This program is part of the two day-long virtual Virginia Women Veterans Summit, co-hosted by the VDVS Women Veterans Program. Register for this online event.
9. SURVIVING SOUTHAMPTON
History
June 24, Noon
Online
Dr. Vanessa Holden will speak about material from her forthcoming book, Surviving Southampton: African American Women and Resistance in Nat Turner’s Community. She will discuss her research process and the types of materials that reveal the Black women’s history of Southampton County, Virginia. She will cover how women contributed to America’s most famous slave rebellion, often called Nat Turner’s Rebellion. And she will talk about her present-day public history work in Southampton County. Presented by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Register online for this free event.
10. VIRTUAL SUMMER BREEZE
Music, Visual Arts
June 25, 7pm
Online
It’s Summertime! Join the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for a virtual Summer Breeze featuring Miss HER on the spin LIVE and fun giveaways, too! Grab a drink and enjoy. Dancing is encouraged. Watch on the VMFA YouTube channel.
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.
