Artsline: Virtual Edition || August 16, 2021
“We belong to each other, and we can do hard things.” ~Glennon Doyle
It seems as if the world changed in just a couple of weeks – much like last year – and it’s déjà vu all over again. Be watchful. Be safe. And be committed to keeping your community safe.
There are amazing events this week – many are outdoors, several are online. Check for new COVID protocols, changes in schedules. Above all, take care of each other – wear masks when required and consider getting vaccinated. We have the tools to beat this. We did it before, we can do it again.
1. PLUNKY – JAZZ FUSION
Music
August 21, 8pm
Dogwood Dell Amphitheatre, 600 S Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA 23220
City of Richmond’s Festival of the Arts brings the African rhythms and jazz fusion of popular local saxophonist Plunky Branch to Dogwood Dell. Come out for a night full of Afro-fusion, funk and jazz. Bring a lawn chair, some blankets, and a picnic dinner to enjoy live music and dance. This event is free, family-friendly, and open to the community.
2. VIOLINS OF HOPE
History, Music
Through October 24
Virginia Holocaust Museum, 2000 E. Cary Street Richmond, VA 23223
Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 West Leigh St, Richmond, 23220
Virginia Museum of History and Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, 23220
Prices vary for events and exhibits
Violins of Hope is a collection of violins that survived the Holocaust. Violins from the collection are on exhibit at three locations in Richmond: The Virginia Holocaust Museum, The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, and The Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The violins will be played in concert at several venues. And their stories will be shared in lectures and various educational programs. Go to the Violins of Hope website for programming and ticket information.
3. FROM GERRYMANDERED TO GENTRIFIED
History, Culture
August 18, 7pm
Online
Join the Library of Virginia as they partner with The JXN Project and Richmond Public Library to offer a six-part summer lecture series celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Jackson Ward neighborhood. In this fifth lecture, Gregg Kimball, Dr. Lauranett Lee, Brooke Berry, Christina Vida, Ma'asehyahu Isra-UI, and moderator Dr. Zoe Spencer will explore the role and responsibilities of institutions that may be rooted in oppressive origins in helping to drive the cultivation of more diverse, equitable, and inclusive spaces for restorative truth-telling and redemptive storytelling. Register online for this free event.
4. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
Film, Animation
August 20, 7pm
August 21, 10am & 3pm
August 22, 3pm
Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs, 23075
$1/person (sold only at the door)
Henrico County Recreation and Parks brings Raya and the Last Dragon to the historic Henrico Theatre for a limited run. Synopsis: In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
5. COMMON SCENTS: A GARDEN STILL HOUSE DEMONSTRATION WITH REBECCA SUERDIECK
History, Aromatic Arts
August 20, noon
Agecroft Hall & Gardens, 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond, VA 23221, USA
$3-$10
Come and learn how perfumes would have been made at Agecroft Hall. See, smell and touch the variety of plants in the gardens grown for culinary and medicinal purposes in 17th century England. Experience the mysterious art of distilling by observing Rebecca Suerdieck, a costumed educator who will demonstrate the process. Program is free with admission. Purchase tickets and register online.
6. AUGUST MUSICALES CONCERT SERIES: PIANIST DMITRI SHTEINBERG
Music
August 18, 7pm
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1627 Monument Avenue, Richmond, 23220
Pianist Dmitri Shteiberg graces the stage at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church’s August Musicales Concert Series with Italian Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sonata in B-flat Major by W. A. Mozart, Variations seriéuses, Op. 54 by Felix Mendelssohn, La Cathédrale engloutie by Claude Debussy, and Poissons d'or La Danse de Puck Feux d'artifice. No registration required for this free event.
7. STORIES AT THE MUSEUM: WORST OF FRIENDS
History, Craft
August 21, 10am
Virginia Museum of History and Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, 23220
Adults/$6, Children 6-17/$3, Children 5 & under are free (price of admission included with ticket)
Aimed at pre-K and early elementary learners, Stories at the Museum will feature a read-aloud story time from a museum educator in one of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture galleries, paired with a related craft activity! This month they will read Worst of Friends by Suzanne Jurmain and make a tricorn hat. Purchase tickets online.
8. POETRY IN THE GARDENS
Poetry, Literary Arts
August 22, 2pm
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23228
$14/adults, $11/seniors, $8/children 3-12, under 3 are free.
Join River City Poets at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on select Sundays for poetry readings celebrating nature on the Flagler Garden Lawn. Presentation included with Garden admission.
9. BODIES OF MUSIC, SONGS OF MAGIC: BLACK MUSIC’S AMERICAN STORY
Music, History
August 20, 6:30pm
Online
In this capstone performance and lecture related to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s special exhibition, Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, Dr. Guthrie Ramsey will present a multimedia presentation that uses narration, photographs, visual art, and dynamic performances to illustrate the story of Black music’s centrality to American history. Covering the antebellum period to the present, it demonstrates the power and importance of this musical tradition in shaping American identities and culture. Register online for this free event.
10. THE ZOMBIE LIFE
Theatre
August 18-28, 7:30pm
August 29, 3pm
Firehouse Theatre, 609 W. Broad St, Richmond, 23220
$33
Firehouse Theatre brings The Zombie Life, a live show performed as a self-help seminar for humans seeking conversion, conducted by a therapist who offers a unique remedy for life's hardships. The therapist's assistants have completed the conversion process and provide testimonials on its efficacy. As the seminar unfolds the therapist's assistants begin to verge off script, which is not unexpected when working with zombies. Purchase tickets online.
If you are an arts or cultural organization with lectures, exhibitions, performances, 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, check out the list of local and national resources from Richmond CultureWorks.
