Artsline || July 18, 2022
“The music rocks my soul so that I'm glad I'm alive.” ~ Big City Blues Magazine
It’s the middle of the summer and music abounds – inside in the cool or outside with the flickering fireflies. You will find many summer concert series near your home or office featuring local artists playing music you love. In addition to the beautiful sounds, exciting murals, art scavenger hunts, and historical stories create a rich and deep landscape to RVA’s arts and culture scene. Check out this week’s picks below!
To list your events on Artsline, go to vpm.org/artsline.
1. MUSIC UNDER THE STARS: THE SLACK FAMILY BLUEGRASS BAND
Music
Friday, July 22, 6pm
The Montpelier Center for Arts & Education, 17205 Mountain Road, Montpelier, 23192
$5
Montpelier Center for Arts & Education’s outdoor concerts feature local and up & coming bands in their beautiful Village Green, along with several food trucks that rotate out each concert! In July, The Slack Family Bluegrass performs an evening of energetic & diverse bluegrass music that is sure to have you stomping your feet! Purchase tickets online.
2. SUMMER BREEZE – MARKUS GOLD
Music
Friday, July 22, 5:30pm
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, 23220
It’s Summertime! Join The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the Robins Sculpture Garden for an evening of music. Markus Gold on the spin will be coming at you live from the Pauley Patio. Grab a drink and enjoy. Dancing is encouraged. No registration required.
3. THE EASEL
Visual Art
Thursday, July 21, 12pm
Art 180, 114 West Marshall Street, Richmond, 23220
Make your lunch hour count and come out to The Easel , ART 180’s lunchtime live-art series. Pull-up to the parklet outside of their gallery on the third Thursday of each month to see a new artist create a piece from scratch, while you get to socialize, grab a bite from a food truck, and shop the Art 180 artist market. For July, local muralist Silly Genius will be outside painting live. Watch Silly's art come to life and cool off with a cone from The Neighborhood Scoop's food truck.
4. COMMON GROUND VIRGINIA HISTORY VIRTUAL BOOK GROUP | THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE
History, Literary Art
Tuesday, July 19, 6pm
Online
Read and discuss compelling nonfiction books handpicked by Library of Virginia staff that explore Virginia history, society, and culture. This month, they discuss The Middle of Somewhere: An Artist Explores the Nature of Virginia by Suzanne Stryk, followed by a short Q&A with the author. Registration required for this free event.
5. COMEDYSPORTZ
Improvisational Comedy
Every Saturday, 7pm
CSz Richmond Theatre, 8906-H West Broad Street, Richmond, 23294
$12
ComedySportz is improvisational comedy played as a sport, with two teams and a referee taking suggestions from the loyal fans and creating scenes, games and songs with those suggestions. Always hilarious, family-friendly improv comedy for everyone - bring your date, your bachelorette party, your kids, or your grandma. Everyone laughs. Purchase tickets online.
6. SUMMER CHAMBERFEST 3: GENTLE WINDS
Music
Thursday, July 21, 6:30pm
Dominion Energy Center, Rhythm Hall, 600 East Grace Street, Richmond, 23219
$30
Members of the Richmond Symphony Woodwind Quintet present an evening of breezy, beguiling music, perfect for a summer evening. Purchase tickets online.
7. A CHILD OF RURAL SOUTH SUDAN
Poetry
Sunday, July 24, 4pm
Online
The Middlesex Museum brings John Dau, one of Sudan's Lost Boys - children displaced during the second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). He will share his story of overcoming incredible hardship, a story featured in the documentary God Grew Tired of Us. Registration required for this free event.
8. LETTERS FROM A KOREAN WAR SOLDIER, PART II
History
Thursday, July 21, 10:30am
Online
Take a journey back 70 years to experience the war in Korea through the eyes of Wyman Taylor, an American soldier who was serving his country, missing his wife and fighting to stem the tide of Communism from North Korea and China. Join Virginia War Memorial for this unique presentation focused on Letters from a Korean War Soldier. This is the second part of Letters from a Korean War Soldier, which aired June 10, 2021. Registration required for this free event.
9. GARDEN OF ALLA
Theatre
Saturday, July 23, 7:30pm
Sunday, July 24, 3pm
Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23220
$25
Join special guest Alla Nazimova in her Garden of Alla when it arrives at Firehouse Theatre after many Off-Broadway NYC theatres, the Kennedy Center, and internationally at Edinburgh Fringe. Alla Nazimova was a Jewish Crimean immigrant who escaped pogroms, persecution, and censorship in Tsarist Russia to become a Broadway mega star, silent film legend, and one of the first female directors and producers in Hollywood. Defying the moral and artistic codes of the time, her trailblazing legacy was eventually forced into obscurity. Her infamous Garden of Allah on Sunset Boulevard was a veritable who’s who of Hollywood’s literati and glitterati, where the stars 'came out.' Purchase tickets online.
10. ROCK RVA SCAVENGER HUNT
Visual Art
Friday, July 22 – Thursday, August 4
Scavenger Hunt in Manchester District, Richmond
Pick up map at Art Works, 320 Hull Street, Richmond, 23224
It’s rocking in Richmond and especially in Manchester. Join in the fun by picking up a map at Art Works and look for artful rocks painted and placed in various business locations in Manchester. Take a picture of your find and post on Facebook or Instagram with hashtag #artworksrvarocks. You can take a rock as a souvenir. On August 6th, Art Works will randomly pick names from online posts to win one of the many gift certificates and prizes donated by Manchester businesses and merchant. Have fun discovering Manchester. Don’t forget to visit the RVA Rocks Exhibit at Art Works. No registration required.
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.
The Library of Virginia, Richmond Symphony, and the Virginia War Memorial Foundation are sponsors of VPM.
