Artsline || September 12, 2022
“….some of the rarest days of the year come in September, days when it is comfortably cool but pulsing with life.” ~Hal Borland
This September, Richmond is certainly pulsing with life – especially with arts & culture. Festivals are ramping up, along with RVA First Fridays and new music and theatre seasons. A lot is happening in our region – more so than in the past two years. There’s much to choose from. Revisit an old favorite or try something new!
To list your events on Artsline, go to vpm.org/artsline.
1. VITAL SIGNS
Visual Art
Thursday, September 15, 5pm reception
Exhibit runs through October 21
Reynolds Gallery 1514 West Main Street Richmond, VA 23220
Reynolds Gallery is pleased to present Vital Signs, a two-person exhibition guest-curated by Dr. Tiffany E. Barber featuring new and existing work by Virginia-based artists Unicia R. Buster and Huey Gastón Lightbody. No registration required for this free event.
2. SHANA TOVA FESTIVAL
Music
Sunday, September 18, 4pm
Weinstein JCC, 5403 Monument Avenue, Richmond, 23226
The Weinstein JCC is “keepin it sweet” and welcoming the new year at their first annual Shana Tova Festival. Grab a chair or blanket and meet out on the Kids Place Playground for live music by The Jangling Reinharts. Beer, wine and food available for purchase. Kosher dietary restrictions observed. Free and open to the public.
3. CAROLYN EASTMAN | THE STRANGE GENIUS OF MR. O
Literary Art
Thursday, September 15, 12pm
Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, 23219
Join the Library of Virginia for a talk by history professor and prize-winning author Carolyn Eastman on her new book, The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States' First Forgotten Celebrity. Why should we care about a now-forgotten celebrity of the early 19th century? This talk examines an explosive celebrity performer who captivated audiences at a key moment in the founding era—a man whose career featured many of the hallmarks of celebrity we recognize from later eras: glamorous friends, eccentric clothing, scandalous religious views, and even a drug habit. And yet examining his career and the Americans who loved (or hated) him reveals a vivid portrait of the United States in the midst of invention. A book signing will follow the talk. Registration required for this free event.
4. ART NIGHT AT THE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
Visual Art
Thursday, September 15, 6pm
Cultural Art Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, 23060
Join the Cultural Art Center at Glen Allen for a special grand opening, featuring four exciting exhibits at The Cultural Arts Center! Enjoy live music and a wine & beer cash bar that helps support the Center’s outreach programs. Plus, meet the artists behind the exhibits, explore the sculpture garden, and discover items by local makers in the gift shop. Mark your calendar for a fun evening of art! No registration required for this free event.
5. NOTTOWAY INDIAN TRIBE OF VIRGINIA ANNUAL POWWOW
Culture, Music, Dance, Visual Art, History
Saturday, September 17 – Sunday, September 18
Surry Parks & Recreation Center,205 Enos Farm Dr, Surry, 23883
$8 General Admission | $5 Seniors & Under 18 | Under 12 Free w/paying adult
The Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, hosts its annual PowWow with two days of native dancing, drumming, crafts, demonstrations and food. Activities will include, but are not be limited to: primitive weapons and native survival skills demonstration, historical enactments, storytelling, lacrosse demonstration, and arts activities such as beading, basket weaving, and making corn husk dolls. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for 2 days of cultural activities that the entire family will enjoy. Purchase tickets at event.
6. EDGAR ALLAN POE AND RICHMOND’S CEMETERIES
History, Literary Art
Wednesday, September 14, 6pm
The Poe Museum, 1914 E Main St, Richmond, 23223
$10-12
Join the Poe Museum for a lecture and discussion with VCU professor Dr. Ryan K. Smith about Edgar Allan Poe and Richmond’s Cemeteries. Dr. Smith specializes in American religious history, material culture, and historic preservation. Attendees can enter a raffle to receive a free copy of Dr. Smith’s new book Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond’s Historic Cemeteries and a Poe Museum Membership. Purchase tickets online.
7. FALL CONCERT WITH THE RICHMOND CONCERT BAND
Music
Sunday, September 18, 5:30pm
Agecroft Hall & Gardens, 4305 Sulgrave Road, Richmond, 23221
Join Agecroft Hall for this special Fall Concert with the Richmond Concert Band! This program will feature the conducting talents of six of the Band's directors. Bring your blankets or chairs! You can pack a picnic and enjoy great music and food with family. No registration required for this free event.
8. CONFLUENCE
Visual Art
Friday, September 16, 6pm
Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education, 11810 Centre Street, Chester, 23831
Join Perkinson Center for the Arts as they celebrate the opening of the Virginia State University’s Department of Art & Design exhibit, Confluence, with live music, light food, cash bar, and of course, the ART! RSVP to this event online.
9. CLASSICAL INCARNATIONS
Music
Sunday, September 18, 7pm
Gallery5, 200 West Marshall Street, Richmond, 23220
Join Classical Revolution RVA for their monthly classical variety show featuring favorite local performers at Gallery5! This event is free, but donations are welcome!
10. JAMES RIVER ART LEAGUE EXHIBIT
Visual Art
Monday, September 12 – Monday, October, 31
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, 1800 Lakeside Ave, Richmond, VA 23228
Free with Garden Admission: $8-$17
Artists from the James River Art League will exhibit botanic-themed paintings at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Enjoy the beauty of the gardens and the paintings! Purchase admission online.
11. ALEXANDER PALEY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Music
Friday, September 16 – Sunday, September 18
St. Luke Lutheran Church, 7757 Chippenham Parkway, Richmond, 23225
$20
Music critic Clarke Bustard calls pianist Alexander Paley “a master of the technical and expressive tour de force.” Join Alexander Paley, violinist Amiram Ganz and pianist Peiwen Chen as they perform glorious music by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss, and Johann Strauss II + Ernő Dohnányi. For full program, visit the link above. Purchase tickets online.
12. FRITZ LANG'S METROPOLIS
Film, Music
Wednesday, September 14, 7:30pm
Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, 23220
$10 advance | $15 day of
Regarded as one of the most influential films in history, Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent German-Expressionist-science-fiction film comes to Firehouse Theatre with original accompaniment/soundtrack composed/performed solo and live by David DiDonato. Set in a dystopian 2026, Metropolis shows Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, as he follows the beautiful Maria, who reveals to him the horrors of working life below the city. DiDonato brings his Guinness world record guitar skills (longest guitar solo, 2012) to performing his original accompaniment live for the two-hour Metropolis. DiDonato has performed his original/solo live soundtrack to Metropolis around the country since 2014. Purchase tickets online.
13. TCHAIKOVSKY'S FOURTH
Music
Saturday, September 17, 8pm
Dominion Energy Center, 600 East Grace Street, Richmond 23219
$15-$85 Adults | $10 College Students | Under 18 Free
Tchaikovsky poured his soul into symphonies that would express his anguish and passions as no music had ever dared to. Valentina Peleggi begins Richmond Sympony’s new season with Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. William Grant Still’s stirring Festive Overture opens the concert, followed by Dvorak’s opulent Te Deum with the Richmond Symphony Chorus. All this, plus a new work by the acclaimed young American Canadian composer Zachary Wadsworth. 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.
The Library of Virginia and Richmond Symphony are sponsors of VPM.
