A new expansion on an old arts contest means that children and adults with disablilties  will have a chance to enter and win in the National Arts Program® at Richmond. VSA arts of Virginia, with financial support from CVS/Caremark All Kids Can!^TM, and the city of Richmond Parks and Recreation department  will provide funding for new awards this year to recognize the talents of artists with disabilities in both the adult and youth divisions.

For a registration brochure , call 646-3674, or download one here.

            Anyone age 5 or older can submit artwork in The National Arts Program® at Richmond for a chance at winning cash prizes. Advance registration by June 4 is required, but there are no fees to participate and more than $3,000 in prize money will be awarded.

The exhibits will be open June 23 through July 18, and a reception, followed by an awards ceremony, and reception, featuring  entertainment provided by a band featuring musicians with disabilities, to be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 29, at Science Museum of Virginia.  

SHOW DATES: APRIL 11th- MAY 23rd                                                                                           
OPENING FRIDAY, APRIL 11th

Gallery 5800 located at Grove and Libbie above Suitable for Framing will feature a solo exhibition of oil paintings from Roanoke artist Greg Osterhaus. Osterhaus’s 25-year career has established him as a well recognized painter in the Eastern United States and beyond. His vibrant oil paintings are rich in their depiction of rural settings including Cow Portraitures, Southern Landscapes, and Blue Crabs of the Chesapeake.

Join us on Friday, April 11th 5:30-8:00PM for the artist reception where we will be holding a drawing at 7:00PM for a free Cow Portrait.

Contact: Robin Grabinska
285-0774

GALLERY 5800 AT SUITABLE FOR FRAMING
5800 GROVE AVE
RICHMOND, VA 23226
804-285-0774

Printmaking Open House

In conjunction with the exhibition “Virgil Marti: Ah! Sunflower,” the Visual Arts Center of Richmond will host a printmaking open house 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, March 29, featuring demonstrations of screen and relief printing techniques as well as activities visitors can take part in.
Faculty and student work will be on display inside and outside the printmaking studio.
At 4 p.m. Artist Virgil Marti will present a Gallery Talk.
All events are free and open to the public.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Darrell Olgers
(804) 943-2283 or (804) 355-2100

RICHMOND, VA - Those wondering what lies inside of one of Richmond’s most stately mansions can now not only stop wondering, but also can own some of the contents themselves. An impressive collection of antique and reproduction furniture and fine art amassed over the years by the Brown family of Windemere Mansion on Cary Street Road will be auctioned by Motley’s Auction & Realty Group on April 2, 2008.

Built in the 1860s, the three-story mansion nestled on 3.1 acres was renovated and enlarged in 1907 to 11,000 square feet. The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom house was highly praised for its interior décor and collection of fine art and furniture. Many of those items, ranging from an enviable collection of American and French antique furniture, fine art, sterling silver, Oriental rugs from small to palace size, and china and porcelain, are now being de-accessioned by the Brown family and will go home with the highest bidder on April 2.

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Thanks to Tyler Snidow, the amazingly positive genius behind the Lost Art Sale, there is clearance sale for art collectors.

Lost Art will feature older pieces of art that might just need a new home, due to redecorating and contemporary pieces from local artists who have priced their works to sell.

There are over 1000 pieces of art work on display in 2 model homes off of Patterson Avenue in the West End. With the housing market slowing for high end homes such as these, it is a great way to get traffic into the new Westhampton Glen neighborhood and for people to see the new homes while they are looking at the art.

Great local, regional and national artist’s paintings, prints and photography will be sold at discounted prices. Of special interest are local artists John M. Holland and Leah Bradley, and Urbanna artist David Zuck. FULL DISCLOSURE: The talented John M. Holland is my husband.

The Times Dispatch also wrote about Lost Art in today’s real estate section.

When: Wednesday, January 30 – Sunday, February 3
Time: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily
Where: Westhampton Glen Neighborhood (the new neighborhood located off of Patterson just 1 block West of Gaskins)
Pssst: Extra Lost Art Savings: artists offering below gallery prices, extra YELLOW STICKER discounts on many pieces on Super Sale Sunday – Sunday, Feb. 3.

The 1708 Gallery, downtown, is holding an art opening this Friday, January 4th at 7 p.m., as part of First Fridays, including art from Kai Richter, Kathy Snow Stratton, Merrill Shatzman. The show, Constructing Form, runs through January 26th.
German artist, Kai Richter, is a family friend with ties to the Near West End and Northside. His mother, Florrie Richter, went to St. Catherine’s and his Grandmother, Mrs. Wimble, is at Westminister Canterbury in Richmond’s Northside. Richter’s art typically is construction inspired installation, it will be intersting to see how he adapts his work to the 1708 Gallery and his American audience. He is interested in exploring the relationship between weight and foundation with raw construction materials. Sort of a deconstructed building meets pick-up sticks.

This came across my inbox this week and it looks interesting so I though I’d help get the the word out. If you are a filmmaker, like to party, or don’t have to be at work at noon tomorrow, then this is for you!

Current.com and Lucas Krost of The Branching Film are co-hosting Current’s Inaugural Video Scavenger Hunt!!
Wednesday, December 12th at 12pm, Schafer Court
No Experience Necessary! Current.com will lend a Flip Cam to to the first 20 individuals or teams who both RSVP to RVAscavenger@current.com and show up at 12pm @ Schafer Court. Teams will then have the afternoon to engage in hilarity, storytelling, and adventure by completing video scavenger hunt tasks. RSVP: RVAscavenger@current.com

Are you a filmmaker/Producer? Join us for a meet and greet and learn about how you can work with Current.
Thursday, Dec. 13th, 5pm-6:30pm Gallery 5, 200 West Marshall Street
Our staff will be in Richmond on December 13th and we’d like to invite you to a Q&A and informal pitch session for independent filmmakers. We’ll meet one on one with filmmakers to discuss pitches and answer questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about Current and network with the Richmond film community. RSVP to KASIA: kcieplak@current.com

Then Join Us For A Party!
Thursday, December 13th, 6pm-9pm at Gallery 5
Eat! Drink! Be Richmond! (But Don’t Be Naked)
Complementary Refreshments, Current Gear, Food, Music!
See the best of Richmond and add your own voice during our interactive multi-media party and viewing of the Video Scavenger Hunt! Current Producers JT and Tom will be there filming their series, “Show Me Your Richmond”
Don’t worry about RSVPing— just come on down!

A friend and Sabot parent recently told me about Schoodio, a kids art studio in the Near West End.
What a great idea! A place where kids can create, and be kids. Parents on the other hand can have a break — go shopping and come back a few hours later to see the artistic masterpieces. Schoodio is run by a mom-daughter team of professional artists in the Sabot School Style. I even noticed the kids seats are the same as at Sabot School — practical but useful tall foot stools. Easy to clean, and just the right height.
The, Times Dispatch wrote about Schoodio earlier this fall quoting the owner:

“They get structure in schools,” said Rebecca, who worked in New York as a photographer for 12 years. “This is a place to run wild. They can even color the floors and walls.”

Hmmm, maybe we could all use a visit to the Schoodio to release our inner wild.

Way back in 1998, I was walking down the street in Carytown, and one of my friends, Marlene Paul, approached me with the most glowing and excited look. She was giddy with excitement as she introduced me to her friend, Kathleen Lane, and told me all about a new non-profit venture they planned — ART 180.
For Marlene, It was huge. She had been working in various industries, trying to find her meaningful role in this world. And you could just tell — after many years of searching, she had found it. Her idea: go into the most impoverished, violent, and poor parts of Richmond. Find kids who desperately wanted to find hope, and give it to them — through art. Let them express themselves in a way that maybe they never had. Let them see that there work and ideas were important….that they were important and that even one person can make a difference.
Fast forward, almost 10 years….and ART 180 is a thriving non-profit. Probably one of Richmond’s most popular and successful for being around for such a short period of time.
After volunteering at several Art 180 events, I had my own children and drifted away a bit from Marlene. But ART 180 just kept getting stronger and stronger. Reaching more kids, and endlessly thinking of new ways to reach them and new projects for the kids to conquer. Recently, ART 180 was awarded a HUGE (for them anyway) $200,000 grant from Bank of America. They just published a great cookbook with great but simple recipes from Richmond’s art and culinary community with classy and absurd recipes .
And, the piece de resistance is coming up on November 29th — Art Karma, a silent auction, party, and celebration of all ART 180 has achieved. For $5 you get entrance to one great little party with some of the most creative people in Richmond. While you are add it, sample food from the cookbook, buy beautiful art, including offerings from artists Cindy Newschwander, my husband, John M. Holland, and Fiona Ross and 7 quilts by the talented Heilbron Rushing-Cooper.
As for Marlene, she is glowing once again, this time, due to motherhood…..she’s due a week after Art Karma with her own little bundle of joy. And life in Richmond, has again come full circle.

The University of Richmond’s Modlin Center has provided the following info regarding their upcoming events for the month of November.

Lionheart offers early classics and new works for men’s voices

Lionheart is one of America’s leading ensembles in vocal chamber music. This all-male sextet is best known for its interpretation of medieval and Renaissance a cappella music, with Gregorian Chant as the keystone of its repertoire. Hailed by Early Music America for their -rich, true tones and flawlessly blended harmonies,-Lionheart will mesmerize Richmond music lovers with -Wayfaring Stranger,- a diverse repertoire of a cappella music from the 13th century to the present day.

Check out Lionheart’s recording and take a listen

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The Third Practice (3P) Electroacoustic Music Festival comes to the University of Richmond Friday and Saturday. The mixed media and music festival features music for instruments, laptops, computers, video, stereo and more. This year, the theme is world music in all its forms. The Community Idea Station Blog has a soundclip on the festival and its Indonesian virtual puppeteer that are part of the festival. Concerts are free and open to the public. Performance times are Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 20th at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

When I first came across this article, I did a double-take, wondering how the Barksdale Theater could support 365 days of plays. Then I discovered that it’s really an international festival of more than 300 vastly different plays and performances connecting communities and theaters.

That’s exactly what Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks had in mind when she embarked on an unprecedented creative mission to write a play a day, every day, for a year. The result: “365 Days/365 Plays,” an innovative theatrical concept that turns an everyday stage production into a national relay race of 52 weeks of sequential performances presented in seven-day blocks.

[via]

“365 Days/365 Plays” opens at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22 at Barksdale Theater. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5.

Tim Robbins is one of my favorite actors who’s moved from a role of acting into a role of producing with his theater performance of “1984″ based on the popular novel by George Orwell. The Times-Dispatch had the opportunity to interview Mr. Robbins.

“Big Brother was allowed to arrest you without charge . . . [and] torture you,” the actor says. He also observes that Oceania is locked in an epic military conflict with a rationale that is never defined.

It’s “quite an accurate read of a society that is bogged down in a perpetual war with an enemy who’s perpetually unseen,” Robbins says. When asked if he’s referring to controversial clauses in the Patriot Act, and to the Bush administration’s championing of a war against terrorism, he does not demur.

The Actors’ Gang will perform the show at University of Richmond’s Modlin Center Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $16 to $31. Call 804-289-8980 for more info.

Style Weekly highlights Seymour and Audrey Topping, keynote speakers for the China-America Festival of Film & Culture.

Though both of the Toppings are well over the age of retirement — Seymour is 85, Audrey 79 — neither of them seems to be slowing down. Seymour, the author of historical novels set in China and Vietnam, is hard at work on a historical memoir. Audrey is the author of six books and regularly exhibits her photographs from the exotic locations she’s visited over the years.

Audrey and Seymour Topping will speak at the China-America Festival of Film and Culture Friday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at The Oates Theater at Collegiate School. The festival runs through Oct. 7. The Full festival schedule is available at www.therosegroup.org.

Here’s the latest (October) update from the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts:

The latest from actor-director Tim Robbins

Less than two years ago, The Actors’ Gang visited Richmond with the heart-wrenching stories of Death Row inmates in The Exonerated. Known for creating bold, original works for the stage and daring reinterpretations of the classics, The Actors’ Gang returns this month with another production that will provoke our community into thinking about both local and global issues.

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Want a free ticket to any of the University of Richmond museums this Saturday, the 29th? Thanks to Nick and Ross for sending us this info:

This Saturday is museum day. if you go here http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/articles/card.php you can print a free admission ticket. The Richmond museums participating are the Poe and the UR museums. Others listed here http://content.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Style Weekly has a cornucopia (like that one?) of various gallery & museum happenings around the Near West End. We’ll also be adding them to our calendar as well.

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