A photo of five African American women stand together, holding various instruments and feather decorations.

Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship

Mid Atlantic Arts partners with the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) and South Arts on the Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowships. This program honors and promotes the understanding of Black Appalachian storytelling traditions that embody the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans in the region. The National Association of Black Storytellers awards one Fellowship per year in each of the six eligible states: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

https://www.midatlanticarts.org/opportunity/black-appalachian-storytellers-fellowship/

Master Dàn bau player Nam Phuong Nguyen and her apprentice Anh Dien Ky Nguyen. In the background, there is a shelf full of various nicknacks.

Host Our Photos in Your Community

Virginia Folklife has awarded hundreds of Folklife Apprenticeships to artists, community leaders, and cultural practitioners across the Commonwealth since 2002. We work closely with each apprenticeship team to document their project in context. The resulting photographs are now available — at no cost — for display in Virginia’s public libraries, schools, and other community and cultural institutions. To make a request, review the catalog and complete the order form below.

https://www.virginiafolklife.org/2025/07/host-a-virginia-folklife-photo-exhibit-in-your-community/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=78%20Host%20a%20Virginia%20Folklife%20Photo%20Exhibit&utm_content=78%20Host%20a%20Virginia%20Folklife%20Photo%20Exhibit+CID_3cf2eb85d9f6463aa454ab850525a85f&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=Learn%20More%20%20submit%20a%20request

Hayrunisa Yenilmes, seated, and Amar Kilich, left, of Alexandria are apprenticing Ajinur Setiwaldi, right, and Subhinur Elemin of Arlington in Uyghur music traditions. The group is positioned in front of a bright yellow wall.

Singing to Make the Uyghur People Heard

About once a month, an otherwise unremarkable strip mall in Fairfax turns into a bustling bazaar where you can buy lamb kabobs straight off the fire, delicious samsa (meat pies), flatbread, and homemade liángpí (“cold skin” noodles). “The atmosphere is: you’re in the Uyghur community, you’re in a little homeland,” explained Ajinur Setiwaldi, a resident of Arlington.

https://www.virginiafolklife.org/sights-sounds/amir-kilich-hayrunisa-yenilmes-ajinur-setiwaldi-subhinur-elemin/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=78%20Host%20a%20Virginia%20Folklife%20Photo%20Exhibit&utm_content=78%20Host%20a%20Virginia%20Folklife%20Photo%20Exhibit+CID_3cf2eb85d9f6463aa454ab850525a85f&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=read%20our%20story

The cover of the book "Helen Keller: The Story of My Life" with a black and white picture of Helen Keller looking down at the ground.

From Page to Screen: Translating Disability in Adaptation

For Disability Pride Month 2025 — marking the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Carla Arton, Keith Weimer, Erin Dickey, Christine Ruotolo, and Bethany Mickel from the UVA Library are proud to spotlight a selection of works that have made the journey from page to screen, offering powerful representations of disability in both written and visual forms. This year’s theme — “adaptation” — invites us to reflect on how stories of disability are told, retold, and transformed when moving from text to film.

https://library.virginia.edu/news/2025/page-screen-translating-disability-adaptation

A profile image of a man in a suit sitting at a piano with his hands on the keys.

Discoveries: Musical Repetition as Rituality

Michael Puri, associate professor of music theory and history, co-edited the new book, Musical Meaning and Interpretation: Perspectives, Reflections, Critique (Oxford University Press). In this video, Puri sits down at the piano and discusses his chapter in the volume, illustrating his points by playing excerpts from Debussy and Ravel. Watch as he reveals how the widespread notion of “rotationality,” which conceives of musical repetition as cyclical motion, is not merely a theoretical formalism but is rooted in the idea of sacred ritual.

https://as.virginia.edu/discoveries-musical-repetition-rituality

An orange background with two rows of book covers, six on top and six below, evenly spaced.

Want to Get Away? Summer Book Recommendations from A&S Faculty and Staff

For those of us looking for engaging and entertaining books to pack (or download) for a summer trip, it should come as no surprise that some of the best recommendations are available within the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Here is a list of what some of your faculty and staff colleagues from the A&S community are reading for pleasure this summer.

https://as.virginia.edu/want-get-away-summer-book-recommendations-faculty-and-staff

A painting with a beige background, with black, red, and mustard colored brush strokes haphazardly painted across the canvas.

The Fralin Marks Joan Mitchell’s Centennial With a Restoration

In “Joan Mitchell: Uncovering 100 Years” at The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, there’s a 1960 photo of the painter emphatically gesturing while standing in front of a large-scale canvas by Adolph Gottlieb. Mitchell seems comfortable in conversation with her art-world friends, hinting at the relationship she had with mid-20th-century galleries and their denizens.

https://c-ville.com/the-fralin-marks-joan-mitchells-centennial-with-a-restoration/

A.D. Carson performing on stage with the Charlottesville Symphony
Story Music

UVA’s Dr. A.D. Carson Debuts Orchestral Hip-Hop Project “& metaphors” with Charlottesville Symphony

July 10, 2025
A rainbow background with a stack of three cartoon books in the center. Three blocks with the phrase "A & E" are on top of the books.

A&E Book Club: Queer Fiction Set in the Past, Present and Future

Celebrated every June, Pride Month is a time of celebration and authenticity, as well as a reflection on those who made progress for Queer people possible. Though the month will soon be over, it is never too late to celebrate the Queer community and all who are a part of it. A great way to do so is to engage with identities — and literature — that are often politicized and censored.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/06/ae-book-club-queer-fiction-set-in-the-past-present-and-future?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Headshot of Carolyn Keurajian in a blue blouse and a pearl necklace. She has dark brown hair that ends at her shoulders.

Carolyn Keurajian to Join Charlottesville Symphony as Executive Director

The Charlottesville Symphony in Virginia has selected Carolyn Keurajian as executive director. She succeeds Janet Kaltenbach, who has led the Charlottesville Symphony for more than 16 years. Keurajian is currently president and CEO of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra in Williamsburg, VA, which she joined in 2013.

https://symphony.org/carolyn-keurajian-to-join-charlottesville-symphony-as-executive-director/

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