When Frankie Mananzan landed a job at the esteemed Sotheby’s auction house after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2021, you might forgive her for feeling a little daunted. After all, the company is known for auctioning unique items and national treasures, with prices often reaching six or seven figures. But the nervousness abated when she ran into another Wahoo working there. And another. And another. And another.
The songs are already circulating. In April, a TikTok user released “Heart On My Sleeve,” a song that used generative artificial intelligence to create a track in the style of rappers Drake and The Weeknd. The song got 15 million views on TikTok and 600,000 streams on Spotify before it was removed from the platforms.
Welcome to UVA Obscura, an unconventional historical examination of UVA’s quirks and oddities. It’s a product of UVA Communication’s Digital Strategy team, a group that steers the University’s social media channels, creates art and illustrations for UVA Today and performs other duties as needed.
After more than nine years on Grounds of the University of Virginia, four panels of the Berlin Wall are set to come down in the coming weeks. The rare pieces of Cold War history, called “Kings of Freedom,” made clear the stark division between communist East Germany and democratic West Germany during the 45 years of Berlin’s partition.
If you’re looking for art at the University of Virginia, you probably already know about The Fralin Museum of Art, the exhibit spaces at the Rotunda, the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library and the Ruffin Art Gallery. But beyond museums and official exhibits, there’s far more art to explore across Grounds – if you know where to look.
It was at UVA that Matthew Steffens learned to be an artist, a citizen and a scholar. Now Steffens, fresh off his role as associate choreographer on the Tony-nominated revival of “Into the Woods,” is back at UVA to direct “Cabaret.”
As part of the Charlottesville community’s celebration of Juneteenth, the Jefferson-designed landmark hosted “Rock and Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions,” presented by the Early Music Access Project.
A historian thinks he’s solved one of the Mona Lisa’s mysteries. University of Virginia art history professor Francesca Fiorani completely disagrees.
American composer, sound artist, and educator Leah Reid has won first prize with her composition "Reverie."
