Will AI Inspire Hip-Hop Artists — Or Displace Them?
Perspective by A.D. Carson and Felicia Angeja Viator • In April, a hot new track began circulating online, first appearing on streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music and then shared widely on social media platforms. The song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” was a fresh collaboration between pop royalty — rapper Drake and singer the Weeknd — with beats by esteemed producer Metro Boomin. Or so it seemed.
Virginia Theatre Festival Announces Full Cast and Creative Team for Season-opening Production of Cabaret
The Virginia Theatre Festival has announced the full cast and creative team for its season-opening production of Cabaret. Set to open on July 7 in Culbreth Theatre at the University of Virginia, 'Cabaret' will be directed and choreographed by Matthew Steffens, who returns to VTF and to his alma mater fresh from the Broadway and touring smash hit revival of 'Into the Woods'. The award-winning musical features a book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and is based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.
Flying the Flag Darkly: Staff and Students Use Art To Ask Gun Violence Questions
The melancholy painting “Dark Flag,” rendered in tones of black and dark gray, is a richly textured American flag and a meditation on the tragedy of gun violence in America.
Luke Richard Powers is Finding his Sound in Charlottesville
Third-year College student Luke Richard Powers is a rising star in the Charlottesville music scene, coming off not only a recent performance at The Southern Cafe & Music Hall but also the release of his new single “Red/Blue.”
How a UVA Instagram Post Helped Launch a Painting Career for Alum Clare Spooner
In June of 2018, Clare Spooner was settled into her work as an interior designer in New York City. Though she loved to paint, the University of Virginia alumna had no expectation at that point that art could become her career.
In Newark, an Exhibition of Films Calls for Kinship
“Things We Do in the Dark: Cinematic Experiments in Kinship,” a two-part film exhibition currently on view at Express Newark, includes nearly two dozen films by Black and Indigenous artist collectives whose work takes on subjects including environmental and racial justice, beauty standards, education, and grief and healing
Joshua Purnell & Tom Norris
Nationally, the Tidewater region of Virginia is a focal point of Black culture: From contemporary artists like Pharrell Williams and Missy Elliott, to the beach music of the 1950s and 60s, to the Afro-Caribbean and gospel traditions, these roots run deep. Learn about artists Joshua Purnell and Tom Norris.
Home Is the Sound of Rivers and Crooked Roads
Elsa Howell writes about her experience finding the power of music.
Virginia Theatre Festival Announces Cast and Design Team for Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise
The Virginia Theatre Festival has announced that its upcoming production of Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, the heartwarming two-person play about a World War II courtship conducted entirely by mail, will star Suzannah Herschkowitz and Jordan Sobel. Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, which captures the story of the Tony Award-winning playwright’s own parents’ cross-country, pen-and-paper-powered love story, will be directed by Jeffrey Meanza. The show will open on Friday, July 21 at Helms Theatre.