“In Feeling: Empathy and Tension Through Disability” at the Fralin Museum of Art does not look like the everyday art exhibit — in fact, upon visiting, museum goers might ask themselves where the art is. The exhibit opened Aug. 30 and explores how we empathize with others, highlighting the experiences of lived disability through different mediums such as space, music, video, text and drawing.
The 14 a cappella groups on Grounds each have their own unique sound and style, from the Hullabahoos signature robes to Hoos in Treble’s bright pink heels — but one thing they have in common is that they manage the behind-the-scenes logistics themselves. With a variety of concert performances, album releases and busy audition cycles, the a cappella groups on Grounds not only have to sing but also manage their group’s image and schedule.
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center hosted the 12th annual Maupintown Film Festival Sep. 5-7. The event primarily showcases the works of up and coming African American filmmakers while also giving a space to talk about the themes prevalent in their films. This year the theme of the festival was “Bold and Beautiful.” A showcase of African American history and culture, the movies shown were mostly documentaries with a time slot allocated on Saturday for cartoons.
Two University students formed the comedy duo Scapegoat Underground in order to participate in a University stand-up comedy tradition — and this year, they were in charge of planning that same event. Featuring student comedians and drawing in crowds from across the University, Kieran Warner, third-year College and Commerce student, and third-year College student Jack Yasenchok, hosted the third annual Step Comedy Jam Sept. 9.
Students and community members filled the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds Sunday, eager to enjoy performances and gain more knowledge on various art organizations. Consistently one of the Art Department’s largest events, the Annual University Arts Welcome Picnic features several organizations, student and local performances and free shirts, bags and miscellaneous items available to all.
n 1990, American historian Sue Peabody was researching her dissertation on enslaved peoples’ pre-revolutionary freedom lawsuits in France when she came upon an intriguing story. In 1817 on Île Bourbon (now Réunion), a French-colonized island in the Indian Ocean, a 31-year-old enslaved man named Furcy Madeleine brought legal proceedings before the Saint-Denis District Court against his master Joseph Lory. Furcy’s suit contested his status as a slave and claimed his “ingenuity” — his freedom of birth.
In August, the Virginia Film Festival welcomed director Bill Banowsky in conversation following a showing of his film, “A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant.” The film features archival footage and hundreds of Oliphant works, and the showing was a homecoming of sorts, since the University of Virginia Library houses Oliphant’s archive, which was critical in the making of the film.
From the moment it opened on October 11, 1975, the McGuffey Art Center was a hit. Half a century later, the vibrant arts organization is still humming along, providing affordable studio space and a supportive environment for artists while delivering art shows, receptions, classes, open studios, and performances to the public.
Commerce Street Books — in business since June 28 — hopes to pull its customers both closer to literature and closer to one another. The independent bookstore was founded by Class of 2015 alumnus Philip Lorish, who hopes to support what he calls the “practice of reading” in the Charlottesville community.
A student-favorite tradition — and one of the first of the school year — Rotunda Sing is a chance for the University’s a capella world to join forces and share their pride with the student body. 17 musical groups performed on the Lawn Wednesday, marking the 37th annual Rotunda Sing.
For decades, the books were believed lost, numbering among the pieces of University of Virginia history that fell victim to the 1895 Rotunda fire. Then Amanda Greenwood, an archivist in the University’s Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, discovered centuries-old medical and anatomical texts.
The Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival is happening from September 7 to the 20th. For Arts This Week, we spoke with Nathalie Hokanson.
