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A long white paper with abstract black ink designs, displayed on a white wall.
Visual Art

'Spirits of the Forest': Anthropology Students Mount UVA Exhibition of Papua New Guinea Art

The idea for the art exhibition first occurred to professor Lise Dobrin in December 2024, after she received an email message from a French anthropologist in Papua New Guinea. Dobrin met Nicolas Garnier, who has lived and worked in the Pacific island nation for over 30 years, during her research trips there. Now Garnier was emailing Dobrin to let her know about a collection of drawings that his villager friends were making. Something special was going on, Dobrin recalled Garnier writing, and he wanted her help sharing these vividly drawn scrolls of artwork with the world.

https://as.virginia.edu/news/spirits-forest-anthropology-students-mount-uva-exhibition-papua-new-guinea-art

The front of an industrial urban building with a wall made of windows. A rusted sign hangs above the door and wooden tables and chairs are placed in the front.
Visual Art

The Bardo Invites Charlottesville to Step Into the In-Between

The bardo, a newly opened gallery-café nestled Downtown, took its first step into Charlottesville’s arts scene and welcomed visitors seeking an afternoon of calm reflection Jan. 31 during its grand opening. The space bridges the line between art and community as its patrons can enjoy coffee, baked goods and carefully curated artwork all at once as they peruse the brightly lit two-story establishment.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/02/the-bardo-invites-charlottesville-to-step-into-the-in-between?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

A grid of 6 images, most close up scans of cursive-written love letters, one a photo of a book page with the title "White Fire," and one a sketch of a woman's face. All images have a orange and blue filter over them.
Creative Writing

Deep in UVA’s Vault, Romance Survives

The vault and the stacks at the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library hold romantic accoutrements that put chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne to shame. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, UVA Today took a look at love letters, lithographs, poetry and first edition books, among other items, that document love that was sometimes hidden.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/deep-uvas-vault-romance-survives

A dark floral wallpaper design as the background, and an ornately framed text that states, "Second Street Gallery Presents the Anticipated Gallery Rally Speakeasy." It is supposed to resemble a framed piece of art hung on a wall.
Visual Art

Arts This Week: Second Street Gallery Fundraiser

On Saturday, February 21, join Second Street Gallery for their annual Gallery Rally fundraiser event with a roaring 20s twist. For Arts This Week, we spoke with CM Turner from the gallery. My name is CM Turner. I work with Second Street Gallery downtown, right off the downtown mall on Water Street at the corner of second and water, and we are gearing up for one of our largest fundraising events and one of the most exciting events on our programming calendar throughout the year, which is our annual Gallery Rally.

https://www.wtju.net/arts-this-week-second-street-gallery-fundraiser/

A woman stands on a completely dark stage with a spotlight illuminating her face and half of her body. She has a red and white striped fabric draped on her shoulder, and she is forcefully pointing to the side with a serious expression on her face.
Drama

Finding Her Voice: Priyanka Shetty’s MFA Journey from UVA to the World Stage

When Priyanka Shetty arrived in Charlottesville from India in 2016, she came with a clear goal: to launch her career as an actor. She enrolled in the University of Virginia’s MFA in Acting program seeking strong foundational training that would support a life in theater, film and television. What she discovered, however, was something much bigger than that. Working alongside her peers and visiting artists and exploring a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom, Shetty began to imagine herself not only as an actor, but as a creator of original theatrical works.

https://as.virginia.edu/news/finding-her-voice-priyanka-shettys-mfa-journey-uva-world-stage

A glass door with a film poster taped to the surface. The image on the poster is of a man and a woman standing close together, in the middle of the woods. In the center of the poster is a white VAFF logo in a square.
Film

Virginia Film Festival’s Year Round Program Elevates Cinema and Fosters Community

Local cinephiles know that every October, Charlottesville’s Virginia Film Festival offers five days of riveting cinematic programming, from exclusive looks at upcoming releases to throwback screenings. However, they may be unaware that VAFF’s program continues well past its annual main event. From January to August, VAFF’s Year Round program showcases films that are not a part of the festival’s official lineup, but still offer valuable artistic and social contributions. Summer releases, documentaries and foreign films are presented — each only once in the evening — throughout the eight months in the Violet Crown theater on the Downtown Mall. Free previews of A24’s newest films are also screened, with “Materialists,” “Eddington” and “The Legend of Ochi” exciting crowds in 2025.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/01/virginia-film-festivals-year-round-program-elevates-cinema-and-fosters-community?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest

A red stage curtain with the main characters from the Muppets standing in front, smiling at the camera. Sabrina Carpenter is posed in the middle of the group.
Film

What Does Sabrina Carpenter Have to Do With ‘The Muppets’?

For once, diminutive pop star Sabrina Carpenter might be the tallest person in the room. On Wednesday, the Grammy-winning singer will host the 50th anniversary special of “The Muppet Show” on Disney+. For viewers unfamiliar with the Muppets, it might seem odd to pair a notoriously raunchy celebrity on a show with puppets. But one Muppet expert says it’s actually a great fit.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/what-does-sabrina-carpenter-have-do-muppets

A grid of close-up images of various textures around UVA. Some have bold colors, some have paper or brick or cement textures.
Visual Art

Photos: New Perspectives on UVA’s Familiar Spaces

In winter, the University of Virginia’s Grounds take on a quieter beauty. With the lush foliage of warmer months now dormant, the season invites a closer look at the small details that often fade into the background of daily life. University Communications photographers Matt Riley and Lathan Goumas used this time to turn their lenses toward those overlooked textures, patterns and moments. Take a closer look with them as they share what inspired and captivated them about the subtle details that help define UVA.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/photos-new-perspectives-uvas-familiar-spaces

A bulletin board with various black and white photos of Black women, some posters related to fighting for justice. One reads, "Women! Free Our Sisters!"
Creative Writing

Black History Month 2026: Celebrating 100 Years

This February marks 100 years since the first national commemoration of Black history in the United States. The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History launched Negro History Week (spearheaded by Carter G. Woodson) in 1926. Sixty years later, U.S. Congress designated February as Black History Month. Below, several UVA librarians recommend books, databases, and videos that investigate the significance of the Black experience throughout American history and beyond.

https://library.virginia.edu/news/2026/black-history-month-2026-celebrating-100-years?mtm_campaign=em&mtm_kwd=sub

Tessa Ader with the Ader Emerging Artists with the Charlottesville Opera

Celebrating the Life Tessa Ader

The recent passing of historic UVA Arts benefactor Tessa Ader marked the final chapter of a life filled with love, art, a sense of adventure, and a legacy that will enrich the UVA and Charlottesville communities for generations to come. Ader’s historic lead $50 million gift to fund the building of a performing arts center is the largest gift to the arts in the University’s history and will transform the arts landscape by providing a state-of-the-art home for concerts, dance, theater and interdisciplinary art forms.

February 5, 2026
A movie poster with the title, "Silents Scored: Live" in large white letters. Behind the title is a collage of various male and female silent films stars.
Film

Silence is Golden: Celebrating the History of Silent Films

Matt Marshall is a film lecturer, screenwriter, composer, and accompanist. He teaches Cinema as Art and Screenwriting at the University of Virginia and Film Appreciation for Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Prison Education Program. He has been composing and performing live music to classic silent films for over 20 years with the Virginia Film Festival and other venues throughout the Commonwealth.

https://engagement.virginia.edu/learn/thoughts-from-the-lawn/20260204-Marshall

Bright orange background with a flower boarder. In the center says "Virginia Theatre Festival" in white letters, the word "Theatre" larger than the rest.
Drama

Virginia Theatre Festival Announces 2026 Season

The Virginia Theatre Festival’s 2026 season will open on Saturday, June 20 with the melodramatic madcap romp, Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty. VTF’s 52nd season runs through July 26 and will also feature the Tony Award-winning musical Disney’s Newsies and Frida…A Self Portrait, a one-woman show that explores and celebrates the life, art, and enduring legacy of legendary artist and cultural icon Frida Kahlo. The Virginia Theatre Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost, Vice Provost for the Arts, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Drama, and The Caplin Foundation.

https://virginiatheatrefestival.org/virginia-theatre-festival-announces-2026-season/