As the fall semester begins, University students are looking forward to enjoying the constellation of arts that the University and Charlottesville have to offer. This fall’s arts season does not disappoint, boasting a breadth of events from trusted University drama department productions to momentous visits from big names like Adam Sandler and Tyler Childers.
After earning his doctorate in religious studies from the University of Virginia’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Philip Lorish’s path hasn’t been a traditional one. He first worked as a consultant for startups looking for insight into the intersection of technology and ethics, then decided to pursue his dream of opening an independent bookstore in Charlottesville.
University of Virginia professor Deborah Parker has been awarded the 2025 Mary Lynn Kotz Art in Literature Award for her book Becoming Belle da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters. Presented by the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the award honors outstanding literary works inspired by art and recognizes excellence in both creative and scholarly writing.
The artists of Mimili Maku Arts span generations, from emerging creatives to established visionaries. Together their work reflects the vibrant Mimili Community in South Australia on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. In 2012, artists across families and generations made prints at a workshop on Country with the master printmaker Basil Hall. This selection speaks directly to the continuity of Aṉangu culture. Husband and wife Kunmanara (Mumu Mike) Williams and Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin mentored Robert Fielding who in turn taught his son Zaachariaha Fielding. Betty Kuntiwa Pumani passed down the stories that she learned from her mother to her own daughter Marina Pumani Brown and her niece Josina Pumani.
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. For Arts This Week, we chatted with Nathan Scholz from the band Soul Meets Body. Nate talks about his band and their upcoming show at the Southern Music Hall and Cafe on August 21.
Celebrate Black excellence in Charlottesville at the 5th annual Soul of Cville Festival! This free, family-friendly festival will take place Saturday, August 16 and is excited to highlight Black Artisans and Vendors in the city and county. Enjoy fashion shows, free art making, a community canvas, musical performances, and community access to The Looking Glass Immersive Art Experience.
How does a mathematician turn into an odonatologist? (And what the heck is an odonatologist?) Emily Luebke can tell you all about it. A love of the outdoors led math major Luebke to become a photographer of wildlife, especially insects. That led her to a fascination with dragonflies (in science terms, order Odonata), which led to a career in ecology and an avocation as a citizen scientist—not necessarily what you’d expect from a numbers person and competitive ultimate frisbee player (more on that later).
Tim Michel became interested in deltas after a friend, a follower of Carl Jung, suggested it would be useful to have a personal symbol or archetype that could carry you to the next stage of your life. “This was interesting to me,” says Michel, whose “Delta” show at Chroma Projects considers these alluvial phenomena through a series of prints.
Almost every week at the Downtown Mall, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall hosts Monday Night Mic standup comedy that is free and open to the general public. Pioneered and hosted by Chris Alan, professional comedian who has opened for the likes of Michael Che, Louis C.K. and Amy Schumer, the night allows comedians of all walks of life to try out their material amongst their peers and a small crowd.
SwingCville is a Charlottesville community dedicated to vintage swing dancing. We dance and teach the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and Blues. We are proudly volunteer-run by people with big hearts and a passion for dance. Come join us every Wednesday for a lesson from 7-8pm and social dancing from 8-9pm. Please arrive 15 minutes before class to sign in. Stay afterwards to go out for snacks and drinks with friendly people from around town.
Is it possible to fully understand someone’s point of view? In Feeling: Empathy and Tension Through Disability features works by nine contemporary artists that reckon with how we empathize. Literally meaning “in feeling,” empathy implies the action of understanding or experiencing the feelings and thoughts of another. Yet the practice of empathizing—being aware of and sensitive to the experience of someone else—can also engender tensions relating to one’s own position and expectations. Exploring the relationship between empathy and tension, this exhibition highlights and celebrates perspectives that challenge assumptions about ways of being and living.
Live Arts Theater announces its 2025/26 Season of Passion: four plays, one musical and a new works festival. The 35th Season opens with Lisa Amour’s AIRLINE HIGHWAY, followed by a holiday offering, the musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. In 2026, Live Arts presents Sarah Ruhl’s STAGE KISS, followed by Shakespeare’s HAMLET, and Dominique Morisseau’s BLOOD AT THE ROOT. The Season of Passion wraps up with our fourth annual WATERWORKS Festival, our “fringe-adjacent” celebration of new theatrical works that continues to attract writers near and far and engage hundreds of volunteers every year.
