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A group of around 15 people stand in a semi-circle in front of a display of wall art.
Art History

Learn the “ABCs of the UVA Library” Through Its New Exhibition

“The ABCs of the UVA Library” was also conceived as a way to give Leo S. Lo, the new Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, an overview of the Library’s collections. Lo’s tenure began two days before the exhibition opened. “What an extraordinary welcome gift!” Lo said. “I am deeply impressed by the scope of our collections and, even more, by the creativity and collaboration. The concept is playful and imaginative, the execution is stunning. I am telling everyone about it.”

https://library.virginia.edu/news/2025/learn-abcs-uva-library-through-its-new-exhibition?mtm_campaign=em&mtm_kwd=sub

A colorful display of different shapes and paper elements put together in a 3D collage, on a plain white background.
Visual Art

Data Artist Nathalie Miebach Joins School as Inaugural Artist-in-Residence

Later this month, the University of Virginia School of Data Science will welcome internationally recognized artist and data storyteller Nathalie Miebach as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Miebach, known for transforming scientific weather data into woven sculptures and musical compositions, will be in residence Oct. 20–24, 2025, engaging students, faculty, and the community in a week of workshops, lectures, and presentations, and an exhibition.

https://datascience.virginia.edu/news/data-artist-nathalie-miebach-joins-school-inaugural-artist-residence

Darryl Smith
Drama

The Heart of Live Arts: Darryl’s Next Act

To most of the Live Arts staff and patrons, he’s commonly known as “the heart of Live Arts,” a familiar, welcoming face behind the box office, or behind the concession counter, or sometimes up there on the stage. Darryl Smith has done it all – and he’s got the testimonials to prove it.

https://mailchi.mp/livearts/volunteer-news-6370502?e=c95706b2b5

A picture of Dr. A.D. Carson standing at a microphone with blue and green lights shining from behind him.
Music

UVA’s A.D. Carson GRAMMY Entries

A.D. Carson, UVA’s hip hop professor, earned multiple entries at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards for his orchestral-rap project with the Charlottesville Symphony.

October 10, 2025
Image of the streets of downtown Charlottesville focusing on the Paramount theatre and the string lights on the downtown mall.
Film

The Virginia Film Festival Returns in Full Force This October

As the month of October looms on the horizon, that can only mean one thing for the city of Charlottesville — the Virginia Film Festival is making its return. The 38th annual iteration of one of the eastern seaboard’s most reputable festivals draws cinephiles and industry professionals alike to Charlottesville. From Oct. 22 through Oct. 26, the festival will bring together more than 100 of the year’s best films for an incredible weekend celebrating the cinematic art.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/09/the-virginia-film-festival-returns-in-full-force-this-october

Four different UVA students hold up their laptops to show the various stickers and art on their laptops.
Visual Art

Peel Back the Layers: UVA Students Express Themselves Through Laptop Stickers

Walk across any college campus and you’ll spot them everywhere: laptops transformed into personal billboards, with screen backs covered in a collage of stickers. Each carefully chosen sticker tells a story, from academic affiliation and club involvements to beloved music, movies and inside jokes shared with friends. UVA Today talked to five University of Virginia students about their laptop sticker collections and discovered the interesting stories behind their sticker choices.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/peel-back-layers-uva-students-express-themselves-through-laptop-stickers

A fake robot hand image is shown playing a keyboard, with a music staff clipart in the background.
Music

Q&A: Will AI Usurp the Desire for Human-Made Music?

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in the music business, whether you recognize it or not. It’s there when you stream – every Spotify recommendation is the product of AI-driven algorithms – and composes music based on its knowledge of previously published works. It’s even breathed new life into long-gone voices of performers like John Lennon.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-will-ai-usurp-desire-human-made-music

A picture of Dr. A.D. Carson standing at a microphone with blue and green lights shining from behind him.
Music

UVA’s Dr. A.D. Carson Challenges Far-Right Watchlists and Media Backlash, Revealing How Hip-Hop Is Scapegoated

Dr. A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip Hop at the University of Virginia and the nation’s only bona fide professor of hip hop, is speaking out about the ongoing scapegoating of rap music in American culture and politics. In recent weeks, Carson’s work and commentary have been featured in HipHopWired, ContrabandCamp, and NBC News, where he addressed both the far-right intimidation he has personally faced and the media’s misrepresentation of hip-hop.

https://mailchi.mp/8aeb03b64fc3/uvas-dr-ad-carson-challenges-far-right-watchlists-and-media-backlash-revealing-how-hip-hop-is-scapegoated?e=e9f0996659

A woodcut of a nude woman with short hair holding a shell in one hand and a scythe-like object in the other. Rays of gold surround her head, and the background is a navy blue sky with gold stars.
Visual Art

UVA Fralin Art Museum Acquires Alison Saar Woodcut Print

On September 3, 2025, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia (The Fralin/museum) announced the acquisition of a new work by Alison Saar. Mutiny of the Sable Venus (2024) is now on view in the museum’s Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Entrance Gallery. Based in Los Angeles, Alison Saar (b.1956) is an influential sculptor, mixed-media, and installation artist. Her artwork focuses on the African diaspora and Black female identity. She cites African, Caribbean, and Latin American folk art, rituals, and spirituality as influences.

https://www.seegreatart.art/uva-fralin-art-museum-acquires-alison-saar-woodcut-print/

A photo from the back of a lecture where we can see black leather chairs in rows, and the backs of the guests' heads.
Architecture

Buildings and Grounds Committee Approves Design Proposal for Center for the Arts

The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee approved the schematic design plan for the new Center for the Arts, which is planned to be completed in fall 2029. The Committee also heard a construction report from Donald Sundgren, vice president of facilities management and chief facilities officer, in which he discussed updates on projects such as the Karsh Institute of Democracy, student housing in the Emmet Ivy Corridor and the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/09/buildings-and-grounds-committee-approves-design-proposal-for-center-for-the-arts

A large brick building with huge windows down the entire wall, with a small body of water in front of the building and outdoor seating within the nature.

BOV Approves Design for New UVA Center for the Arts

A home for the arts is taking shape on Grounds. The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee on Thursday approved the schematic design for the proposed Center for the Arts in the University of Virginia’s development parcel on Ivy Road, sending it to the full board. The board on Friday likewise approved the design.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/bov-approves-design-new-uva-center-arts

A black background with a woman with outstretched arms performing on the left side, and the text "the 434 initiative: $4.34 tickets to any performance" on the right.
Drama

The 434 Initiative

Live Arts is proud to announce the launch of The 434 Initiative, a bold new effort designed to welcome a new generation of theater lovers into the heart of Charlottesville’s vibrant performing arts scene. Rooted in the belief that theater should be accessible to all, The 434 Initiative offers $4.34 tickets to anyone 25 or younger—or anyone who has never been to a Live Arts production before.

https://livearts.org/show/434/