Take A Minute Exercise: Make Stuff with Your Hands
By Ed Trask I turned the corner and there it was – a beautiful Camille Pissarro painting. I had never experienced anything quite like it. Layers and layers of paint blended roughly to capture the perfect essence of pure beauty and color. This was physical; I mean this in the sense that I could […]
Smile: Caught You Doing Something Good
By Rebecca D’Angelo The Art Deco Society of Virginia recently hosted its inaugural Jazz Age Preservation Ball, boasting an evening of music and dancing set to a Roaring ‘20s theme. Taking guests back to the days of Richmond’s famed Beaux Arts Ball, the event raised money for a local Jazz Age landmark, the Byrd Theatre. Built […]
Tell A Story
Tell A Story is a special section for this issue of Grid. Seventeen graphic design students at VCU were given the seemingly simple task of telling a story of Richmond through ten photos and an accompanying artist’s statement. The challenge turned out to be anything but easy and the results were varied. In the end, one winning student’s story was chosen to grace the pages of Grid, and we’re happy to publish it.
In Charge of the Tunes
Constantine Giavos grew up to a soundtrack meant to please a diverse crowd. As a child, the DJ and drummer absorbed the eclectic song library his parents compiled for their popular Fan restaurant, The Sidewalk Café, enjoying artists as varied as Aaliyah, Timbaland and Magoo, The Police, and Thin Lizzy.
Melena: Musical Journey Into Afro-Cuban Roots
When Afro-Cuban percussionist Melena took the stage at this year’s Richmond Folk Festival, she reached a personal and historical milestone. “It was a tremendous honor to have been the first female instrumentalist to be invited to perform with the Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñ eiro since 1927,” the musician says of her experience accompanying the renowned Afro-Cuban ensemble on congas.
Floating Restaurant Opens in RVA
Along the banks of the James River floats Celebration, a 78-foot-long boat docked near Rocketts Landing. Inside is Flatheads, Richmond’s only floating restaurant. Dishing up American cuisine, Flatheads offers views of the RVA skyline, an open-air top floor and bar, and a fire pit on the bow.
Eat Good Food, Drink Good Drinks
The mission is simple: Eat food, good food. Drink drinks, good drinks.
Collegiate Dancers Perform at The Orange Bowl
“Is this for real?” That was Stacy Dudley’s first reaction when she got the call inviting her high school dancers to perform at the Orange Bowl half-time show in Miami. Dudley, the dance teacher at Collegiate School since 2001, “didn’t believe it at first. Usually things that are too good to be true aren’t true,” she says. But this was.
Juggling RVA
In the last issue of Greater Richmond Grid, we asked Happy the Artist to give us his tips on ways to be happy in RVA. Next up we have Jonathan Austin, one of Richmond’s most recognizable figures and favorite entertainers. From tossing flaming objects in the air to magic tricks delivered with a hefty dose of humor, Jonathan the Juggler has offered his 24-hour Emergency Juggling Services to RVA for decades.
Finding Inspiration in Others
With the start of 2013 comes an onslaught of resolutions. At the top of most people’s list is improved health and wellbeing, in some shape or fashion. Richmonders do not have to look far, however, to find good role models when it comes to the success stories found at the various YMCA locations scattered around Greater Richmond. Here’s to some of our favorites-Makita Byrd, Amanda Clarke, Jesse Evans, and Aurora Johnston. Read their inspiring stories, think about them, and then get active.