Art & Culture

The Virginia Women’s Monument is Dedicated on October 14 Seven bronze statues of women were unveiled at nation’s first monument  honoring the full scope of women’s contributions & achievements. Historic Virginia women in bronze assembled on Capitol Square in Richmond to share their stories and have their voices be heard across four centuries of Virginia history. Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women’s Monument was dedicated on Monday, October 14. Following the National Anthem by members of the Richmond Symphony Chorus led by Lisa Fusco of VCU and an invocation by Rev. Emily Edmondson of Christ Episcopal Church in Marion, Va., the dedication ceremony featured remarks from Governor Ralph S. Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam; The Honorable Mary Margaret ...

Historic Women Leaders from Yesterday Martha “Pattie” Hicks Buford, (14 March 1836–17 January 1901) Photo cite: Episcopal Women’s History Project The Virginia Women’s Monument, named Voices from the Garden, is the nation’s first monument designed to celebrate the remarkable women who made significant, but often unrecognized contributions and accomplishments in a variety of fields and endeavors over the 400-year history of Virginia.  This new monument in Richmond, the first on capitol grounds in the U.S.A, includes bronze statues and 230 names of Virginia Women inscribed on the monument’s glass.  Each issue, Hampton Roads Weekly will feature the story of one of these amazing historical women and pair her with the story of one of our dynamic, contemporary women leaders in...

A Tribute to Black History Month By Geoph Beard Black History Month has a very rich tradition.  It is celebrated in America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and unofficially in Ireland.  But here in the United States we have a unique tradition that stands out from other nations.  In order to properly understand the true value of purposefully taking the time to celebrate, and how the “why” has evolved over the century, it’s important to first look at its roots.  Black History month was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, an American Historian, author and journalist. February was chosen, not because it’s the shortest month of the year, but because both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas were born in February.  These two men were widely credited with lead...

By Krissy Weinhardt The Catholic Schools system here in Hampton Roads is quite unified in their mission, to “empower leaders one faith-filled day at a time”.  Since 1963 schools like St. Matthews' in Virginia Beach have provided a rigorous academic curriculum for its students in addition to discipline, tradition and strong Christian values to prepare children for their academic future and as citizens in our community.  Their philosophy is based on the belief that the purpose of their schools is to provide a Christ-centered environment, in unison with both family and community.  They believe this encourages a life-long pursuit of learning through spiritual, academic, and physical education.   No one better embodies these philosophies as does Development Direct...

Chrysler Museum Received Grants The Chrysler Museum of Art has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and has been approved for a $65,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Both will support the upcoming exhibition Alma W. Thomas: A Creative Life. Scheduled to open in July 2021, the traveling show is co-organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art and The Columbus Museum in Georgia and includes stops at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and The Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tenn. before closing at The Columbus Museum in 2022.  The exhibition will provide a comprehensive overview of Thomas’ long life (1891–1978) with approximately 100 works, including her rarely seen theatrical designs and beloved abstract paintings. It will...

Richmond Ballet, The State Ballet of Virginia, will return to Chrysler Hall December 6 – 8 with the beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.  This season marks renowned Richmond Ballet Artistic Director Stoner Winslett’s 40th time staging the show The New York Times calls one of the country’s “most perfect” Nutcracker productions. Each year, an elite cast of over 100 hand-selected Hampton Roads and North Carolina ballet students perform alongside the professional dancers of Richmond Ballet along with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The Nutcracker has four performances this year: December 6 at 7:00 p.m., December 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and December 8 at 2 p.m. There will be a special added “performer” during Friday’s opening show, WAVY-TV’s morning anchor Ka...

By Krissy Weinhardt Don’t you wish you could wave your magic wand and poof, your vacation is set?  Well, especially when planning a Disney vacation, we all know this is certainly not the case.  It is overwhelming at best, but Disney has certainly innovated its systems since the last time my family went, which was admittedly, over 15 years ago.  When helping with my plans, my dad was overcome by how many things he wished [upon a star] to have had when he was planning the trip for our family.  Having just come home from my Disney honeymoon, I have created my Disney “pro tips” to help you conquer those dreaded lines and make the most of your time in the parks.    Pro Tip #1: Download the Disney App One of the first things that is relatively new to D...

An Independent Film, Harvey, is coming to Hampton Roads! Producer/Director team Eric Feldman and Peter J. Eaton, both Hampton Roads residents, began their collaboration in the late 90’s, writing several scripts together, one of which became the gritty, mob-thriller feature film “Gravity” – winner of Best Director award at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.  Not long after that award, Eaton was hired to direct a romantic comedy feature film shot almost entirely on the Eastern Shore and in Hampton Roads titled “Sweet Good Fortune”.  Feldman also acted in the film.   This was followed by the supernatural thriller, “Necessary Evil”, filmed in Los Angeles and starring actors Lance Henriksen and Danny Trejo which was picked up domestically by Lionsgate and distributed interna...