Humanities Feature Bureau » Arts

A poetic collaboration

lew4n — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:16:12 +0000

In the Late 1970s, Almost a third of Cambodia’s people were murdered by the Khmer Rouge regime or died from starvation. A U.N.-backed court is finally trying these war crimes. But, closer to home here in Virginia, a Vietnamese-American artist and a Roanoke-based poet are exploring how to honor the victims through their art and forging a unique collaboration. Jesse Dukes has this report.

John Cephas's Piedmont Blues

lew4n — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:49:58 +0000

On March 4th, bluesman John Cephas passed away at the age of 78. Though late in life he performed around the world, Cephas learned his style of blues — called the Piedmont Blues — from family in Caroline County, Virginia. Producer Steve Clark has more on Virginia’s Piedmont Blues.

We recommend these two resources to learn more about John Cephas:

A Reunited Collection Tours the Commonwealth

lew4n — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:36:04 +0000

Matisse, Picasso, Chagall: an extensive collection of European Modern Art began a two-year tour around Virginia this month. Sixty years ago, a private donor gave the paintings away, splitting them between the University of Virginia’s Art Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. This touring exhibition reunites the works for the first time for display in Charlottesville, Winchester, Abingdon and Richmond. Peter Solomon reports on “Matisse, Picasso, and Modern Art in Paris: The T. Catesby Jones Collection.”

Carter Family Fans

lew4n — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:09:56 +0000

Southwest Virginia’s Carter Family made their first country music record in 1927. But favorites such as “Keep on the Sunnyside of Life” are still popular 81 years later, thanks mostly to the devotion of fans who preserve and adapt the Family’s tunes. But what is it about the Carter Family’s music that draws in such a loyal following? Reporter Beverly Amsler reports from this year’s Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Virginia.

Preserving 'The Maltese Falcon'

lew4n — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:45:22 +0000

Downloadable movies on your IPod, Blu-Ray Discs and DVDs delivered to your door… In an age of new media, the Library of Congress recently opened a facility in Culpeper devoted to preserving and presenting the history of film. Martha Woodroof visited the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation and filed this report.

Visit the Library of Congress Audio-Visual Preservation Website

A Capoiera Master in Richmond

VFHwebdev — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:14:29 +0000

At a recent Richmond block party, Main Street looked like a scene from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Inside a circle of onlookers, two men played a Brazilian marshall art called Capoeira – a blend of theatre, dance, folklore and self-defense. Peter Solomon reports.

Appalachian Reality

VFHwebdev — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:39:42 +0000

The Barter Theatre in Abingdon Virginia is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hours from cities usually considered meccas of the arts. But each year the theatre proves the quality of locally produced work through the “Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights.” Nancy King dropped in on a rehersal and filed this report.

'Women Folk:' A Musical Reunion

VFHwebdev — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:03:53 +0000

For fans of folk music’s heyday during the early 1960′s, prepare to be nostalgic. Martha Woodroof recently dropped in on a musical reunion.