WTJU

The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville is hosting an exhibition of the works of artist Steve Keene in November. The show called "all this stuff just bloomed around me" will highlight Steve Keene's work and his influence on Charlottesville's art and music culture. The Bridge is looking for community members willing to lend out their original Steve Keene paintings for this exhibition. Folks can drop off their pieces at The Bridge or here at WTJU during the week of October 25th. Lots more information at TheBridgePAI.org.

The Charlottesville Black Arts Collective, through McGuffey Art Center, announces a call for artists for an exhibition, “Lay My Burdens Down,” to take place at McGuffey in February, 2022. The goal of this exhibition is to take viewers through a journey focusing on their interpretation of what it means to "Lay My Burdens Down" through various artistic mediums including visual art, performance art, and music. The theme is inspired by the popular hymn, “Down By The Riverside.” The application, along with more details can be found on McGuffey Art Center’s website McGuffeyArtCenter.com. The deadline to apply is Sunday, November 14th.

McGuffey Art Center in Chaelottesvlle announcea a First Friday opening on October 1st featuring three exhibitions that run from October 1st to November 21st. A Makers Show in the Smith Gallery, Life Drawings on the 1st Floor and Abstracts on the 2nd Floor. For more information, go online to McGuffeyArtCenter.com.

Haunted Stanardsville will take place this year on Saturday, October 30th from 4 to 10 p.m. The event will take place at Greene Commons, located at 40 Celt Road in historic Stanardsville, Virginia. Haunted Stanardsville is a free, family-friendly fall festival featuring something for every member of the family. Guests can enjoy games, crafts, inflatable attractions, a community costume contest, rides and amusements, free popcorn, a showing of Disney’s, Hocus Pocus, and haunted tours of Stanardsville. For more information, call 434-882-0099.

Shady Grove Baptist Church of Gum Spring, Virginia, invites you to their Family Country Fair on Sunday, October 31st, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The fun times will include a Family Costume Contest where family members dress up for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes and, of course, there will be food and games. Due to Covid considerations, you are asked to RSVP online at TinyURL.com/FamilyCountryFair or call the church at 804-556-3453.

Go green this Halloween and compost your pumpkin. The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority will host the 4th Annual Great Pumpkin Smash Composting Event at McIntire Recycling Center, located at 611 McIntire Road, on Saturday, November 6th from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Participants will be able to “smash” their pumpkins by dropping them into a large composting container. Pumpkin composting is free of charge and open to City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents. For more information, visit rivanna.org.

Common Ground, Charlottesville's community wellness center, has lots of new in-person yoga classes, community acupuncture appointments, and other healing activities--all on a pay-what-you-can basis. For more information and to register, go online to CommonGroundCville.org.

Literacy Volunteers is seeking tutors to assist adults in learning how to read, write, or speak English. Many students are refugees and immigrants trying to become integrated members of the community and you can have a part to play. The next tutor training will consist of 3 weekly 2-hour Zoom sessions on consecutive Tuesdays, beginning on November 2nd, the 9th, and the 16th, from 6 to 8 p.m. If you are interested in becoming a Literacy Volunteer or learning more call 434-977-3838 or visit literacyforall.org.

On Friday, October 29, 2-3 pm in the 

UVA Music Library—in the basement of Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia

Featuring Mike Rosensky's Tuesday Small Group.  The combo members are Michael McNulty – guitar, David Sun – piano, Ellis Nolan – bass, and Carl Hamilton – drums

The event is free and refreshments will be served. The combo will be masked per University COVID guidelines and guests are asked to wear masks as well.  For more information email Amy at ahunsaker@virginia.edu 

The Musica Sacra (MOO-seeka SAKE-rah) Virginia choir is hosting their first Masterworks concert on Saturday, October 30th at 3 p.m., at All Saints Anglican Church, on Ivy Road, Charlottesville. It will feature professional vocalists from around the region singing repertoire for All Souls Day. Visit MusicaSacraVirginia.org for ticket and other information.

You may not know the name, but you certainly knew his music. Steve Mandell is the 1973 Grammy Award winner for the infamous tune “Dueling Banjos” from the movie Deliverance. Common Ground on the Hill’s Steve Mandell Memorial Music Scholarship is intended to honor Steve’s memory and benefit those who want to enhance their music education in Folk, Bluegrass, Old Time and other Americana styles. Awards between $500 and $1,000 are made annually, or more often based on need and available funds, to music enthusiasts of all ages in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, for college, camp, or lessons. Deadline to apply for 2022 scholarship awards is December 31st. Go to CommonGroundOnTheHill.org/steve-mandell-memorial-music-scholarship to apply or to donate.

A play, She Echoes On the Vine, by local playwright Aiyana Marcus will be performed November 4th through the 7th by the Charlottesville Players Guild at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The play explores the journey of a dark-skinned Black woman to better understand the untold stories of her grandmother’s history in an effort to provide greater context, understanding, and strengthening of her own life experience. For more information, go to JeffSchoolHeritageCenter.org.

Every Brilliant Thing plays from Friday, October 15th through Sunday, November 7th, at Live Arts in downtown Charlottesville. Every Brilliant Thing is a humorous and uplifting solo show about depression and resilience where the audience becomes a part of the story. Visit LiveArts.org for tickets and information.