Crowds at previous spring Foxfield races have been around 25,000 people, but turnout was lower this year. Photo by Robert Llewellyn.
Off to the races
Every spring, college students and families flock to the track for the Foxfield Races. While patrons galavant through the fields and watch the occasional horse race, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad makes sure everyone stays safe. This year, C-VILLE tagged along with CARS for the festivities.
The day started early at the McIntire Road CARS station, with everyone in full motion at 6:45am. For Social Events Captain Nicole Post, planning began more than a month before the actual races. “I take inventory of what we used from last year, what’s going on, and make sure we’re doing all of our ordering,” she says. “We have a bunch of cards, a bunch of backpacks, a bunch of walking packs, so all of that has to be updated and stocked, all the expired stuff needs to be thrown out.”
The CARS squad headed out in a fleet of ambulances, trucks, and other EMS vehicles around 7:30am. After a pit stop at Chick-fil-A in the Mass Casualty Incident truck, we arrived at the racetrack, where the squad split up after breakfast briefings that included assignments for interior treatment center, ambulances, walking teams, and the exterior care center. This helps ensure that CARS can access and treat patients at any location.
After meeting up with Chief Virginia Leavell, I was given a highlighter-yellow CARS jacket and joined the gator teams in the interior treatment center. The gators—essentially souped-up golf carts converted into field ambulances—transport patients who can’t easily get to the main medical area on their own.
Despite the early morning rain and chillier-than-normal temps, the gator teams were quickly dispatched. Calls typically end with either no patient located or an intoxicated 20-something loaded onto the stretcher after a basic lookover. Unless something is wrong with a patient’s airway, breathing, or circulation, the person is immediately driven to the interior medical center.
“Those are like the three big things that are our top priority on every patient, the three things that we check first in all cases,” says Jaime Lear, one of the gator drivers who manned the MCI to and from Foxfield.
Once at the medical center, patients are assessed and treated as appropriate. Most people hang out in the tent for at least an hour, and the doctor on site approves each discharge. Anyone brought in for intoxication must pass a quick walking test before leaving.
“A vast majority of patients get treated and released from here,” says CARS medic Michael Chilmaid. “Usually each year a couple end up having to be transported to the hospital.”
“Normally if we’ve treated a patient, given them medications, or put [in] an IV, they would be going to the hospital, but here it’s a little different,” adds paramedic and training officer Jasmyn Powers.
Amid the chilly weather, CARS was less busy than usual this year, with 16 patients in the interior medical center all day and no transports to the hospital.—Catie Ratliff
Money moves
Albemarle County Public Schools adopted its operating budget for the 2024-25 school year on April 25. The budget comes in at $269.4 million, a $9.5 million increase from last year. Highlights include a 3 percent raise for all employees, an increase to the Academic Leadership Compensation Program, and the addition of five full-time equivalent positions to both the English Learner and Special Education program.
The wheel deal
Meals on Wheels Executive Director Hailey Peterson. Supplied photo.
Effective April 29, Hailey Peterson is the new executive director of Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle. Peterson started with MOW in 2021 as a volunteer manager, later serving as the organization’s assistant director and has been the interim executive director since September 2023. “I’m honored to continue my work with Meals on Wheels as the Executive Director,” Peterson said in an April 25 press release. “Having spent the past three years getting to know the volunteers, learning more about the organization, and better understanding the needs of our community, I’m looking forward to deepening our connection to our neighbors in need.”
Fire alarm
The Charlottesville Fire Department is investigating a fire at the University of Virginia Medical Center. The fire started at approximately 11:45am on April 27 in an inpatient room in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. A patient and a visitor were both treated for injuries, and the hospital returned to normal operations by the same afternoon. At press time, the cause of the fire is unknown.
Heather Rose teaches English and journalism at Lugo-McGinness Academy. Photo by Tristan Williams.
Nestled at the edge of the 10th and Page neighborhood, Lugo-McGinness Academy looks like a miniature version of a typical American high school. The alternative school is sandwiched between houses, standing out with its parking lot, two-building campus, solar panel-covered tin roof, and cyan columns that frame the main entrance.
Compared to Charlottesville High School, LMA is tiny—which is what makes it so special.
“It’s unique because it allows us to build a foundation for student relationships, being able to connect with our parents on an intimate level to address the academic, behavior, and social needs,” says Program Director and Principal Lamont Trotter. “Students have the opportunity to have a smaller academic environment where they can see success and feel success.”
Principal Lamont Trotter started with CCS in July 2023. Photo by Tristan Williams.
In addition to the Lugo-McGinness day program, the campus also hosts Charlottesville City Schools’ newest alternative program, Knight School, in the evenings.
Alternative education came into the local spotlight last fall, when student fights at Charlottesville High School prompted unexpected closures and the launch of Knight School. The new program is the first nighttime offering from Charlottesville City Schools, and joins LMA and Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center as major alternative programs available through the district. CCS also offers a program for patients at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital.
Each alternative education program has different offerings and enrollment methods, including referral and self-selection.
Along with sharing a building, Knight School and LMA have other commonalities aimed at helping students improve their relationship with school, academics, and attendance. Trotter and other faculty members pick up students in both programs to make sure transportation isn’t an obstacle.
“We’re dashing through the streets of Charlottesville picking up our young people for school,” says Trotter. “We want to make sure students are attending school. We want to minimize any barriers that may be provided. And so that’s something that we share at our orientation about transportation: if it’s needed, we can help provide that.”
Walking into LMA’s main building, students pass a reception desk and conference room before heading into a single hallway filled with classrooms. Situated on the back right is English and journalism teacher Heather Rose, who has been an instructor at LMA since February 2023.
Before starting at LMA, Heather Rose had never worked in alternative education. Photo by Tristan Williams.
Prior to coming to Charlottesville, Rose experienced burnout and contemplated quitting teaching. The tight-knit community at LMA convinced her she was in the right place and the right field.
“When you think of alternative education, you think of it as a punitive thing, and I think that sometimes alt-ed is used for that,” she says. “[But] the school culture here is really powerful in a positive way.”
Beyond her role as an educator, Rose says she and the rest of the LMA faculty “kind of all wear all the hats at times.” The small nature of the alternative school and its community—less than 40 students are enrolled in the day program—allows for not only individualized instruction, but closer relationships between students, their families, and faculty members.
Students are often already hanging out in Rose’s room when she walks in, working in comfy chairs and catching up with their classmates. One student, Tay, is sitting by the wall working on his Chromebook. After attending CHS for three years, the senior switched to LMA, and is now working toward graduation.
“Teachers [here] care about the students. They really care about you and they want you to learn. … Everybody just wants you to be great,” he says. “Before we get to work, [they] make sure you’re good.”
Rose’s class is informal, with students congregating around the room, chatting and mostly working at their own pace. Despite the laid-back atmosphere, coming to LMA has been a complete game changer for many students’ academic futures.
“I’m passing all of my classes, which is very surprising, because when I was at CHS, I was at risk of not passing all of my classes, I was at risk of failing,” says Jaylyn. “People here, they’re kind of friendly. They’re open about almost anything and they’re willing to sit down and help you.”
The small community at LMA has also helped students socially by removing some of the pressures and challenges of a bigger school.
In Heather Rose’s classroom, the cozy yellow chair next to her desk is a highly sought after seat. Photo by Tristan Williams.
As students mill around the cozy classroom, they talk to not only each other, but Rose and her student teacher, Laura Boyle. Classes average around eight to 10 students, with attendance ranging from two to six students, according to Rose. For many of the teens at LMA, the relationships with their peers and teachers are what keep them coming to class.
“I have people I can talk to … And places I can go when I’m not feeling comfortable here,” says Tam-Rah. “We don’t have to worry about walking around here, starting problems with anyone, cause no one here is rude and everyone here has good communication.”
While some of the students at LMA are at the program due to self-selection, others have been referred because of academic, disciplinary, or behavioral problems. Regardless of why the kids are at the school, every faculty member at LMA emphasizes how much all students benefit from the intimate environment.
“I think because of that we’re able to give so much more grace here,” says Boyle, who is in her final semester of a masters in education and wrapping up her time at LMA. (I know Boyle from a four-person seminar at UVA, but I didn’t know she was a student teacher at LMA prior to visiting.) “That focused attention and just a smaller environment, I think, has been so special and cool to watch.”
“Kids might be sent here because of a poor choice they made or poor behavior, or pattern of behavior. But when they walk through these doors, they’re not bad kids to us and we don’t treat them like that,” says Rose. “We don’t see that side of them for the most part, which is so encouraging.”
When students feel truly comfortable in a space or with a teacher, they occasionally lash out. It can be heavy for educators to process, but at the same time, Rose says she understands that it’s ultimately a sign of trust.
“We’re alternative, we’re [a] different dynamic for students that need it and they’re just able to be their best selves I think, and even when they’re their worst selves, there’s so much grace here,” says Rose. “There’s so much recognition of, ‘we see you where you are, but we are still gonna have expectations for you. And we still want to encourage you to grow. But we’re going to help you and support you to get there.’”
As the school counselor for LMA and Knight School, Aloise Phelps spends a lot of time working one-on-one with students. Part of her job is managing schedules, but an overwhelming majority of her time is spent on direct counseling.
“There’s a tendency to label kids as the ‘bad kids’ … but we have done such a good job at LMA of fundamentally believing that every single child is a good kid, and that they are having a hard time so their behaviors may exemplify that in some way,” says Phelps.
Working through trauma and its effects with students has been a large focus of Phelps’ first year at LMA—something she says is also common in her work with Knight School students.
Visiting Knight School, which launched in November, it’s clear students haven’t yet built the same bonds as their peers in the LMA day program, but the counselor and other faculty members are working to create a welcoming environment.
Three students were in Melvin Grady’s math class when I visited Knight School. Unlike the day program, the students mostly kept to themselves, but they participated when prompted.
“At bigger schools, students can roam around, not go to school, be in class unnoticed,” says Grady. In the intimate setting of LMA and Knight School, the math teacher has more ability to provide individualized instruction and help students when they get stuck.
Across the hall, the kids are more talkative. It’s not immediately clear what subject is being taught or what work each student is doing, but the relationships that have made LMA’s day program so successful are being built.
Students routinely gather outside LMA for lunch and class activities. Photo by Tristan Williams.
“The last thing I do is teach math, first thing is to reach common ground. Still structured though, don’t get it twisted, I do expect certain things,” says Grady, who takes this approach with both his day and night students. “You’re not gonna disrupt the learning environment, then you have to go. But other than that, they recognize the caring and the realness.”
While the program was launched in the wake of the unexpected closure of CHS last fall, Knight School is something Superintendent Royal Gurley was already aiming to bring to CCS. Gurley has a background in alternative education, and was involved in the launch of a night program in his former district. Part of the draw of Knight School is the timing, but similar to LMA, the superintendent and program leaders are working to build community through one-on-one instruction and a smaller environment.
Whether it be LMA, Knight School, or CATEC, Gurley emphasizes the importance of having options for kids other than a traditional learning experience.
“People think that alternative education is where you dump kids, where you leave kids, where you give up on kids, where you just move everything you don’t want to deal with, you just move it to alternative education,” says Gurley. “What we have done as a school system … to say that we are where kids get their hope from, that they can be anything that they want to be, that we will work with any type of student and we will accentuate the best in any student.”
“We do not work from the deficit mindset, when we’re talking about students. We’re only seeking the best, there is good in everyone,” says Gurley. “Students can be successful when they have a space to be successful. And sometimes it’s just that the high school, which is a great high school, is just not the space because it’s too big. It doesn’t work for every child.”
Mythical monsters roamed the University of Virginia on the evening of Friday, April 26, when the SW2 Festival of the Moving Creature brought a parade of puppets to Grounds. The magical menagerie was comprised of art pieces designed, constructed, and operated by the university’s Art of the Moving Creature class, and honored festival namesakes Stan Winston, a Hollywood special effects artist and UVA alum, and the late Steven Warner, a longtime professor of the class.
Following accusations of hazing, the University of Virginia suspended the fraternal organization agreements of the Theta Chi and Sigma Alpha Mu fraternities and terminated the FOA of Pi Kappa Alpha (pictured).
Staff photo.
On April 18, 10 days after the termination of its fraternal order agreement with the University of Virginia, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity posted an unlisted video to its YouTube channel.
In the video, Justin Buck, the national organization’s executive vice president, sternly addresses his fraternity brothers.
“For the first time since March 1, 1868, Pi Kappa Alpha is without its Alpha chapter,” Buck says, referencing the organization’s founding at 47 West Range on the edge of Jefferson’s historic Academical Village, marking the UVA chapter Pi Kappa Alpha’s first (or “Alpha”) chapter. “The chapter [was] expelled from the University of Virginia for a minimum of 4 years … following the confirmed, detestable, and abhorrent hazing activities by individuals.”
Pi Kappa Alpha representatives did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
“The University found that Pi Kappa Alpha engaged in serious hazing behavior and decided to terminate the chapter’s fraternal organization agreement with the University,” says UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethany Glover via email. “In addition, the Policy, Accountability, and Critical Events (PACE) unit in Student Affairs initiated disciplinary action against individual students for their alleged involvement in hazing.”
Aside from Pi Kappa Alpha’s termination, two other fraternities had their FOAs suspended pending an investigation: Theta Chi and Sigma Alpha Mu. If the charges are validated and confirmed, it would be the first time both organizations have had their FOAs revoked.
It is, however, far from Pi Kappa Alpha’s first time in trouble, and that includes its Alpha chapter. The Cavalier Daily reported in 2022 that the university had terminated the FOA of both Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Nu in 2014, but they appealed the decision, and both frats were accepting new members in 2015. Glover did not provide a comment on the 2014 incident by press time.
The fraternity’s history of controversy goes back much further nationwide with over a dozen incidents reported in the last 20 years. As early as 1976, when a pledge at Texas Tech was killed by a train during a hazing activity described as a “scavenger hunt,” the fraternity has fought to keep itself on the straight and narrow—and not just for hazing. In 1988, a sexual assault was alleged to have occurred at the fraternity’s house on the campus of Florida State University. More recently, in March of 2021, the fraternity was again the subject of nationwide outrage when Stone Foltz, a pledge at Bowling Green State University, died due to alcohol-induced heart arrhythmia.
Details about the recent incident at UVA have yet to be released publicly, but thanks to Adam’s Law, named for Adam Oakes, a VCU student who died in a hazing incident in 2021, the university is legally required to post the details on its school website.
“Thanks to the transparency laws in Virginia, you’ll be able to read about [the incident] for the next 10 years on the University of Virginia’s website,” Buck says. “We will have a constant reminder of the embarrassment that these men have caused our fraternity. However, it will not be the names of these individuals who will be listed on this website, although they should be. It will be the name of our fraternity.”
Buck says the national Pi Kappa Alpha organization will seek civil litigation against the president and the leadership of its Alpha chapter for the “financial and reputational damages” caused by the incident.
Glover says the timeline for the release of the details in all three fraternity actions is in “the coming weeks.”
“The university does not tolerate hazing activity,” she says, “and we act quickly to investigate and pursue necessary disciplinary action when reports are made.”
According to Sunshine Mathon, “Permanent supportive housing is intended to be a permanent housing solution for folks seeking a permanent home.” Supplied photo.
Construction is on the horizon at Premier Circle. The former Red Carpet Inn was transformed into an emergency shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped nearly 100 people exit homelessness. The facility closed in June of 2023, leaving a gap in Charlottesville’s network of shelter services, but construction on the next phase of the project is expected to begin by the end of September.
Virginia Supportive Housing will start work on 80 units of permanent supportive housing at the site this year, followed by 40 to 50 units of low-income housing constructed by Piedmont Housing Alliance. The 80 housing units are slated to open in the first half of 2026, with the low-income housing expected to open two years after, in 2028.
The housing project has taken the combined effort of a number of cooperating partners. Piedmont Housing Alliance purchased the property in 2021 with a $4.25 million grant from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. A commitment of $700,000 from Albemarle County and $750,000 from the City of Charlottesville allowed Virginia Supportive Housing to begin construction this year.
Although Premier Circle initially was a low-barrier overnight shelter, the long-term goal has always been to transition the site into permanent housing.
“So the operative word is permanent,” says Sunshine Mathon, executive director of Piedmont Housing Alliance. “Emergency shelters really are that, they’re for emergencies. Permanent supportive housing is intended to be a permanent housing solution for folks seeking a permanent home.”
Permanent supportive housing is an approach to alleviating homelessness that falls under the housing-first model. The idea is that stable housing is the first requirement and foundation from which individuals can address other causes that may have led to a period of homelessness.
“It’s not a panacea for every person,” Mathon explains. “There are people for whom the PSH [permanent supportive housing] model won’t be the perfect fit, but it is widely regarded across the nation as the primary tool to provide that stepping stone for people to transition from being in an emergency context into longer term permanent housing.”
In its strategic plan to end homelessness, the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless says a lack of affordable housing is one of the primary problems in the community, and recommends new permanent supportive housing units as a solution.
As a long-term approach, permanent supportive housing is geared toward those for whom homelessness has been persistent, long-lasting, or recurring. Last year, on January 25, 2023, the area’s point-in-time count recorded 191 people experiencing homelessness in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. About a quarter of them (53) met the criteria to be counted as chronically homeless.
On its website, Virginia Supportive Housing says Premier Circle aims to functionally end chronic homelessness in the community. That means there would be enough housing units available for all of those who need one.
Numerically, while that goal seems within reach, things can be more complicated, and the need is often more than predicted. However, Virginia Supportive Housing does have a model to demonstrate the kind of impact this project can have. The organization also manages The Crossings on Preston Avenue. That 60-unit facility opened in 2012 and for the next four years there was a downward trend in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the area. The region’s PIT count reached a low point in 2016, with many pointing to The Crossings as a key factor.
Premier Circle hopes to repeat that success. The 80 units of permanent supportive housing will be studio apartments supported by a voucher system. People with vouchers pay 30 percent of their income in rent, allowing a sliding scale based on what individuals can afford.
“Our preference would be to lease to chronically homeless individuals first, those most likely to die on the streets,” says Julie Anderson, director of real estate development with Virginia Supportive Housing. “But also, we can lease to individuals who are experiencing sporadic homelessness as well as low-income individuals.”
Low-income apartments, both in the 80-unit development and the subsequent project, are separated into income brackets based on the area median income. There will be apartments reserved for incomes that are 30 percent of AMI and below, some for 50 percent, and some for 60 percent, with the aim that each of those brackets would pay no more than 30 percent of their income in rent. In Albemarle County, the median income for households is $97,708, according to data collected by the U.S. census.
The model also includes wraparound services for accessing other supports that residents may need, whether it’s acquiring disability benefits, medical support, substance abuse counseling, or reconnecting with family and friends. The building will have two case managers that residents can go to for help navigating the supportive services available.
“One thing that’s important is that our average length of stay is four to six years for everybody, although we don’t have a timeline, [and] residents can stay as long as they need to.” Anderson says. “Ninety-five percent of our residents don’t return to homelessness.”
Permanent supportive housing projects demonstrate a real and lasting impact, not just for those experiencing homelessness, but also for those at risk of entering homelessness. It’s a long-term safety net.
“This might seem obvious,” Mathon says, “but I think it’s important to state it. The solution to homelessness is homes. And sometimes we struggle, in our society and in our communities, to really make that direct line of association.”
When the City of Charlottesville served a stop-work order at 521 Park Plaza, it discovered that this one-and-a-half-story home had already been demolished.
Supplied photo.
The City of Charlottesville issued a stop-work order on Friday, April 26, at 521 Park Plaza in the North Downtown neighborhood. When it served the document, the city discovered the three-bedroom house had been demolished.
At some point late last week, a yellow excavator smashed the one-and-a-half-story structure into pieces. City records listed the home, built in 1979, in excellent condition and without a basement.
The demolition took place despite the new owners having an approved building permit to proceed with a remodeling.
Carrie and Benjamin Yorker bought the property last August for $705,000. The house had been assessed in 2023 at $459,800, and that climbed to $677,700 this January. The home first sold in April 1980 for $59,000.
Benjamin Yorker is a development partner with the Charlotte-based firm Northwood Ravin, and focuses on markets in the southern United States. He has two degrees from the University of Virginia, including a master of business administration from the Darden School of Business.
The city issued a building permit for “interior renovations” on March 19 at what documents describe as Yorker Cottage. Sage Homes LLC is named as the contractor, and “remodel” was listed as the description of the work, with an estimated cost of $550,000. The plans clearly show the structure was to be remodeled, and there is no hint that demolition was pending.
The property is within the Residential-A zoning district, which means three new units can be built on the 0.11 acre lot under the new zoning.
City code defines demolition “as the razing of any structure above the existing grade, or the demolition of any structure below the existing grade.”
Neighborhood Development Services requires a permit for partial or full residential demolition, but it is unclear from the code what the penalty is if someone does not submit one. The cost to apply for a permit ranges from $75 to $1,500, depending on the permit.
The home at 521 Park Plaza is not within the jurisdiction of an architectural design control district, so permission from the Board of Architectural Review was not required. Penalties are much more severe for removing such a structure without the city’s consent.
The city has issued demolition permits this year for 710 Lexington Ave. and 600 Altavista Ave. Requests to take down 1105 Grove St. in Fifeville and 612 Harris Rd. in Willoughby are still pending, while another, 1003 Carlton Ave., is listed as “closed,” meaning the permit was rejected. (The demolition of this structure would allow Riverbend Development to construct a 130-unit condominium complex.)
“The demolition permit informs utilities and other service providers that all services must be disconnected,” says Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement. “The permit is not issued until those groups sign off that it is complete.”
Schneider also says the permit ensures that any hazardous materials, such as asbestos or lead paint, will be mitigated in the removal process. Coordination with erosion and sediment control takes place at this stage.
Anyone who takes down a building outside a historic district without permission must pay the $150 stop-work fee (this is charged per day that work continues without permit), pay double the demolition fee, and resolve any other site issues before new applications can be processed.
At press time, the Yorkers had not responded to a request for comment.
Dean Dass at Les Yeux du Mond. Photo courtesy of the gallery.
The Center at Belvedere 540 Belvedere Blvd. “Flowers Interpret Art,” a collaboration between Fluvanna Art Association, BozART, and the Charlottesville Garden Club. Live floral arrangements inspired by and displayed with paintings in various mediums. May 15–18.
Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. In the Micro Gallery, “Color as Air,” Lucy Farley Coates’ watercolor paintings capture the fleeting beauty and scent of flowers. Through May. In Vault Virginia’s Great Hall Galleries, David Copson’s “Events from the Ultima Thule,” and Ann Cheeks’ “Moving Through Infinity” continue. First Fridays reception at 5pm.
City Clay 700 Harris St. #104. The annual City Clay Garden Sale and Show, featuring ceramic pottery by various artists. May 10–11. Opening reception Friday May 10 at 5pm.
The Connaughton Gallery McIntire School of Commerce, UVA Grounds. “Virginia is for Artists,” paintings and prints by Uzo Njoku. Through June 14.
Jane Goodman at Crozet Artisan Depot.
Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet. “Wild Thing—They Make My Heart Sing,” hand-crafted ceramic jewelry by Jennifer Paxton. “Made in the Garden,” landscape and still-life painting by Jane Goodman. Through May 31. Meet the artist event on May 11 at 11am.
C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Mandala Magic,” geometric compositions by Rucha Shevade. Through May 31. First Fridays reception at 5pm.
Dovetail Design and Cabinetry 1740 Broadway St, Ste. 3. “TWEETS,” acrylic and watercolor works by Matalie Deane and Juliette Swenson. May 8–June 30. Reception May 23 at 5pm.
The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd. “Structures,” a selection of 20th- and 21st-century artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, and the Charlottesville Indigenous Art Takeover.
Infinite Repeats Studio 1740 Broadway St. “Show Screenprints,” by Ron Liberti features posters documenting the artist’s involvement in the independent music scene. Through May 31. First Fridays reception and live printing demonstration at 6pm.
Lisa Waup at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA 400 Worrell Dr. The Charlottesville Indigenous Art Takeover. “Shifting Ground: Prints by Indigenous Australian Artists from the Basil Hall Editions Workshop Proofs Collection,” curated by Jessyca Hutchens, featuring work by 22 Indigenous Australian artists. Through October 6. “Close to the Wind,” prints, installation, and mixed media works by Lisa Waup. Through June 30.
Dean Dass at Les Yeux du Mond.
Les Yeux du Monde 841 Wolf Trap Rd. “Passenger Manifest,” oil paintings, collage, and works on paper by Dean Dass. Through June 30. Opening reception May 4 at 4pm.
Sofia Smith at McGuffey Art Center.
McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Smith Gallery, “Treelines,” drawings and photographs by Bob Anderson and Scott Smith. In the First Floor Gallery North and Second Floor Galleries, artworks from area high school students. In the Second Floor Gallery South, Joe Sheridan, an artist exploring everyday objects as symbols. In the Associate Gallery, “Myths”. Through June 2. First Fridays reception at 5:30pm.
New City Arts 114 Third St. NE. In the Welcome Gallery, “Nhớ,” an all-consuming, immersive installation made of sewn and embroidered structures by Phượng-Duyên Hải Nguyễn. Through May 30. First Fridays reception at 5pm, artist talk at 6pm.
Phaeton Gallery 114 Old Preston Ave. Downtown Mall. “Albemarle in Bloom: A Springtime Trilogy,” with oil paintings by Karen Blair, Laura Wooten, and Priscilla Whitlock. Through May 8. First Fridays reception and oil painting demonstration.
The PVCC Gallery V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. The 2024 Student Art Exhibition, celebrating the accomplishments of student artists from the latest academic year. Through September 7.
Kiki Slaughter at Quirk Gallery.
Quirk Gallery 499 W. Main St. Kiki Slaughter’s “Twenty Years” presents a look into the process the artist has honed over two decades of active painting. Through June 2.
Random Row Brewing Co. 608 Preston Ave. “Landscapes: Here and There,” oil paintings and pastel works by Julia Kindred. Through June 28.
The Rotunda UVA Grounds In the Upper West Oval Room, the Charlottesville Indigenous Art Takeover. “Waŋupini: Clouds Of Remembrance And Return,” works featuring depictions of clouds by various artists. Through July 7.
Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. In the Main Gallery, “Jac Lahav: Foster Paintings.” In the Dové Gallery, “Leisure Suit” by Lou Haney. Through May 24. First Fridays events at 5:30pm.
Studio Ix 969 Second St. SE. “MODERN GRAFFITI,” interpretations of graffiti in fabric and thread, by the Fiber and Stitch Art Collective. Through May 26. First Fridays reception at 5pm.
Visible Records 1740 Broadway St. “Ngasundiera Naxin: A Fragment of the Cosmos,” works by indigenous Mexican artist Filogonio Naxín. Through May 31.
Swinging into town for an exceptional sonic experience, The Howard Levy 4 brings pep to your step with bouncy compositions saturated with blues riffs, jazz runs, and world music sensibilities punctuated by blistering diatonic harmonica. Scorching solos showcase each member’s considerable skills, from the bumping bass and drums, to the trilling guitar and harmonica. The depth, richness, and variety of tones achieved by Levy mark him as a true virtuoso, and his backing band of powerhouse musicians matches his fervor with raucous results.
Promoting her new album Polaroid Lovers, four-time Grammy Award-winner Sarah Jarosz performs an evening of new music tied to old memories. Simultaneously nostalgic and current, Jarosz ruminates on the mundane yet magical moments that shape a life. Her contemporary Americana stylings are injected with infectious pop-rock motifs and Southern inflections. Following the lineage of artists like Sheryl Crow and Jewel, Jarosz’s earnest delivery and relatable lyrics prompt a trip down memory lane, with all the twists and turns of growing up creating the view along the way.
Monday 5/6. $25–75, 7:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
Magically merging the elements of orchestral arrangement, incredible costuming and stagecraft, and an ensemble of unforgettable characters, Charlottesville Ballet presents Snow White. This Family Series ballet, based on the beloved Grimms’ fairy tale, brings youth and adult dancers together to tell the classic story of jealousy, love, and friendship. Witness a beautiful princess strike up unlikely alliances with woodland creatures and seven diminutive miners, while an evil queen uses a magical mirror to follow her every move, waiting for the moment to strike. Also, a prince shows up at some point.
Saturday 5/4. $20–75, 11am and 3:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
