Author: Maeve Hayden

Art conservator Scott Nolley is breathing new life into “Untitled,” American artist Joan Mitchell’s seminal painting at The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA—and you can see it happen live. Nolley, who is head conservator at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, is slowly peeling away layers of settled dust and other accumulations to reveal the abstract painting’s true colors and forms. Swing by the gallery September 21–22, 29–30, and October 12–13 to see Nolley in action, chat with him while he works, and tour the “Processing Abstraction” exhibition, which also includes Mitchell’s “Neige,” which Nolley recently finished conserving. The Fralin also hosts Nolley for two gallery talks on September 22 and 30. uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu

Step into a world of sawdust and swinging axes at the Devils Backbone’s Lumberjack Classic, two days of extreme timbersports, live music, food vendors, and family-friendly fun. Lumberjill Hanna Quigley is one of the competitors who’ll be racing to start her chainsaw and notch some wood in disciplines like underhand chop (imagine chopping through a tree that’s a foot across in seconds) and the stock saw (using a chainsaw to make precise cuts in a log). The free event is held September 15–16 at Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows. dbbrewingcompany.com/events

Name: Hanna Quigley.

Age: 25.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers.

Hometown: Honeoye Falls, New York.

Job: Landscape designer.

How did you get into timbersports: I didn’t make the cut for the volleyball team or the wind ensemble upon tryouts in college, where SUNY ESF students had to compete against SU students in New York. I hoped to continue with sports and extracurricular activities. My friend signed me up for the Woodsmen Team at the club activities fair, mainly as a joke after we saw a “firebuilding event.” But as I joined the team, made friends, and learned the events, I came to enjoy how challenging the sport was and wanted to continue further with it.

What’s something about timbersports that people would be surprised to learn: Timbersports is a global sport that started in Australia. Many of the most talented athletes in the sport live in Australia and have passed their knowledge down through multiple generations. Several competitors worldwide travel there to compete against these athletes to learn and improve their technique.

What disciplines are you competing in at the Devils Backbone’s Lumber­jack Classic: All the women’s events are offered to the athletes, including the standing block chop, underhand chop, single buck, jack and jill sawing, and stock saw. My best events are the standing block and the single buck.

What’s your favorite discipline: My favorite discipline is the underhand chop. While it is the event that I am slightly behind the field at, it was the event that got me hooked on the sport back in college, and with it being one of the first women’s events, it’s one of the most competitive and most rewarding to perform well at.

Do you have a favorite wood to chop into: About a year ago, I would’ve told you my favorite wood to cut was aspen. That was mostly because to cut the wood well, it isn’t necessarily about pace; it’s about the placement of the axe and the slope at which the axe enters the wood. However, more recently, I’ve enjoyed cutting pine because with improved accuracy, I’ve been able to speed up my hits and race more effectively.

How fast can you cut down a tree: My fastest time in the standing block chop (which mimics tree felling) is about 24 seconds—I hope to beat that this weekend!

Who is your hero: My hero is Tia-Clair Toomey, six-time fittest woman on earth (CrossFit).

Best advice you ever got: Think about one thing going into each event; it’s too hard to handle more than that. Other improvements will come in time.

Proudest accomplishment: World title standing block at the Hayward Lumberjack Championships.

Describe a perfect day: A fall day out on a hike, training in the backyard, and hanging out with my dog.

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: A cardinal.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: A private jet, a house, and to make enough money to live comfortably and solely compete in timbersports.

Do you have any pets: Mini Bernedoodle—Elouise.

Favorite movie/show: “Ted Lasso.”

Favorite book: Jane Eyre.

What are you listening to right now: Imagine Dragons.

Go-to karaoke song: “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Who’d play you in a movie: Jennifer Lawrence.

Celebrity crush: Ian Somerhalder.

Most used app on your phone: Pandora Music.

Last text you sent: Video of woodchopping.

Most used emoji: Crying laughing face.

Subject that causes you to rant: Transgender women in sports.

Best journey you ever went on: Study abroad in Barcelona, Spain.

Next journey: Tasmania Christmas Circuit.

Favorite curse word: F-bomb.

Hottest take: Pineapple and ham on pizza.

What have you forgotten today: How to draw my lines in a standing block (jetlagged and just got back from a trip to Australia!).

For a week and half every September, the sounds of sweet strings, alluring woodwinds, and elegant piano fill the air when the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival comes to town. Now in its 24th year, the festival is helmed by co-founders and artistic directors Raphael Bell and Tim Summers. The dynamic duo curate festivals with impressive rosters of musicians, varied repertoires, and unconventional settings in an effort to introduce chamber music to new audiences. Bell and Summers also perform at this year’s festival, which includes concerts at The Paramount Theater, Second Street Gallery, Old Cabell Hall, and Christ Episcopal Church. cvillechambermusic.org

Name: Tim Summers.

Age: 51.

Pronouns: Yes.

Hometown: Berlin, Germany.

Job: Musician.

What can we expect from this year’s festival: Scope. And some remarkable performers.

What are you most excited about in this year’s festival: The breadth of it—but especially the smaller end, where people just play stuff. 

Favorite local restaurant: Bodo’s.

Who is your hero: Chewbacca.

Best advice you ever got: Put your name on your paper. I still haven’t learned to follow it.

Describe a perfect day: Morning smells good; midday is talkative;
dinner is grilled; sleep is cool.

What’s something about yourself that people would be surprised to learn: I have been working a lot in spatial audio for VR.

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: A cloud.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: Ripe melon, basil, clean energy.

Most embarrassing moment: Leaving the music backstage. It still hurts.

Favorite movie and/or show: Lately I find myself thinking about 2001 a lot. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

Favorite book: The Leopard. 

What instruments do you play: Violin, viola, mandolin.

Favorite piece to play: Bach D minor partita, BWV 1004.

What is music to you: Some pure form of memory. A lot of dimensions piled into a pile. An opportunity to move smoothly.

Favorite musician: The people I play with, almost any time. We’re all figuring it out.

What are you listening to right now: Aaron Diehl.

Who’d play you in a movie: Meryl Streep.

Most used app on your phone: Podcasts.

Last text you sent: “Still here… many things solved… need still
to synch…!”

Most used emoji: 

Subject that causes you to rant: Political epistemology.

Best journey you ever went on: Lofoten Islands.

Next journey: Japan.

Hottest take: What sort of mad person would voice an unpopular opinion in a public forum without a pressing need to do so, in the digital age?

What have you forgotten today: The list of things I was supposed to remember.

Whatever the occasion—a morning commute, an all-night study sesh, or Sunday brunch—WTJU has the radio hour you need. The station was founded in 1955, and today Lewis Reining is one of the producers who helps keep the music playing and the conversation flowing. Reining, who’s been with the station for over a decade, was recently named one of 22 rising stars in public media by national news source Current. Reining was recognized for the impact he’s made at WTJU, and his hard work, which has directly contributed to the station’s growth. Tune in at wtju.net

Name: Lewis Reining.

Age: 33.

Pronouns: He/him.

Hometown: Seoul (birthplace), Purcellville (grew up).

Job: Producer & operations director (i.e. keeping the station running).

First job: Language practice assistant with Rosetta Stone’s online courses.

Worst thing about living here: Housing.

Best thing about living here: The people.

Favorite restaurant: Doma.

Where do you start and end a night out: The apartment, a real homebody.

Who is your hero: Anyone who does something creative and puts themselves out there.

Best advice you ever got: Be curious.

Proudest accomplishment: Being part of WTJU’s growth this last decade.

Describe a perfect day: Eat a curry croquette, play games with my partner, read xianxia, check email and phone at midnight to find no fires or problems.

What’s something about yourself that people would be surprised to learn: Published author (piece on experiences as Korean adoptee in Seoul).

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: Shiba inu in a loving family with a huge yard.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: Politicians with a non-theistic moral compass, living wage, just justice system.

Do you have any pets: None, hope to have some again someday soon.

Most embarrassing moment: Slid down my back porch when I was a kid and got a splinter in my butt, had to go to the E.R.

Favorite movie and/or show: “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”

Favorite book: So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane.

What is music to you: Another sense, another way of seeing the world and ourselves.

Favorite musician: Recently, Willi Carlisle.

What are you listening to right now: “Nobody” by The Crane Wives (Dogtown Studio version).

Go-to karaoke song: “Congratulations” by Eric Nam.

Favorite radio show: “World Turning.”

Favorite radio personality: Ed Walker.

How was your first time on air: Exhilarating and easier than I imagined.

Who’d play you in a movie: Marutaro.

Celebrity crush: Sa-Roc.

Most used app on your phone: Milanote.

Last text you sent: “Yup we can do thay”

Most used emoji: :3

Subject that causes you to rant: Health care or video game monetization.

Best journey you ever went on: Study abroad to Seoul, South Korea.

Next journey: Starting a radio drama-centric YouTube channel.

Favorite word: Solid.

Hottest take: In certain professions like radio, where someone is always on or broadcasting, 9-5/hard blackout times aren’t viable.

What have you forgotten today: To unfreeze fish for dinner. Again.