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Arts Culture

Paramount exhibitions highlight historical inequalities

On the 60th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Paramount Theater launched a new exhibition series to draw attention to a painful period in United States history. The Third Street Box Office Project connects the theater to the work of acceptance, acknowledgment, and education around the legacy of racism and segregation in the city of Charlottesville, the South, and our nation as a whole. 

“The goal of the Third Street Box Office Project [is] to reimagine the space in a way that allows our community to take pause and understand the magnitude of the history of this space,” says the theater’s Executive Director Julie Montross. “To reflect on the past injustices that the Civil Rights Act was meant to address and to look forward and consider the tremendous amount of work that still needs to be done. Our goal was also to invite the community to take an active role in this exercise.”

The theater opened in 1931 as a segregated building that required Black patrons to use a separate entrance on Third Street, restricting them to balcony seating with access to concessions and restrooms separate from white patrons, who entered the theater with convenience from Main Street. 

Now, three local artists have been invited to mount work that initiates dialogue and fosters conversations around the past, present, and future of racial equality in our community. Each exhibition will run for three weeks, with Kori Price’s “Walking Dualities” on view from July 2–23, Tobiah Mundt’s “Shadows of the Past” from July 30–August 20, and Nick Brinen’s “Ascending Light” from August 27–September 17.

“I think the most important thing that I want to relate to people who come to visit the exhibition is the immediacy of the past and of history,” says Price. “It’s important that we keep around certain historical places and objects—like the Third Street box office—so that we can continue to bear witness to our city and country’s past of discrimination and inequality and understand that we have so much more work left to do.”

Unfortunately, an act of vandalism targeting Price’s artwork that occurred overnight between July 6 and 7 left “Walking Dualities” temporarily asunder. But the artist acted quickly, and in an inspired maneuver, she was able to reinstall the three photographic banners that comprise the exhibition with a nod to art history. In a social media post shared by the Paramount, Price explains, “It was important to me to repair and re-install my art as soon as possible and make sure that I didn’t hide the damage that had been done.” Inspired by the Japanese ceramic art tradition of Kintsugi, a method of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and gold or silver dust, Price applied gold leafing to the damaged areas, creating “a metaphor for resiliency, fortitude, and healing.”

The gold accents that now adorn “Walking Dualities” weave in notions of value, soft strength, and the beauty within perceived imperfections. Their contrast with the black and white images create points of focus without distraction. They acknowledge violence but rise above it. Price’s exhibition is as much an occupation of space as a reclamation of one. The figures in her photographs are in motion but remain unmoved. The artistic techniques of trompe l’oeil and forced perspective utilized by the artist to place these figures in situ invite viewers to see themselves in relation to the bodies within Price’s banners. Here, the artwork puts the onus of understanding into a corporeal state, where mind and body reconcile meaning.

To help facilitate its commitment to showcasing the visual arts, the Paramount consulted with its neighbor, the nonprofit organization New City Arts. Executive Director Maureen Brondyke says her organization helped with the “nuts and bolts” of putting together the open call for exhibition proposals for the Third Street Box Office Project, including collaborating on the timeline and logistics of the call to ensure support for artists who might apply. NCA and the Paramount also encouraged applicants to consider how to honor the legacies of Black patrons forced to use the Third Street entrance and what capacities the historic landmark holds for “truth-telling” and “reimagining.” 

The arts afford us opportunities to contextualize, recontextualize, and perform history in ways that break down barriers and connect individuals and communities across time and space. They allow us to be aspirational, reflective, and reflexive. The arts enable us to both effect and be affected—emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. These facets are at the heart of endeavors like the Third Street Box Office Project. As Brondyke affirms, “We believe that a vibrant community includes an abundance of arts and culture spaces, and that collaboration between these spaces creates a network of support needed for local artists to thrive and move our community toward a more just, beautiful future.”

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Arts Culture

Pick: This Much I Know To Be True

True companion: Andrew Dominik’s acclaimed 2016 documentary One More Time with Feeling followed Australian musician Nick Cave on an emotional journey of creation and loss when, during the recording of a new album with his band, Cave’s son tragically passed away. Dominik has reunited with Cave and Warren Ellis, Cave’s collaborator, for the companion film, This Much I Know To Be True, an optimistic and hopeful doc that captures the creation of their last two studio albums.

Wednesday 5/11. $13-15, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: Lindsey Buckingham

Going his own way: After 33 years with Fleetwood Mac, rock legend Lindsey Buckingham certainly needs no introduction. He’s still going strong as a solo act, and last year Buckingham released his self-titled seventh studio album, a pop-rock record with catchy drum loops and breathy vocals. Known for his complex arrangements, Buckingham is the sole instrumentalist on the album, playing guitar, keyboards, percussion, and more. Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, it’s short, but it sure is a good time.

Wednesday 4/27. $49.75-229.75, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: The Magnetic Fields

A way with numbers: Cult phenomenon The Magnetic Fields have been breaking the mold for three decades with records like 69 Love Songs, consisting of tracks that range from 27 seconds to five minutes, and 50 Song Memoir, which chronicles lead singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt’s first 50 years of life with one song per year. Merritt, who wears only brown clothing, is known for his deep voice, dark humor, and clever lyrics. The intimate concert also features band members Sam Davol, Shirley Simms, Chris Ewen, and Anthony Kaczinski.

Monday 4/11. $35-55, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: The Moth

Gather ‘round: A cowboy, a UVA professor, and an astronaut walk into a bar…or something like that. You never know who you’ll meet at The Moth, a live storytelling showcase that brings people from all walks of life together. The New York-based production’s events, workshops, podcast, and “The Moth Radio Hour” take you on an intimate journey through a stranger’s psyche in celebration of the diversity and commonality of the human experience.

Friday 3/25. $24.75-39.75, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: A Fairy Tale Gathering

Tiny dancer: Introduce your tots to the art of ballet at A Fairy Tale Gathering, an original production from Charlottesville Ballet that’s specially designed for children and their families. Join Fairy Godmother and her whimsical friends, played by local students, for an afternoon tea party with famous fairy tale characters, including Cinderella, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Little Red Riding Hood, all performed by professional company artists. The 45-minute production is followed by a special VIP Ever After Party, where kids can take pictures and dance with the cast.

Sunday 3/20. $15-49.75, 4pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: Gordon Lightfoot

Song and story: With a remarkable career surpassing 50 years, it’s safe to say that Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot is a living legend. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee has released over 21 albums, and had his songs recorded and performed by greats such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Barbra Streisand. In 2020, Lightfoot released Solo, his first studio album in 14 years. The record features Lightfoot with his guitar performing stripped-down and reimagined versions of forgotten songs he wrote before 2002, when he suffered from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Lightfoot will perform new releases alongside favorites from his vast catalog at an intimate show that includes behind-the-scenes stories and personal anecdotes.

Sunday 2/6. $49-74, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: The Wizard of Oz

Twenty-five cents, oh my!: There’s no place like…the Paramount! The historic theater is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a special offer—viewings of classic films for the price of a movie ticket in 1931. Up next: the beloved musical The Wizard of Oz. Featuring the award-winning “Over the Rainbow” and the cheerful “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” the movie follows Dorothy Gale and her motley crew as they journey down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City.

Sunday 1/16. 25 cents, 2pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: Dailey & Vincent

Screen to stage: Duo Dailey & Vincent have been performing their medley of traditional country, gospel, and bluegrass for audiences for over 10 years. Recently, Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s harmonies were broadcast nationwide on their weekly RFD-TV series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” which boasts five seasons. The Grand Ole Opry members will perform songs from their critically acclaimed albums Patriots & Poets and The Sounds of Christmas, their first holiday record, a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.

Sunday 1/9. $24.75-49.75, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Arts Culture

Pick: The Nutcracker

On pointe: Christmastime favorite The Royal Ballet’s HD broadcast of The Nutcracker follows Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker doll as they battle the Mouse King, journey through the Kingdom of Sweets, and dance with a delightful array of characters. Tchaikovsky’s beloved music accompanies Peter Wright’s production of the Russian classic.

Thursday 12/30. $11–15, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net