Painting and Printmaking MFA Alumnus Eric Sall is having his second solo show at atm gallery. Since graduating from VCU Eric has been actively exhibiting internationally and this is just one of his many shows.

The atm gallery describes his exhibition this way “…[Eric] presents six paintings of varying size that express his continuation in exploring methods of painterly abstraction. Seductive surfaces formed by layering, carving, slapping, molding, and delicately placing paint on canvas construct intriguingly diverse and wonderfully cohesive compositions. Repetitious forms are coupled with meticulous patterns and decisive swoops of color, incorporating references to geometry, landscape, architecture, common objects and instances of memory. His manipulation of the surface creates an assemblage of spatial and figurative relationships that embrace and dissemble techniques of traditional abstraction and contemporary iconography.”

25 April – 4 May 2008
Opening Reception: Friday 25 April, 2008 5–7pm
Anderson Gallery
School of Arts
Virginia Commonwealth University
907 1/2 West Franklin Street
Richmond, VA
 804.828.1522

vcuarts Anderson Gallery presents:

MFA Thesis Exhibition (Round 1) April 25th – May 4th
MFA Thesis Exhibition (Round 2) May 9th – May 18th

The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition is the final requirement for students earning a master’s degree in the fine arts and design departments from VCU. The exhibitions provide a forum for emerging artists to display their work and give viewers a “preview” of new directions in the visual arts. Each of the participating artists will exhibit work that represents the culmination of their 2 year masters program in one of the following disciplines: Painting and Printmaking, Sculpture and Extended Media, Communication Arts, Crafts/Material Studies, Photography and Film, and Interior Design. “These exhibitions provide an excellent opportunity for viewers to invest in up-and-coming artists, as many of the pieces on view will be available for purchase,” remarks Amy Moorefield, Anderson Gallery Assistant Director and Curator of Collections.

The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition (Round 1) will be on display from April 25th through May 4th, with an opening reception Friday, April 25th at 5 p.m. The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition (Round 2) will be on view from May 9th through May 18th with a May 9th opening reception at 5 pm.

Off campus, MFA Sculpture and Extended Media candidates, Sami Ben Larbi, Lily Cox-Richard, David Grainger, and Eli Kessler, plan to exhibit their thesis work in an Annex Exhibition at 209 North Foushee Street May 2nd through May 18th. Opening receptions will be held on May 2nd at 6pm and May 9th at 7pm; both until 9pm (the latter following the MFA Round 2 Anderson Gallery reception from 5-7pm.)

Graphics MFA candidates will likewise be exhibiting in an alternate location. Thesis work by Can Birand, Christine Coffey, Ann Ford, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Will Pinholster, and Andrea Quam can be seen on the first floor of the new Main Street Building at 1509 West Main Street; opening May 4th with a reception at 7pm. The show will be on view until May 8th.

The public is invited to attend all receptions and exhibitions. vcuarts Anderson Gallery is free and open to the public. Operating hours are Monday – Friday 10 am–5 pm and Saturday and Sunday 1– 5 pm.  For more information, please call the Gallery at (804) 828-1522 or visit our website at: www.vcu.edu/arts/gallery

VCU Department of Interior Design
Master of Fine Arts Interior Environments Graduate Show

Thesis work from:
Kangana Bhatnagar
Ginny Brockett
Nicole Caccavo
Mindy Carter
Caroline Davenport
Gerardo Del Cojo
Lee Dijoseph
Sara Hillery
Veronica Ledford
Amee Ricketts Mungo
Sarah Nakfoor
Kate Oliver
Molly O’Saben
Melissa Pritcher
Rob Smith
Vanessa Vinsant

Opening reception: Friday April 25, 2008 / 5–7PM
Runs through May 1
Anderson Gallery 3rd Floor
907 1/2 West Franklin Street

Painting and Printmaking professor Reni Gower takes The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic to McLean, VA April 17–June 7, 2008 at the McLean Project for the Arts Emerson Gallery.

Opening Reception and Gallery Talk Thursday, April 17, 7 - 9 pm
Encaustic Workshop and Lecture by Reni Gower on Saturday, May 31, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.

McLean Project for the Arts
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, VA
(703) 790-1953 www.MPAART.org

Review by the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042401059.html
 
http://dcist.com/2008/04/24/the_divas_and_i.php

Photography and Film MFA candidate Richard Robinson’s photo of Randy Pausch featured in Time Magazine.

MATX student Jenn Figg has been awarded the prize for Best in Show at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia’s (CAC’s) 13th annual, juried exhibition.

The Department of Theatre presents

Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Music By John Kander
Directed by Mark Ramont
Choreographed by Patti D’Beck

“Wilkommen” to the Cabaret, sings the Emcee of the Kit Kat Club through painted lips, and we follow — into the decadent, provocative world of 1929 Berlin in this dazzling Broadway musical hit. Set in a time when political unrest racks Germany, its economy destroyed, and millions of unemployed roam the streets. Enter into this chaos an American cabaret dancer, working at the downtown “Kit-Kat Klub” where anything goes on the stage. Directed by award-winning Mark Ramont, the Associate Producer of Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC., Cabaret is alive with many memorable songs, including “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round” “Cabaret”
“Willkommen” and “Two Ladies”. This Tony Award winning musical is electric with breathtaking dancing, and a provocative undercurrent.

Performances of Cabaret are April 10-12 , 17-19 & 24-26 at 7:30 pm April 13, 20 & 27 at 3:00 pm
High School Matinees are at 10 am: Wed. April 9 • Tues. April 15 • Wed. April 16

Ticket prices are $20 for general admission, seniors; VCU faculty and staff $18; VCU students with valid ID $8; other students with valid ID - $18; groups of 20 or more $18 per person; and can be purchased at the Hodges Theatre Box Office, Singleton Performing Arts Center, or reserved by calling 804.828.6026 or by emailing theatretix@vcu.edu.

More information: Department of Theatre

On Friday April 25th 2008 the Department of Photography and Film 1st year grad students will present their Candidacy show and exhibition. The reception will be held at Plant Zero, located at 0 East 4th Street, Richmond, VA 23224 from 6–9p.m.  The show will highlights the talents of the MFA candidates Hassan Pitts, Nia Burks, Jennida Chase and John Hendershot.  The show promises to span the scope of photography, video, and sound installation. The exhibition will run from Friday April 25th through Saturday May 3rd.

On Tuesday, April 15, the VCU Jazz Orchestra I will welcome guitarist, composer, and bandleader Anthony Wilson. The concert begins at 8p at Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall ($5 public, free to VCU students with ID). The concert will include works by Wilson as well as Mercer Ellington, Allen Gray, Victor Lopez, George Gershwin, James Beard II, and Sammy Nestico.

Grammy-nominated guitarist/composer/arranger Anthony Wilson is one of the leading jazz musicians of his generation. He has recorded six solo albums since 1997, the most recent of which, “Power of Nine” (2006, Groove Note) was included in a roundup by _The New Yorker_ of the top ten jazz recordings of the year.

A sensitive and gifted accompanist as well as a formidable soloist, Wilson has been an indispensable member of Diana Krall’s band since he joined her in 2001 for a series of performances at Paris’ Olympia Theater that were collected on the Grammy-winning CD/DVD “Live In Paris” (Verve). Recent recordings and live appearances with Madeleine Peyroux, Al Jarreau, and Aaron Neville have served to spotlight Wilson’s growing artistry, musical flexibility, and improvisational authority. Bennie Wallace, Larry Goldings, Joe Henry, Harold Land, Chris Botti, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and his father — legendary composer/arranger/bandleader Gerald Wilson — are just a few of the well-respected musicians with whom Anthony Wilson has forged fruitful, lasting partnerships.

A skilled, inspired composer and arranger with a deep understanding of tradition and an equal willingness to take risks, Wilson won the Thelonious Monk Institute International Composers’ Competition in 1995, and has received numerous commissions for small- and large-scale original works. Every year since 2000, Anthony Wilson’s considerable talents as a “triple-threat” guitarist/composer/arranger have landed him at the top levels of all three of those categories in _Down Beat_ Magazine’s International Critics’ Poll. For more information, visit www.anthonywilsonmusic.com and www.myspace.com/anthonywilsonmusic.

Wilson will be leading various rehearsals and workshops at VCU during his three-day residency April 13-15. Make plans now to join the VCU Jazz Orchestra I and Anthony Wilson on Tuesday, April 15! Call (804) 828-6776, Monday through Friday, 2-4 p.m. to purchase tickets in advance and thus avoid any longer lines at the Box Office on concert night.