“Stump”
Candela Books and Gallery
Sept. 2-Oct. 22
With the presidential election approaching and the nonstop media attention, it’s surprising that more local galleries aren’t devoting exhibitions to politics. “Stump” features work by seven photographers who critically engage a series of hot-topic debates, as wide-ranging as immigration and national security. Maybe the exhibition will spur conversations that focus not on polarities but rather common-ground, common-sense dialogue about the relevant issues in national and local politics.
“Romare Bearden: Vision and Activism”
Black History Museum of Virginia and Cultural Center of Virginia
Sept. 13 – Dec. 13
For its inaugural fall season, the Black History Museum of Virginia will display a traveling exhibition, organized by the Romare Bearden Foundation, of the black artist’s collages, lithographs and other works on paper. Bearden, who died in 1988, is considered a pivotal figure in art history, along with other black artists such as painter Jacob Lawrence and photographer Gordon Parks.
“Volume”
Quirk Gallery
Oct. 6-Nov. 13
Curated by artist Leigh Suggs, “Volume” pairs work by nine female artists around the color pink. Almost all of the artists are associated in some way with Virginia Commonwealth University’s craft and material studies department, which is headed by the internationally acclaimed artist Sonya Clark. But don’t expect functional craft objects — rather, many of these artists are critically interrogating the term “contemporary craft.”
“Sasha Waters Freyer, Afraid of Everything”
ADA Gallery
Oct. 6 – 29
For a month, ADA Gallery will present an exhibition of short films by the moving-image artist Sasha Waters Freyer, who also is chairwoman of the department of photography and film at Virginia Commonwealth University. “I just wanted to do something different,” gallery owner John Pollard says. “I like to keep people guessing with the exhibitions I put together.”
ArtoberVA
Various Locations
Month of October
Sponsored by Culture Works, ArtoberVA is modeled after Artober Nashville, which since 2011 has devoted the month of October to promoting dance, theater, music and visual arts. What better invitation to find an event, see an exhibition, or experience something new?
Current
Scott’s Addition
Oct. 20-23
Richmond gets an art fair. Caroline Wright, fair coordinator and gallery liaison, describes it as “a grass-roots, shoe-string operation. We want to attract new people who have been curious about the gallery scene in Richmond — those who haven’t walked into one.” A weekend-long event aimed at cultivating younger buyers, Current will feature booths by 1708 Gallery, ADA Gallery, Candela gallery, Glave Kocen Gallery, Page Bond Gallery, Quirk Gallery and Reynolds Gallery.
InLight
Scott’s Addition
Nov. 11
It’s art! It’s a party! In its ninth year, InLight has returned to its original one-night format, but this time in Scott’s Addition. As in the past, it will include performance, sculpture, video, and interactive projects, and begin with a community lantern parade. InLight began in 2008 as a celebration of 1708 Gallery’s 30th birthday. Next year, 1708 turns 40 and InLight hits a decade: The celebration should be epic.
“Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life”
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Nov. 12-Feb. 20
Organized by John Ravenal, the executive director of the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts, this exhibition considers the unlikely connection between two art-world heavyweights. It promises to be art-historically astute, with Yale University Press publishing the accompanying catalog.
