Community Calendar

Jake McCord, a self-taught artist from Georgia, frequently said that making art was something he did “just for fun.” He lived and worked alone and considered his art to be “company” – Once a painting was complete, McCord would install it on his front porch to share the work with the community, engaging passersby and sparking conversation.

McCord’s works are products of his imagination and his unique vision of the world. Looking at his paintings is an invitation to enter McCord’s lively and colorful world and a reminder that anyone can express themselves through creating art. "Jake McCord: Jolly Company" is on view at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum August 13 – November 14, 2026, and is on loan from Chris Ross and Traveling Art Exhibitions. Please go to Hollins.edu/Museum to find our open hours!

Please also join the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum for a community workshop inspired by McCord's paintings on Friday, October 23rd from 2-4 PM on the front plaza outside the museum.

Image Credits: Jake McCord, "Untitled (Purple Dog with Ball)," 1998. House paint on found wood, 20 x 15 inches. © Private Collection.

"No Excellent Beauty: Disability Aesthetics" is a two-person show that features the work of photographers Kristen Olinger and Michael Van Huffel. Both Olinger and Van Huffel work in the medium of digital photography to engage in self-portraiture as a means to process living with late onset chronic illness and disability. Neither artist carries visible signs of their illness, which can make describing their challenges and experiences more difficult, but through their photographs they are able to make the unseen visible.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum has partnered with Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide braille printings of all text included in this exhibition, as well as Swell Touch prints of a selection of pieces for all to feel and enjoy.

Image Credits: Kristen Olinger, "Opulent Dolls," digital photograph, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.

Throughout October, there's plenty to see at Art Works. Explore six galleries, visit 82 working artist studios, and enjoy a full lineup of exhibits. Immerse yourself works by Sky Dai, Johnye Bennett, Lew Lott, Carol Gruppé and Unmask curated by Susan Vaughan. The All Media Show features art by local artists. The Bridge Project will continue exhibiting Nathan Hosmer Nevarez until November 30th.

Visit us Tuesdays through Sundays 11am- 5pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Convenient and free parking is available. Exhibits will remain on view through November 14th, 2026 (unless otherwise noted). Carol Gruppé will remain up until October 31st.

Marks of Memory examines time, data, ancestry, and personal experience through the work of three contemporary artists—Veronica Jackson, Annette Lawrence, and LaRissa Rogers—who question what stories get told, who gets remembered, and what data gets counted and recorded. Highlighting printmaking and patterning as physical processes and systems of communication, this exhibition explores how personal and collective histories are remembered, preserved, and disseminated.

Come learn the sport of rugby while getting fit and making great friends. All are welcome. No experience necessary.

Rural Idaho. Difficult Memories. An estranged father’s house to sell. From the acclaimed author of The Whale, Little Bear Ridge Road confronts issues as wide as galaxies and as intimate as family secrets.

After the death of his long-estranged father, Ethan returns to the tiny hometown he once escaped—only to find himself face to face with the only family he has left: his sharp-tongued, fiercely independent aunt. While cleaning up years of a failing family, the two are forced to confront old pain, unfinished conversations, and the orbit that keeps pulling them back to a place they want to leave.

At its core, Little Bear Ridge Road is a deeply human story about distance and return, silence and understanding, and the complicated ways families try—and sometimes struggle—to show up for each other, even when words fall short.

Performances on Wednesday (alternating 2PM and 7PM), Thursdays and Fridays (7PM), Saturdays (2PM and 7PM), and Sundays (3PM)

Ticket link: https://va-rep.org/events/little-bear-ridge-road/

Address: Virginia Repertory Theatre - 114 W. Broad St, Richmond VA
Phone: 804-282-2620

tickets@virginiarep.org

Series: Star City Series With a voice that’s raw, powerful, and unmistakably soul-stirring, Leela James has carved out a singular space in music where classic soul meets contemporary R&B. Since her breakout debut A Change Is Gonna Come in 2005, Leela has earned a reputation for blending deep, emotive storytelling with gritty vocals and timeless grooves. Influenced by legends like Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Chaka Khan, she channels the spirit of old-school soul while fearlessly pushing musical boundaries. ‍ Early in her career, she was honored by the legendary James Brown, who affectionately coined her “The Goddaughter of Soul,” recognizing her authentic voice and powerful connection to the roots of the genre. ‍ Ms. James has gone on to record and release seven LPs, delivering eight Top 20 R&B radio singles, including two Number One tracks on the Billboard charts. Her 2021 single “Complicated” topped the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart for three consecutive weeks in the summer of that year, solidifying her reputation as a force in contemporary soul. ‍ Her beloved ballad “Fall For You” is now considered a modern classic and was certified Gold in October 2022, surpassing 500,000 units sold. Over the years, her music—including hits like “Don’t Want You Back” and “Say That” featuring Anthony Hamilton—has become synonymous with passion, authenticity, and emotional honesty. ‍ In 2014, Leela won The Soul Train Certified Award, and in 2021, she garnered an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best R&B Collaboration. She earned another NAACP nomination in 2025 for her powerful single “Lookat Whatcha Done Now” featuring Kenyon Dixon, further cementing her role as a vital and enduring voice in modern soul.

Series: Star City Series With a voice that’s raw, powerful, and unmistakably soul-stirring, Leela James has carved out a singular space in music where classic soul meets contemporary R&B. Since her breakout debut A Change Is Gonna Come in 2005, Leela has earned a reputation for blending deep, emotive storytelling with gritty vocals and timeless grooves. Influenced by legends like Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Chaka Khan, she channels the spirit of old-school soul while fearlessly pushing musical boundaries. ‍ Early in her career, she was honored by the legendary James Brown, who affectionately coined her “The Goddaughter of Soul,” recognizing her authentic voice and powerful connection to the roots of the genre. ‍ Ms. James has gone on to record and release seven LPs, delivering eight Top 20 R&B radio singles, including two Number One tracks on the Billboard charts. Her 2021 single “Complicated” topped the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart for three consecutive weeks in the summer of that year, solidifying her reputation as a force in contemporary soul. ‍ Her beloved ballad “Fall For You” is now considered a modern classic and was certified Gold in October 2022, surpassing 500,000 units sold. Over the years, her music—including hits like “Don’t Want You Back” and “Say That” featuring Anthony Hamilton—has become synonymous with passion, authenticity, and emotional honesty. ‍ In 2014, Leela won The Soul Train Certified Award, and in 2021, she garnered an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best R&B Collaboration. She earned another NAACP nomination in 2025 for her powerful single “Lookat Whatcha Done Now” featuring Kenyon Dixon, further cementing her role as a vital and enduring voice in modern soul.

Since the early eighties, “1964”…The Tribute has been thrilling audiences around theglobe by taking them on journey through aquintessential moment in music history thatwill live forever.

Over twenty years of researching and performing have made “1964” masters of theircraft. They are hailed by critics and fans alike as THE most authentic and endearingBeatles tribute….whichhas earned them the distinction from Rolling Stone magazine asthe “Best Beatles Tribute on Earth”.

“1964” recreates an early ‘60s live Beatle concert with period instruments, clothing,hairstyles, and onstage banter with an accuracy that is unmatched.

“1964” is:

Mark Benson as John Lennon

Mac Ruffing as Paul McCartney

Tom Work as George Harrison

Bobby Potter as Ringo Starr

Live Arts presents COME FROM AWAY, October 23rd - November 15th. The award-winning, heartfelt true story is set in Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes were diverted one fateful Tuesday morning in September 2001. COME FROM AWAY is an uplifting reminder of resilience and humanity amid difference and fear. This poignant musical is directed by two-time “Best of CVILLE” winner Edward Warwick-White. Live Arts thanks their sponsors Janet & Charles Cheeseman, Marty Moore, Ronald Bailey & Pamela Friedman, and Cameron Mowat & George Worthington. Visit livearts.org for more. See you on Water Street!