Here are some happenings for the first full week of April. If you’re missing local baseball, you can visit the Diamond for a pop-up market, and Virginia Commonwealth University hosts an outdoor play called “The Dentist” that probably won’t hurt a bit. Plus, there’s some colorful outdoor artwork lighting up Short Pump Town Center, the Virginia Holocaust Museum holds a virtual ceremony to commemorate Yom HaShoah, and a furniture and decorative arts sale takes place at the Ellen Glasgow House. Enjoy your week!
A Landmark Sale
Discover vintage and antique finds and tour one of the few remaining antebellum homes in Monroe Ward in downtown Richmond at Art Style Design Richmond’s multi-estate sale Thursday, April 8, through Sunday, April 11. The event at the Ellen Glasgow House — named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “In This Our Life,” who resided there from 1887 until her death in 1945 — features items from current owners Jack and Tricia Pearsall’s extensive furniture, art and decorative arts collections, along with items from other estates including traditional American and Continental furnishings, fine art, vintage and designer clothing, jewelry and accessories, plus a Parisian-style flea market outdoors.
—Susan Morgan, R•Home Managing Editor
Swing on By
The Richmond Flying Squirrels get back in the baseball business with a home opener at The Diamond on May 4, but you can take a trip to the ballpark for a pop-up of a different sort, a pop-up market, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 10. The market includes a bit of everything, from local artisans and crafters to food, brews and wine. The market will continue each Saturday in the Green Lot.
—Tharon Giddens, Lifestyle Editor
Visiting ‘The Dentist’
Crazy times can make for zany art, as exemplified by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Theatre’s first live production since February 2020, “The Dentist.” Playwright Terry Glaser brings an old form of comedy satire into the present April 8-11 and 15-16. The funny and fast threads are familiar: love, lust, fiendish plots and the inevitable collisions of characters. The 90-minute free production ventures into the outdoor VCU Park Plaza, an amphitheater adjacent to the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts. COVID protocols will be observed.
—Harry Kollatz Jr., Senior Writer
Holocaust Remembrance Day
On Sunday, April 11, the Virginia Holocaust Museum will observe Yom HaShoah, or Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a commemoration ceremony honoring the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust. The event will feature remarks from Jewish Community Federation of Richmond CEO Daniel Staffenberg and the presentation of the Carole Weinstein Prizes for Tolerance and Justice in the Visual Arts. This year’s keynote speaker is James Grymes, the author of “Violins of Hope: Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour,” a chronicle of the experiences of Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. Registration for the virtual event is suggested.
—Rodrigo Arriaza, Staff Writer/Assistant Editor
Taste the Rainbow
Short Pump Town Center’s art exhibition “Prismatica” is an immersive outdoor experience of glimmering, reflective color. Twenty-five towering prisms create a kaleidoscope of colors that morph as guests wander among them. Created by Toronto-based architectural and design studio Raw Design in collaboration with Montreal-based multimedia artistic design studio Atomic3, this traveling public art exhibition is located in the mall’s restaurant row near The Boathouse. Diners can enjoy a view from their tables. “Prismatica” is on display through April 27.
—Nicole Cohen, Special Projects Editor
Date at the Museum
In an encouraging sign that things are getting back to normal, this week The Valentine will lift its preregistration requirements and welcome back general admission visitors. This change coincides with today’s debut of Ms. Bee’s Juice Bar & Cafe in the museum’s garden with cold-pressed juices and smoothies and grab-and-go sandwiches and soups for lunch. And on Tuesday, April 6, the Wickham House reopens for tours. So, if an impromptu museum visit and al fresco lunch grabs your fancy, The Valentine has your back.
—Jessica Ronky Haddad, Editorial Director
Other Suggestions
- A Rolling Stones tribute concert comes to The Beacon Theatre in Hopewell April 10.
Cast Your Vote!
Voting is now open for Richmond magazine’s 34th annual Best & Worst survey! Support the businesses, events and neighborhoods you know and love by sharing your picks and enter to win prizes from some of the region’s favorites, including The Mill at Fine Creek and Fine Creek Brewing Co., WPA Bakery, AAA Flooring, and Papeterie. Voting continues through May 7.
River City Roundup is Richmond magazine's weekly compilation of the best things to see, do and experience in the region, compiled by our editors. Get each week's installment directly in your inbox every Monday by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
