Current 2014

So, as some of you know I attended Raw:natural born artist / Current 2014 showcase last Thursday at The Hippodrome right here in RVA. It was a great event, I got a chance to meet some super dope artist, listened to some live entertainment (which was very eccentric to say the least), enjoyed a few cocktails and got a chance to catch up with a good friend of mine who was also in attendance! I know you all get sick of me saying this but I cant stress enough how important it is to support local events like this, by attending you not only support the artist but the venue as well, which we definitely need to see more of in Richmond! I truly was blown away by some of the pieces that were showcased during Current 2014, most of the artist were from RVA, they were young and full of creativity which was easily displayed through their pieces. I talked to several artist who blew me away when they informed me that they had only been painting for a few years! One of my favorite artist of the evening was Addie Rawr of Art and Ambition, her pieces caught my eye the second I walked into the venue! Her paintings were so colorful, bright, and full of life as you can see from the pics I captured below which truly do her pieces no justice! Hoping they bring Current back to Richmond next year and the event continues to grow!

Paintings by: Addie Rawr of Art and Ambition

Dopeness!

Instagram: @AddieRawrrr

Instagram: @blockzart

Paintings by: Brandon Mabry of BlockzsArt

An artist named Yemi did this piece she's orginally from Chicago, her paintings were amazing and she was super sweet! 

Painting by: Yemi 

Instagram:@tequil3sunrise

RAW:natural born artist

RAW:natural born artists

RAW:natural born artist Current 2014 showcase is coming to Richmond. I cant wait to attend this event tomorrow night at The Hipp, the event will be hosted by local Comedian Micah White, and will feature artwork from local artist such as Malik Banks, Addie Rawr, Blockzart and so many others. Fashion Designers, Make- Up Artist, and photographers will also be featuring their work. If you're a lover of art in any form, come out and support our local RVA artist. If you're not already familiar with RAW, they're an independent international art organization that hand selects artist to showcase their craft whether it be through visual arts, film, fashion, music, photography, hair and make-up along with other artistic avenues. I'm so excited that Current 2014 will be making a stop in my city, if you don't live in Richmond make sure to check out rawartist.org for more tour dates they will be stopping in ATL, Perth, London, NY and lots of other cities, please make sure you support this movement if they happen to stop in your city. Cant wait to see some of my RVA art lovers tomorrow night!

Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door.

The Hippodrome

528 North 2nd Street

Richmond VA

Showcase is from 7pm-11pm

RVA Fashion Week: Fall Fashion Weekend

To all my RVA folks, RVA Fashion Week is hosting its Fall Fashion Weekend this Friday and Saturday at Haxall Point! Things kick off  Friday night at 7pm with an Art and Jewelry Showcase featuring pieces from local artist/ designers. Saturday nights Designer Fashion Show begins at 8pm and will feature Fall Collections from 6 local designers. I cant stress this enough but please come out and support all of our local artist and designers here in RVA, Friday nights showcase is free people! So you dont have to spend a dime, come out support and network, its truly a great way to start your weekend!

I'll most likely be in attendance at Friday nights show, if you see me please come chat with me for a few! I love meeting my readers, I'm sure I'll be walking around enjoying a cocktail or two, hope to see you there! 

RVA Grooves: Chrisette Michele

 Last Friday kicked off the start of this Summers RVA Grooves concert series, Ms. Chrisette Michele was the first artist to grace The Hippodrome Stage, all I can say is that this woman put on a hell of a show! Of course I was already a fan of her music, the unique tone of her voice is simply beautiful! Her energy and aura are absolutely amazing, she has such a personable demeanor, which is one of the things I love about her. She sang lots of her classic hits like "Girlfriend", a snippet of "Aston Martin Music" and lots of other material from her previous albums. Throughout her entire set she interacted with the audience, told a few personal stories, and right when we thought the show was over she came back to the stage and began singing classic Jazz melodies like "God Bless the Child" then she began scatting, which at that point she blew me away! Chrisette Michele puts on such a great live show, this woman can truly sang, yes sang! The ambiance of The Hippodrome (which is one of RVA's most popular and historic theater's) makes it the perfect venue to host artist such as her, its intimate feel and classic vibe provide a great backdrop for musicians like Chrisette. Folks if you live in the Richmond area or surrounding cities please make sure you come out this Summer and support the RVA Grooves concert series! Artist such as El Dabarge, Raekwon of the Wu- Tang Clan, and Kelly Price will also be gracing The Hippodrome Stage. So come out enjoy some great food, a cocktail, and unwind its the perfect way to kick start your weekend.

Yours truly! 

Photos by: David Lowell

For more info on the RVA Grooves concert series check out rvagrooves.com

RVA Fashion Week!

RVAFW is literally right around the corner, all festivities kick off next week and I am super excited to be on board this year as one of RVA Fashion Week's badged bloggers! Whether you're an artist, designer, blogger or just simply a lover of fashion, please come out next week and support the fashion movement in RVA by attending some of RVAFW's many events. Attending any of RVAFW events will put you in the presence of some amazing individuals, I'm a huge fan of networking and I cant tell you the number of great people and contacts I've made by attending RVA Fashion Week events. See you there!

Art Works RVA!

So yesterday while I was out and about a friend and I decided to stop by Art Works, I was looking for a space to hold an upcoming event I'm having and wanted to see what they had to offer. Art Works is a super cute art gallery in RVA that local and upcoming artist host events and also display their pieces at, I love galleries like this that really put a big emphasis on supporting local talent! I love the fact that so many different types of art are displayed throughout the galleries its not just limited to paintings, as we strolled through the place we saw everything including clothing, jewelry, and some very unique life size pieces. A lot of upcoming artist rent out space within Art Works to actually do some of their paintings or whatever their actual craft is. Its such a refreshing space, and its always nice to see the creativity of another individual, I find it to be rather inspiring! Anyone who lives in or is from RVA knows that this is a small city, yet there are so many hidden gems throughout it that I feel people just don't take advantage of. Richmond is filled with tons of great galleries, museums, and unique eateries! The art scene here has really taken off over the past few years, with the emergence of social media, its a lot easier to stay in the know as to whats going on in the city. To all my RVA residents please make sure to go out and support local events and artist so that we can continue to build upon something that's refreshing and creative in this city! (I didn't bring my camera but I was able to get a few pics with my good old Iphone).

I absolutely love this piece, this artist has a studio within Art Works, I didn't write the name of the Artist down but I will definitely make sure I do the next time I'm there!

Such a beautiful piece!

If you're in the RVA area stop by Art Works and check out some amazing pieces!

Art Works 

320 Hull Street 

Richmond, VA 23224

Algebra Blessett at The ARTisan Cafe

Last Friday I attended a dope little event featuring Algebra Blessett at The ARTisan Cafe! This was my first time at The ARTisan Cafes' new location in Stony Point! While waiting for Algebra Blessett to perform, I made my way around the gallery and was immediatly drawn to an artist that was doing a live painting, which was amazing! Some beautiful handmade pieces also caught my eye, along with some great jewelry and natural hair and body products. The ARTisan Cafe is host to many handmade goods and clothing from local Artisans, so if you're in the Richmond area you definitely want to check them out! Now back to Ms. Algebra Blessett; she came out introduced herself and did a quick little QA with the audience! Her energy and aura are amazing, she has such an uplifting vibe which I really enjoyed. Her voice is absolutely beautiful, listening to her sing and play the guitar definitely put me in a zone. She sang lots of new material along with a few songs from past albums, the crowd was great and the setting was perfect for this type of Artist! If you're a fan of great music please support this sister and pick up her new album "Recovery", you can thank me later!

Host Jarrard Anthony and Algebra Blessett

DJ Mikemetic

Live @ The ARTisan Cafe featuring Algebra Blessett

Multi- Grammy Award Winning artist Algebra Blessett will be in RVA next Friday October 11th, 2013 at The ARTisan Cafe (9200 Stony Point Parkway #192A)! There will be a meet and greet along with a live performance, which you definitely wont want to miss. The event will be hosted by Jarrard Anthony and music will be provided by DJ Mikemetic. All my beautiful Richmonders please come out and support this wonderful event! An RSVP is required for entry, tickets can be purchased in advance, as there will be none sold at the doors! Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at vbmf.org.

ARTisan Cafe in conjunction with The Virginia Black Music Foundation Presents:

Live @ The ARTisan Cafe

featuring

Algebra Blessett

Friday October 11th, 2013

7pm-10pm

Must RSVP for Entry