The Works: The Fralin

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Thursday 12/8

outside

Veritas Illuminated. The grove and vines of Veritas winery come alive with sparkling holiday lights and decorations. $10-15, 5:15pm. Veritas Vineyards and Winery, 151 Veritas Ln., Afton. veritaswines.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art.

See listing for Wednesday, December 7. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Friday 12/9

music

Chloë Ester. The singer-songwriter performs with a full band, blending high-energy and heartbreak. Free, 7:30pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durty nellyscharlottesville.com Paulien Quartet. A blend of jazz and popular French music of the 20th century. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com The Slocan Ramblers. Award-winning bluegrass. $20-25, 7:30pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.org Watch The Fire. Performing live in The Chapel. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraft cider.com

stage

Elf: The Musical. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. $10-20, 8pm. Four County Players, 5256 Governor Barbour St., Barboursville. fourcp.org Matilda: The Musical. See listing for Thursday, December 8. $15-25, 7pm. Belmont Arts Collaborative, 221 Carlton Rd., Ste. 3. dmradventures.com Violet. See listing for Wednesday, December 7. $30-33, 8pm. Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. livearts.org

words

CreativeMornings with Chicho Lorenzo.

A breakfast lecture for the creative community. Free, 8:30am. Online. creative mornings.com

outside

Let There Be Light. An exhibition of light-centered artworks. Free, 6pm. PVCC’s V. Earl Dickinson Building, 501 College Dr. lettherebelightpvcc.com Playdates at the Playscape. BYO buddies and snacks and enjoy nature play. $20, 9:30am. Wildrock, 6600 Blackwells Hollow Rd., Crozet. wildrock.org Veritas Illuminated. See listing for Thursday, December 8. $10-15, 5:15pm. Veritas Vineyards and Winery, 151 Veritas Ln., Afton. veritaswines.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art.

See listing for Wednesday, December 7. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Double take

Femininity is explored through photography at The Fralin

STACEY EVANS

Sarah Maple’s Disney princess series is on view in “Power Play: Reimagining Representation in Contemporary Photography” at The Fralin.

By Lauren Dalban

arts@c-ville.com

The exhibition “Power Play: Reimagining Representation in Contemporary Photography” at UVA’s Fralin Museum of Art brings together the work of multiple female artists as they deconstruct and condemn classic presentations of feminine identities in popular culture.

From the first moment that museum-goers enter the exhibition, they are assailed by a motley of bright colors coming from the photographs, and the introductory text at the center of the display.

In the work of British artist Sarah Maple, the artist centers herself in classic Disney princess costumes, presenting these iconic female figures in contemporary leadership roles—Snow White as a football coach, Sleeping Beauty as a surgeon, Ariel as a CEO. Through this series, she criticizes the relegation of women to the domestic sphere, and combats patriarchal definitions of femininity.

The adjoining wall features innovative Atlanta-based artist Tokie Rome-Taylor. Her photographs spotlight young Black children dressed in rich fabrics, and sporting assortments of pearls and other accessories denoting extreme wealth. The photographs feel reminiscent of Renaissance paintings of wealthy European women from prominent families, while also incorporating elements of African diasporic material culture, as seen through her 2022 piece “Promising Sight.” Rome-Taylor thus combats the lack of African American representation in art history—she gives Black people, particularly Black women, a vision of a past that is not defined by subjugation. By reclaiming the past of Black femininity in this way, she also subverts the common reductive representations of Black women that appear in the media landscape.

As a member of the Chemehuevi Indian tribe, Cara Romero works to deconstruct stereotypes of Native women in her photographs. Indeed, her pieces all feature a Native woman at the center, surrounded by an assortment of cultural items. Significant colorful patterns frame the photographs, further evoking the packaging in which children’s toys are sold. Her 2019 piece “Amber Morningstar” catches the onlooker’s attention with its vivid blue backdrop and red framing adorned with intriguing Native American symbols, the model at the center dressed in traditional clothing—a commentary on the commodification of Native femininity in popular culture.

American artist Martine Gutierrez’s diverse work deconstructs classic representations of femininity as seen in magazines and dolls. In her 2014 piece “Line Up 4,” Gutierrez stands motionless among a group of mannequins—she is indistinguishable from them, a sharp criticism of femininity within the capitalist system. Gutierrez also subverts representations of femininity in contemporary media in her 2018 piece “Queer Rage, Imagine Life-Size, and I’m Tyra, p66-67 from Indigenous Woman.” In an excerpt from Indigenous Woman, her imaginary magazine, Gutierrez depicts the ever-shifting identities of a queer woman and her infinite potential as she reclines in her self-portrait in traditional Guatemalan dress, surrounded by vegetation, photoshopped animals, and dolls, among other things.

Wendy Red Star is a Native artist from the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Her photograph series “Four Seasons” shows her over the course of different seasons. She is always in traditional attire and surrounded by nature, and is often looking directly at the camera with an air of defiance. These portraits evoke the life-sized dioramas commonly found in natural history museums; they usually depict extinct and near-extinct animals or insects. Though the natural elements that surround the artist are imitations, she is very real. Red Star thus asserts the continuing existence of Native women, and the value of their culture and heritage. Her final piece in the exhibition, 2016’s “Apsaalooke Feminist #4,” features the artist with her daughter. They are surrounded in Apsaalooke aesthetics and symbols, and adorned in traditional garb, with pensive looks on their faces. The piece draws attention to the importance of passing down Native culture and knowledge, particularly through matrilineage. In Red Star’s exhibition, Native femininity is invigorated both by its refusal to succumb to extinction, as well as its value in preserving Native culture through time.

Walter Helpyour needsWalter Helpyour needs yourHelp

Hi. My name is Walter and I need your help. These last 4 years, I have battled (and Hi. My name is Walter and I need your help. These last 4 years, I have battled (and survived) throat and bladder cancer and I plan to keep surviving. However, I am losing weight fast because eating is very painful. survived) throat and bladder cancer and I plan to keep surviving. However, I am losing weight fast because eating is very painful. I need extensive dental work so I can eat normally again and maintain my weight, I need extensive dental work so I can eat normally again and maintain my weight, nutrinutrition, and health. My doctors feel that with good nutrition my cancer can be tion, and health. My doctors feel that with good nutrition my cancer can be controlled. I controlled. I need teeth pulled, crowns, cracks repaired, caps, root canals, and bridge work. It will require 2 very long surgeries to complete. need teeth pulled, crowns, cracks repaired, caps, root canals, four implants and bridge work. It will require 2 very long surgeries to complete. I have very limited means to pay for this work. I have lived and worked in the I have very limited means to pay for this work. I have lived and worked in the CharlottesCharlottesville area for 45 years and have no choice but to ask my community for ville area for 45 years and have no choice but to ask my community for help. I worked help. I worked 6 days a week, making minimum wage in Charlottesville. Benefits were not available through my employers and I could not afford medical or dental insurance from the private market. I am currently the full-time grounds chairman at 6 days a week, making minimum wage in Charlottesville. Benefits were not available through my employers and I could not afford medical or dental insurance from the private market. I am currently the full-time grounds chairman at my church (a volunteer position). my church (a volunteer position). Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. Please consider donating a small amount to help me fix my teeth. Thank you, Walter Please consider donating a small amount to help me fix my teeth. Thank you, Walter