Music and Arts

Beware the Ides of March! In this second part of Dylan Rogers’ article about the influence of Roman architecture on Jefferson’s designs for the University, he takes us on a walk down the Lawn from the Rotunda to Pavilion X. Rogers is a lecturer in Roman Art & Archaeology at the McIntire Department of Art […]

Beware the Ides of March! Just as March 15th was a turning point in Roman history, so too was exposure to Roman architecture a turning point for Thomas Jefferson. Dylan Rogers, Lecturer in Roman Art & Archaeology, describes how Jefferson’s first-hand observations of Roman sites influenced his design of the University of Virginia as well […]

Fangs, a black cape, the classic widow’s peak—from where did Count Dracula get his distinguished features? Stanley Stepanic, Assistant Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, is a Dracula expert. In his article, he gives a history behind the image […]

Playwright, poet and author Ntozake Shange, whose acclaimed 1975 theater piece, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, died on October 28th. Deborah McDowell takes a look at Shange’s influence on the arts and on black women seeking strength and affirmation. Ms. McDowell is the Alice Griffin Professor of English and […]

Aretha Franklin, remembered as the “Queen of Soul” to fans worldwide, died on August 16, 2018. Deborah McDowell shares a personal account of a time in October 2010 when she organized a symposium at the University of Virginia in Aretha’s honor. Ms. McDowell is the Alice Griffin Professor of English and Director, Carter G. Woodson […]