Reinvigorating a historic cemetery
The dense, dark woods in Richmond’s East End are a jungly tangle of weeds, kudzu vines, English ivy, dead limbs and leaves. This untamed thicket is part of the city’s historic African American cemetery, Evergreen. Founded in 1891, when cemeteries were segregated by race, Evergreen was considered “equivalent” to Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery in the west end, where U.S.... READ MORE
My Fair Lady hits all the right notes
The Kennedy Center Opera House has become a time machine through January 19, with the Lincoln Center Theater production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady that will “take you back” to the Broadway musicals of yesteryear. There is nothing edgy or contemporary about this production. It’s not meant to draw out new meaning or to highlight characters or actions that might be looked at ... READ MORE
Never too old to rock and roll
On a recent autumn day in Alexandria, a group of singers belted out the 1966 Motown hit “You Keep Me Hanging On,” swaying to the rhythm, bobbing their heads, smiling and shouting loudly at the end of the song. Is this a reunion of the Supremes? Maybe a young tribute band mimicking these great singers? Well, no. In fact, you see a few canes, hearing aids and lots of white hair among... READ MORE
Sculptor’s works express historical truths
Melvin Edwards melds the story of African-American past and present through sculpted steel. Now through January 12, his work can be seen at a solo exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). During his 60-year career, the revolutionary sculptor has had more than a dozen solo exhibitions and was part of nearly 50 group shows. Edwards was also the first African-American sculptor to... READ MORE
Beloved waitress writes fiction
Everyone in Baltimore, it seems, knows Peachy. Leonora “Peachy” DePietro Dixon has waited tables at Sabatino’s restaurant in Little Italy since 1974. (She received her childhood nickname for her peaches-and-cream complexion.) With a wide circle of friends from all over Baltimore and celebrity acquaintances, she is well known for her warm-heartedness. Among the famous people... READ MORE
Agatha Christie’s tale of delicious revenge
We all know the meaning of the phrase, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Vengeance is more satisfying when exacted sometime after the original offense, when least expected. Perhaps one of the finest examples of this proverb may be found in Agatha Christie’s famed 1934 mystery, Murder on the Orient Express. If you’ve never read Christie’s book, chances are you’ve seen... READ MORE
Art is her dream encore career
Sometimes retirement offers the ability to finally pursue a lifelong dream. Karen Winston-Levin, 71, didn’t start what she considers to be her true career until she retired in 2012. Since then, the Marriottsville resident has been prolifically painting images of nature and people. “I probably have been painting all my life, even though I wasn’t holding a brush,” Winston-Levin... READ MORE
Hopper’s ‘prosaic’ art tells many stories
The acclaimed painter Edward Hopper first visited the state of Virginia in 1939, when the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) invited him to chair the jury for the museum’s first biennial exhibition. Hopper returned in 1953 as a juror for that year’s biennial exhibition, too. On the latter visit, the VMFA purchased Hopper’s 1935 painting “House at Dusk” for its permanent... READ MORE
Volunteers power annual light show
On November 22, one million lights illuminated the night at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden thanks to 300 volunteers who have worked for the past year to make the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights happen. The annual event is a six-week holiday extravaganza of lights, botanical decorations, model trains, Santa sightings, music, crafts, dinners, a fire pit, s’mores, hot chocolate and... READ MORE
Do you wish to be a gifted gardener?
For those of you with a gardener on your gift list this holiday season, here are a few ideas I’ve cultivated — pardon the pun. The purpose of these gifts is to nurture the gardener. (Full disclosure: I plan to clip this article to place on my husband’s desk!) Ergonomic tools Tools make a gardener’s work easier. Look for tools that are constructed with strong but lightweight... READ MORE
