Under the Big Top: The Greatest Fundraiser on Earth
7 p.m. • Friday, March 7 • Piedmont Arts
Get ready for a fun night of food, drinks and entertainment at Under the Big Top: The Greatest Fundraiser on Earth.
This circus-themed event will feature food, drinks and entertainment, including live music by jazz quartet Four Brothers, a 360-degree photo booth, caricatures, carnival games and circus performers. Guests should dress in “carnival cocktail” attire or cocktail party clothing with a colorful, circus-themed flair.
Guests can also take part in a 50/50 raffle and a live auction for a chance to throw a pie at a beloved community member.
Tickets are $75 per person and include unlimited light bites, beer, wine and cotton candy champagne cocktails. 50/50 raffle tickets start at $5 a piece. Game tickets are $5 for three games or $10 for eight games. Caricatures are $20 each. Proceeds support Piedmont Arts programming in Martinsville-Henry County.
Buy Tickets HERE.
News
Piedmont Arts is accepting nominations for the 2025 Clyde Hooker Award
Deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, March 14
Piedmont Arts is seeking nominations for local businesses and individuals that are involved in and support Piedmont Arts and other arts and cultural organizations in Martinsville-Henry County.
Students: Apply for an art scholarship today!
Deadline: 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 30
Nicodemus Hufford Memorial Art Scholarship
For graduating high school seniors
Harold Knowlton Work Memorial Art Scholarship
For rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors
On View
Words Matter & Untold History: Native American Works on Paper
On view through March 15
Featuring works by contemporary Native American artists, this exhibition underscores the richness and diversity of the contemporary Indigenous experience told through the medium of printmaking and comic books.
This exhibit was organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Dr. Johanna Minich, former Assistant Curator of Native American Art.
Bjørn Sterri: Family Photographs, 2001-2015
On view through March 15
From 2001 to 2023, Norwegian artist Bjørn Sterri photographed his wife Alejandra and their sons Jens Linus and Pablo to create an achingly beautiful chronicle of connection, change and growth. Drawn from the first fifteen years of this work, this exhibit conveys the emotional complexity of the passage from childhood to adulthood, the challenges and joys of partnership and parenthood, and the tension between individual identity and family structure.
This exhibit was organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Dr. Sarah Kennel, Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center.
Creating Memories Through Glass and Art
On view through March 15
The Lynwood Artists Gallery features stained and fused glass by Steve Eanes. This retrospective includes work created by Eanes over the past 20 years. Eanes uses his art to create memories for friends and family and enjoys sharing his craft by teaching others to create stained glass art.
Exhibits are always free and open to the public. Sponsored by Olivia & Pres Garrett, Ben Gravely, Shana & Japhet LeGrant, Lynwood Artists and Barbara & Guy Stanley.
Upcoming Events
Exhibit Opening Reception
5:30-7:30 p.m., Friday, March 28, Piedmont Arts
Join Piedmont Arts for an opening reception in honor of its new exhibits. A gallery talk will be held at 6:15 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served. Music by Spencer Koger. This event is free and open to the public.
Exhibits on view:
• Threads, Folds & Rabbit Holes
• Untethered: An Exploration of Emotion
• Peaceful Creation: Nature’s Brilliance on Land and Water
RSVP attendance by Wednesday, March 24.
RSVP online HERE.
Make Some Noise: After-hours Open Mic
7-9 p.m., Thursday, April 10, Piedmont Arts
Join emcee Anna Wheeler for a fun open mic in the galleries. Performers may sign up for a five-minute (max) spot upon arrival. This event is free to the performers and audience. A cash bar will be available.
Family Day with Paperhand Puppet Intervention
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, April 12, Piedmont Arts
Enjoy a day of fun as Paperhand Puppet Intervention brings a giant puppet parade to Piedmont Arts. This one-of-a-kind theater company creates a gigantic papier-mâché puppet extravaganza complete with live music and more.
This event is free and open to the public.
Bus to Broadway: Kimberly Akimbo
11:30 a.m., Sunday, May 4, DPAC
Take the Bus to Broadway to a matinee production of “Kimberly Akimbo” at Durham Performing Arts Center. The winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, “Kimberly Akimbo” is a story about growing up and growing old (in no particular order). Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show, Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush… and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.
The van will depart from Piedmont Arts at 11:30 a.m. for a 2 p.m. performance. The van will return to Piedmont Arts immediately following the performance. Tickets are $180 per person. A boxed lunch is available for $10 and must be ordered in advance.
Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey
6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8, Piedmont Arts
From her ancestral lineage to her arrival at a metaphorical crossroad, Debra Ann Byrd presents a tour-de-force journey of living memoir in “Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey.” This autobiographical solo show chronicles the trials and triumphs of Byrd’s life: her joy-filled and tumultuous youth growing up in Harlem; Her experiences in foster care; Her growth as a pregnant teen and single parent; Her fateful encounter with a troupe of Shakespearean actors, navigating race and the classics; and ultimately her gender-flipped journey to playing Othello.
A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for students (K-12).
This engagement is made possible in part through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Classes
Needle Felting
Friday, Feb. 28
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Bob Ross Workshop
Thursday, March 6
9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Chix with Stix
Second and fourth Tuesdays
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Open Studio
Every Wednesday
1-4 p.m.
