North of the James

The Gerrymander

Jack R. Johnson 08.2025

Developer’s Greed Equals Homelessness

Fran Withrow 08.2025

True Richmonder Bingo Card

Fayeruz Regan 08.2025

Arthur’s Electric: Over 100 Years Old

In an era when some independently owned businesses closed up shop because the proprietors lacked the stamina or the know-how, or were crushed by a sluggish economy, or smothered by corporate thugs, it is rare to encounter one that has survived and thrived for more than a century, and is still owned and operated by the same family that started it all.

By Charles McGuigan 08.2025

Robin Cage: Kissed by Fire

Weapons

Ode on a Grecian Urn

Peter Hoffman Kimball On His All-Signed ASL Film

Happening now in the community:

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
Coming This Fall to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

This fall, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) welcomes the exciting exhibition Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, an exploration of the profound and prolific contributions of Black artists to the field of contemporary art. Giants will be on view at VMFA in
Richmond from November 22, 2025, through March 1, 2026.

NXNW Returns To Northside

08.2025

Local musicians Prabir Mehta and Mackenzie Roark will host this year’s NXNW Music Festival, highlighting many musicians from Northside Richmond and elsewhere. This three-day event—from September 5 through 7—will feature more than 15 acts who will all be performing on Northside Grille’s patio. NXNW is free and open to the public, but guests are encouraged to donate to help support the bands and the event’s promoters.

Paintings by Eddie Peters On Display at Stir Crazy

08.2025

Seven works by Eddie Peters will be on display for the month of August at Stir Crazy Cafe in Bellevue on Richmond’s Northside.

The four landscapes were shown last September at Rozz-Tox, a music/culture cafe in Rock Island, Illinois. The three abstract compositions from 2021 were part of an Open-Crit group show at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa.

Faith and Resilience: The Legacy of Black Catholics in Virginia

08.2025

This special exhibition—on view until November 29 — celebrates the deep-rooted faith and enduring strength of Black Catholics throughout Virginia’s history through personal stories, historical artifacts, and community reflections.

“Faith & Resilience” is presented by the Office for Black Catholics of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and explores the unwavering resilience of Black Catholics in shaping their parishes and schools, highlighting how faith served as both a refuge and a force for empowerment, celebrating all those who helped nourish and sustain the faith of Black Catholics.

Blue Guitar to Perform Later This Month At Reveler and Rare Old Times

08.2025

Blue Guitar will be performing at Rare Old Times on August 28 from 7:30-9:30pm, and then at Reveler on August 30 from 3-5pm. The players are Dave Schieferstein on guitar, Jorge Santamaria, on drums and percussion, and Andy Penland on bass.

This instrumental trio plays everyone’s favorite rock, pop, R&B and jazz classics— the perfect background ambience for a gathering of friends, while offering unique instrumental arrangements you can “sink your ears” into.

34th Annual 43rd Street Festival of the Arts

08.2025

Richmond’s beloved neighborhood art show returns from 10am till 4pm on September 13, showcasing 75 juried regional artists and their original works from paintings, prints, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, glasswork, and more. This free, family-friendly festival held each year in Forest Hill offers something for everyone—live music, local food trucks, street art activities for kids, and a vibrant marketplace of original work.

Monthly Music Lineup At Northside Grille

Here’s a monthly list of bands and events hosted by Northside’s premier music venue—Northside Grille.

August 22, Karaoke with Mackenzie Roark; August 23, Aaron and the Beaux Ties vs The Red Hot Lava Men; August 24, Dial Back Sound recording artist, Tyler Hollingsworth, with Andy Cobb; August 27, Ionna-solo performance; August 28, Karen Jonas Trio; August 28, Karen Jonas Duo; August 29, The Last Respects with DJs Lord Thomas and Brent Hosier; August 30, The Beex; August 31, Susan Greenbaum; September 1, Labor Day Picnic with The Acousticats; September 3 RVA Song Swap; August 5-7, NXNW, featuring Mackenzie Roark, Horsehead Duo, Prabir Trio, Ant The Symbol, Leslie and The Dots, Rumble Trio, and many others; September 10, J Candeed; September 11, Jonathan Meadows; September 12, Mike Lucas; September 14, Janet Martin; and September 17, Jennifer Alvarado.

Northside Grille

1217 Bellevue Avenue

Richmond VA 23227

Bier-Garden At Maymont

08.2025

Toast the fall with friends and family at Bier-Garden on the Carriage House Lawn at Maymont! This two-day German-style festival (September 20 and 21) is the perfect way to join in the world’s largest folk festival without traveling to Munich!

Confluence: Latest Exhibition At the Branch Museum of Design

08.2025

Confluence, recent works by Kenny Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American artist, will be on display from September 10 through December 10 at The Branch Museum of Design.

Kenny grew up on a coconut farm in a rural area near the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. He worked as a fashion designer in his native country, and then in 2010 moved to the United States to join his family here. He gradually moved from fashion design to fine arts, earning a BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

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Mackenzie Roark