THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702070114
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Teresa Annas
LENGTH: 70 lines
WITH THE OPENING of University of Richmond's new fine and performing arts center, the school's Marsh Art Gallery is six times larger.
Since it opened in November, the $22.5 million George M. Modlin Center for the Arts on campus in Richmond has presented a host of plays, concerts and art shows in its new and expanded spaces.
Even if you're not interested in staying late one evening to catch a performance - and next weekend's theater offering has Ralph Waite (Daddy Walton from ``The Waltons'') starring as Lear in a student production of ``King Lear'' - a visit to the current Marsh gallery show would be worth the two-hour trip.
On view through March 2 is ``Still Life: The Object in American Art, 1915-1995, Selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.''
The 66 paintings range from a 1981 Janet Fish tabletop arrangement of light-bathed pastel glass objects with flowers to a flattened 1924 Stuart Davis image of a goblet and lightbulb in cool blues.
The show, which begins its national tour at the Marsh, also includes works by Mark Tansey, Jim Dine, George Grosz, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O'Keeffe, Fairfield Porter and Franz Kline.
Works were chosen by Lowery Stokes Sims, the Met's 20th century curator, and associate curator Sabine Rewald. The show and catalog focus on thematic developments in still life painting in this century.
If you visit today, you can take in a free poetry reading at 3 p.m. at the Marsh, featuring university faculty.
The Marsh is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free.
Meanwhile, ``King Lear'' will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday at the Modlin Center's Jepson Theater. Single tickets are $6 to $8. If you want to go, call as soon as possible; single tickets went on sale late last week, and may be snapped up quickly.
The box office - and every other facet of the Modlin Center, including a recorded schedule of events - can be reached at (804) 289-8980. The box office is open weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
To get to the Modlin Center from Norfolk, take Interstate 64 west to exit 183-A (Glenside Drive south) just north of urban Richmond. Head south on Glenside for a block, then turn left on Three Chopt Road. Turn west onto Boatwright Drive, then bear right onto College Road. Make a left at Westhampton Gate; turn right onto Crenshaw Way, which dead ends at the Modlin Center's parking lot.
Watch 'em work
Is there anyone out there who actually doubts there is a vital community of African-American artists in this region? Come find out how wrong you are: The d'Art Center in downtown Norfolk is playing host to a weekend series of demonstrations this month in which artists will reveal how they manipulate various media.
Here's the lineup:
Today, 1-3 p.m.: Danny Doles of Virginia Beach, airbrush painting.
Saturday, 1-3 p.m.: Juanita Mincey of Hampton, colored pencil.
Next Sunday, 2-4 p.m.: Robin Hodges of Norfolk, pottery and mixed media.
Feb. 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Betty Jo Woodhouse of Virginia Beach, portrait painting.
Feb. 23, 1-3 p.m., Peninsula artist Sidney Lilly, charcoal.
Admission to the d'Art Center, 125 College Place, is free. D'Art contains galleries featuring local and regional art plus studios for working artists. On view through March 2 is the group exhibit, ``New Art/New Wine 1997.'' Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 625-4211. ILLUSTRATION: Drawing by DOUG BUERLEIN
The $22.5 million George M. Modlin Center for the Arts opened in
November at the University of Richmond.