A immersive installation that explores the burning of Richmond at the end of the Civil War opens today at the Institute for Contemporary Art.

Why it matters: The piece was commissioned by L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art for its "Monuments" exhibition, which included the toppled statue of Jefferson Davis that loomed over Monument Avenue for 100 years.

State of play: The installation at ICA, "Deo Vindice (Orion's Cabinet)," is from New York-based artist Abigail DeVille.

• DeVille was inspired by the photographs of Richmond burning in April 1865, blazes that were set by Confederate soldiers when it became clear the Union Army would take the city (it did, days later).
• The fires reduced much of the city to ashes.
• And as soon as she saw it nearly 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles, ICA senior curator Amber Esseiva knew she needed to bring it here, she tells Axios.

Zoom in: As an artist, DeVille, whose family history can be traced to Richmond, focuses on Black American histories that have been overlooked, Esseiva tells Axios.

• With "Deo Vindice," she uses Colonial-style curio cabinets, arranged to mimic the Orion constellation, to explore the legacy of the Lost Cause — the revisionists myths that sprang up in the decades following the Civil War.
• With lighting, charred cabinets and torn strips of fabric, the installation invites viewers to consider the myths that helped shape Richmond, literally and metaphorically.
• A second DeVille work in the back of the gallery, "Black Hole Chapel," plays a chorus of audio recordings of Black voices, making the entire installation a powerful, sensory experience for visitors.

Also opening Friday at ICA: Pond Theater, a floating, spinning public art piece on a pond behind the museum.

• The theater will host performances and events through Nov. 29.
• When it's not, locals can sit on it.

Keep reading for details

A new Richmond club is having its first meeting this week. The club: RVA Drunk History.

Why it matters: Much like the viral "Drunk History" series that inspired it, the RVA club is for history buffs who enjoy imbibing.

State of play: Allyson Burt, the woman behind it, tells Axios that she was looking for a way to connect with other history lovers.

• She made her first post on rvadrunkhistory on Memorial Day to little fanfare.
• Less than two weeks later, she's racked up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments from locals eager to join.

How it works: "People who join the club will get to get drunk and share a history story they enjoy," Burt says in her inaugural post.

• The first meeting is tonight at 7pm at Byrd Park next to Shields Lake, mostly to gauge interest.
• And that one will be sober history, Burt says, since it's a public park.

What's next: Future events will likely be at "breweries/bars where people are absolutely allowed to drink," per the account.

The bottom line: RVA Drunk History might be the hottest ticket in town this summer.

Full story

🤢 The James River Association's water quality monitoring program is back for the season, Karri reports.

• 118 volunteers test the river for E. coli and other bacteria at 35 sites each week and publish results every Friday.
• Spoiler: Elevated E. coli levels showed up at four Richmond sites last week.

🤯 A new Virginia Tech study found mosquitos can learn to associate the fading scent of DEET with food, potentially making bug spray more attractive to them. (WTVR)

• Researchers still recommend using it and reapplying it more frequently.

📺 WTVR crime reporter Jon Burkett is leaving the station in September after 26 years, citing health concerns and wanting more time with family. (The Richmonder)

🪩 Southern Railway Taphouse in Shockoe Slip has been sold to restaurant veteran Don Baruch, who plans to expand its happy hour while maintaining its nightlife reputation. (BizSense)

Roughly 4,100 households in the Richmond region lacked air conditioning in 2023, according to new census data.

Why it matters: It's about to be 95 degrees this weekend.

Zoom in: City households were far more likely to be without AC than those in the surrounding counties.

• They also accounted for the majority of the region's occupied and AC-less homes.
• About 2.2% of city households lacked AC, compared with less than 1% in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico.
• That's lower than the national average of 6.9%.

The bottom line: Offer your AC to your AC-less friend this weekend and check on your neighbors.

Spread the word and read more tips here on how to cool off and stay safe

Richmonder George Arturo thinks he just organized the city's first all-local, all-Latino collaboration on a mural — and he's happy to be proven wrong.

Why it matters: Whether it's the first or not, the Fan District mural highlights what Arturo sees as a gap: Latino artists are rarely represented in the city's most visible public art projects.

The big picture: Arturo, the Dominican lead artist who also painted the John Mitchell Jr. mural on Broad, assembled a team of Richmond-based artists with roots in Venezuela, El Salvador and Mexico.

• They include Monolith, Mars and Sol, who is adding her section later.
• Together, they've transformed the wall behind the old Aquarian shop on West Main into a sprawling, space-and-alien-themed piece.
• Arturo says the community-funded mural reflects feeling out of place, a play on how "aliens" is used in immigration debates and pride in where you come from.

The bottom line: "It shows that we're here," Arturo told Axios. "We're capable of taking up space."

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