I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer despite hurricanes and earthquakes!

I would like to personally thank everyone who has been involved in Olio these past couple of years. This has been a gratifying experience that I am glad so many could share with me, from presenters to audience members to volunteers. Charlottesville in general has been full of engaged and motivated people without whom this project would not be possible.

That said, I am sad to announce the conclusion of the Olio event. This fall will find me moving full-time to Shanghai, China. With no one to succeed me in the role of director I will wind down the program’s presence online. If you have any questions or comments please drop by the Olio Facebook Page or email me. I hope we can all maintain the connections that grew from our shared experiences at Olio and continue to explore new ideas!

Best Wishes,
Lowell Morin

It’s been nearly a year since the last Olio and that time has been full of activity for both Charlottesville and me. I have just finished moving to Northern Virginia awaiting my next endeavor, but in the meantime there are plenty of new ideas to be shared in C-ville. For that reason I am seeking someone who would like to take on the Olio project and move it forward. Olio doesn’t require a huge time commitment. However, it is a voluntary non-profit event and thus requires organizational skills, flexibility, and persistence. If you are interested or have questions, please get in touch: email I look forward to seeing the project on into its next phase!

Spots are available for student speakers, send an email to Lowell if you’d like to present!

RSVP for the event on Facebook.

Last November we gathered for the first installment of all-student presentations at Olio and had some great speakers, so we’ll do it again this year! You may have a fun project in the works (Yay for process!), have a favorite project that you’d like to share, or have an interesting side project or competition entry: share it with us at the CCDC CitySpace on Friday, November 12th at 8pm. You can use it as your dry-run for finals!

Time: Friday, November 12th, 8-10pm
Location: CCDC Cityspace, 100 5th Street NE (Downtown Mall) Charlottesville

As always, Olio is free and open to the public.
If you’d like to present, get in touch with Lowell: email

RSVP on Facebook

Since the first edition of Olio back in February 2009 I’ve worked hard to improve the event. With that mission in mind I’d like hear what you think about Olio.

Below is a link to a brief survey form on the Olio website. If you couldn’t make it to the 9th edition, tell me about an edition you did see in the comment space provided.

How was your Olio experience?

Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks to everyone who helped make Olio 9 a reality – especially Maggie, Sarah and the PCA crew, the CCDC, Matt Pamer, Wes Webb, James Ford, the 10 organizations who presented, and everyone who came out to watch the magic happen (despite gremlins galore) – I look forward to seeing everyone at the next edition!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Olio Edition 9 speakers (in presentation order):

The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative (Greg Kelly) – www.thebridgepai.com
Light House Studio (Deanna Gould) – www.lighthousestudio.org
PEP (Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell, Sian Richards, and Kara McLane Burke) – www.performers-exchange.org
University of Virginia Art Museum (Andrea Douglas) – www.virginia.edu/artmuseum
Ash Lawn Opera (Michelle Krisel) – www.ashlawnopera.org
Heritage Theatre Festival (Bob Chapel + help) – www.virginia.edu/heritagetheatre
WriterHouse (Rachel Unkefer) – www.writerhouse.org
Live Arts (Satch Huizenga) – livearts.org
Music Resource Center (Sibley Johns) – musicresourcecenter.org
Second Street Gallery (Rebecca Schoenthal, Amanda Currie Jones, and Andrew Greeley) – www.secondstreetgallery.org

More on Piedmont Council for the Arts: charlottesvillearts.org
More on the Charlottesville Community Design Center: www.cvilledesign.org

Olio tomorrow!

10 great organizations, cold beverages, friends, after-party… Need any other reasons?

Olio 9: Arts Organization Edition is coming up! Join Olio and PCA for a fun night of presentations by 10 local arts organizations starting at 8pm at the CCDC. The event is free as always and refreshments will be served. There will be an afterparty at Zocalo featuring DJs WesternFront and Hummingbird Feeder, so bring your dancing shoes!

Check our event invite for more details and to RSVP.

See you there!

Coming up in two weeks!

The Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA) and Olio will join together in a unique partnership for the 9th edition of Olio Night.

This joint event features short presentations by 10 area arts organizations, providing a special platform for each to share their mission and programs. This forum is meant to enable community members to make connections and access a network of arts resources.

The ten organizations include: Ash Lawn Opera, The Bridge PAI, Heritage Theatre Festival, Light House, Live Arts, Music Resource Center, Performers Exchange Project, Second Street Gallery, UVA Art Museum, & WriterHouse.

The event will be held on Friday September 24th from 8-10pm at the CCDC Cityspace, 100 5th Street NE on the downtown mall. An after party will also be held at a location on the mall.
For information on the PCA and its mission, visit charlottesvillearts.org.