See 'Paradise Found' Before It Closes May 24 at LYDM
Asa Jackson's textile exhibition — built from real people's garments — ends its Charlottesville run this weekend
A Show Built From Real Lives — Closing This Weekend
If you haven't made it to Les Yeux du Monde (LYDM) in Charlottesville yet this spring, you have until Saturday, May 24 to catch one of the most distinctive exhibitions in the region: Paradise Found: Where Heaven and Earth Meet, a solo show by textile artist Asa Jackson.
The show doesn't traffic in paint or pencil. Jackson works with worn garments — clothing that belonged to real people who shaped his life — deconstructing, dyeing, and reassembling them into large-scale works that carry both personal memory and spiritual weight. The result is something tactile and intimate in a way that most gallery shows simply aren't.
What You'll See on the Walls
Two works in particular anchor the exhibition:
- 'The End and the Beginning (Reflections on Sunset and Sunrise)' — A monumental piece measuring 74.5 × 89.5 inches, constructed from dyed and deconstructed corduroy garments backed by denim. The scale alone commands the room.
- 'Doorway to the Imagination' — Composed entirely from worn garments belonging to individuals who shaped Jackson's life. The artist has described it as "a threshold into the beyond, into the desired reality" — a portal as much as a picture plane.
Also currently on view at LYDM is Dean Dass's 'Passenger' (2024), a pencil and inks work on paper prepared with gouache and acrylic. Art historian Victoria Beck Newman has written of Dass's practice that his imagery — birds, helmets, clouds — suggests "the poignant and perhaps incompatible juxtaposition of human aspiration and vulnerability." The piece is available for purchase; inquiries can be directed to info@lydmgallery.com.
Worth the Drive From DC or Rappahannock Wine Country
LYDM occupies a landmark building designed by architect W.G. Clark, with Blue Ridge views that make the drive from the DC metro — or from a Rappahannock County wine weekend — feel purposeful rather than incidental. Charlottesville is roughly 90 minutes from Washington, D.C., and about 45 minutes south of Madison County's wine corridor.
If you're building a weekend around the region, consider pairing the gallery visit with a stop at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison County on your way back north — or make an afternoon of Charlottesville before heading into the Blue Ridge.
Planning Your Visit
- Address: 841 Wolf Trap Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22911
- Exhibition closes: Saturday, May 24, 2026
- Website: lydmgallery.com
- Phone: (434) 882-2622
- Purchase inquiries: info@lydmgallery.com
Note: Hours were not available at time of publication. We recommend calling ahead or checking the gallery's website before your visit.
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Photo via Unsplash