Soon after the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing opened in 2010, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) received a significant planned gift from Margaret B. and Arthur G. Glasgow to support the acquisition of new works of art. The museum’s collection has nearly doubled in size since then and now comprises more than 50,000 works of art, all of which belong to the people of Virginia. With the support of the Governor and the General Assembly, the museum kicked off its transformative expansion and renovation project with a discovery and design phase during summer 2021. The new wing will provide additional galleries to display the permanent collection, a second special exhibition gallery space, and an events space that can seat up to 500 people for dinner. Renovations to existing spaces will allow more works of art to be shown and displayed in a more cohesive, comprehensive way, improving the visitor experience, wayfinding, and access.
About VMFA
VMFA’s Expansion and Renovation Project
A first look at preliminary architectural renderings
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is embarking on an expansion and renovation project that will enable the museum to share more art, welcome more visitors, and provide more enjoyment on a seamless journey through the collections.
The expansion and renovation will support the museum’s commitment to enhancing the visitor experience and the institution’s strategic plan, which calls for offering a range of visitor-centered, curator-led art experiences that engage, captivate, and delight a diverse audience.
This is the largest expansion and renovation project in the museum’s history.
Why expand now?
The last major expansion was in 2010, when the museum added a new wing named for VMFA’s American art patrons James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin. Shortly after the McGlothlin Wing opened, significant new acquisitions nearly doubled the collection’s size. It now comprises more than 50,000 works of art—all belonging to the people of the Commonwealth. VMFA saw an opportunity to reinforce its mission of inclusion in the design of a new expansion.
What’s inside?
The newly planned McGlothlin Wing II will comprise approximately 173,000 square feet of new gallery spaces for American art (approximately 30,000 square feet), African art (approximately 8,600 square feet), contemporary art (approximately 12,400 square feet), a special events space that seats 500 people, meeting rooms, a café and bar, and a second special exhibition gallery suite (approximately 12,000 square feet).
The project will also renovate approximately 45,000 square feet of existing gallery space in the 1936, 1970, and 2010 wings highlighted by approximately 5,500 square feet of new gallery space for photography and approximately 7,000 square feet for the Raysor Center for Works on Paper, including a study room and expanded spaces for conservation, matting and framing, and storage for works on paper and photography. There will also be expanded galleries for European art from Medieval to Impressionism.
The Leslie Cheek Theater is currently undergoing a renovation and is expected to reopen this year. The Richmond Ballet will move its studio series Moving Art to the Cheek Theater beginning in March 2025.
What will it look like?
The look of the expansion will signal VMFA’s commitment to openness and community engagement. The expansion’s exterior will have a novel surface that plays with natural light. It will cast dynamic shadows, invite curiosity and exploration, and blur the boundary between the museum’s interior and the outside world. These characteristics serve to embody VMFA’s mission to be a welcoming space for all.
How was the community involved?
Over the past two years, VMFA held multiple two-way listening sessions to engage a diverse range of individuals, groups, and communities from the Commonwealth. The museum also heard from more than 3,500 survey participants. This invaluable community input will influence the final design. The community has expressed an interest in improving accessibility and wayfinding, connectivity between indoor and outdoor spaces, additional spaces for pause and reflection, the activation and preservation of the sculpture garden, and beautiful, yet functional architecture that blends in with the rest of the museum building.
What’s next?
Final architectural renderings are anticipated in early 2025, pending approval by the Commonwealth of Virginia, with the conclusion of the preliminary design process. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in late 2025. The new wing is currently slated to open in 2028.
As with any expansion and renovation project, designs and dates are subject to change.
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FAQs
VMFA’s expansion design phase will take two years with groundbreaking expected in late 2025. Construction will take an additional three years, and the new wing is slated to open in 2028.
We do not anticipate closing the entire museum during construction, and special exhibitions will continue to be available to visitors. While VMFA is undergoing expansion and renovation, some art collections will be removed from the galleries that are impacted by or adjacent to the construction area. More information about which collections will be removed from view and when is forthcoming.
VMFA’s new wing will be added to the 1985 Mellon and Lewis West Wing, on the museum’s west and south facades, along Grove Avenue and facing towards the Robins Sculpture Garden and Sheppard Street.
Currently VMFA comprises 718,831 square feet. The latest expansion plans call for a new wing that will provide approximately 173,000 gross square feet of total space. In addition to new construction, the museum will carry out approximately 45,000 square feet of renovations to the existing building, including improvements to the Leslie Cheek Theater.
The galleries along the Great Hall and surrounding Evans Court will be reconfigured to present VMFA’s European art collections in a more coherent and continuous narrative. Additionally, new photography galleries and the Raysor Center for Works on Paper will occupy the previous location of the American art collections. The Leslie Cheek Theater will be renovated to expand the stage, improve lighting, add assistive listening devices, and bring the space into ADA compliance. Portions of the Smurfit WestRock Art Education Center will also be renovated and expanded.
With minimal encroachment into the E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden on the museum’s campus, a new wing comprising approximately 173,000 square feet will be added to the south and west sides of the building. Preserving the Robins Sculpture Garden is at the forefront of VMFA’s expansion project because it is such an important space for the community. The new wing is situated in an area of the Sculpture Garden adjacent to the 1985 Mellon and Lewis Wing that is rarely used by our visitors. VMFA will maintain four acres of green space, including the areas that our visitors currently use, such as the Belvedere Terrace over the parking deck and the spaces adjacent to the pond and Chihuly’s Red Reeds. The Confederate Memorial Chapel, located on VMFA’s campus, is considered the largest artwork in our collection and will remain on its current site and open throughout the expansion.
While the expansion and renovation project is still in the design phase, Marble Hall will not undergo major changes and is expected to remain an event space.
Additional parking is being considered during the expansion design process, which is not yet complete.
VMFA has selected the international architecture firm SmithGroup to plan and design its next visitor-centered expansion and renovation project. SmithGroup, one of the world’s preeminent integrated design firms, creates exceptional design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces. SmithGroup was selected following an international search that followed the Commonwealth’s established process of architect selection for state projects.
The award-winning firm’s extensive portfolio includes several impressive national museum projects such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collections and Conservation Center in Maryland, the Detroit Institute of Arts in Michigan, as well as the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. SmithGroup is currently designing the re-envisioned Thomas Gilcrease Museum of American History and Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The firm’s work is recognized locally as well: SmithGroup designed the concept for the National Slavery Museum at the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail Site/Devil’s Half Acre for the City of Richmond.
The total cost for the expansion and renovation is $261 million, which will be funded through a combination of public and private funds.
VMFA will continue its current admission practice: Permanent collection galleries will remain free to visitors while some special exhibitions will be ticketed.