Join us for a presentation of Indian Dances performed by local artists inspired by the life of Tirthankar Mahavir, born 599 BCE. Lord Mahavir was an enlightened being who practiced Jainism, an Indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence. This original production combines Raas-Garba (an Indian folk dance style) and Bharathanatyam (an Indian classical dance form) and offers the opportunity for guests to pause from the clamor of daily living and contemplate and reflect on Lord Mahavir’s meaningful journey.

Join us for a two-day symposium of lectures inspired by the special exhibition Edward Hopper and the American Hotel. A distinguished group of scholars provides new insights into one of the most celebrated artists of the American Realist movement.

Symposium Schedule

Fri, Nov 15, 2020 | 6:30 pm–7:30 pm

Keynote Lecture: Edward Hopper and the Meaning of Home
with Dr. Erika Doss, Professor of American Studies, University of Notre Dame
Leslie Cheek Theater
$8 ($5 VMFA members)

Edward Hopper is well known for his paintings of dwellings—houses, apartment buildings, and hotels. Traveling throughout the United States and Mexico with his wife, the painter Jo Nivison, and often staying in tourist houses or rooms for rent, Hopper was deeply familiar with how Americans made themselves at home. Recounting his travels and his pictures of both occupied and abandoned places, this talk considers how Hopper visually negotiated competing ideas about the meaning of home in modern times.

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Sat, Nov 16, 2020 | 9:30 am–4:30 pm

Symposium
Leslie Cheek Theater
Free, tickets required

MORNING SESSION

9:30–10 am Doors Open

10 am
Opening Remarks
Dr. Michael Taylor, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Art and Education, VMFA

10:15–10:45 am
“Hopper’s Paperwork”
Dr. Jennifer Greenhill, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Southern California

10:45–11:15 am
“What Hopper Saw: Drawing and Painting in New York City, 1930-1942”
Carter E. Foster, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Blanton Museum of Art

11:15–11:45 am
“Edward Hopper and the Power of Place”
Dr. Virginia M. Mecklenburg, Chief Curator, Smithsonian Museum of American Art

11:45 am–12:15 pm
“Hotels as “Camouflaged Brothels” for Illicit Affairs”
Dr. Vivien Green Fryd, Professor of Art History, Vanderbilt University

12:15–12:30 pm
Q&A with morning speakers

12:30–2:00 pm
Break for lunch

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AFTERNOON SESSION

2:00–2:30 pm
“From Hotel Room to Western Motel”
Professor Margaret Iversen, Emeritus Professor, School of Philosophy and Art History, University of Essex, England

2:30–3:00 pm
“Cabins and Culture: Hopper, Dodges and Buicks”
Dr. Jason Weems, Associate Professor of Art History, University of California, Riverside

3:00–3:30 pm
“Everywhere and Nowhere: Hopper, Interior Design and the Touristic Experience.”
Dr. Sara D. Reed, Assistant Professor, Department of Interior Design at Virginia Commonwealth University

3:30–4:00 pm
“The Modern Hotel as Dreamscape”
Dr. Matthew Pratt Guterl, Chair, American Studies & Professor, Africana Studies/ American Studies/ Ethnic Studies, Brown University

4:00–4:15 pm
Q&A with afternoon speakers

4:15 pm
Closing remarks
Dr. Leo G. Mazow, Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator & Head of the Department of American Art, VMFA

Edward Hopper is well known for his paintings of dwellings—houses, apartments buildings, and hotels. Traveling throughout the United States and Mexico with his wife, the painter Jo Nivison, and often staying in tourist houses or rooms for rent, Hopper was deeply familiar with how Americans made themselves at home. Recounting his travels and his pictures of both occupied and abandoned places, this talk considers how Hopper visually negotiated competing ideas about the meaning of home in modern times.

Dr. Leo Mazow, the Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art for VMFA and curator of Edward Hopper and the American Hotel will provide an overview of the special exhibition.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts proudly celebrates the dedication of Arthur Ashe Boulevard, the two-mile stretch from Byrd Park to Parker Field Annex, formerly known as the Boulevard. Join VMFA in honoring the legacy of this tennis champion and Richmond native. The first African American to win Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, Ashe worked tirelessly as a humanitarian and civil rights leader. VMFA is particularly proud of its connection to Ashe, who served as a member of its Board of Trustees from 1991 to 1993. Join the two-day celebration.

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Film Screening & Social Justice Forum at VMFA
Thu, Jun 20, 7–9 pm
Free; tickets required

Join the Arthur Ashe Boulevard Initiative x Afrikana Independent Film Festival as we kick off the Arthur Ashe Boulevard dedication weekend! Meet us VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for the Arthur Ashe Boulevard Social Justice Forum featuring the RVA premiere of Ashe ’68 (VR version) and the big screen presentation of ESPN’s short film, Johnnie and Arthur. Screenings will be followed by a panel discussion about how the renaming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard is an extension of his legacy and how it can be a catalyst to move our city forward. Panelists include Johnnie Ashe, younger brother of Arthur Ashe; Sionne Neeley of Initiatives of Change, Justin Tinsley of ESPN’S Undefeated, Michael Paul Williams of Richmond Times-Dispatch and Clovia Grooms Lawrence of KISS FM. Panel moderated by Marc Cheatham of the Cheats Movement. We are honored to be a part of this important moment in Richmond and Black history and we hope you’ll join us in it!

Get Tickets

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Dedication Ceremony at VMHC
Sat, Jun 22, 11 am–12:30 pm
Free

Located next door to VMFA, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in partnership with the City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia, will host the official dedication of Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Congressman John Lewis (GA-05), a renowned civil rights activist, will lend his voice to this significant occasion as the keynote speaker. On the day of the dedication, VMHC, located at 428 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, is also offering free admission to the exhibition Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality.

See the Full Schedule

Free Parking and Refreshments at VMFA

On the morning of the dedication, for those who arrive by 11:30 am, parking is free in the parking deck at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (if you are a VMFA member, parking is always free during museum hours.) VMFA is located next door to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, where the dedication ceremony will take place. After the dedication, return to VMFA for free cookies and lemonade.

Three IMLS funded summer conservation interns, with assistant objects conservator Casey Mallinckrodt, will be treating a garment that is part of a Bamana Ci wara dance ensemble. They will demonstrate methods of cleaning and mending damaged plant fibers and discuss the overall conservation treatment and goals.

At the opening of the Awaken exhibition, The Mystical Arts of Tibet, featuring the Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in southern India constructed a sand mandala. The monks will dismantle the mandala, in a closing ceremony, sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists. The ceremony will begin in the entrance to the special exhibition on the Lower Level of VMFA and will conclude in the Japanese Garden at Maymont.

For directions to Maymont please visit their website. Guests are encouraged to park at the Historic Estate Entrance. For accessible access to the Japanese Garden, contact Maymont at 804-358-7166, ext. 310

On May 18, 2019, stop by the Visitor Services desk to request up to two free vouchers for admission* to Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment, which runs through Aug. 18, 2019.

Power down, unplug, and join a voyage into the visionary art of Tibetan Buddhism. The journey from clamor to clarity unfolds as you progress through a series of immersive spaces, engaging with spectacular art along the way. The exhibition offers a pause from the noise of daily living and a chance for self-reflection and discovery.

*Each voucher is redeemable for one adult, senior, student or youth admission to the exhibition. Vouchers will be available on May 18, 2019, only. They may be redeemed at any time during the run of Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment but may not be used for other exhibitions.

Visual and theatrical artists think about how to engage viewers and audiences in remarkably similar ways. Join educators Maggie McGurn and Sarah Rasich for a “dramatic”, closer look at three objects in VMFA’s permanent collection.