Join contemporary artist and subject of the current retrospective Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic as he talks about his career and creative process. Ticket includes admission to the exhibition during the Fri, Jun 10 member preview.

Hungarian born photographer André Kertész was a renowned flaneur, an idle but observant man of the street. His street photographs, interiors and portraits are poetic and timeless, making him arguably one of the greatest photographers of everyday life. This 3 in 30 will explore the visual language that makes his images so universally appealing.

Come to VMFA for this year’s Family Day celebration of African and African American arts and culture. Explore the theme of “adornment” through artwork in VMFA’s collection and enjoy artist demonstrations, performances by the Elegba Folklore Society, and music with DJ Mikemetic. Participate in art activities, including Zulu-inspired jewelry making, and so much more!

Event Schedule
Jun 10, 2017 | 11 am–3 pm

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 * more details coming soon

View Event Guide

Performances

Elegba Folklore Society
Adornment Is… Expression by the Elegba Folklore Society
11:15–11:45 am and 12:15–12:45 pm | Leslie Cheek Theater (Level L)

No Photos Permitted | Enjoy captivating dance, music, and oral tradition performances by the Elegba Folklore Society. Elegba, from the Yoruba cosmology of West Africa, is an orisa, or intercessor who opens new roads, bringing clarity out of confusion. The Elegba Folklore Society is a year-round, lively celebration of African and African American culture.

Richmond Boys Choir
1–1:25 pm | Leslie Cheek Theater (Level L)
2:30–2:55 pm | Atrium (Level 1)

Join the Richmond Boys Choir for two dynamic vocal performances highlighting both light classical and popular musical selections. The choir is a nonprofit organization, open to boys and young men who live in the Richmond-metro area, ages 7 to 17.

Virginia Union University NPHC Greek Step Performance
11:50 am–12:00 pm | Atrium (Level 1)
1:35–1:45 pm | Leslie Cheek Theater (Level L)

Enjoy rhythmic step performances by Virginia Union University’s National
Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Greek organizations.

Mikemetic | Sculpture Garden (Rain Location: Atrium)
11 am–3 pm | Sculpture Garden, Rain Location: Atrium

Experience the Afro-futuristic sounds of DJ Mikemetic and the Afro Beta Drummers as they engage audiences through cosmic cadence and spiritual guidance in a creative musical arts event.

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Exhibitions & Demonstrations

Ongoing

Keith Ramsey | Marble Hall (Level 2)
Local artist Keith Ramsey designs and creates his FOUNDPUNK Wrist Wear by RAMSEY.

Jay Sharpe | Marble Hall (Level 2)
Richmond-based artist Jay Sharpe demonstrates his unique and beautiful jewelry construction and design.

Hlengiwe Dube | Conference Room 1 (Level L) South
11 am–12 pm & 1–3 pm
African artist Hlengiwe Dube demonstrates the intricate beading of Zulu designs.

 

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Activities

Ongoing

Create a Maasai Inspired Belt | Art Education Center Studio 1 (Level 1)
Use beads to create your own colorful Massai-inspired belt!

Zulu-Inspired Wearable Beading | Conference Room 1 (Level L)
Learn about Zulu beading designs and make your own beaded necklace. Include a secret message or “love letter” pendant!

Design your own Hunter’s Shirt | Art Education Center Studio 2 (Level 1)
Create your own miniature paper shirt to show off your bravery and personality. Add special messages on the inside of your design.

Create your own Raffia Textile | Marble Hall, Level 2
Create your own textile by weaving raffia to create a design that represents you.

Dance with the Ancestors!  Make an Egungun Mask | Sculpture Garden Terrace
Make your own mask using strips of fabric, and then join the Yoruba-inspired dance of spirals in the Sculpture Garden.

 

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Community Activities

Runway Selfie Station | Atrium (Level 1)
Stop by the VMFA Runway to show off your style and the wearable works of art you create. Take a picture to remember the day!

Community Runway Gesture Drawing with Artist Sukenya Best | Atrium, (Level 1)
Be a part of a community gesture drawing project led by artist and Virginia Union University visual arts professor, Sukenya Best.

Collaborative Hunter’s Shirt Clothing Design with Teen Stylin’ | Atrium
(Level 1) | Work with VMFA’s 2017 Teen Stylin’ students to adorn a life-size version of the Hunter’s Shirt with fabric, shells, and found materials.

Community Weaving Project | Marble Hall (Level 2)
Add a piece of raffia or fabric to our large-scale weaving project!

Play! | Sculpture Garden, Pauley Center Terrace
Spread out on a picnic blanket, relax on the grounds, or pick up a hula hoop and enjoy the day!

Food Trucks | VMFA Sculpture Garden (Grove Avenue) weather permitting
Make sure to stop by our local food vendors to pick up a tasty treat.

 

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SAVE THE DATE! 

Join us for our upcoming Family Day events listed below!

Sep 16, 2017, 11 am–3 pm for Celebrate the Art of Latin America: Caribbean

Oct 14, 2017, 11am – 3pm for Celebrate Native American Art

© 2017 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

 

Inspired by the painting The White Slave featured in the exhibition Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, curator John Henry Rice will lead a gallery talk focusing on painted portraits in the museum’s South Asian collection. Such portraiture became widespread during the reign of the Mughals and was itself largely a product of foreign artistic ideas. From the time of the tradition’s inception, its creators engaged and grappled with multiple modes of representation—Indian, Persian, and European. Cultural collisions, fusions, and tensions around the differing visual languages of power only escalated through the colonial period.

View the short films World Stage: Haiti (22:37 minutes) and World Stage: France (18:53 minutes) which chronicles artist Kehinde Wiley as he embarks on a cultural exploration of different countries including Haiti, Morocco, Republic of Congo among others. Following the films, curators Dr. Sarah Eckhardt and Dr. Richard Woodward will be joined in conversation by a special guest speaker, Lanre Ajibola, an analyst with a national financial institution who takes an interest in global cultural relationships.

Sold Out!

What could contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley have in common with a 19th-century painter of American thoroughbred horses? Join Jeffrey Allison, VMFA’s Paul Mellon Collection Educator, to explore three works in the Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art and discover the connections between the work of artist Edward Troye and Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic.

Set in India in the first half of the 20th century, this novel tells the tale of two Sikh women who are both married to the same man. Satya has been a loyal companion to her husband, so it is difficult when he takes the younger Roop as a second wife. As the women navigate their relationship, their husband navigates the partitioning that led to the creation of Pakistan and India. With so much political upheaval, where will the Sikh community fit in?

Using books about artists or works of art currently on view at VMFA to pique curiosity and open discussions, VMFA Book Club explores these specific works of art as well as the setting and period surrounding the art. Reading the book is helpful but not required. The VMFA Shop stocks a limited supply of each book.

Open Studio fun expands this Sunday! Stop by the MWV Art Education Center studios to make a Kehinde Wiley inspired art project, take a selfie at our portrait stand and join in hip-hop line dancing in the Atrium with Kemel Patton, local dance instructor and line dance aficionado.

Woven with sterling, fine silver, and other non-ferrous metals, Marla Rudnick’s metalwork shows how knitting techniques can be integrated into functional jewelry. The artist combines fiber and metal techniques, incorporating weaving, forging, and freeform casting to create gorgeous jewelry and sculptures. The beauty of these pieces is enhanced by beads, freshwater pearls, and unique natural stones.

Join us in the VMFA Shop to meet the artist and find the perfect handcrafted Mother’s Day gift! VMFA Member Discount applies to all purchases.

Generations now have come to know and love Audrey Hepburn’s loopy but charming Holly Golightly, the song she sings: Moon River, the classic views of modern-era Manhattan, the fabled jewelry store Tiffany’s, and Cat. Enjoy the chance to view this classic story of life, love, and happiness in the big city on the big screen. Tiaras, pumps, and black shifts welcome.

Prior to the screening, VMFA’s Best Café will offer film-inspired nosh for purchase including mimosas, croissants, and coffee.

This event complements VMFA’s Rachel Lambert Mellon Collection of Jean Schlumberger special exhibition.