August 31, 2021
This summer, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts had five “Teen Terns” join the Education and Marketing teams during the months of June, July, and August. Teen Ternships are paid internship opportunities for Richmond-area high school students who have previously participated in VMFA’s Museum Leaders in Training (MLiT). This year, we had an additional Teen…
Categories: Art, Education, Exhibitions
Tags: African American Art, The Dirty South
May 6, 2021
“Dirty South” is an expression that endearingly refers to the southern part of the United States—from Virginia to Florida, Texas, and the states in between—whose Black traditions and artistic expressions have shaped the culture of the region and the nation. The term describes an identity born out of the southern landscape and its agriculture as…
Categories: Art, Exhibitions
Tags: African American Art, African American History, American Art, American History, Music, The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse
February 22, 2021
Artist Hamilton Glass, also known as “Ham,” is a Philadelphia-born, Hampton University graduate, who has proudly called Richmond home since 2007. And it’s here in RVA where he has also made his name as a painter and muralist with a genuine concern for building community and bridging divides. His relationship with VMFA has always involved…
Categories: Art, Artists, Outreach
Tags: African American Art, Local Artists, RVA Community Makers, Virginia Artists
January 5, 2021
Was “race” a concept in the ancient Greek and Roman world? That’s the question at the heart of a virtual talk organized and hosted by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Presented as one of VMFA’s “3 in 30” gallery talks, which are currently offered virtually, the program brings together Dr. Peter Schertz, VMFA’s Jack…
Categories: Art, Curators, History
Tags: African Art, African History, Ancient Art, Ancient History, Curator Conversation
November 23, 2020
CELESTE FETTA is the Director of Education at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a role she has had for the past five years. She has been with the museum since 2001 serving in several capacities within the Education Department. Here, she shares VMFA’s nurturing of creativity in the community, its steadfast commitment to its…
Categories: Education, Outreach, VMFA
Tags: Learning From Home, Staff Stories, Volunteers
September 23, 2020
By Dr. John Edwin Mason Author’s Note: This blog post draws heavily on an essay, also called “The Sounds They Saw: Kamoinge and Jazz,” that I wrote for the exhibition catalogue Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop. I’m grateful to the photographer Herb Robinson, a member of Kamoinge, for selecting the music that…
Categories: Art, Cultural, Exhibitions
Tags: African American Art, Music, Photography, Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop
September 16, 2020
Sandra Sellars is an assistant photographer at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and VMFA’s Louis Draper Archive photographer. Sellars is also an award-winning photojournalist for the Richmond Free Press—a Black–owned and operated newspaper. She will be a featured presenter in VMFA’s free seven-part virtual symposium titled The Kamoinge Workshop: Collaboration, Community, and Photography, which…
Categories: Exhibitions, VMFA
Tags: Staff Stories, Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop
July 29, 2020
During the past two months, we have been listening to our staff, members, visitors, and members of the community. We are grateful for the candid thoughts, personal experiences, and genuine concerns many have expressed in direct response to VMFA’s statement of support for the protests that began after George Floyd’s murder. Listening to your stories…
Categories: Uncategorized
July 28, 2020
John Lewis in Nashville (Primary Title), Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement (Portfolio Title), 1962–64, printed 2015, Danny Lyon (American, born 1942), gelatin silver print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment, 2017.404.2. Image © Danny Lyon The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts pays tribute to the life of John Lewis,…
Categories: History, VMFA
Tags: African American History, American History, Staff Stories
May 20, 2020
Maddie, a Teen Stylin’ participant, uses materials found at home to work on her garment. If you’ve ever watched the reality show Project Runway, you know the drama that can play out when there’s passion for fashion. This spring, students enrolled in Teen Stylin’ Metamorphosis at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts rose to an…
Categories: Education
Tags: Teen Stylin', Teens