January 9, 2015
VMFA recently received special permission from the Palace Museum to extend the run of Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing through January 19. Forbidden City has had a huge impact on the community—since before it even opened—and now the impact of this groundbreaking collaboration between VMFA and the Palace Museum will continue…
December 27, 2014
VMFA is ringing in the New Year with a cross-cultural celebration in honor of the Forbidden City exhibition. The 10th annual ChinaFest! Year of the Wood Sheep Family Event on Saturday, January 3, will feature nine treasure-making art activities as well as multiple performances and demonstrations. Here are some things that we learned while planning…
December 22, 2014
When First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe decided she wanted a different sort of Christmas card this year—not her usual photo of the kids but a painting of the Governor’s Mansion and the family dogs instead—the obvious resource was VMFA’s Studio School. Mrs. McAuliffe’s executive assistant, Victoria Lewkow, headed to the Studio School to talk to director,…
December 18, 2014
If you’ve had lunch or attended a VMFA After Hours performance in BEST Café since October, you’ve probably read—and gotten a chuckle out of—the giant fortunes on the walls. “One that would have the fruit must climb the tree.” (Well, maybe not that orange you just picked up from the BEST cooler.) “It is better…
December 15, 2014
Thank you to David Siegel for the below post. You can follow this link to the original blog.The photo just jumped out at me. It had a joyful, playful performing arts feeling. But it was a photograph from a century ago by an artist I did not know. And I wanted to know more. So with a bit…
December 11, 2014
Edvard Munch, who was born 151 years ago today, is best known for The Scream, created in four unique versions (painted and pastel) between 1893 and 1910. But that one agonized figure set against a swirling blue landscape and fiery orange sky hardly begins to represent his body of work—in either its breadth or impact.…
November 19, 2014
It’s difficult to know where to start when delineating the reasons to see Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum (1987; 91 min) at the Byrd Theatre on November 23 at 1:30 pm. The film has an almost mythic reputation. But I will try. The Byrd Theatre will be the only venue in the entire US that has…
November 17, 2014
How do you stop traffic on the four-lane Manchester Bridge in downtown Richmond? Easy. Outfit someone in a historically accurate 18th century, Qing Dynasty soldier’s uniform, with a bow, quiver of arrows, and sword, and have him ride a very large horse across the bridge. If you’ve seen VMFA’s “Warrior” TV spot promoting our newest…
November 14, 2014
New-Fashioned from Briget Ganske on Vimeo. An average day of questions and answers during a Teen Stylin’ workshop: Q: Where are the scissors? A: Look in the blue bins on the table. Q: Is there any more hot glue? A: We have an endless supply. Look in the blue bins on the table. Q: I…
November 7, 2014
Looking for an indoor family adventure? Explore treasures of the Chinese emperors, while discovering stories about the family who lived in the largest palace in the world: The Forbidden City. In the past, ordinary citizens were not allowed into the imperial palace; however, today, you and your family can explore the Forbidden City at VMFA!…
