July 25, 2014
As visitors enjoy the final days of VMFA’s powerful companion shows, Posing Beauty in African American Culture and Identity Shifts, they will find a panel in the galleries inviting them to “Continue the Conversation” by visiting two additional exhibitions. Those smaller unticketed shows, States of Change in Africa and Signs of Protest: Photographs from the…
July 24, 2014
When I first saw Question Bridge Black Males, I was shocked by the raw and unapologetic nature of the film. There are no special effects, no music, no over-the-top dramatic storytelling — it’s just real. The viewer is forced to confront the multifaceted realities of being a black male without any sugarcoating. Rarely are there…
July 23, 2014
When you think of Amuse, VMFA’s fine dining restaurant, you probably think upscale, deliciously prepared gourmet meals that you have to use a fork and knife (in fact, a couple forks and knives) to eat! While we’re sure you love the magic chef Greg Haley works with the food here, most of you would probably…
July 22, 2014
If you are not familiar with Edward Hopper, you ought to take a few minutes to look at his work, even if that means not reading the rest of this post. The beauty in his work is eerie and solitary, but nonetheless striking. What pushes the elegance of his paintings is the strong presence of…
July 15, 2014
How do we use our bodies to tell our story? On Thursday, July 17, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, Dr. Sarah Eckhardt, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art moderates a powerful discussion between artists Sonya Clark and Robert Pruitt, whose work is currently featured in Identity Shifts, about the shifting ideas of culture, history, and…
July 3, 2014
As your eyes are riveted to the dark canvas above you this weekend, do you find those bursts and trails of color and light to be art? They can’t be placed under glass or displayed in a gallery or garden. They can’t even be enjoyed beyond the moment they occur. For those reasons (and probably…
July 2, 2014
Out of 97 Richmond attractions, VMFA is ranked number one on TripAdvisor. Not only is the museum itself high on the list, but Amuse Restaurant ranks number three out of 1,296 Richmond restaurants. We are proud to be number one certainly for the recognition but also for what it says about the visitor experience. Rankings on…
July 1, 2014
Cast in bronze more than one hundred years ago, VMFA’s statue of Thomas Jefferson by Moses Ezekiel depicts the young statesman reading aloud his draft of the Declaration of Independence for the first time in the summer of 1776. The statue is a smaller version of the grander monument you’ll find on the plaza in…
June 26, 2014
Recently you may have noticed that the advertisements for our current exhibition, Posing Beauty in African American Culture, have changed. After the opening of the exhibition, visitors told us that they thought this was an important show, plumbing issues of shared and individual identify, the shifting definitions of beauty, and a slice of historical and…
June 24, 2014
En plein air, translating to “in the open air,” is often used to describe painting outdoors. With natural light and the plethora of subjects readily available to them, artists—particularly the impressionists—have favored this style of painting for hundreds of years. This week, 33 nationally acclaimed artists have set up their easels (and their umbrellas) in…
