A blog by staff and others about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Fellowship Winner Greig Leach’s Art Gains Momentum with UCI Road World Championships
August 14, 2015
When painter Greig Leach won his Fellowship in 1986, it gave him a great deal of credibility in the art world. The honor landed him representation with a gallery in New York City’s Greenwich Village, led to multiple exhibitions throughout Virginia, and helped place his work in a number of private and corporations. “It was…
$10,000 Scholarship Awarded to 2013 Teen Stylin’ Winner
July 23, 2015
Former Teen Stylin’ McLean Project for the Arts alumni and award winner Mia Rickenbach just won a $10,000 scholarship from Duck Brand duct tape for her prom dress creation made entirely of the colorful tape. Read more about the teen from Chantilly High School in the Washington Post story. The photo at right is Mia’s…
VMFA’s Youngest Visitors Play House While Learning about South African Culture
July 23, 2015
It started with a great idea from a VMFA educator. The African Art curator then vetted the idea, suggesting authentic Ndebele patterns. The VMFA Shop created blueprints and built three tiny houses. Interns and staff drew the Ndebele designs on the houses. Kids at the Celebrate African and African American Art Family Day painted the…
Photographer Will May Gains Professional Legitimacy from Two-Time Fellowship Win
July 16, 2015
In 2004, VCU graduate student Will May received a VMFA Visual Arts Fellowship. The award was of such benefit to him as a student that the photographer applied again in 2014, once he was established in his career. And like 139 artists who have received multiple Fellowships in the 75-year history of the program, May…
Find Art Doors . . . and Open Doors for People in the Community
July 9, 2015
If you’ve strolled through the VMFA Sculpture Garden recently, you may have noticed a lone purple and green door standing in the grass, seemingly leading nowhere. But nothing could be further from the truth. Part of the Find Art Doors project, this door, along with 39 others decorated by local artists and installed at museums,…
Japan’s Complex Relationship with Tattoo
July 7, 2015
VMFA submitted the following blog post about the history of Japanese tattoo to Tattoo Artist Magazine. Read “Japan’s Complex Relationship with Tattoo,” published on Jul 2, 2015. Tattoo Artist Magazine is the only tattoo-related publication created, owned, and financed by a tattoo artist, designed specifically for tattoo artists and the growing international community. The magazine’s…
The Google Art Project Helps VMFA Share its Collection with Virginia . . . and the World
June 30, 2015
Sadly, some people will never have the opportunity to walk inside an art museum, but that limitation shouldn’t prevent them from experiencing and learning about art. To make the treasures in our collection accessible beyond the museum’s four walls, VMFA has launched ARTshare, an ambitious multi-year digital outreach initiative. Part of that initiative is the…
VMFA Hosts Go Bike! Display
June 18, 2015
With the UCI World Road Cycling Championships coming in September, Richmond is gearing up for an influx of bike enthusiasts . . . and local artists are now on board. As part of the Go Bike! local art project, a collaboration between the City of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Chamber to commemorate the big…
VMFA Fellowship Sets Megan Holley on the Path to Write “Sunshine Cleaning”
June 15, 2015
It’s one thing to be really good at something; it’s often quite another to make a career out of it. Screenwriter and consummate storyteller Megan Holley was at just such a crossroads in the early 2000s. “I had always wanted to be a filmmaker and storyteller but lacked the confidence to throw myself into the…
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
June 5, 2015
“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ― Claude Monet “A flower blossoms for its own joy.” ― Oscar Wilde “The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the mind.” ― Luther Burbank “In joy or sadness flowers…