A blog by staff and others about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia State Talent
April 22, 2014
An Art & Design class at Virginia State University developed terrific Posing Beauty poster models. : See their Tumblr site with all the designs here.
Ladies and Gentlemen… The Avant-Garde
April 1, 2014
In winter, 1913, The International Exhibition of Modern Art, better known as The Armory Show, opened in New York City. It was fully loaded with over 1300 modern artworks by more than 300 artists from Europe and America. Mere style and technique would challenge the sensibilities of the norm and spur a sea change in…
My skirt won’t fit through the door and other musings on historical fashion
March 4, 2014
Having to sometimes wear pantyhose is a small price to pay compared to what women used to have to do for the sake of fashion. Hoop skirts, or the Spanish originating farthingale, dominated women’s fashion for almost 300 years. Hoop skirts would be covered in petticoats and provide shape to a woman’s gown. The hoops on…
Fellowship serve artists throughout Virginia
February 27, 2014
Now that the 2014-15 VMFA Fellowship recipients have been announced, we at VMFA thought it might be fun to take a look ‘behind the scenes’ and explore a few facts about the Fellowship that you might not know. To start, did you know that the Fellowship has become an increasingly competitive process? While VMFA has…
African American Read-In Schedule
February 20, 2014
African American Read-In February 20th, 2014: 5 – 6:30 pm Readers and Selections Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1928 / The Prodigal Son, 1927 Readers: Reverend Mischelle Townsend / Saint Paul’s Baptist Church and Reverend Macio Freeman / Saint Paul’s Baptist Church Selections: We Wear the Masks and The Prodigal Son Christ and His Disciples on…
Celebrating Black History Month
February 18, 2014
In recognition of Black History Month, VMFA is offering a trio of amazing events highlighting African-American culture in music, film, and literature. February is also the birthday month of iconic singer Marian Anderson, the first black person to ever perform at the renowned Metropolitan in New York City in 1955. This Wednesday, February 19th, join…
The Detroit Institute of Arts Dilemma
February 16, 2014
The icy chill of an Arctic front has gripped the Motor City. But the savage, bitter cold is not that of a weather front, it is the unfortunate circumstances of a city economy gone badly awry. Last year, Detroit created a page for itself in the annals of American history by becoming the largest municipality…
Loving art and love in art
February 12, 2014
As Valentine’s Day creeps up, as it always does this time of year, we see love stories everywhere. It gets to be really hard to change the channel when A Charlie Brown Valentine is on tv. Outside of fiction, maybe you’re one half of a great love story yourself. But how do we immortalize love?…
Art continues to inspire younger crowds
February 4, 2014
In December, the Teen Stylin’: Costume Couture runway exhibition showcased how young hearts are inspired, what their minds can conceive, and what their hands can build. The exhibition was made up of 60 Metro Richmond students grades 6-12 representing 38 of the city’s and surrounding county schools. The exhibition also allowed students from all over…
Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
December 6, 2013
Nelson Mandela’s greatness as a fighter against apartheid and crusader for justice in South Africa was much celebrated, fortunately, during his lifetime and will stand for the ages as an inspiration to the world. His battle was not easy, but he never bowed or swerved, and four years after his release in 1990 from twenty-seven…