A blog by staff and others about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA and Confederate History
November 10, 2011
What’s going on? In recent weeks a group calling itself Virginia Flaggers has undertaken a campaign asking that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts mount Confederate battle flags on the Confederate Memorial Chapel. The endeavor has included demonstrations on site, blog postings, and contact with patrons, legislators, and media. The museum administration has recently met…
Cheers to Beers!
October 31, 2011
Thank goodness it’s finally here! Beer Week, a week we look forward to all year. Amuse is offering a special prix fixe menu for a dinner beer extravaganza featuring 5 courses with 5 beers on Tuesday, November 8, at 6:00pm. See if you can resist: Rappahannock Fried Oysters / Meyer Lemon Aioli Saison DuPont Farmhouse…
VMFA’s past is now present
October 26, 2011
On the occasion of its 75th anniversary and the national commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, VMFA has installed new outdoor signs on its campus that interpret the history of the Confederate Soldiers’ Home, a residential compound for poor veterans that once stood on the site between 1885 and 1941. Established by R.…
Mummy love, or dress like an Egyptian
October 24, 2011
In anticipation and celebration of Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb (Nov 19, 2011 – March 11, 2012) VMFA is sponsoring a Mummy Love program. Anyone may participate, provided they follow the guidelines below. Mummy Love will begin on October 29 at 10 am and continue through the holiday season. On October 29 at 10 am…
VMFA Fellowships – Supporting Virginia’s Artists and Art Students Since 1940
October 24, 2011
Who doesn’t love free money? That question might have been on the mind of the late John Lee Pratt when he created the Artists Fellowship Fund, but most definitely on Pratt’s mind was a dedication to supporting the artistic abilities and creative potential of residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1940 Pratt, originally from…
WSJ Bureau Chief Talks about Xu Bing
September 29, 2011
Wall Street Journal Bureau Chief Betsy McKay traveled to Richmond to write an in depth feature on Xu Bing: Tobacco Project. Click the link below to view the interview. Wall Street Journal Video on Xu Bing
National TV News Personality Eric Burns Tobacco
September 20, 2011
Eric Burns will speak at VMFA Sept. 30, Friday, on the topic of his book The Smoke of Gods: A Social History of Tobacco. After his talk, there will be a book signing and then the movie Coffee and Cigarettes will be shown. This event complements VMFA’s Xu Bing Tobacco Project exhibition. Mr. Burns was…
Xu Bing’s 9/11 Commemoration
September 8, 2011
Where Does the Dust Itself Collect? An installation by Xu Bing In this award-winning installation, Xu Bing explores the boundaries between the physical and spiritual realms, between impermanence and eternity. The Bodhi (True Wisdom) is not like the tree; The mirror bright is nowhere shining; As there is nothing from the first, Where does the…
Faberge Revealed with Fiber Optic Lighting
August 22, 2011
Faberge Revealed is truly a spectacular exhibition of more than 500 objects, and what better way to illuminate these jewels than with fiber optic lighting systems. Fiber optic lighting, unlike fiber optics for telecommunications, transmits light from a light source at one end, through many strands of fiber, and out through focused fixtures which we…
Tristin Lowe: Mocha Dick at VMFA
July 22, 2011
“When the last piece gets attached, something will click,” Tristin explained to our installation team standing around the whale’s naked substructure. At that point we were still focused on filtration systems in its belly, but Mocha Dick’s massive musculature was already attracting a crowd at the window.Over the course of the week, we’ve tied to…