Sketch of Phase I of VMFA’s revised sign
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will be developing its Boulevard sign in phases. An institutional identifying sign will be installed first, which will be composed of a stainless steel armature with a panel of frosted acrylic to complement the building materials of the McGlothlin Wing. The letters VMFA and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will be mounted on the frosted panel and will be lit from behind in the evening to create a halo effect around the letters. Perpendicular to the street, Phase I of the sign will be approximately 8’-6” high and will be set back from the sidewalk 15’, as opposed to the originally planned 12’ distance. Phase I will be installed by early February.
A decision about the changing exhibitions component of the sign will be considered in Phase II and includes a variety of solutions such as duratrans and high resolution imaging.
Director Alex Nyerges said:
Support structure being installed today. Fabricated at 15′, the
it will be cut to 8′-6″.
“We appreciate the engagement of the greater community in this dialogue. Strong endorsements of the museum’s aesthetic standards, as well as concerns about the proposed sign have been appreciated. Interestingly, they have been close to equal in number. I want to thank the Art and Architecture Review Board as well as the Virginia Department of General Services for their advice and support on this matter. We are proud to be an agency of the Commonwealth and are fortunate to have their counsel. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a landmark institution in this neighborhood and a well-recognized top ten art museum in the nation. When VMFA’s ‘Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée Picasso, Paris’ exhibition opens on February 19, we expect many first-time visitors and we want to welcome them to Richmond with an easy-to-find museum.”
— Suzanne Hall