April 3, 2018
To test terracotta using TL dating, conservators take a powdered sample from an unobtrusive area of the object using a high-speed drill. Due to the fragile nature of these objects and the risk of causing damage through improper technique, only an experienced conservator or trained sampling agent should collect the sample. We reached out to…
March 26, 2018
The galleries at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts were full of a different kind of art — literature — at the African American Read-In (AARI). This annual event, which occurs during Black History Month, celebrates African and African American art and literature as community leaders read aloud in front of African and African American…
June 15, 2017
Ainslie Harrison and Casey Mallinckrodt We (VMFA conservators Ainslie Harrison and Casey Mallinckrodt) recently travelled to Washington DC with the VMFA’s Yoruba Ogboni Society Plaque (#2000.97) to consult with Dr. Carla Dove in the Feather Identification Lab at the National Museum of Natural History. Dr. Carla Dove generously agreed to take a break from her…
March 10, 2017
The research on the African Collection being carried out as part of the recently awarded Andrew W. Mellon grant is continuing to produce new insights into the objects in our collection. For example, as part of a comprehensive study of the Ethiopian crosses in our collection, 19th to 20th century hand cross (#2015.319) has undergone a…
December 15, 2016
A lively spontaneity results from this approach, revealing the human touch of creation. No straight edge is used, no tape. Just the eye and the hand—although it’s important to mention the acrobatics and exertion also! Esther and Marriam painted standing, sitting, kneeling, and even reclining on scaffolding, ladders, and the floor. All the climbing was…
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…
April 28, 2015
In 2014, VMFA commissioned South African artist Esther Mahlangu to create two large-scale paintings for the museum’s collection. The most renowned artist among South Africa’s Ndebele people, Mahlangu has developed the art of mural painting from a tradition of designs painted on the exterior of rural homes to projects created in a global, contemporary art…
September 25, 2014
The Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Music has been delighted to welcome back students and faculty from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) from Durban, South Africa. For the past three years, musicians from VCU and UKZN have participated in the Jazz Bridge exchange program. During this year’s exchange, the South African five students and two faculty members…
September 5, 2014
Few people have watched the creation of a work of art that is a part of a museum’s permanent collection. However, as of today, VMFA gives you that unique opportunity as renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu paints two mural-scale works to serve as a gateway to the museum’s African Art Gallery. These 9- by…
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…
