Photo: David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
May 15, 2017
The E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden has been an outdoor retreat for museum patrons and the
Sculpture Garden community since it opened along with the museum’s expansion project in May 2010. The 3½-acre space is comprised of styled gardens, a cascading waterfall, and on-site sculpture exhibition. The multileveled grounds afford different viewing perspectives for museum patrons, while the mixture of organic space and contemporary architectural design contributes to the dynamic and ever-changing garden aesthetic.
Sculpture
The Robins Sculpture Garden has proven to be the perfect exhibition space for VMFA’s permanent and temporary sculpture collections. The works on view — by modern to contemporary artists such as Henry Moore, Aristide Maillol, and Oronzio Maldarelli — are free to the public, as are the permanent collections inside the museum. The recent acquisition of Dale Chihuly’s Red Reeds, located in the Anne Cobb Gottwald Reflecting Pool, was a triumph as it “is the first site-specific outdoor installation by Chihuly to be acquired by an art museum,” according to museum director, Alex Nyerges.
Events
The Sculpture Garden is host to educational museum events and outdoor tours as well as many public events, such as select Saturday Salutation classes offered by partner Project Yoga Richmond. The versatile space is also ideal for dog walking (on leash), a quick bite, or letting young children expend some energy.
Yoga in Sculpture Garden
VMFA is currently working with the non-profit Project for Public Space (PPS) on an initiative to enhance the Sculpture Garden experience. With the support of a Windsor Foundation grant, VMFA has added new shaded seating as well as additional garden amenities near the Pauley Center’s Davis Terrace. The input of the local community and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has been integral to the success of this project.
Richmond Garden