Richmond, VA — The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is excited to announce its renewed partnership with Chase to expand access to the arts through a variety of events and programs, including the popular series After 5 Fridays Presented by Chase. Underwritten by Chase, After 5 Fridays features a rotation of free, weekly events held at the museum that includes First Fridays, Dance After Work, Summer Breeze and Taste of Art.
“The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts appreciates Chase’s generous support,” said Alex Nyerges, VMFA’s Director and CEO. “VMFA is charged with enriching the lives of all through art, and we are committed to making the arts more accessible. Chase’s partnership ensures that these events and programs remain free and impact more people in the greater Richmond community.”
After 5 Fridays Presented by Chase offers a variety of special events — and opportunities to visit VMFA’s art galleries — to kick off each weekend. First Fridays spotlights live performances by area musicians. With Taste of Art, in Best Café, adults can learn about works of art in the museum’s permanent collection while sampling great wines, beers and spirits, guided by local expert sommeliers, cicerones and master brewers. Dance After Work features live music performances with complimentary dance lessons provided by deft instructors. DJs set the tone for Summer Breeze evening socials, held outdoors in the E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden.
“When Chase announced a retail expansion to Richmond, we knew it was important to find a community partner with many of the same values. VMFA is all about education and uplifting our communities,” said Tom Ing, Richmond Chase Market Director. “We are so proud to support the museum in its mission to touch more residents.”
In addition to presenting After 5 Fridays, Chase also supports several of VMFA’s annual education programs and engagement initiatives to reach new and diverse audiences. In partnership with Chase, VMFA’s programming celebrates the diversity of Richmond’s community with programs like African American Read-In, RVA Community Makers, Girls For A Change Black Girls Showcase, VMFA Girl Action Team and internship, and VMFA’s Teens Outloud with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond. Chase is also the presenting sponsor of the exhibition Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection, currently traveling to community centers and festivals throughout the Commonwealth aboard VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century. Furthering the museum’s outreach throughout the Commonwealth, Chase continues to support the museum’s effort to inspire creativity with the distribution of 1,000 art supply kits to school-age children at area events and festivals.
Visit www.VMFA.museum for more information about upcoming programs and events, including After 5 Fridays Presented by Chase events.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading financial services firm based in the United States with assets of $3.7 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves more than 60 million American households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: Nearly 4,700 branches in 48 states and the District of Columbia, 16,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to www.CHASE.com.
About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 50,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has begun its more than $190 million expansion and renovation project led by the international architecture firm SmithGroup. Tentatively scheduled for completion in 2027, the project consists of adding a new wing of nearly 170,000 square feet and renovating 45,000 square feet of existing spaces, while maintaining four acres of green space in the Sculpture Garden. Visitors will experience a seamless journey through the collections in the new wing, which will house contemporary art, African art, American art, a new suite of galleries for rotating special exhibitions, and a special-events space. The expansion and renovation will enable the museum to display more art, welcome more visitors, and provide more enjoyment.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone 804.340.1400 or visit www.VMFA.museum.
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Media Contacts
Jan Hatchette | 804.204.2721 | jan.hatchette@VMFA.museum
Amy Peck | 804.773.1791 | amy.peck@VMFA.museum
Kyla Coleman | 804.204.2702 | kyla.coleman@VMFA.museum
200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond VA 23220