Photo by David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The VMFA Artmobile, October 2018
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts celebrated the first anniversary ofVMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century. The original Artmobile traveled the commonwealth from 1953 to the early 1990s, bringing art exhibitions and educational programs to schools, colleges and community organizations across Virginia, reaching 2.5 million people. In 2015, the museum board voted to bring the iconic truck back as part of its 2020 strategic plan to expand the museum’s Statewide Program.VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Centurylaunched in October 2018, embarking on a 16-month tour that included communities in Southwest, Southern and Central Virginia. As of Oct. 30,VMFA on the Roadhas completed 40 residencies, reaching 150,000 Virginians across the state.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating the first anniversary ofVMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century,” says VMFA Paul Mellon Educator and Statewide Manager Jeffrey Allison. “VMFA on the Roadhas brought works from the VMFA permanent collection and educational opportunities to communities across Virginia. We are looking forward to continuing this great program and to visiting many more locations around the state in the coming year.”
Visitors include many people who had never been to VMFA and have never visited an art museum before. The current exhibition,“How Far Can Creativity Take You: VMFA Fellowship Artists,” celebrates the role VMFA’s Visual Arts Fellowship Program has played in the lives of fellowship recipients. It includes works by acclaimed artists who all have some connection to Virginia: Julien Binford, Ann Chenoweth, Esther Worden Day, Steven Fishman, Emmet Gowin, Sally Mann, Arthur Sawyers, Charles Sibley, Cy Twombly, Benjamin Wigfall and Dennis Winston. In addition to art, the new Artmobile features digital and interactive components that connect visitors with VMFA’s vast array of online resources.
“Our mission is to reach people throughout the state, and we have done just that through the success ofVMFA on the Road,” says VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. “We look forward to introducing this innovative art experience to more people around Virginia for years to come.”
The nextVMFA on the Roadexhibition will premiere in March 2020.“A View of Home: Landscapes of Virginia”will feature paintings, photographs and prints of Virginia landscapes made between the mid-1800s and 2017.
