The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts envisions a future in which the museum serves a vibrant, inclusive cultural leader that empowers all Virginians to reflect and connect to each other, their communities, and the wider world through art and creativity. VMFA strives to be recognized statewide as an essential public asset, and nationally and internationally as a leader in the museum field. 

The museum strives to make significant contributions to Virginia's economy and to its students and schools by making a world-class art collection available to visitors from throughout Virginia, the United States, and the world. VMFA will reach this vision by continuously reflecting on and progressing our artistic and organizational practices. These include the museum’s collection and care for the objects that are acquired, teaching and research, collaboration with people and communities, programs and facilities, and the culture that is created among museum staff and volunteers.

A commitment to art, accessibility and inclusion, relevance, joy and fun, collaboration, and impact.  

The privilege of serving the public statewide, nationally, and internationally.

In the midst of the Great Depression, on January 16, 1936, Virginia's political and business leaders demonstrated their faith in the future and their belief in the value of art by opening the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. The museum serves as the state's flagship art museum and as the headquarters for an educational network that brings the best of world art, past and present, to every corner of the Commonwealth. 

In 2010, the museum completed its fifth expansion with a historic redesign that features the McGlothlin Wing that knits together additional new elements: the E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden, the Mary Morton Parsons Plaza, and a landscaped parking deck with the original museum and three other historic buildings on the museum’s grounds. VMFA’s permanent collection encompasses nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history. 

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' enabling legislation is found in the Code of Virginia, Title 23, Chapter 32, Article 6.

VMFA strives to offer a portfolio of exhibitions and programs that attract an audience of at least 800,000 visitors to Richmond and statewide combined, and to attract a membership to exceed 45,000. 

The museum has launched a major expansion and renovation project that is designed to create approx. 170,000 square ft. for special exhibitions, American Art, 21st Century Art, African Art and Native American Art. A 45,000 square ft. renovation will offer updates for the European, East Asian, Photography galleries, Works on Paper, and education spaces. The Sculpture Garden and other special aspects of VMFA’s campus will continue to feature prominently. A  comprehensive fundraising campaign has been launched to support this initiative.

Major information technology initiatives will include developing an overall digital technology strategy, including setting priorities for visitor-facing digital engagement, creating a framework for an integrated information strategy to support organizational learning and communications. Distance learning with a focus on K-12 students will be sustained to support accessibility for all Virginians.

Increased VITA fees have been an ongoing issue for the museum as we continue to digitize our collections, and improve our website to comply with state requirements.

As of July 1, 2022, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ employment level is authorized at 355.5 full-time positions with 240 salaried positions currently filled. The largest employee populations are in law enforcement, housekeeping, buildings and grounds, and food service. The average age of the museum’s workforce is 48.5 years old, with an average state service of 8.6 years. As part of an ongoing initiative to diversify, the museum is creating new professional development opportunities for existing staff, holding job fairs for veterans, and working to recruit people with disabilities, among other strategies. 

It is important for the museum to support the development of its less senior staff. For succession planning, the VMFA must have both sufficient staffing and competitive pay to attract qualified candidates and retain existing staff. To address these issues, a task force has been formed to develop a museum-wide orientation program to expand educational opportunities for both hands-on and online training. Several departments have also started to develop business plans that outline specific goals and career paths for new hires.

The museum has launched a major expansion and renovation project that is designed to create approx. 170,000 square ft. for special exhibitions, American Art, 21st Century Art, African Art and Native American Art. A 45,000 square ft. renovation will offer updates for the European, East Asian, Photography galleries, Works on Paper, and education spaces. The Sculpture Garden and other special aspects of VMFA’s campus will continue to feature prominently. A  comprehensive fundraising campaign has been launched to support this initiative.

The 2025 Strategic Plan involves strategic and operational risks. The museum’s investment strategy addresses these risks, tying new investment to revenue targets. In addition, the Museum faces ongoing environmental risks which could also impact the Plan. The museum will monitor these risks and adjust strategy as needed. 

Strategic risks 

• The plan assumes Commonwealth support at historically comparable levels. The Commonwealth is the indispensable foundation for the VMFA as a state agency, providing the core annual operating budget and facility expenses. 

• The plan will require financial support from those closest to the museum. Over time, increased major donor support, which includes members of the Boards, is integral. 

• The plan also assumes the visitor response to the engagement strategy will increase earned revenue. The plan calls for managing attendance risk by building visitor data, continually improving engagement strategies, analyzing attendance returns against marketing investments, and attracting new audiences.

• The plan presumes that visitor attendance will return to pre-COVID-19 Pandemic levels within the plan period.

Operational risks 

• As a top ten museum that attracts tourists to the central Virginia region and shares resources with schools and museums around the Commonwealth, VMFA seeks to hire and retain staff in a highly competitive environment. It is challenging to hire appropriately trained staff within certain categories of positions and salary ranges. 

• The COVID-19 Pandemic may present undetermined operational risks. 

Environmental risks 

Environmental risk comes from external changes, such as the economic markets, tax policy, and the political environment. These risks are typically outside an institution’s control, and therefore best mitigated by building operating reserves and strengthening financial management systems. Any significant economic downturn or changes in inflation potentially would reduce earned revenue, philanthropic gifts and Commonwealth support. Poor market conditions could affect the museum’s investments, depressing the capacity of acquisition funds, creating pressure on the operating budget and threatening the museum’s ability to repay the debt. 

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts operates with support from both the public and private sectors. State support represents approximately 28 percent of the museum’s operating revenue in FY 2023. Therefore, the museum also relies heavily on earned income from its operations, its two enterprise operations (the Gift Shop and Food Services/Special Events), and on private support from the Museum Foundation. Federal grants provide limited support. The museum is careful to ensure that its expenses, which may vary somewhat from year to year depending on the exhibition schedule, do not exceed the total funding available to support its operations and programs. 

Recent trends with these revenue streams include: 

State Support: 

• Continued support from the general fund is critical for maintaining the quality of the exhibitions, the breadth of the educational and exhibition related outreach programs across the state and the accessibility of the permanent collection, which is free to the public and open 365 days a year. The projected percentage of Commonwealth support is projected at approximately 28 percent for FY 2023 as compared to 50 percent of the museum’s operating budget in FY 2006.

Earned Income: 

• The museum has sought ways to generate revenue through various mission-related services. In FY 2023, earned income represents about 9 percent of the operating budget, but support may vary in future years based on the COVID-19 Pandemic and popularity of the exhibition schedule.

• The biggest driver of earned income is membership dues and ticket sales for special exhibitions. The success of both of these revenue streams is driven by the popularity of the special exhibitions and can therefore vary significantly from year to year. 

• Other sources of earned income for the museum include: fees for lectures, movies and classes offered at the museum for visitors from preschoolers through adults, fees for off-site programs offered all across the state, parking fees, sales of catalogs produced by the museum and photographic rights for artworks. 

Enterprise Operations: 

• The museum also manages two enterprise operations: the Gift Shop and Food Services/Special Events. These enterprises are intended to provide important amenities to museum visitors and all net profits support operating expenses. Revenue from the gift shop correlates to the number of visitors to the museum. Special exhibitions, in particular, drive sales. Food Service/Special Events has two components to its business: Best Café and the restaurant, Amuse. The restaurants, like the gift shop, are largely dependent upon museum visitors for their revenue. These operations do a brisk business in hosting special events that can range from small private lunches to large, lavish parties for weddings, corporate events and fundraising galas. The special events business continues to trend closer to pre-pandemic numbers.

• The total gross revenue generated by the enterprise operations represents about 17 percent of the museum’s revenue. 

Contributed Support: 

Contributed income supports approximately 46 percent of the operating budget in FY 2023. This revenue source is a combination of income from the endowments held by the Museum Foundation, annual giving, and special fundraising projects. Common donor choices targeted for support include: educational programs, conservation projects and exhibition support. It is assumed that the museum will need to continue to rely heavily on gifts, grants and the income from the endowment to support its operating budget for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Museum Foundation has raised its fundraising goals to support museum operations and exhibitions. The museum intends to build steady increases in its annual giving totals each year as these funds are unrestricted and can be used to support top strategic priorities. 

Several macroeconomic factors may have an impact on the contributed support revenue streams over the next few years. For example, status of economic growth, inflation concerns, and any type of recession or high volatility in the stock market are all likely to affect a donor’s ability to make gifts to annual giving or special fundraising projects. 

• In compliance with the best practices of non-profit organizations nationwide and in accordance with prudent fiscal management, the museum draws 4.5 percent of its endowment income based on a rolling three-year average of the endowment’s value. Market conditions in recent years have increased the value of the foundation’s endowment, and, in turn, the funds drawn from the endowment earnings have also increased. Although market conditions have improved, market risk and the ongoing geopolitical atmosphere may negatively affect the desired investment returns of the museum foundation’s portfolio. 

Some endowments provide unrestricted support for the museum, but more commonly, the use of endowment income is designated to support specific exhibitions, programs or staff positions. In recent years, endowment income has often not been sufficient to cover the costs of staffing. The gap between the need and the availability of funds will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, forcing the museum to supplement endowment funds with earned income to cover the staffing needs. 

Federal Grants: 

Federal grants support approximately 0.4 percent of the operating budget in FY 2023. Nearly all federal grants have been project restricted (ie. conservation and exhibitions)—historically in the range of $100,000 to $250,000 annually. The museum will seek to expand this type of support in the future.

Admission Receipts 

Approximately 15 percent of the admissions revenue comes from ticket sales for special exhibitions.  This number can change dramatically from year to year depending on the composition and timing of our exhibitions.

Memberships

Approximately 54 percent of the earned revenue comes from memberships that cost $175 or less.

Parking Fees 

The revenue in this category represents the total amount collected from fees for parking. Visitor parking fees account for 4 percent of earned revenue.

Sales-Miscellaneous 

Sales for traveling exhibitions (shared costs and loan fees), classes in the Studio School or for other educational programs. Sales of books and photographic rights make up the remainder.  These account for 27% of the earned revenue.

Gifts & Grants 

This figure reflects the total value of funds received from the museum’s independent foundation. It includes annual giving as well as designated gifts to support exhibitions, educational programs and new initiatives. It also includes the income from endowments that support museum operations, exhibitions and select staff positions. 

Miscellaneous Revenue 

The revenue earned by the museum’s two enterprise operations, the gift shop and food services/special events, is reflected here. These revenues must cover all operating expenses for the two businesses, and then the net profits support other museum needs. 

Proceeds from Sale of Surplus & Refund Expenditures 

These small revenue streams reflect any income from the sale of surplus property and any money.

As stewards of the Commonwealth’s art collection, care and preservation of the art and accessibility to the collections, are key priorities. The museum hopes that Virginians will not only experience art moments in the communities that we serve through our statewide outreach, but be inspired to visit the Richmond campus and engage with original artworks at the museum. 

The following statistics offer some insight to the permanent collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:

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The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. The museum ranks as one of the top ten comprehensive art museums in the United States with a permanent collection that encompasses nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history. The VMFA actively supplements its permanent collections with special exhibitions that place the permanent collection in a larger context and brings unfamiliar artists or cultures to Virginia. The McGlothlin Wing includes a 12,000-square-foot gallery space for special exhibitions and can accommodate as many as three exhibitions at a time. 

The Art and Education Division provides programs to museums, arts centers, library galleries, schools and universities throughout the Commonwealth. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus fun after-hours events. From gallery talks to art classes, seminars, teacher programs and family fun, learning is a colorful and compelling experience. The museum also offers free walk-in guided, self-guided and audio tours. Since 1940, the endowed Fellowship Program has been a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. The VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.

Museum members play a part in the mission by providing crucial support for educational programs, exhibitions, art conservation and daily operating expenses. 

The museum is also supported by its enterprise operations, the gift shop and two restaurants. The museum shop searches the world to provide a diverse selection of unique jewelry, home accessories, toys, stationery, and books, focusing on merchandise related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions as well as educational items and work from Virginia artists. Amuse Restaurant is a lively, contemporary fine dining restaurant. An innovative menu featuring regionally sourced Virginia products is served daily. The Best Café offers casual dining and light fare. Net profits from all enterprises support museum operational and mission-related needs.

Yves Saint Laurent, 2017 

72,068 visitors experienced the energetic sights and sounds of the fashion runway during Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style, which closed on August 28, 2017. Drawn from the archives of the Fondation Pierre Bergé—Yves Saint Laurent and other private collections, the exhibition featured nearly 100 examples of haute couture and ready-to-wear garments to reveal Saint Laurent’s artistic genius. VMFA was the only East Coast venue, organized by the Seattle Art Museum in partnership with the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. 

Southeastern Art Museum Directors Conference, 2017 

The Southeastern Art Museum Directors met at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in May of 2017. This meeting included more than 25 museum directors and participants from leading institutions in Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and even Washington, DC. Agenda topics ranged from Strategic Planning in the 21st Century to Care and Conservation of Collections. Additional events included tours of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University and Colonial Williamsburg. Participants left with an understanding of VMFA and its role as a leading art institution in Virginia, building VMFA's reputation amongst its peers. 

Hear My Voice, 2017 

Based on the notion of dialogue, Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present explores conversations between Native American artists and their art across centuries, a continent, and 35 indigenous cultures. A total of 56,267 visitors between August 19 – November 26, 2017 experienced the 56 works that illustrated the ways in which Native American art speaks of a shared knowledge and shared history. A major Statewide traveling exhibition organized by the VMFA, Hear My Voice was presented at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke. 

Terracotta Army, 2017-18 

Gathered from fourteen museums and archaeological institutes across Shaanxi Province, China, the incredible works included in Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China drew 211,376 visitors. This resulted in attendance of 98,142 for educational programs and VMFA Family Day, the highest ever recorded at the VMFA. The exhibition featured ten majestic terracotta figures, including a cavalry horse, among 130 works that told the story of China’s birth and one man’s lasting imprint on a nation. Terracotta Army is also representative of the success VMFA is experiencing in reputation building, as this was the highest attended exhibition to be organized by a VMFA senior East Asian curator (Li Jian). It also demonstrated our success in securing international partnerships, since this exhibition was organized with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, Shaanxi History Museum, and Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum of the People’s Republic of China. 

Designed to complement Terracotta Army, Dig It! – a virtual archaeological site to study ancient works of art was created for the VMFA Teaching Gallery space. This project correlated with Virginia’s third grade social studies curriculum, which includes ancient China. From September 3, 2017 through September 16, 2018, Dig It! served about 113,445 visitors, including the 10,000 students who visited the Terracotta Army exhibition.

Winter Antiques Show, 2018 

VMFA showcased a century of art patronage, including some of the most important and recognized pieces in its collections, in a special exhibition at the Winter Antiques Show January 19-28, 2018. Collecting for the Commonwealth/Preserving for the Nation: Celebrating a Century of Art Patronage, 1919- 2018 exhibited 48 works and traced the evolution of VMFA’s collections, which have been shaped by donors’ varied personal interests and leadership roles at the museum. Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York, the Winter Antiques Show is the leading art and antiques fair in the United States and invites one institution to showcase its collection during the show each year, which benefits the East Side House Settlement. 

The Horse in Ancient Greek Art, 2018 

Organized by VMFA and our Statewide partner, the National Sporting Library & Museum, The Horse in Ancient Greek Art featured Greek vases, sculpture, and coins from the 8th through the 4th centuries BC drawn primarily from private collections and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition attracted a total of 103,226 visitors while on view February 17 – July 8, 2018, exploring the significance of the horse in ancient Greek culture, and imagery of the horse in ancient myth, war, sport, and competition. 

Mellon French and British Sporting exhibitions, 2018 

The esteemed French Impressionist Art and British Sporting Art collections at the VMFA began their international tours in March 2018, creating the opportunity for thousands of visitors to view these important paintings and sculptures that were donated to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art includes 74 19th– and 20th-century masterpieces from every important school of French art— from Romanticism through to the School of Paris. A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art includes 84 representative masterpieces of the genre, including works by George Stubbs, Sir Francis Grant, John Frederick Herring, Benjamin Marshall, and George Morland. While these collections were on tour, VMFA renovated and refurbished its Mellon Galleries with new wall materials and flooring, as well as updated air-handling systems, all aimed at ensuring the best possible long-term environment for displaying these collections. The Mellon Galleries closed to the public on January 2, 2018, and reopened in 2021. 

Embassy of Portugal, 2018 

As part of the Month of Portugal, a nationwide initiative developed by the Embassy of Portugal to celebrate the country’s art and culture in June 2018, VMFA presented Contemporary Art from Portugal May 19 – July 22, 2018. Featuring 20 works by six contemporary Portuguese artists, the exhibition coincided with a state visit by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The opportunity to host this exhibition was presented by Nancy Rodrigues, deputy director of the American Evolution 2019 Commemoration and former Virginia Secretary of Administration under Governor Terry McAuliffe, and was made possible through the generosity of the Fundação Luso-Americana, a private foundation created in 1986 to strengthen cultural and economic ties between Portugal and the United States. 

Napoleon: Power and Splendor, 2018 

Over 61,725 visitors viewed 200 works of art—many of which have never before been exhibited in the United States—that revealed the intricacies of Napoleon Bonaparte’s daily life and the range of works commissioned by and for him. Napoleon: Power and Splendor, was open from June 9 – September 3, 2018 and featured international loans includes major masterpieces of painting, an array of decorative arts, sculptures, engravings, and more —brought together from the Château de Fontainebleau, the Louvre, the Musée de l’Armée in Paris, and other world-class collections. Projection technology further enhanced the spectacle by creating an experience that is innovative, immersive, and visceral. 

Howardena Pindell: What Remains to Be Seen, 2018 

The first major survey of artist Howardena Pindell, this exhibition featured early figurative paintings, explorations into abstraction and conceptual practices, as well as art that emerged in the aftermath of a life-threatening car accident in 1979. Howardena Pindell: What Remains To Be Seen August 25 – November 25, 2018 was organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and viewed by over 43,083 visitors while on display in Virginia.

Fine Arts & Flowers, 2018 

Presented by the Council of the Virginia of Fine Arts, with floral designs by the Garden Club of Virginia, Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, and Garden Clubs of Virginia, Fine Arts & Flowers October 25 – October 28, 2018 featured a museum-wide exhibition of floral designs inspired by works in the museum’s collection. A gala, talks including renowned guest speakers, luncheons, guided tours, and workshops punctuated this beautiful exhibition. Over 14,870 visitors from across the Commonwealth experienced Fine Arts & Flowers.

Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa, 2018 - 2019 

Dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries, Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa featured more than 130 Congolese masks drawn from the finest and most comprehensive collections in private hands, with more than a dozen showcased in their complete ceremonial ensembles. The exhibition also included original field photographs, field footage, audio recordings, and a selection of related musical instruments. Its immersive multimedia design, presenting eleven distinct regional styles of masks, evoking the diversity of ecosystems and cultures of the immense Congo, was viewed by 44,066 visitors. The exhibition was curated by Marc Leo Felix, director of the Congo Basin Art History Research Center in Brussels, Belgium. 

Hollar’s Encyclopedic Eye: Prints from the Frank Rayser Collection, 2019 

The prints of one of the most prolific printmakers of the Baroque period, Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian, 1607–1677), were featured in Hollar’s Encyclopedic Eye: Prints from the Frank Rayser Collection February 2 – May 5, 2019. Underrated during his lifetime, Hollar produced up to 2,500 etchings in a prodigious 50-year career. Drawn exclusively from the Frank Raysor Collection, a promised gift to VMFA, this exhibition presented over 200 Hollar prints—remarkable for their range of subjects, stunning details, and rare visual records of 17th-century Europe. Over 37,276 visitors experienced this exhibition. 

Micromosaics: Art from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke, 2019 

An exhibition featuring a collection of exquisite, intricately crafted works of art – precious souvenirs designed for Grand Tour travelers of the mid-18th to late-19th centuries. The wide range of subjects depicted in these 92 works include Renaissance paintings, architecture, birds, animals, historical sites, landscapes, and portraits. Micromosaics: Art from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke was curated/organized by VMFA. 

Jean Schlumberger: Twentieth Century Treasures from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2019 

Over 100 pieces of iconic jewelry and accessories from the museum’s permanent collection were featured in Jean Schlumberger: Twentieth Century Treasures from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts May 31 – September 8, 2019 at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition’s showing is the result of a 5-year partnership with the National Museum of China and VMFA is the only American institution to have a partnership of this caliber. The National Museum of China is the world’s largest art museum with a collection of 1.4 million works of art and an average of nearly 25,000 visitors per day. 

Transatlantic Currents: American Art from the Collection of Jane Joel Know, 2019

An exhibition featuring Impressionism, landscape painting, still life, and academically informed styles from the 19th through the early 20th century. It also attested to the keen importance of European study and travel for American artists during that period.

Association of Art Museum Directors, 2019 

The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing directors from the top tier of art museums in the United States, Canada and Mexico, held its 2019 annual meeting in Richmond. Over 180 attendees toured various sites around Richmond, and attended keynote lectures and talks at VMFA. It was the first time that the association has held an annual meeting in Richmond in over 20 years. 

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel, 2019 - 2020

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel, which opened to the public on October 26, 2019 featured Hopper’s depictions of hotels, motels, tourist homes, boarding houses, and apartment hotels. The exhibition presented 65 paintings and works on paper by Hopper, along with 35 works by other artists including John Singer Sargent, David Hockney, Berenice Abbott, and others who explored similar themes. Also displayed were materials related to Hopper’s trips to Richmond, Virginia, such as when, in 1953, he stayed at the Jefferson Hotel while he served as a juror in VMFA’s biennial exhibition of contemporary works. The exhibition welcomed more than 65,000 visitors to the show.

George Bellow: Sport, Leisure, and Lithography (D. Cantor Collection), 2020

This exhibition explored the role of sport and physical culture in the lithographs of George Bellows (1882 - 1925). Bellows was well known for paintings that capture the dynamism and prosaic aspects of urban environments with dark palettes and painterly modeling of form, and achieved similar effects in his vast body of work in lithography. Prior to his untimely death in 1925, Bellows created just under 200 lithographs in a four year period. Bellows understood that the monochromatic nature of the medium – its striking contrasts of light and shadow –made it an effective means through which to explore strenuous activities and pastimes.

Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop, 2020

Inspired by the archive of Richmond native Louis Draper, VMFA organized an unprecedented exhibition that chronicled the first 20 years of the Kamoinge Workshop, a collective of African American photographers. Mr. Draper helped to found the group in 1963. The exhibition included more than 180 photographs by 15 of the early members—Anthony Barboza, Adger Cowans, Danny Dawson, Roy DeCarava, Louis Draper, Al Fennar, Ray Francis, Herman Howard, Jimmie Mannas Jr., Herb Randall, Herb Robinson, Beuford Smith, Ming Smith, Shawn Walker, and Calvin Wilson. When the collective began in New York City, they selected the name Kamoinge, which means “a group of people acting and working together” in Gikuyu, the language of the Kikuyu people of Kenya. They met weekly, exhibited and published together, and pushed one another to expand the boundaries of photography as an art form during a critical era of Black self-determination in the 1960s and 1970s. 34,159 visitors experienced this exhibition in Virginia. This exhibition traveled to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, NY; the Getty in Los Angeles, CA (a first for a VMFA-curated exhibition); and the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, OH.

Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities, 2020 - 2021

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition opened to the public on July 4, 2020. It featured treasures recovered from two powerful ancient Egyptian cities that sank into the Mediterranean more than a thousand years ago. Destroyed by natural catastrophes in the 8th century AD, Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus were once powerful centers of trade, where Egyptian and Greek cultures merged in art, worship, and everyday life. In the centuries since their demise, these two cities were known only by scattered mentions in ancient writings. No physical trace of their splendor and magnificence was found, and even their true names grew obscured.

Presenting nearly 300 objects from IEASM’s discoveries from the Mediterranean waters of Aboukir Bay and some of Egypt’s most important museums, visitors were reconnected with these once-lost civilizations. VMFA was the only East Coast venue and the last stop before the objects returned to Egypt. The works of art on display included everything from jewelry and coins to utilitarian and ritual objects and from coffins and steles to the colossal statue of the fertility god Hapy, the largest discovered representation of an Egyptian god. Nearly 69,000 visitors viewed the exhibition before it closed on January 18, 2021.

Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art, 2021

This exhibition opened to the public on February 6, 2021. Depicted and celebrated for centuries, the Natural Bridge is the Shenandoah Valley’s breathtaking centerpiece—a towering, primeval witness to human history and timeless muse. The free exhibition examined its image in paintings, prints, decorative arts, photography and more. Featured artists included Frederic Church, David Johnson, Edward Hicks, and many others.

Natural Bridge was one of the most frequently depicted and described American natural attractions of the 19th century, likely only surpassed by Niagara Falls. The site prompts both aesthetic and scientific contemplation and has figured prominently in discussions of western expansion, slavery, tourism, and ecological conservation. While the rock formation is more than 400 million years old, the earliest published references to the natural wonder involve historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The Natural Bridge is a site for mythmaking—the creation of American foundational lore that continues to this day. Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art closed at VMFA on August 1, 2021 with 62,127 visitors having viewed the exhibition.

The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, 2021

This exhibition investigated the aesthetic impulses of early 20th-century Black culture that have proved ubiquitous to the southern region of the United States. The Dirty South chronicled the pervasive sonic and visual parallels that have served to shape the contemporary landscape, and looked deeply into the frameworks of landscape, religion, and the Black body—deep meditative repositories of thought and expression. The visual expression of the African American South along with the Black sonic culture are overlooked tributaries to the development of art in the United States and serve as interlocutors of American modernism. This exhibition included contributions of artists, academically trained as well as those who were relegated to the margins as “outsiders,” to uncover the foundational aesthetics that gave rise to the shaping of our contemporary expression. Among those featured in the exhibition were Thornton Dial, Allison Janae Hamilton, Arthur Jafa, Jason Moran, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Kara Walker, William Edmondson, and many others. The Dirty South closed at VMFA on September 6, 2021 with a final attendance of 54,122.

Romantic Bronzes (Gift of Mrs. Nelson L. St. Clair, Jr.), 2021

This exhibition showcased more than thirty extraordinary works by the 19th century French sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye that Mrs. Nelson L. St. Clair, Jr. generously donated to VMFA over the past 20 years. Each of the works in the St. Clair collection of Barye bronzes was meticulously selected and they are among the finest that the artist produced and illustrate distinctive aspects of the medium, style, and historical period in which they were realized. 

Ansel Adams: Compositions in Nature, 2021 - 2022

This exhibition presented photographs from every period of Ansel Adams’ celebrated career, including many of his most-famous and best-loved photographs, and lesser-known works. This overview explored changes in his aesthetics and technique, as well as keen eye for composition. The exhibition also explored Adams’s lifelong interest in both landscape, conservation and classical music. Nearly 48,000 visitors viewed this popular exhibition. 

Man Ray: The Paris Years, 2021 - 2022

The innovative portrait photographs of American artist Man Ray made in the French capital between 1921 and 1940 were the focus of this exhibition. It included more than 100 portraits of cultural luminaries such as Kay Boyle, Andre Breton, Jean Cocteau, Marcel Duchamp, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Ruby Richards, and Gertude Stein among others. More than 40,000 visitors viewed the exhibition by the time that it closed on February 21, 2022.

Sir Frank Short: Out of the Shadows (Frank Raysor Collection), 2021 -2022

This installation featured Sir Frank Short, a printmaker whose lifetime achievements have been underappreciated in the years since his death. Initially trained as a civil engineer, Short employed his engineering mindset to experiment with etching until he mastered it. Over two dozen experiments, original compositions, and reproductive works drawn from the collection of Frank Raysor were featured in this installation. 

Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits, 2022

Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits is an exhibition featuring paintings and sculptures by Nepalese-born Tibetan American artist Tsherin Sherpa. This thought-provoking, participatory art experience is presented in the form of a narrative, telling a story of loss, struggle, and re-empowerment. This focused, mid-career retrospective of 36 paintings and sculptures is the global artist’s first solo museum exhibition. More than 19,212 visitors have viewed the exhibition which will close on October 16, 2022.

Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France, 2022

Organized in cooperation with the Denver Art Museum, this exhibition highlights late 19th and early 20th century painters who left the United States as expatriates and returned to share the course of American art. In Paris, they trained under the influence of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and studied the “old master” works at the Louvre and then went beyond traditional practices to experiment with ideas and techniques. The exhibition examined the rich variety and complexity of American painting in the advent of modernism, as French avant-garde philosophies and styles melded with American individualism. Assembled from international collections, the exhibition featured more than 100 paintings by James Abbott McNeil Whistler, Mary Casssatt,John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Theodore Robinson, Henry Ossama Tanner, Elizabeth Nourse, and many others. More than 58,551 visitors viewed the exhibition, which closed on July 31, 2022.

Elegance and Wonder: Masterpieces of European Art from the Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection, 2022

This stunning collection of art loaned by Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III features more than 8- works, spanning the 16th through early 19th centuries, including paintings by “Old World masters” such as Jan Bruegel the Younger, Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, Peter Paul Rubens, Hubert Robert, Pierre-Jacques Volaire, and others. The collection features paintings and decorative art objects from the Baroque and Rococo periods.

A Closer Look, 2022

VMFA’s latest Interactive Gallery exhibition, A Closer Look, opened on May 1, 2022. Running through February of 2023, A Closer Look goes beyond the surface of six works of art from VMFA’s collection to investigate how art can be an expression of place or personal and cultural identity; how different cultures throughout time represent history and identity through art; and what histories are publicly told and which are hidden. This immersive experience, available on any internet-enabled device, was developed by the storytelling team at Hidden In Plain Site™ in collaboration with VMFA staff and Richmond community members.

Evans 360°

VMFA received a $1.0 million grant from the Evans Foundation for the support of the Museum’s Digital Learning initiative of the strategic plan. Evans Learning 360° is a multipronged approach through digital media to bring art education to students and visitors within VMFA’s galleries, in the classroom, or on the road. VMFA collections search site and Learn launched in December 2017, in FY22 the Learn site had nearly 69,000 views. Collections search gives users digital access to VMFA’s permanent collection, as well as the rare book collection, and portions of the museum’s archives, and provides users the ability to browse via collection area, genre, material, origin, and more. VMFA’s Learn site serves as the hub for all the museum’s digital education initiatives, including educational content and the Lettie Pate Evans Distance Learning Program. VMFA’s collections search is constantly being updated and will soon become the pathway for virtual access to the museum’s entire collection of more than 40,000 works of art. The Lettie Pate Evans Distance Learning Program launched its pilot program on schedule in summer 2017 with an offering of 25 sessions organized into four thematic units: Global Viewpoints, Looking to Build Skills, Media and Visual Literacy, and STEAM at VMFA. The Distance Learning Program served over 7,000 students and held 200 sessions in FY22. Sessions included students from middle schools, high schools, and colleges, with reach across the Commonwealth. Evaluation is a strong component for these programs and Evans 360° as a whole. 

VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century 

In 1953, VMFA became one of the first museums in the world to have an Artmobile. For four decades, as many as four Artmobiles toured 59 exhibitions and served more than 2.5 million Virginians. Due to conservation concerns and the fragility of traveling works of art, VMFA replaced the program in the early 1990s with a strategy to develop stronger partnerships with schools, community centers, and museums around the state. 

Since that time, museums around the country, and throughout the world, have embraced new adaptations of a mobile museum in engaging ways. As the originator of this concept, VMFA will now offer its own, 21st-century version of the famed traveling exhibition vehicle. Working with a robust network of more than 1,000 statewide partner organizations, VMFA on the Road is poised to equal and surpass the impact of its predecessor.

VMFA relaunched its state-of-the-art traveling museum and art studio called VMFA on the Road in October 2018. The climate-controlled 53-foot Volvo trailer includes Wi-Fi to connect visitors with VMFA educators and interactive components to meet their 21st-century expectations. The main attraction of VMFA on the Road, however, is the opportunity for residents of the Commonwealth to see and experience authentic works of art from VMFA’s collection up close. VMFA on the Road is traveling to remote corners of Virginia by way of the museum’s Statewide Partners program, which includes 1,000 locations — from community centers and small museums to colleges and universities.

Both a mobile museum and art studio, the VMFA on the Road vehicle is outfitted with a themed exhibition based on Virginia Standards of Learning. It displays original works of art created by VMFA Fellowship winners alongside digital interactives featuring selections from VMFA’s permanent collection; this incorporation of both physical and digital objects will allow educational exploration between and among these works of art. In-depth interviews with artists, VMFA curators, and educators, are included in the interactive experience. In addition, visitors have an opportunity to experiment with hands-on activities in the exhibition studio. 

Since relaunching on October 30, 2018, exhibitions have included How Far Can Creativity Take You: VMFA Fellowship Artists, which explored the history and impact of this unique program, including the role these fellowships have played in the lives of Virginia artists, and the influence it has had on Virginia communities;  A View from Home: Landscapes of Virginia, featuring paintings, photographs, and prints from the permanent collection which depict the wide range of landscapes in Virginia between 1837 and 2019; and currently, Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection. This exciting exhibition of paintings, photographs, and prints explores portraiture through a variety of periods, cultures, and styles. Many of the works in this exhibition explore themes about the nature of art, the perception of beauty, and the cultural influences on identity. Diverse works by more than 10 artists, including Kitagawa Utamaro (Japan), Gordon Stettinius (American), André L’Hote (French) and S. Ross Browne (American), are featured in the exhibition. VMFA on the Road served 278,097 Virginians in FY22.

Statewide Fellowship Program

For over 75 years, VMFA has contributed to the evolution of the visual arts in Virginia through its Statewide Fellowship Program. Since 1940, the museum has given away more than $5.9 million in annual fellowships to more than 1,300 undergraduate, graduate, and professional artist residents of the Commonwealth. In FY22, 23 new artists received approximately $160,000 in fellowship support including the Cy Twombly Fellowship funded by the J. Warwick McClintic Jr. Fellowship Fund. Throughout its history, the program has identified Virginia artists of the highest caliber, and VMFA Fellows include world-famous artists such as painters Cy Twombly and Benjamin Wigfall, photographers Sally Mann and Emmet Gowin, and television writer and director, Vince Gilligan. 

Statewide Partnerships

The museum provides exhibitions, loans, speakers, workshops, and technical assistance to more than 1,500 statewide partners including museums, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, community organizations, libraries, hospitals and retirement homes. 

Education Programs 

VMFA’s Education public programs serve audiences of all ages with a wide-range of offerings from performing arts to large-scale family and teen events, artist talks, films, and symposia. VMFA is committed to making our programs accessible to all Virginians. 

VMFA supports education in the Commonwealth with teacher workshops, classroom activities, videos, and other digital resources. Collaborations with Virtual Virginia and the Department of Education’s GoOpenVa have expanded the reach of the Evans 360 Distance Learning Program. During FY22 VMFA served 7,362 learners and seeks to expand by reaching every education district. Additionally, VMFA educators created 15 new online resources that address Virginia’s Standards of Learning across the curriculum, bringing the total to 420 free, published resources on the museum’s Learn site. 

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was established to "collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all." By making its world-class collections, exhibitions, and programs accessible throughout the Commonwealth, it contributes both to Virginia's tourism economy and to the education of students and citizens.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was created to serve the citizens of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. On campus, the museum strives to increase attendance through visitors to the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and programming like lectures or performances. Attendance is largely driven by exhibitions, so high quality and popular exhibitions will contribute to this goal significantly. Statewide, the museum provides lectures, workshops, exhibitions, loaned artwork, and other resources to statewide partners. It is VMFA’s highest priority to reach as many Virginians as possible, especially underserved populations. The museum can expand its reach across the state by increasing the number of statewide partners and by providing additional resources and support to existing partners.

• Develop a portfolio of exhibitions and lectures for statewide partners.

• Maintain a strong exhibition portfolio on campus, with a balance of popularity and scholarship.

• Enhance the museum’s standing both in the museum field and with the public through marketing and public relations initiatives.

• Sustain VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century.

The museum’s K-12 curriculum is based on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) and skill building. This goal is two-fold, to increase the number of materials available and to extend their reach. There are a number of options for achieving this objective, including improving and advertising the educational resources available online and launching a distance learning program. The museum aims to cover as many subjects as possible, including math, science, history, and English.

• Provide free and open access to VMFA’s collection digitally and online educational resources, including streaming video, activities, and lesson concepts.

• Sustain distance learning program.

On-site, the museum’s attendance is bolstered by the popularity of the temporary exhibitions hosted on campus. The VMFA continues to actively develop exhibitions of varying scale internally rather than solely relying on borrowed exhibitions from other institutions. Statewide, the museum lends exhibitions to partners like galleries, museums, and universities, including a number of museum-level partners who have the appropriate security and climate control to borrow pieces from the permanent collection. VMFA aims to continue this service at the highest level possible to support its statewide partners and enrich the lives of all citizens of the Commonwealth.

• Sustain the number of exhibitions created by VMFA’s curatorial staff based on the museum’s collection, decreasing exhibition costs and increasing revenue.

• Partner with other institutions to create joint exhibitions.

• Continue to build VMFA’s reputation in the field to attract top opportunities for high-quality exhibitions and loans.

The membership base provides crucial revenue for operating costs of the museum. Furthermore, members are our most engaged and involved constituents. Growing this group creates a larger community of advocates, volunteers, donors, and repeat visitors.

• Leverage the exhibition portfolio to attract new members and increase member retention.

• Expand awareness of the museum through advertising and press.

• Demonstrate membership value through free tickets, access to members-only programming, and discounts.

The museum’s collection represents the entirety of art history, with strengths in Decorative Arts, African, South Asian, and American Art. These strengths are entirely due to the generosity of donors and investment in acquisitions. To sustain this success, the curatorial staff will continue to cultivate relationships with collectors in each collection area and actively monitor the art market. Based on collecting plans aligned with strategic priorities, VMFA will maintain a commitment to building a comprehensive collection that reflects Virginia’s diversity and under-represented artists and communities.

• Steward relationships with major art collectors, dealers, and galleries.

• Develop focused collection plans for each area, establishing priority artists and movements for future acquisitions.

• Monitor art market for ideal timing and prices.

• Attract top experts in the field to join the curatorial staff.

The museum’s priority in programming is to bring the collection to life. Through educational programming, visitors can engage with a new part of the permanent collection. This goal extends throughout the Commonwealth through programs provided to statewide partners. Educational programs reach not only the hundreds of statewide partners through the Commonwealth, but also teachers who attend workshops provided in a number of locations. These teachers return to their classrooms with SOL-centered resources to enrich their curricula.

• Sustain a leading distance learning platform to broadcast tours from the galleries to educational institutions.

• Provide high-quality lecturers and exhibitions to statewide partners.

• Lend artwork to museum-level partners with appropriate security and climate control.

• Sustain VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century.

As the steward of the majority of the state's art collection, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts seeks to manage the Commonwealth's resources effectively so that they can be enjoyed by all citizens. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of its collections from damage and theft, to fiscal responsibility, and to assuring the safety and enjoyment of its visitors and staff.

As a non-profit and a state agency, the VMFA is a steward of the Commonwealth’s funds and property. The staff and board aim to keep the collection, visitors, and staff safe above all else. The museum’s top financial priorities are judicious use of funds for mission-centered needs and transparency to donors and constituents.

• Complete all actions planned to achieve full compliance with Virginia's Public Procurement Act and eVA, Virginia's online, electronic procurement system.

• Continue to adhere to state and federal laws and regulations in the museum's ongoing operations and ensure that internal policies and procedures and the training of staff are consistent with and supportive of the application of those laws and regulations.

• Ensure full funding for utilities and adequate housekeeping staff to maintain collection and visitor safety.

The business goal of the gift shop is to provide a solid stream of earned revenue to support museum exhibitions, educational programs and base operations. The gift shop is a self-sustaining enterprise, so the money that is earned is used first to cover the shop's expenses, and then the net profits are used to support other museum operations. The museum offers two different restaurant options as amenities to visitors. Amuse restaurant is an upscale restaurant while Best Cafe offers a more casual, self-serve option for light meals and snacks. The special events side of the business caters events for external organizations and private individuals as well as for museum groups. Food Service/Special Events is also a self-sustaining enterprise, so the money earned is used first to cover expenses and then the net profits are used to support other museum operations.

• Provide the highest quality product in dining services, special events, and the gift shop.

• Hire and retain a professional and well-trained work force to ensure customer satisfaction.

• Increase gift shop sales through e-commerce.

• Develop exhibition gift shops for major exhibitions with relevant merchandise.

Aside from enterprise revenue, the museum is supported by ticket revenue and contributions from the VMFA Foundation. The popular appeal of the exhibitions will drive revenue from ticket sales, increased by the number of people attending, the cost per ticket, and the number of non-members visiting the exhibition. The Foundation contributes revenue based on fundraising and revenue from investments.

• Maintain earned and contributed income to support the costs associated with exhibitions and educational programs.

• Maintain the total funds donated by individuals, corporations, and foundations to support exhibitions, educational programs, and ongoing evaluation and research.

This service area protects, conserves, interprets, and wisely develops the art collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a state agency. These rapidly growing holdings, one of the Commonwealth’s greatest cultural assets, currently consist of more than 40,000 artworks from many periods and cultures. The museum is an internationally recognized educational and cultural resource as well as a popular tourist destination. The collections and their support areas enhance visitors' knowledge and understanding of the history and diversity of world cultures. In addition, special thematic exhibitions explore aspects of these cultures in depth.

This service area lies at the heart of the museum's mission to "collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all (Trustee Mission Statement, revised May 18, 2000)."

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is governed by Title 23.1, Chapter 32, Article 6 of the Code of Virginia.

The current products, services, and mission-based activities of the Collections Management and Curatorial Services service area are tightly focused upon the development, preservation, and effective use of the Commonwealth’s art collection.



The nature and growth of the collections are managed by museum curators who recommend judicious art purchases, seek appropriate gifts, and maintain files on all collection holdings.  Curators also interpret objects in the collection and enhance the educational value of these objects through research, publications, installations, exhibitions, didactic gallery labels, and public lectures.



The location and status of each work in the collection is tracked and documented electronically and manually by museum registrars. Registrars also maintain art storage areas and supervise the transportation and installation of objects from the collection inside and outside the museum headquarters.



Each work in the collection is safely handled, both inside and outside the museum headquarters, by highly trained museum art handlers, who are part of the Registration Department. Art handlers also construct specialized crates for artworks and install works from the collection in the museum and around the world.



The physical condition of each work in the collection and the exhibition/storage space in which it is housed are assessed and monitored by museum conservators.  Conservators also oversee the treatment of damaged or problematic works of art in the collection; ensure safe handling, lighting, and environmental conditions for the collection; and recommend preventative conservation standards.



Each work in the collection is documented by museum photographers for permanent record as well as for research and publication purposes.  Photographers also take pictures of gallery installations, special exhibits, the current museum construction project, special museum events in Richmond and at other locations in Virginia, and other institutional activities.



Images of works in the collection are catalogued, documented and managed by the museum's Photographic Resources Department. Photographic Resources also administers the museum’s rights and reproductions policies, facilitates outside requests for images, and serves as an archival repository of photographs detailing the collection, exhibitions, and institutional history.



The professional staff's decisions about the collections are based, in large part, upon information provided by the museum’s 150,000-volume Art Research Library (art reference books, periodicals, rare books, archival records, and electronic databases). The library is open to the public Monday - Friday 12-5 pm.



The Exhibitions Department identifies, researches, and contracts special loan exhibitions that complement or expand upon the museum's permanent collections.  These exhibitions present a balanced portfolio, representing the full range of human artistic creativity that serves the interests of first-time visitors and knowledgeable museum-goers alike. The department also organizes and circulates exhibitions to museum partners throughout Virginia.

See Agency Financial Resources Summary Section.



NOTE: Changes in the General Fund base budget in the table below were calculated by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

The service area's goal is to provide opportunities for museum audiences to engage with authentic objects, exchange knowledge, and stimulate creativity. To achieve this goal, this service area generates educational programs, studio classes, interpretation tools and strategies, and other experiences relating to the visual arts onsite, statewide, and online. By evaluating and understanding the VMFA visitor’s needs, motivations, and actions while engaging with the museum, VMFA will be able to provide services and programs that meet audiences where they are.

This service area directly aligns with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' mission to "interpret art, to encourage the study of art, and thus to enrich the lives of all,” as well as to the Council on Virginia's Future objectives to "elevate the levels of educational preparedness and attainment of our citizens"; "protect, conserve, and wisely develop our natural, historical and cultural resources"; and "be a national leader in the preservation and enhancement of our economy."

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is governed by Title 23.1, Chapter 32, Article 6 of the Code of Virginia.

In gallery interactive components, including digital interpretation and hands-on activities.

Use data and research to learn about visitors and continually improve their experiences



Limited-security exhibitions for statewide community and educational partners



Technical assistance



Fellowship awards for artists



Workshops, lectures, gallery programs, art history classes, and films.



Teacher programs and training.

Studio art classes for kids, teens, and adults

Early Childhood Programs



Guided and audio tours



Performing arts programs and events

Large scale Family Events



Web site content, including streaming video, online resources and collection information



Publications

Public programs are offered at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts campus in Richmond; in greater metropolitan Richmond; statewide in collaboration with partner museums, schools, art centers, libraries, and retirement communities; in other museums nationally and internationally; and online.  Some programs are targeted to general audiences, while others are targeted to the interests of specific groups such as students, teachers, scholars, families, members and support groups, community organizations, artists, and collectors.  The content of public programs parallels the cultural range of the Museum's permanent collections of art from throughout the world and of its temporary loan exhibitions.  The Museum also initiates and/or participates in collaborative programs with other institutions when such collaborations enhance understanding of the visual arts, broaden the museum's audience base, and are in accordance with the museum's overall mission.  Given the Museum's diverse constituencies and its responsibilities as a state agency and public institution, it will promote its programs using descriptive language that clarifies program content so that the public can make informed choices about participation.

See Agency Strategic Plan Financial Summary.



NOTE: Changes in the General Fund base budget in the table below were calculated by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

This service area provides overall direction and management of museum in keeping with applicable state laws and procedures; manages the financial and human resources; operates, protects, maintains, and improves state facilities; and accomplishes the museum’s capital outlay and maintenance reserve projects.  It provides information to the public on museum programs and services; engages new audiences in museum programs; supports museum revenue-generating programs; and cares for or protects the permanent collections, facilities, visitors, and staff.

This service area directly supports the achievement of museum's mission to "interpret art, to encourage the study of art, and thus to enrich the lives of all."

This service area aligns with Strategic Goal #1: Contribute significantly to Virginia’s educational excellence and economic development by establishing the museum as a nationally prominent and internationally recognized cultural resource and destination; and Goal #2: Strengthen the museum’s security, business practices, and operational effectiveness and efficiency.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is governed by Title 23.1, Chapter 32, Article 6 of the Code of Virginia.

Major Renovation of historic building, the Robinson House.

Redesign of Motor Court for safety reasons.

Renovation of several galleries/permanent exhibition space (Mellon).

Undertake a comprehensive space study to determine the space needs for the next 10 to 20 years as well as identifying more efficient use of space.

Improvement of the museum's security system by updating equipment necessary to implement actions related to the nation's and to Virginia's alert systems.

Care and upkeep of the museum's facilities.



A comprehensive communications and marketing plan for the expanded museum.



Basic administrative functions including budgeting and accounting, human resource and benefits management, and purchasing.



Audience development initiatives for individuals and groups to increase their participation in the museum and its programs.



Risk management and protective services.



Visitor services and community outreach.



Management of special events and enterprises to enhance visitor experience in support of the mission.



Technical assistance.



Agency information technology support.

See Agency Strategic Plan Financial Resources Summary Section.



NOTE: Changes in the General Fund base budget in the table below were calculated by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.