Collections : [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

VMFA Archives
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library
200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220-4007
Primary Collecting Areas:
VMFA institutional records, Donor papers, Virginia Artists Archives, Oral histories, Artist subject files, Analog, and digital audiovisual collections
Description:

The Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library provides access to a wealth of rare and unique primary source materials for scholars, researchers, and the public.

The Archives consists of a diverse and growing collection of permanent materials, covering museum history from its beginnings in the 1930s until today. The Archives includes institutional records from over 25 museum departments, thousands of artist and subject files, as well as donated collections related to the museum and the history of art in Virginia. The Archives also recently launched the Virginia Artists Archives, a collecting initiative that aims to create a rich, diverse, and unprecedented collection of Virginia artists’ papers to increase awareness about the contributions of Virginia artists, both past and present.

POC: Roxanne Winfield
Phone: (804) 340-1497
Phone: (804) 340-1495
Start Over Repository Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Date range 1945

Artist Evenings, 1940/1948 Box 33863 Box 5, Folder 3, Item RG01.01.1.0180

Subject- Museum program where artist-members participated in a life drawing class. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01), 1927/2009
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence, 1927/2006
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors, 1927/1976

Artists' Advisory Committee, 1945/1949 Box 33863 Box 5, Folder 6, Item RG01.01.1.0183

Subject- Correspondence and minutes from meetings. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01), 1927/2009
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence, 1927/2006
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors, 1927/1976

Artists' Advisory Committee: Ballots, 1945/46 Season, 1945/1946 Box 33863 Box 5, Folder 9, Item RG01.01.1.0186

Subject- Ballots for the election of the artist's advisory committee. The artist's advisory committee of the Museum promoted artist's evenings at the museum and interaction between artists around the state. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01), 1927/2009
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence, 1927/2006
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors, 1927/1976

Art Lovers Society, 1945/1946 Box 33863 Box 4, Folder 36, Item RG01.01.1.0176

Subject- Contains correspondence and a listing of members. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01), 1927/2009
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence, 1927/2006
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors, 1927/1976

Benjamin L. Wigfall Artist Archives and Mary Carter Wigfall Personal Papers, 1880/2023 21.875 Linear Feet 50 boxes; 63 folders

Wigfall, Benjamin L., 1930-2017
The collection documents the life and work of Benjamin L. Wigfall, African American abstract expressionist artist. Benjamin L. Wigfall was the second African American artist to have a painting aquired by the VMFA, as well as the youngest ever artist to do the same. In addition to his work as an artist, Wigfall also taught and mentored in both Virginia at Hampton Institute, as well as New York at SUNY New Paltz and in his own community. Additionally, the collection contains documents related to the life and career of artist and educator, Mary Carter Wigfall, Benjamin L. Wigfall's wife. Mary C. Wigfall founded and directed the Migrant Childcare Center in New York from the early 1970s until her retirement in 1992.
  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

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Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

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