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 1967

Art Organizations Box SC-42 Box 1

This file contains correspondence, grant applications, meeting minutes, articles, and ephemera pertaining to Henrietta's work with various Richmond art organizations. Included are Art6 (2004-2015), ArtSpace (1990-2007), Hand Workshop (1991-1992), Henry Street Gallery (1987), Very Special Arts (1998-2000), and VMFA (1961).

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Pinkney Near Personal Papers and Henrietta Near Artist Archives (SC-42)
  3. Series 2: Henrietta Near
  4. Sub-Series 2.1: Career Files

Arts and Humanities Commission (Va.) Box 33863 Box 6, Folder 26, Item RG01.01.1.0242

Subject- Pamphlets, prints, minutes and correspondence. [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)
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors

"Arts in Virginia" (PB-04) 23.25 Linear Feet 409 items

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The collection is part of the Publications Archive, and is comprised of archival copies of all "Arts in Virginia" issues published by the museum. Published quarterly until 1982, then irregularly until it ceased publication in 1992, "Arts in Virginia" was conceived as a privilege of membership in the museum and included articles about the museum's collection as well as the arts in Virginia. Noted local and national scholars were invited to publish their research, and sometimes guest edited entire issues. In the first two decades of publication, graphic designers used the cover to experiment with different designs, including cut-outs and textures.
  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Arts of India and Nepal Box 31633 Box 101, Folder RG23.01.0.1050

Correspondence with Heeramaneck; correspondence with Indian embassy; shipping information and receipts; correspondence with Royal Ontario Museum (who received exhibition after VMFA); correspondence with Detroit Institute of Arts (who had it before VMFA); correspondence with MFA Boston, originator; internal memos; drawings (photocopies)

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Records of the Exhibitions Department (RG-23)
  3. Series 1: Exhibition Files

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

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.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.