March 11, 2015
We recently made improvements to the Mellon French Galleries. While I have received much positive feedback from visitors about the changes, I get the same question again and again: “What’s with that white frame?” Glad you asked. Although the simple white frame on Georges Seurat’s Landscape with Houses (which VMFA recently received from the Life…
January 15, 2015
It is always a privilege to install great works of art in an extraordinary museum such as VMFA, and sometimes it is an honor. This was certainly the case earlier this week as I worked with VMFA’s skilled production team as we entirely reinstalled the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. The gallery walls…
November 14, 2014
New-Fashioned from Briget Ganske on Vimeo. An average day of questions and answers during a Teen Stylin’ workshop: Q: Where are the scissors? A: Look in the blue bins on the table. Q: Is there any more hot glue? A: We have an endless supply. Look in the blue bins on the table. Q: I…
September 25, 2014
Recently, in the VMFA Design Department, we’ve had the challenge of printing two 3D, scale models of the Forbidden City, totaling over 1,400 buildings. One model will be complete for the exhibition opening and the second is being built in the Atrium, starting now and continuing through the run of Forbidden City (closing January 11), so…
July 11, 2014
Reprinted from the WUDPAC (Winterthur) Class of 2016 blog with permission from Lauren Gottschlich. The summer work projects are in full swing. This summer I am at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, VA. The museum sports a wonderful encyclopedic collection as well as a picturesque Sculpture Garden. The art covers cultures and…
June 12, 2014
It is with pride and a touch of wistfulness that we congratulate Sylvia Yount, Chief Curator and the Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art, who will be joining the staff of New York’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art this September as the Lawrence A. Fleischman Curator in Charge of The American…
October 30, 2013
Allegory of Marital Fidelity, Jan Miense Molenaer. (1633) As a reference librarian, I am often asked to find things for people. These little hunts are often straightforward and informative. But sometimes I get to uncover funny little bits of history and lore along the way. Recently, I received a phone call from a woman in…
July 11, 2013
Kids summer camps are in full swing at the museum this week! The children are having a ball creating art at the MVW Art Education Center and learning about art in the galleries. From pastel still-life drawings to colorful sculptures, these summer camps offer a variety of artsy subjects to explore. After lunchtime today, a…
April 9, 2013
Today, April 9, 2013, marks the 20th anniversary of the death at the age of 96 of the internationally renowned singer and humanitarian, Marian Anderson. Since my childhood, I had known of Anderson’s great musicality and barrier-shattering reputation as the first African American artist to perform at the White House (in 1936) and sing a…
September 26, 2012
My husband and I took our eleven year old granddaughter to Paris this past summer. When asked what she wanted to see, she quickly responded– the Eiffel Tower. We couldn’t argue with that. Who doesn’t like the Eiffel Tower? Loving French cuisine, we next focused on lunch. A friend recommended the Jules Verne restaurant, located…
