The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts hired a new chief registrar, J’Laine Newcombe, who will manage a staff dedicated to the care of the fine art collection; the creation and maintenance of records that capture the history and condition of the objects; and the safe and timely presentation of fine art in the museum’s galleries, both around the state and around the world. She will also oversee the implementation of an important strategic initiative to enhance the digital presence of the museum’s collection online in a readily searchable format.
Newcombe comes with more than 15 years of experience as a registrar, most recently at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. She oversaw not only the day-to-day activity of the registration department, but also was instrumental in the planning and construction for a new collections and exhibitions support wing dedicated to collections care, storage, and exhibition preparation.
Her previous museum experience includes chief registrar for the Museum of New Mexico, the state museum based in Santa Fe, N.M. At that museum, she supervised registration activities across the museum’s four collecting units – Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and Palace of the Governors. She also served as associate registrar at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Fort Worth, Texas. At the Nelson-Atkins, she was involved with the design and planning for their recently open major expansion (Bloch Building) and the original building’s renovation.
A native of Evansville, Ind., Newcombe studied at Washington University at St. Louis and the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Art History.
About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA’s permanent collection encompasses more than 33,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world history. Its collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, English silver, Fabergé, and the art of South Asia are among the finest in the nation. With acclaimed holdings in American, British Sporting, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist, and Modern and Contemporary art – and additional strengths in African, Ancient, East Asian, and European – VMFA ranks as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus lively after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. VMFA, a certified Virginia Green attraction, is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit www.vmfa.museum.