Bring the whole family to celebrate the Lunar New Year at VMFA’s annual ChinaFest! Explore Chinese art and culture through fun art activities, collaborative events, demonstrations, and performances.
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Past Events
2024—ChinaFest:Year of the Wood Dragon
Guests celebrated the Lunar New Year at VMFA by exploring Chinese art and culture through our permanent art collections, art-making activities, collaborative projects, and performances.
Activities & Collaborations: Hands-on art activities and collaborative projects for this family day event included the following: Construct a Dragon Puppet, Decorate a Diamond New Year Banner, Create an Interactive Paper Lion, and the Collaborative Peony Flower Curtain. Guests were invited to watch a Family-Friendly Chinese Film Showing, engage in conversation with artist Dalton Zheng as he worked on a series of ink paintings, and so much more!
Generously sponsored by
2023—ChinaFest:Year of the Water Rabbit
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with VMFA’s ever-popular ChinaFest Family Day. This year, we showcase the Year of the Water Rabbit. Bring the whole family to experience Chinese art and culture through art-making activities, collaborative projects, films, demonstrations, and performances.
Activities & Collaborations: Projects and workshops/demonstrations for this family day event included the following: Cooking Demonstrations with Alexander Tan, Exploring the Winter Lantern Festival: Washington D.C., At-Home Lantern-Making with 1708 Gallery, Create Your Own Handprint Rabbit, Create Your Own Paper Plate Dragon, Fold a Lucky Money Envelope, Tangram Puzzle: Horse and Warrior, Make a Faux Jade Sculpture, Unrolling and Viewing a Chinese Handscroll, Learning about the Art of Calligraphy, and so much more!
Generously sponsored by
2019—ChinaFest:Year of the Earth Pig
Join VMFA in a celebration of the Lunar New Year and ChinaFest: Year of the Earth Pig! Explore Chinese art and culture through art-making activities, demonstrations, and performances. Decorate your own folding fan and create a miniature Earth Pig sculpture. Watch the dynamic Lion Dance, beautiful performances by Yu Dance Arts, and so much more!
Activities & Collaborations: Projects and workshops/demonstrations for this family day event included the following: Creating a New Year Print, Making a Miniature Earth Pig Sculpture, Constructing an Earth Pig Lantern with 1708 Gallery, Decorating a Chinese Folding Fan, Designing a Hydrangea Greeting Card, adding to a Plum Blossom Branch Community Project with SCRAP RVA, making a Lion Mask Photo Prop, exploring instruments and games at Play & Construct, taking pictures at Strike a Pose Photo Station, writing a Lantern Wish, watching a Family-Friendly Chinese Film Showing, adding to our Community Voting Project, and so much more!
2018—ChinaFest: Year of the Earth Dog
Celebrate the Lunar New Year and ChinaFest: Year of the Earth Dog! Create an Earth Dog lantern and make your own watercolor lotus card. Enjoy demonstrations and colorful performances, including the Lion Dance, to welcome the Chinese New Year!
Art Activities: Golden Tiger Paper Ornament, Make Your Own Watercolor Lotus Card, Paper Warrior and Horse, Solve Your Own Zodiac Tangram, Create an Earth Dog Lantern with SCRAP RVA, Play and Construct, Chinese Films, Year of the Earth Dog Puppet with Lily Lamberta, Tissue Paper Peony Garland, Pagoda Playhouse and New Year Wishes, Gallery Hunt
Generously Sponsored by:
2017—ChinaFest: Year of the Fire Rooster
Bring the whole family to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Chinese Year of the Fire Rooster! Explore Chinese art and culture through fun art activities and collaborative events. Experience demonstrations and performances by Yu Dance, The Pride: Lion Dance at UVA, Lion Dance at VCU, and Wushu martial arts—and much more!
Art Activities: Panda Scroll, Tao tie Vessel, Chinese Animated Children’s Films, Chinese New Year Lantern, Decorative Fan, Folded Chinese Landscape, Zodiac Animal Face Painting, Play and Construct, Community Rooster Puppet with All the Saints Theater Company, Flower Curtain, Pagoda Playhouse, Temple Wishes and Selfie Station
Generously sponsored by
Past Performers, Demonstrators, and Community Partners
George Mason University Confucius Institute: Join instructors from George Mason University Confucius Institute as they facilitate Tai Chi demonstrations and short interactive lessons. Also, take a moment to create your own decorative paper kite!
William and Mary Confucius Institute: Join the College of William and Mary Confucius Institute as they practice the beautiful art of writing Chinese characters. Chinese calligraphy, the most revered fine art in China, is closely connected to Chinese culture, aesthetics, philosophy, and history. Staff members of WMCI have been trained extensively to perform Chinese calligraphy to promote the appreciation and understanding of this exquisite art.
University of Richmond: Learn Chinese words and participate in sing-along songs led by students from University of Richmond.
SCRAP RVA: Work with local creative reuse center, SCRAP RVA, to create a paper lantern that incorporates a paper “Earth Dog” figure. SCRAP RVA is a donation-based creative reuse store and donation center whose mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.
Lily Lamberta and the All the Saints Theater Company: Assist in creating a large-scale Earth Dog puppet!
Yu Dance Arts: Yu Dance Arts is a Richmond-based, youth dance group that focuses on creating and producing intercultural dances that combine Chinese traditional dances with modern Western aesthetics. This year, their fusion dance style will present an innovative look at Chinese dances.
Ryse Lion Dance Troupe at VCU: The Ryse Lion Dance Troupe at VCU is a traditional Lion Dancing Organization established in spring 2014 that practices the Fut San style of Lion Dance which originated in ancient Southern China. The Ryse Lion Dance Troupe has performed for various events such as the Richmond Ballet, weddings, and festivals.
The Pride: Lion Dance at UVA: The Pride: Lion Dance at UVA incorporates both traditional southern Chinese and contemporary styles. Watch as UVA performers collaborate inside a lion costume to mimic the movements and characteristics of the animal to the sounds of vigorous drumming.
Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu: Watch and practice graceful warrior moves with Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu. This art was made popular by Grand Master Yip Man in the 1950’s and is best known by his student, movie legend, Bruce Lee!
Acro Yoga: Enjoy performances of this acrobatic yoga style with the talented yogis of Acro Yoga RVA.
O-mei Wushu Center: Watch the talented practitioners of O-mei Wushu Center perform skillful martial arts techniques.
Richmond Table Tennis Club: Observe Table Tennis (aka Ping Pong) players compete on an international level in this popular Olympic sport!
