Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Museum of History and Culture announce reopening plans

Two prominent Richmond museums have announced plans to reopen under modified operating plans – the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

The VMFA’s announcement:

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announced it will reopen to the public on Saturday, July 4, 2020; museum members will have early access beginning July 1. With its reopening, the museum will resume its regular operating hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday until 9 p.m. VMFA’s plans were announced as the City of Richmond entered Phase 2, lifting more COVID-19 related restrictions.

“We appreciate the community’s patience and support while the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was temporarily closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Alex Nyerges, VMFA’s Director and CEO. “We are committed to providing a safe, artful experience once again and we’re excited to welcome the community back to VMFA!”

Following the guidance of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the museum will implement safeguards to help ensure the health and well-being of its visitors, staff and volunteers. Wearing face coverings will be required and disposable masks will be provided to those who do not bring their own. To limit the number of people within the museum at one time, visitors will enter through the main entrance near the McGlothlin Wing on the first floor and exit near the Art Education Center located off North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, also on the first floor. Physical distancing must be practiced while inside the museum and outside on VMFA’s grounds. The facilities and campus will be cleaned and sanitized daily, with high-touch areas and restrooms cleaned more frequently. Hand-sanitizing stations will be available throughout the museum. Clear acrylic partitions are installed at Visitor Services, in the VMFA Shop, and at all public-facing workstations.

The permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions will be open. The exhibition Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop has been extended through October 18. Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities, a new, ticketed exhibition, will also open to the public on July 4. As Sunken Cities promises to be a popular exhibition, admittance will be timed to maintain physical distancing within the galleries. Due to restrictions on gatherings, group tours cannot be scheduled.

VMFA’s casual dining venue Best Café will operate “grab-and-go” service and provide limited seating, spaced to meet physical-distancing standards. Amuse, VMFA’s fine dining restaurant, will also be open with limited seating; reservations are recommended. The Library, currently being reconfigured to distance workstations and equipment, will reopen to visitors by appointment in September. To maintain physical-distancing standards, a limited number of shoppers will be able to enter the VMFA Shop at one time. Clear acrylic partitions will offer protection during transactions at check-out stations where visitors will be encouraged to use debit cards, credit cards or Apple Pay when purchasing tickets, merchandise, or food at the museum.

For the remainder of the summer, all in-person early childhood programs, kids’ camps, teen camps, and adult studio school classes, as well as K-12-adult guided and self-directed tours are canceled. The museum’s comprehensive online resources, which include art activities, permanent art collections, virtual exhibitions, art history classes and educational programs can be accessed from home through the museum’s website at www.VMFA.museum.

“After weeks of having to keep our galleries closed to the public, we look forward to seeing people return to the museum and rediscover art that consoles, inspires and excites,” said Nyerges.

Complete details about VMFA’s safety measures can be found at www.VMFA.museum/COVID-19.

VMHC’s announcement:

The wait is over – we are excited to announce that the Virginia Museum of History & Culture will re-open to VMHC members on June 27-30 and to all guests on July 1!

Please note that you must purchase a ticket online prior to visiting (free for members; discounted for all others). Please also take time to learn more about our new safety guidelines and other important changes to the museum experience, all designed to help keep you safe. To purchase tickets and learn more, visit VirginiaHistory.org/Tickets.

VMHC Member-Only Preview Days: June 27-30, 2020. Timed tickets during member preview days are available every half hour beginning at 11:00 am with the last entry time at 2:00 pm. (Not a member yet or need to renew? Click here!)
Open to the Public: Beginning July 1, 2020. Timed tickets will be available every half hour starting at 10:00 am with last entry time at 4:30 pm.
We are excited to share with you two new exhibitions:

Agents of Change: Female Activism in Virginia from Women’s Suffrage to Today – Organized in conjunction with the statewide Women’s Suffrage Centennial, this exhibition celebrates a century of women’s social and political activism and the positive changes their work has brought forth in their communities, the Commonwealth, and the nation. Learn more.
A Landscape Saved: The Garden Club of Virginia at 100 – Explore the colorful, courageous, and impressive history of the Garden Club of Virginia and three generations of activists who have produced a strong statewide voice for conservation, gardening, and education surrounding Virginia’s natural resources and historic landscapes. Learn more.