Open to the Public, VMFA’s Artmobile

In 1953 the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was among the first in the world to have what was then known as the Artmobile. For four decades, as many as four Artmobiles toured 59 exhibitions and served more than 2.5 million Virginians. In 1969, Randolph-Macon Women’s College loaned eighteen works for the September – October Artmobile exhibition that year.

Due to conservation concerns and the fragility of traveling works of art, VMFA replaced the program in the early 1990s with a strategy to develop stronger partnerships with schools, community centers, and museums around the state. Since that time, VMFA has developed a robust Statewide Partners program as well as VMFA on the Road, which hopes to reach an unprecedented number of Virginians with innovative art experiences.

The VMFA’s new state-of-the-art traveling museum and art studio launched in October 2018. The climate-controlled 53-foot Volvo trailer includes Wi-Fi to connect visitors with VMFA educators and interactive components to meet their 21st-century expectations. The main attraction of VMFA on the Road, however, is the opportunity for residents of the Commonwealth to see and experience works of art from the VMFA collection up close. VMFA on the Road is traveling to remote corners of Virginia by way of the museum’s Statewide Partners program, which includes 1,000 locations—from community centers and small museums to colleges and universities.

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, April 17, 5 – 8 p.m.