Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

Staff Report

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, located on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond, has announced plans for a $261 million expansion, the largest in its history. The addition of a new, five-story McGlothlin Wing II will make the museum the fourth largest in the country, with the second-largest exhibit space for African Art.

The first floor of the new wing will roughly double the museum’s present space for art from Africa. When completed, the only U.S. museum with more space devoted to African art will be the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

The new wing is expected to open in 2028, when the museum will be 92 years old.

In recent years, the museum has been expanding its collection of both African and African-American art. Among its exhibits is a piece called “Ana’s Corner” by internationally famous sculptor Mel Edwards. The piece is named for his daughter Ana Edwards, a Defender and Richmond-based public historian.