Music & Performing Arts

Join us every Wednesday for in-person performances by some of the area’s best jazz musicians. 

The Chris Vasi Quintet is ready to entertain. They bring a variety of jazz influences, including standards, Cuban, African, funk, Thelonious Monk, and the music of the iconic Blue Note. He'll be joined by Chris Vasi on guitar, Pete Anderson on trombone, Chris Sclafani on saxophone, Carter Blough on bass, and Aaron Binder on drums.

Know Before You Go

• Seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Early arrival is strongly recommended.
• Saving seats for others is discouraged.
• Seats can no longer be saved once the performance begins.
• Please do not move the chairs and tables.
• No outside chairs or gallery stools are permitted.
• No outside alcohol is permitted.
• Harassing, discriminatory, or threatening behavior is strictly prohibited.

Maintaining a free, safe, and accessible experience for all is our priority. Come and enjoy the music!

Dominion Energy Jazz Café is presented in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. 

This event is part of our Dominion Energy Jazz Café program series.

Join us every Wednesday for in-person performances by some of the area’s best jazz musicians. 

Flutist Marsha Meekins has been a perennial favorite at Jazz Café with her melodic and swinging interpretations of standards and contemporary favorites. She is well known throughout Virginia and Maryland for her elegant, entertaining style. She will be joined by Cliff Fuller on keyboards, Brandon Smith on guitar, Matthew Steele on bass, Glenn Jones on drums, and Victor Nelson on vocals.

Know Before You Go

• Seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Early arrival is strongly recommended.
• Saving seats for others is discouraged.
• Seats can no longer be saved once the performance begins.
• Please do not move the chairs and tables.
• No outside chairs or gallery stools are permitted.
• No outside alcohol is permitted.
• Harassing, discriminatory, or threatening behavior is strictly prohibited.

Maintaining a free, safe, and accessible experience for all is our priority. Come and enjoy the music!

Dominion Energy Jazz Café is presented in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. 

This event is part of our Dominion Energy Jazz Café program series.

Join us every Wednesday for in-person performances by some of the area’s best jazz musicians. 

Award-winning vocalist Maddy Curtis sings retro jazz—beloved standards and soulful original tunes reminiscent of some of the great Ladies of Song such as Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Doris Day. Simon Cowell of American Idol described Curtis as “soulful beyond her years.” She will be joined by Jack Byrnes on bass, Quincy Harmon on piano and trumpet, and Stephan Larue on drums.

Know Before You Go

• Seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Early arrival is strongly recommended.
• Saving seats for others is discouraged.
• Seats can no longer be saved once the performance begins.
• Please do not move the chairs and tables.
• No outside chairs or gallery stools are permitted.
• No outside alcohol is permitted.
• Harassing, discriminatory, or threatening behavior is strictly prohibited.

Maintaining a free, safe, and accessible experience for all is our priority. Come and enjoy the music!

Dominion Energy Jazz Café is presented in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. 

This event is part of our Dominion Energy Jazz Café program series.

Join us every Wednesday for in-person performances by some of the area’s best jazz musicians. 

Drummer Kofi Shepsu is back with his energetic brand of popular standards and modern jazz arrangements with Charlottesville’s Garen Dorsey on keyboard and house bassist Cameron Ralston, the co-founder and producer for Spacebomb Records.

Know Before You Go

• Seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Early arrival is strongly recommended.
• Saving seats for others is discouraged.
• Seats can no longer be saved once the performance begins.
• Please do not move the chairs and tables.
• No outside chairs or gallery stools are permitted.
• No outside alcohol is permitted.
• Harassing, discriminatory, or threatening behavior is strictly prohibited.

Maintaining a free, safe, and accessible experience for all is our priority. Come and enjoy the music!

Dominion Energy Jazz Café is presented in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. 

This event is part of our Dominion Energy Jazz Café program series.

Join us every Wednesday for in-person performances by some of the area’s best jazz musicians. 

The Afro-Zen Allstars' music exists where African musical traditions connect with jazz and jam!  As they say, “This is music for the mind, body and spirit and, with the goal of increasing the amount of joy in the world. We hope to share it far and wide." Featuring George Lowe and Chris Vasi on guitar, Keith Cable and Hunter Duke on percussion, Brian Cruse on bass, Scott Milstead on drums, John Lilley and Chris Sclafani on sax, and Pete Anderson on trombone.

Know Before You Go

• Seating is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Early arrival is strongly recommended.
• Saving seats for others is discouraged.
• Seats can no longer be saved once the performance begins.
• Please do not move the chairs and tables.
• No outside chairs or gallery stools are permitted.
• No outside alcohol is permitted.
• Harassing, discriminatory, or threatening behavior is strictly prohibited.

Maintaining a free, safe, and accessible experience for all is our priority. Come and enjoy the music!

Dominion Energy Jazz Café is presented in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. 

This event is part of our Dominion Energy Jazz Café program series.

Join us for performances, food trucks, art activities, and fun for all ages. To mark the museum’s 90th anniversary, we’re celebrating its past, present, and future, and inviting you to the official public kick-off of The Campaign for VMFA. We’re bringing the community together for a fun event. See yourself here!

Know Before You Go 

• This event is rain or shine. In case of rain, all activities will move indoors.
• Parking in the museum's deck is $6 (free for VMFA members). Free street parking is also available.
• You may bring lawn chairs and blankets to the Sculpture Garden.
• Please do not touch the art in the galleries or in the Sculpture Garden.
• Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Thank you for not eating or drinking in the galleries.
• Wine/beer/alcohol that is purchased elsewhere may not be brought to the VMFA campus.
• You may refer to VMFA’s Visitor Policies for more information.

Event Schedule

Welcome

Cheek Theater 
1:30–2 pm | Join VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges for an introduction to See Yourself Here: The Campaign for VMFA and the museum’s exciting next chapter. Also enjoy a musical performance by The Outcasts Big Band.

Cochrane Atrium | Main Entrance | Robins Sculpture Garden 
1–4 pm | Visit info stations to learn more about See Yourself Here: The Campaign for VMFA and the museum’s forthcoming expansion.

Music and Performances

Cheek Theater 
1:30–2 pm | Performance by The Outcasts Big Band with welcome remarks by VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges

Pauley Center Terrace 
1–1:30 pm | Hip-hop line dancing with Kemel Patton 
2:30–3:30 pm | Counterpoint featuring Wayne "Big Pat" Patterson, presented by the Richmond Jazz Society 
3:30–4 pm | VSU's Trojan Explosion Marching Band 

Cochrane Atrium 
1–1:30 pm | DJ Ray-Ray 
2:15–2:30 pm | Ezibu Muntu African Dance 
2:45–3:05 pm | Choy Wun Lion Dance Troupe 
3:05–3:45 pm | DJ Ray-Ray 

Interactive Activities

Smurfit WestRock Art Education Center 
1–4 pm | Ryan McGinness Stamp Prints (Studio 1) 
Use stamps and multicolored inks to create a print inspired by the work of contemporary artist Ryan McGinness, whose painting that celebrates VMFA's collection can be seen near the Main Entrance. Best for ages 5–12. All ages welcome.

1–4 pm | Ethiopian Black-Maned Lion Collage (Studio 2) 
In honor of the expanded African Galleries coming in 2029, make a black-maned Ethiopian lion collage out of recycled-paper. Best for ages 5+.

1–4 pm* | Play and Exploration (Early Childhood Classroom) 
Stop by for playtime. Recommended for ages 6 months to 6 years. *At 2 pm & 3 pm, VMFA educators will lead 30 minutes of interactive parachute play, singing, and movement activities. 

Marble Hall 
1–4 pm | Architecture Building Challenge 
Challenge yourself or each other by building the tallest paper-straw structure possible. Best for ages 8+. 
2 pm, 2:45 pm, 3:15 pm | Figure Drawing featuring Richmond Ballet 
Drop in for a 30 minute figure-drawing session. Dancers from the Richmond Ballet will serve as models. Recommended for ages 16+. 

Freeman Library 
1–4 pm | With All Our Hearts: A VMFA Community Display 
What are your favorite things about VMFA? Show us by creating a heart that will become part of our collaborative display. All ages. 

Cochrane Atrium 
1–4 pm | See Yourself Here Story Studio 
What's your VMFA story? Visit our Story Studio to share a special memory and tell us what VMFA means to you. 

Gallery Tours and Artmobile

Meet at Niche near Main Entrance 
1 pm, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm, 3:30 pm | "What's New" Gallery Tours 
Take a 30-minute gallery tour that explores a few of VMFA’s most recent acquisitions in our ever-expanding collection. 

Mary Morton Parsons Plaza 
1–4 pm | Artmobile Exhibition 
Visit VMFA on the Road, the museum’s 21st-century Artmobile, featuring the special exhibition Virginia as America: Navigating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Shopping

VMFA Shop 
1–4 pm | Check out the VMFA Shop. VMFA members enjoy a 20% discount on purchases today!

Food and Drink 
Best Café, Amuse Restaurant, and our Floris tearoom are open. Enjoy meals, snacks, beverages, as well as the special offerings and pop-ups listed below.

Best Café 
Stop by for lunch, snacks, beverages, and desserts, as well as the following: 
Picnic Bag (fig, brie, and arugula baguette; Route 11 chips; fruit salad; homemade cookie; glass of house red or white wine) 
Keya's Chips with a variety of toppings, sauces, add-ons inspired by traditional Indian chaat 
Frosé adult beverages

Amuse Restaurant 
Reservations for lunch are encouraged. Also stop by Amuse for the following: 
1–4 pm | Cirrus Vodka Cocktail Pop-Up
3–4 pm | Specially curated happy-hour menu

Floris "Kitchen Door" Pop-Up 
Swing by to purchase a specialty iced tea and/or a sweet treat made by Floris's Chef Chainey.

Cocktail Bar in Cochrane Atrium 
Enjoy drinks from a fully stocked cocktail bar that accepts either cash or drink tickets purchased at the Visitor Services Desk. Featured cocktails: Strawberry basil Aperol spritz and Tajin margarita on the rocks

Food Trucks on Grove Ave 
Stay tuned for more information!

Water and Treats in Robins Sculpture Garden 
Complimentary bottled water and treats will be available for all attendees at designated stations in the Robins Sculpture Garden.

About The Campaign for VMFA
As VMFA embarks on the largest expansion and renovation project in its history, the museum wants you to see yourself here—in the art, in the space, and in the experience. This is your museum. Be part of its next chapter.

After 5 Fridays is the perfect way to kick off the weekend. Relax with a beverage, visit the galleries for an art escape, and take part in the evening’s featured attraction. 

Spring has arrived and there's no better way to celebrate the rise in temperature than by dancing the night away with RVA Tango!

This event is part of our After 5 Fridays program series.