Member Events

Thu, Oct 17, 6 pm | Reynolds Lecture Hall
Divergent Paths: Beauford and Joseph Delaney
with Stephen C. Wicks, Barbara W. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator at the Knoxville Museum of Art

Although they spent most of their lives elsewhere, Tennessee-born Beauford (1901–1979) and Joseph (1904–1991) Delaney are two of the region’s most accomplished painters. Following divergent paths, both brothers overcame poverty, racism, and other hurdles to enjoy long careers and, in Beauford’s case, achieve international renown. The pragmatic Joseph did not stray far from his academic roots, painting the American scene with great vitality and variety. The more adventurous Beauford experimented with abstractionism, creating works that his lifelong friend James Baldwin characterized as “a striking metamorphosis into freedom.” 

The VMFA Circle Lecture Series is open to all members beginning at the Friends Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream.

Thu, Nov 7, 6 pm | Reynolds Lecture Hall
An Evening with the Maestro: Literary Conversations and Poetic Musings on the Expanding African Frontier
with Obi Nwakanma, Poet and Scholar of African and African Diasporan Literature at the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba, VMFA’s Curator of African Art

Many museums with African art collections overlook the importance of the verbal arts in contextualizing the visual arts. Join Obi Nwakanma and Dr. Ndubuisi Ezeluomba for a fluid conversation exploring the impact of this omission on our understanding of both the visual and expressive arts of Africa. Nwakanma will also reflect on his ongoing book project on the Mbari Movement, whose network of artists and writers helped shape a new postcolonial cultural identity.

The VMFA Circle Lecture Series is open to all members beginning at the Friends Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream.

Thu, Dec 12, 6 pm | Reynolds Lecture Hall
The Sum of its Parts: A Closer Look at Contemporary Himalayan Art
with Sarah Magnatta, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Denver  

Tsherin Sherpa’s Luxation I, on view in the South Asian gallery exhibition Local Spirits, joins an emerging list of contemporary Himalayan artworks that embody both tradition and innovation and that require us, as viewers, to reexamine our expectations. This presentation explores works by Sherpa and others, asking how we might bring contemporary Himalayan art into conversations that recognize continuity but also engage with broader global art trends and topics.

The VMFA Circle Lecture Series is open to all members beginning at the Friends Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream.

Thu, Jan 16, 6 pm |Leslie Cheek Theater
Artist Talk: Only Chance Is Fair
with photographer Emmet Gowin and Dr. Sarah Kennel, VMFA’s Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center  

In conversation with curator Dr. Sarah Kennel, renowned photographer and Virginia-native Emmet Gowin reflects on his life in photography, his deep connections to Virginia, and the centrality of family and nature to his work. Learn more about several of Gowin’s works featured in the exhibition A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845, on view at VMFA October 5, 2024 through January 26, 2025.

The VMFA Circle Lecture Series is open to all members beginning at the Friends Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream.