Talks

Join Siera Hyte, the Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art, for a 3 in 30 program in the new focus gallery for African Art and Indigenous American art to explore works on view. This discussion will foreground themes of artistic resistance and renewal within works of art by Indigenous American artists.

IMAGE: Hinushi Butterfly, 2024, Sarah Sense (Chitimacha/Choctaw, born 1980), woven archival inkjet prints on Hahnemuhle bamboo paper and Hahnemuhle rice paper with tape, wax, and cotton thread. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Mrs. Alfred I. duPont Fund, by exchange, 2025.9.1

Inspired by Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, this gallery talk will explore three works of art in the museum's permanent collection. These are works by three artists also represented in the special exhibition. VMFA's Izzie Fuqua, educator for the exhibition, will lead you through the 21st-Century Art Gallery where you will learn about the art-making methods of these artists and how life events and society inspired their work.

IMAGE Soundsuit (detail), 2011, Nick Cave (American, born 1959), fabric, sequins, embroidery, mannequin. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Pamela K. and William A. Royall, Jr., 2018.439a-b

Inspired by Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, this gallery talk will explore three works of art in the museum's permanent collection. These are works by three artists also represented in the special exhibition. VMFA's Izzie Fuqua, educator for the exhibition, will lead you through the 21st-Century Art Gallery where you will learn about the art-making methods of these artists and how life events and society inspired their work.

IMAGE Soundsuit (detail), 2011, Nick Cave (American, born 1959), fabric, sequins, embroidery, mannequin. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Pamela K. and William A. Royall, Jr., 2018.439a-b

To make art is to live within the space between risk and resolve. This talk reflects on the balance of vulnerability, discipline, and creative capital—the emotional, physical, and imaginative forces that sustain a creative life. Vulnerability keeps the work human, discipline gives it form, and creative capital allows it to move through the world. Together, they shape not only how an artist creates, but how one continues.

Deborah Roberts is one of the renowned artists whose work is featured in Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. 

Livestream available to watch from home.

Join Arthur Jafa, artist and filmmaker, and Enjoli Moon, founder and director of the Afrikana Independent Film Festival, for a conversation about Jafa’s use of cinematic qualities in his film and media.

Arthur Jafa has for more than 30 years been creating imagery that examines how the Black experience is constructed and consumed in contemporary culture. His work includes films, paintings, sculptures, and installations. Jafa's Big Wheel I is now on view in the Cochrane Atrium as part of the special exhibition Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, which opens Nov 22. And his time-based media installation is on view Dec 7–14 as part of the REWIND<<FastForward series.

Enjoli Moon founded the Afrikana Independent Film Festival in 2014 to showcase the cinematic works of people of color, with a special focus on the global Black narrative. Its mission is to “present high-quality, well-crafted stories that celebrate the diaspora and encourage people to connect.” 

ASL interpretation to be provided during this program.

Livestream available to watch from home.

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.