Booking

Workshop

You won’t find a more enlightening — and inspirational — environment than the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts! From gallery talks and tours to art classes, seminars, teacher programs, and family fun, the museum offers a variety of learning experiences for every age and every interest.

Specials

VMFA Members enjoy discounts on many of our classes and programs. Click here for more information.

Educators

Teacher Tuesdays at Two

Let's look at art together through the teacher's lens. Practicing K–12 educators across disciplines are invited to join VMFA Teacher Programs for an education-centered conversation in the galleries on select Tuesdays throughout the summer. Come spend an hour with us to share your perspective, elevate your practice, and enjoy some summer afternoon playtime! 

This tour is limited to currently practicing classroom educators. We encourage other education professionals to check out our variety of public tour offerings.

Register Now

Teacher Webinar | Back to School with VMFA

Bring VMFA’s collection into your teaching practice! Learn how to access the collection and newly added educational resources for inquiry-based learning across the curriculum. This session is applicable to practicing K–12 and college educators of all subjects. 

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation.

IMAGE: Art History Is Not Linear (VMFA), 2009, Ryan McGinness (American, born 1972), acrylic on panels. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, National Endowment for the Arts Fund, 2010.12.1–16. ©️ Ryan McGinness

Register on zoom

Teacher SWAP Meet

Teachers, let's mark the beginning of the school year together. VMFA's Teacher SWAP Meet is a place to Share What Art Promises—for you, your students, your school year, and beyond. Join us for an evening of art making, gallery exploration, and take-home educational resources. Drop in between 4 and 7 pm to visit with VMFA staff and your teaching colleagues, share ideas, and have fun with art. All practicing K–12 and college educators with ID are cordially invited. Bring along a teaching colleague who has never attended a VMFA teacher program and receive a special gift as our thanks for making the introduction! 

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation.

More info

Teacher Workshop | The Art of Collaboration

The capacity to work in a team is an essential skill for 21st-century learners. Join us in this hands-on workshop as we explore ways art engagement can jumpstart collaborative behaviors such as listening, sharing perspectives, and capitalizing on group knowledge. This session is applicable to practicing K–12 educators of all subjects. Lunch will be provided.   
 
This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation
Register Now

Adults

Fine Arts & Flowers | Ikebana Workshop with Asian-Inspired Snacks and Wine

As part of Fine Arts & Flowers, Ikebana of Richmond is hosting a workshop for those interested in creating an Ikebana arrangement. Join us in the evening as three different certified teachers (sensei) introduce Ikebana—the Japanese art of flower arranging—and demonstrate the distinctive styles of their schools, emphasizing line, balance, depth, and material placement.

After the demonstration, participants will create their own design from the school they prefer. The sensei will provide guidance and a critique of the arrangement as part of the experience. Materials provided for this class are a suiban (low bowl), kenzan (a tool similar to a flower frog), materials, and flowers. Materials may be taken home for further practice and study. Each participant should bring garden/floral clippers and a bucket to transport your completed arrangement home. 

Enjoy wine and Asian-inspired small bites while creating your design.

Get Tickets

Fine Arts & Flowers | Sip & Snip Floral Workshop

Join instructor Kate Hugo Vernon for a relaxed floral design workshop where creativity takes center stage as part of Fine Arts & Flowers. You’ll work with an abundant mix of vibrant, seasonal materials to explore texture, color, and form and create a design that’s uniquely your own. Whether you’re a seasoned arranger or simply flower-curious, this workshop is all about enjoying the process as much as the final piece.

Wine and light snacks will be served, making it the perfect setting to unwind, socialize, and let your creativity bloom. Each participant should bring floral clippers.
Get Tickets

Fine Arts & Flowers | Ikebana Workshop

As part of Fine Arts & Flowers, Ikebana of Richmond is hosting a workshop for those interested in creating an Ikebana arrangement. Certified teachers (Sensei) from the Sogetsu and Sangetsu schools will introduce Ikebana—the Japanese art of flower arranging—and each will demonstrate a contemporary freestyle arrangement in a handmade ceramic container, emphasizing line, balance, depth and material placement. Participants will determine which style they prefer and create their own in a provided container. As is the tradition, the Sensei will critique each arrangement with the student. Handmade ceramic containers, materials, and flowers will be provided. The student should bring garden or floral clippers and a bucket to transport your materials home.

Get Tickets

Fine Arts & Flowers | Workshop with Natasja Sadi

Create lifelike sugar flowers inspired by Dutch masters.

Bloom into art at VMFA as part of Fine Arts & Flowers. Join world-renowned floral designer and sugar flower artist Natasja Sadi for a half-day workshop and learn to sculpt her trademark, lifelike sugar flowers. From shaping delicate petals to mastering Natasja’s exclusive coloring method, you’ll create a stunning tulip masterpiece in a hands-on session perfect for novices and experienced artists alike. 

Beautiful on cakes, sugar flowers become everlasting floral art treasures when displayed independently. Inspired by the Dutch Masters’ tradition, these sugar flowers pair beautifully with fresh blooms for sustainable, multi-season arrangements. All materials and tools are provided.
Get Tickets

Fine Arts & Flowers | Floral Workshop: Interpreting a Work of Art

Interpret a work of art with floral designer David Pippin. This hands-on workshop is a great opportunity to learn about interpreting works of art using plant materials. After a brief lecture and demonstration, participants will have the opportunity to interpret a work of art from the VMFA collection. Plant materials and containers will be provided. Participants should bring their own floral clippers.
Get Tickets

Educators

Teacher Webinar | Thinking Like an Impressionist

Take inspiration from Impressionists’ revolutionary way of looking at, depicting, and understanding the world around them. In this webinar, educators will consider Impressionist works with fresh eyes and mine their innovative ideas for application in the classroom. This session is directed toward practicing K–12 art educators, but curious educators across all disciplines are encouraged to attend.      

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation

IMAGE: Young Woman Watering a Shrub, 1876, Berthe Morisot (French, 1841–1895), oil on canvas. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 83.40

Register on zoom

Teacher Gallery Program | First Impressions

Like the Impressionists, many artists draw inspiration from how they perceive and experience the world. Students can take a similar approach to examining works of art. Join us in the galleries to explore how embracing and building on first impressions can spark creative ideation and deeper understanding. This session is applicable to practicing K–12 educators of all subjects.   

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation

Register Now

Teacher Webinar | People and Places

Art from across VMFA’s permanent collection invites students to consider how people visually express ideas about the environment, their communities, and one another. In this webinar, VMFA educators will introduce student-centered activities designed to stimulate curiosity, hone inquiry, and prompt critical thinking and analysis. This session is applicable to practicing K–12 educators of all subjects.

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation.

IMAGE: Commemorative Portrait Head, 19th–20th century, Unknown Kongo Artist, wood, kaolin, paint, traces of fiber. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund, 2006.9

Register on zoom

Teacher Workshop | Art Experiences for Diverse Learners

VMFA’s collection can support inclusive instructional design grounded in accessibility for neurodivergent and twice-exceptional (2e) learners and learners with disabilities. Join Emonie Smith, Richmond City Public Schools Special Education and Gifted & Talented educator, in this hands-on workshop. Explore strategies for using art to design accommodating learning experiences tailored to your students’ needs. This session is applicable to practicing K–12 educators of all subjects. Lunch will be provided.  
 
This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation.

IMAGE: Composition #76, 2018, Diego Sanchez (American, born Columbia 1963), mixed media. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Aldine S. Hartman Endowment Fund, 2018.333
Register Now

Teacher Gallery Program | The Ancient World

Art from the ancient world can serve as a catalyst for student curiosity about the lives and ideas of people from the distant past. Made to be used in a variety of ways, the imagery, forms, and functions of ancient artworks can reveal insights about the values, beliefs, and practices of the societies that created them. Join us in the galleries to explore objects in VMFA’s collection that can provide a glimpse into how people from ancient cultures understood the world.   

This program is supported in part by the Anne Carter and Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation.

IMAGE: Floor Mosaic with the Four Seasons, AD 250–300, Roman (Antioch), limestone and glass tesserae. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 51.13

 
Register Now