Collections : [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

VMFA Archives
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library
200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220-4007
Primary Collecting Areas:
VMFA institutional records, Donor papers, Virginia Artists Archives, Oral histories, Artist subject files, Analog, and digital audiovisual collections
Description:

The Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library provides access to a wealth of rare and unique primary source materials for scholars, researchers, and the public.

The Archives consists of a diverse and growing collection of permanent materials, covering museum history from its beginnings in the 1930s until today. The Archives includes institutional records from over 25 museum departments, thousands of artist and subject files, as well as donated collections related to the museum and the history of art in Virginia. The Archives also recently launched the Virginia Artists Archives, a collecting initiative that aims to create a rich, diverse, and unprecedented collection of Virginia artists’ papers to increase awareness about the contributions of Virginia artists, both past and present.

POC: Roxanne Winfield
Phone: (804) 340-1497
Phone: (804) 340-1495
Start Over Repository Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Date range 1928

Benjamin L. Wigfall Artist Archives and Mary Carter Wigfall Personal Papers 21.875 Linear Feet 50 boxes; 63 folders

Wigfall, Benjamin L., 1930-2017
The collection documents the life and work of Benjamin L. Wigfall, African American abstract expressionist artist. Benjamin L. Wigfall was the second African American artist to have a painting aquired by the VMFA, as well as the youngest ever artist to do the same. In addition to his work as an artist, Wigfall also taught and mentored in both Virginia at Hampton Institute, as well as New York at SUNY New Paltz and in his own community. Additionally, the collection contains documents related to the life and career of artist and educator, Mary Carter Wigfall, Benjamin L. Wigfall's wife. Mary C. Wigfall founded and directed the Migrant Childcare Center in New York from the early 1970s until her retirement in 1992.
  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Code of Ethics Box 33863 Box 21, Folder 2, Item RG01.01.1.0825

Subject- Remarks on "The Relation of Trustees and Professional Staff of General Art Museums", delivered by Charles Nagel 5/17/69, "Code of Ethics for Museum Workers" 1925. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01)
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors

Director's Correspondence (RG-01) 248.5 Linear Feet 204 boxes; 7,156 folders

This series is comprised of correspondence of all of the various Directors of the museum. Files were arranged alphabetically by subject, and there is a lot of overlap between different Director's as the files often contained pertinent items from a predecessor. In the case of the first sub-series (1.1), until 1976, the entire museum's files were maintained centrally as one unit in the Director's Office.

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Extension Department: University of Virginia Extension Division Box 33863 Box 32, Folder 63, Item RG01.01.1.1579

Subject- catalogues from the UVA Extension Dept. including the following: Famous Italian Paintings, Famous Flemish Paintings (Reprints from Seventy Famous Paintings by Adelaide D. Simpson (1927), The Story of Venetian Painting by Mrs. Stringfellow Barr and Cecily B.D. Ryder (1928) and Catalogue of Art Prints and Books (1937), etc. Dates- 1927-1947. [These notes were taken by VMFA staff in the 1990s before the collection was processed by LVA staff in the 2000s, so the contents of the file may no longer match this description.]

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Director's Correspondence (RG-01)
  3. Series 1: Director's Correspondence
  4. Series 1.1: Early Directors

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Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.

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