VMFA on the Road – Virginia as America: Navigating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

VMFA on the Road presents the exhibition Virginia as America: Navigating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, curated by Dr. Susan J. Rawles, VMFA’s Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts.

Featuring works of art from its permanent collection, VMFA organized this exhibition in recognition of VA250, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the Independence of the United States.

VMFA on the Road provides residents of the Commonwealth the opportunity to see and experience authentic works of art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This state-of-the-art experience is an Artmobile for the 21st century. By way of VMFA’s Statewide Partners program, which includes 1,000 community centers, small museums, colleges, and universities, VMFA on the Road brings enriching art experiences to thousands—literally meeting people where they are.

Virginia as America: Navigating Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness explores the American ideal that was first expressed in the Declaration of Independence. The evocative phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” founded a nation on a promise of “inalienable” rights, a promise that has endured for 250 years. From the collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 14 works of art—paintings, prints, and decorative objects—provide an alternative lens by which to understand our past, encouraging us to consider the hopes and challenges of those founding principles and their persistent relevance for realizing a “more perfect union.”

Free and welcoming to all. No registration required; walk-ins encouraged!