On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend the press conference introducing the Chihuly exhibition at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Now that I’ve had the quick tour, I can say that it’s impressive. I’ll be heading back to take another look at least once, if not more often, before the exhibition closes.
From October 20-February 10, 2013, Chihuly will be on display at VMFA. You can see two pieces without buying a ticket: Red Reeds are on display in the sculpture garden, and the Blue Ridge Chandelier is located in the main museum.
But the special exhibition is worth the price of admission, especially if you’re a fan of the scale and luminance of Chihuly’s works. I’d seen Chihuly’s work in a botanical garden exhibition, but it’s a new experience to view it in a museum space, and the exhibition gives you the opportunity to see many iconic works for which Chihuly is known—-Ikebana, Mille Fiori, Chandeliers, Tabac Baskets, Venetians, Boats, Persian Ceiling.
Admission to VMFA’s permanent collection galleries is free, but unless you’re a member of VMFA or active-duty military, you’ll need to buy a ticket to see the Chihuly exhibition. Tickets are $20 for adults & $16 for youth (7-17), students with ID, seniors 65+, & adult groups of 10+. I have a membership that gets me in free, but if I didn’t, the Chihuly exhibition would be the excuse I’d use to buy one.
If you can’t snag a spot on Sheppard St, parking in the garage is free for members & $5/day for nonmembers. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is located at 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220-4007 804.340.1400
–Jennifer Maciejewski
