Paradigm Shift

Gallery updates and upcoming shows

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Galleries

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 

Museum renovations are a balancing act of protecting valuable artwork from damage during improvements while keeping as much available to the public as possible. Several of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ collections will go off view as construction begins on the McGlothlin Wing II, meaning now is a good time to see some of these more famous pieces before they’re placed into temporary storage; the expansion project will continue into 2029. 

The American art collection, including Mary Cassatt’s painting “Child Picking a Fruit,” will be off view this fall, as will the Paul and Rachel Mellon Collection of European art and British sporting art and the Mellon Focus Gallery. This space is home to famous works such as Pierre-

Auguste Renoir’s “Pensive,” which was considered revolutionary when it was painted because the subject’s head is turned away from the viewer, and Edgar Degas’ “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen,” (pictured at right) famed for the young dancer’s defiant expression. 

Additional temporary closures include the African, Indigenous American, Mid to Late 20th Century and Pre-Columbian galleries. The 21st Century gallery will close after the annual exhibition of the Virginia Watercolor Society, which opens Sept. 5 and continues through Nov. 1. 

Beginning Nov. 14, Degas’ bronze sculpture will be back on view as part of “The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art.” The exhibition will continue through April 4, 2027, and be an exciting chance to see the renowned piece along with other impressionist works of the same period. Also opening in November is “French Photography in the Age of Impressionism,” a showcase that will explore how the impressionist revolution impacted art photography. 

The VMFA’s construction timeline is continuously updated; for the latest gallery closures, visit vmfa.museum/visit/expansion. 

Candela Photographic Arts 

Formerly Candela Books + Gallery, the local photography institution changed its name to Candela Photographic Arts when it transitioned into a nonprofit in May 2026. Executive Director Ashby Nickerson and Deputy Director Whitney Cole are thrilled to use the transformation to further mentor emerging artists and build the gallery’s art collection. “Now we’re going to put our money where our mouth is,” Nickerson says. They plan to use Candela’s nonprofit status to give every artist who displays work at the gallery an honorarium.  

From Nov. 6 through Dec. 22, three artists will display work at Candela: Justin James Reed, “The Reenchantment of the World”; Kyohei Abe, “Opus”; and Donna Soo, “Radio Waves.” Soo has been mentored through Candela, and Reed’s exhibition will coincide with the release of an art book of the same project published by the gallery. 

Rump Gallery 

In the Fulton Hill area of Richmond’s East End, Noah Hook has created a space for art, performance and connection in the renovated cinder block garage in his backyard. The unconventional Rump Gallery gets creative within its show floor, displaying pieces around the resident architectural fixtures. “There’s this funny metal fan we’ve built around, and a big garage sliding door,” Hook says. 

This fall, the gallery will host “Dirty Magic” by Chad Mundie (Aug. 22-Sept. 12), and in December it will present “The Monsters Are Due” by Harrison Moenich.   

While having your workplace in your backyard can be challenging for work-life balance, it also makes for an easy commute. However, Hook says, he’s sure that one day he’ll stumble upon a confused, unscheduled visitor in his backyard. Visit instagram.com/rump_gallery for the gallery’s hours, which vary, or to make an appointment.

Art Works 

A community gallery and artist space, Art Works transforms based on its exhibitions. Its current showcase, “Sacred Queerness: Nature, Spirituality and the Queer Experience,” has turned its Jane Sandelin Gallery into a forest. The presentation celebrates Virginia Pride and continues through Sept. 19.  

Opening Nov. 27, prominent Richmond sculptor Paul DiPasquale (best known for the Arthur Ashe Monument in Richmond and the King Neptune statue in Virginia Beach) is joined by the accomplished painters, sculptors and former VCUarts instructors Wolfgang Jasper and Darryl Starr for a rare group show. Specifics are few. “They’re keeping their cards close to their chest,” says Art Works owner Glenda Kotchish, adding that the show will include sculpture, painting and mixed media. The exhibition will be in the Jane Sandelin Gallery through Jan. 16, 2027.

1708 Gallery 

Although the artist-run 1708 Gallery will not host its usual “InLight” installation this year, its fall offerings will still be plentiful. In September and October, Federico Cuatlacuatl, a Charlottesville-based video, performance and sculpture artist, will show work exploring concepts related to immigration and cultural preservation, drawing from his experience as a formerly undocumented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. Public events, including a kite-making workshop and artist talk, will be hosted during the show’s run. 

Abed Shalabi is a Richmond-based artist who uses a variety of media, including ceramics, cast plaster and concrete, found objects, wood, and aluminum. For the exhibition on display in November and December, Shalabi will create an installation of cement bags meant to make the viewer question their relationship to mass-produced objects. 

ICA at VCU 

According to Jessica Bell Brown, executive director at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, “This fall, we find ourselves asking, what is the power of storytelling?” Three exhibitions, on display Sept. 18 through Feb. 21, 2027, explore the question. 

Richmond artist Tony Cokes’ “Texts, Tracks, Talks (1992-2026)” uses video essay and the manipulation of recordings to tell stories that touch on structural racism, popular culture and visibility through sound. “Life Is the Seamstress of Dreams,” an exhibition from Mozambican painter Cassi Namoda, incorporates her interest in using images from dreams to explore postcolonial African experiences. “WAR SONGS Duet” is a reinterpretation of a performance piece by Diane Severin Nguyen that mixes 1970s protest songs with modern pop, showing the effect mainstream music has had on our cultural consciousness.

Opening Receptions

Art exhibitions coming soon

9/3-10/1 

In “Twelve Etchings,” London-based painter William Wright uses various printmaking techniques, such as etching, aquatint and drypoint, to create images of everyday objects. The exhibition is on view at Main Projects with an opening reception hosted from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 3. mainprojects.co 

9/4-10/30 

An exhibition of new works by the Richmond-based painter Bruce Wilhelm, “Let the Good Times Roll” is at Foyer Gallery. An opening reception will be presented from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 4 as part of First Fridays. foyergalleryrva.com 

9/17-10/31 

Multimedia artist Cameron Ritcher creates pieces that combine a sense of play with a structured grid pattern during “Ludus,” on view at Bond Millen Gallery. bondmillengallery.com 

9/18-11/8 

“Fashion as ART,” featuring styles created by Daphne Maxwell Reid, Eucharia “Ukay” Anigbo-Jackson and Stephen Jenkins, is coming to Crossroads Art Center. An opening reception will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 18. crossroadsartcenter.com 

9/24-12/16 

For “Becoming” at The Branch Museum of Design, artists Thornton Dial and Sanford Kogan use found objects to create pieces that reexamine everyday items and consider their history and potential for repurposing. Admission is $10. branchmuseum.org 

9/24/2026-9/6/2027 

Paintings that encompass several decades, four artists from the same family and different portraiture styles make up “Life on Canvas: Portraits from the Silvette Family,” on view at The Valentine. Admission is $12 (free on Thursdays). thevalentine.org