RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is bringing American history to Virginia communities through December 2026. The exhibition “Virginia as America: Navigating ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’” travels on wheels aboard the Artmobile, stopping in Williamsburg and Ashland in March.
The exhibition was curated by Susan J. Rawles, Ph.D., the VMFA’s Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts and highlights Virginia’s part in the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
“Virginia was very much a leading voice in the American narrative,” Rawles said, “To emphasize its place in the birth of the new Republic seemed both meaningful and relevant.”
The narrative has been curated by Rawles using “cultural context of an object’s making—the who, when and why.” The intersection of historical and contemporary works highlights the everlasting foundation of American principles.
Comprised of 14 works from the VMFA collection, the exhibition is organized in two parts: “The Promise” and “Conflicts and Consequences”. Each part contains three themes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
The first part of the exhibition displays the ‘Life’ of America, highlighting early operations in establishing a new Republic of America and the displacement of Indigenous Americans in the process.
“We also hope that the story of settlement from the coast to the inland, and the diversity of cultures that met there, will be meaningful,” Rawles shared.
Highlighted pieces include a 19th century portrait of former President George Washington and a contemporary oil painting of Walter Bradby, chief of the Pamunkey Tribe in the 1930s.
Following the sequence, ‘Liberty’ is translated through artifacts surrounding individual rights and contrasted with works about slavery and abolition.
“[History] tells us where we have been, cautions us against our human weaknesses,” Rawles stated, “And guides us to greater achievement.”
An engraving of James Madison, “Father of the Constitution”, and preservation of a slave-carved pendant hope to redefine the idea of the “American Identity”.
Wrapping up, audiences are emerged in different perspectives of the American ‘Pursuit of Happiness’. The section focuses in on the idea of “the opportunity to live freely, safely, and independently in unity,” Rawles described.
Ending the exhibition with a print of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the United Nations in 1967 leaves viewers with a reflection-inducing image of how these ideas have evolved through American history.
It is Rawles’ hope to bring a meaningful interpretation of Virginia’s historical impact in the building process of our nation. She intends for her artistic eye, accompanied by modern events, to welcome a different lens into history across rural and urban Virginia alike.
“Art is about crafting and redrafting,” Rawles said, adding, “If we learn properly from our past, we can forge a better future.”
In addition to its permanent stay at the VMFA, the exhibition upon the Artmobile is free to Richmonders during SailFest in June.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
