In keeping with its goal to be accessible to all visitors, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announces plans to be open 365 days a year. In addition, VMFA is expanding its evening hours. Starting in July, the museum will be open until 9 p.m. on Fridays, in addition to Thursday evenings.

“We have been wildly successful since our grand opening in May, and the museum has been enthusiastically received by the community and national visitors,” says Alex Nyerges, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “Being open on Mondays and offering evening hours have been very popular. As we strive to increase our accessibility to all our visitors, I am pleased to complete my vision to be open seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

Historically, the museum has been closed Mondays and in recent years, it was also closed on Tuesdays. Holiday closings were on New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Starting on the Fourth of July, VMFA will open on these holidays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

VMFA’s new holiday plan is summarized below:

• Establish special holiday hours from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. for New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
• Maintain regular 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday hours for state and national holidays that fall on Mondays, such as Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day and Labor Day.
• Operate the VMFA Shop, Best Café and Amuse Restaurant during open holiday hours.
• Offer a special holiday-specific menu on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in the museum’s restaurants.

Ed. Note: The Museum’s new Friday Films series of screenings will kick off on July 2 at 6 p.m. with a presentation of “Fried Green Tomatoes.” The movie will be introduced by veteran character actor Raynor Scheine (VCU 1970), who was in the film’s cast. Each Friday during July movies set in/about The South will be presented in the Museum’s Leslie Cheek Theater. Click here for more information.

“This past Memorial Day, we had more than 1,700 visitors, demonstrating that the community is eager to embrace the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as a holiday destination,” Nyerges continued. “Now that the public has more reasons than ever to visit the museum, they will also have more opportunity than ever to do so.”

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:

With a collection of art that spans the globe and more than 5,000 years, plus a wide array of special exhibitions, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is recognized as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. The museum’s permanent collection encompasses more than 22,000 works of art, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside Russia and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is home to acclaimed collections of English Silver and Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British Sporting and Contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art.

In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative $150 million expansion, the largest in its 74-year history. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus fun after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth.

General admission is always free.

For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or click here.

– The information (except for the Ed. Note) about was provided by Suzanne Hall at the VMFA. The photograph is by Katherine Wetzel, © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.