Closed Jan 27, 2019

The fashion industry in all its forms was one of the first industries to offer Richmond women of diverse backgrounds and colors an accepted professional path with prospects for personal agency. Communal participation is central to the success of the fashion industry. Through word of mouth, one woman’s social network can become another’s client base. At the same time, many of the Richmond women working in fashion have used their professional connections and successes to bring attention to the city and its industries.

In a superb display of high fashion and low from the 19^th century to the present day, Pretty Powerful: Fashion and Virginia Women will examine the role of fashion in the professional, creative and social advancement of women in Richmond, Virginia.

 

made possible by our generous sponsors

            

                        

Ms. Susan L. Klaus*
Mr. James W. Klaus*
Mr. and Mrs. Philip W. Klaus, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Kay
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Valentine
Rejena Carreras and Tom Jones
CCH Collection
Lori and Chris Evangel
Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Luck III
Caroline Rennolds Milbank
Quirk Gallery and Verdalina
Jane L. Schwarzschild and V.R. Shackelford III*
Ms. Helayne Spivak

*Charter Member of the Valentine Costume and Textile Collective

Closed Jan 20, 2019 but currently available on Google Cultural Institute

Since Christopher Newport’s expedition planted a cross on the banks of the James River in 1607, Richmonders have marked the landscape to reflect their collective values. Monumental will look at the historical context of public monuments in Richmond, and the Valentine is excited to build on its role as a space to engage in meaningful, sometimes uncomfortable discussions about what we have chosen to commemorate and what we have chosen to forget.

Closed May 28, 2018 but currently available on Google Cultural Institute

There are approximately 100,000 Latinos in the Richmond metropolitan area who represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. As Latinos immigrate to Richmond, they establish permanent ties to their new home and begin to transform its culture. Through interviews, objects and images, Nuestras Historias: Latinos in Richmond documents the region’s diverse Latino experience.

 

Exhibition Sponsors

 

 

 

Closed Jan 28, 2018

Drawing on the Valentine’s extensive collection of historic and contemporary costume and textiles, O­ur Hearts On Our Sleeves celebrates Richmond’s devotion to diverse creative expression. The fashion and fiber arts have long played an important role in Richmond’s creative community, enlivening Richmond’s streets, shops, galleries, museums, and performance spaces. Codes of dress and works of art have both been employed to communicate or challenge cultural values and to reinforce or subvert social structures. Embedded within these tools of identity construction is a dual nature that invites dynamic exchange about both the personal and the communal experience.

Our Hearts on Our Sleeves examines Richmond’s longstanding infatuation with the arts as articulated through individual style and communal support of avant-garde fashion and fiber art. Like the murals that adorn the city’s buildings, textiles adorn citizen’s bodies uniting artistic expression with self-actualization, creativity with civic service, and traditional techniques with profound irreverence.

Closed Sep 4, 2017 but currently available on Google Cultural Institute

This exhibition questions the traditional definition of a family through portraits of LGBT families in the Richmond region. Presented in collaboration with Richmond Region Tourism’s outRVA campaign and photographer Michael Simon.

Altria Group, Capital One, Virginia is for Lovers, Diversity Richmond, Q94 and Pride Radio.