FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2022

Contact:
Meredith Mason, APR
Director of Public Relations & Marketing
mmason@thevalentine.org

The Valentine Begins Renovations, Will Remain Open

RICHMOND – This month, the Valentine will begin to pack and move most of its archives and objects not on display to allow for construction to start later this year on new collection storage, staff workrooms and access spaces within the museum. Throughout the renovation process, the Valentine will remain open, including tours, exhibitions, gift shop, facility rentals and ongoing events and programs.

The move is part of the Valentine Moment Campaign, a multi-year effort to strengthen the museum’s understanding and presentation of Richmond’s significant history through renewed investment in the care of the museum’s significant assets. The project will impact researcher access to the Valentine’s collection.

The Valentine Moment Campaign is a strategic plan to review the more than one million objects acquired over the museum’s 123-year history and to remove those materials unrelated to the Valentine’s mission. The remaining objects will be housed in updated storage within the museum building, with improved staff work spaces and reading room for public research. The goal of this $16-million campaign is to ensure that every Richmonder can find themselves in the Valentine’s collection, exhibitions and programs. With dramatically refined holdings, the Valentine will be able to actively fill collecting gaps and tell a more inclusive narrative about our community.

“No other city is better equipped than Richmond to explore the complex stories of marginalized communities that are too often ignored or misrepresented,” said Bill Martin, director of the Valentine. “We hope this ambitious campaign will be a model for other institutions and better serve our beloved Richmond by being honest about our complicated racial history. Our team is committed to a bold, innovative approach to our work that reflects the diversity of the community.”

Collections access by museum staff on behalf of researchers will be significantly limited beginning February 28. Researchers should expect periods of time when only existing digital copies of materials or limited parts of the museum’s stored archival collection will be accessible. The museum’s stored objects will be completely inaccessible for the duration of the multi-year renovation. To ensure comprehensive access to the collection, research requests should be submitted before February 28 to archives@thevalentine.org. In-person, onsite research appointments will continue to be suspended until after the renovation is complete.

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The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history for over a century. Located in the heart of historic downtown, the Valentine is a place for residents and tourists to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of this important region.