The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia

10/23/2026

Congratulations to Rodney McMillian, UVA Alum and Fralin Visionaries inaugural artist, for being named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the 'Genius' Grant! Each year, the MacArthur Fellowship is awarded to talented individuals in a variety of fields who have shown exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits.

Rodney is an artist exploring how history and socioeconomic conditions determine experience and belonging in the United States. You can see more detail about Rodney here: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2026/rodney-mcmillian

10/22/2026

On a recent trip to Chicago, one of our Fralin team members had the opportunity to see Emma Stebbins, Carving Out History at the incredible Driehaus Museum. It is truly a beautiful collection of works by a fascinating artist, and we can’t wait to host it here at The Fralin next summer! And many thanks to the staff at Driehaus Museum for being so lovely and informative.

Art Bridges Foundation
The Heckscher Museum of Art

10/21/2026

October Final Friday is coming up next week on 10/30! 🎃 This one may be our favorite of the year. 👻
How are you showing up? Let’s see how creative you can get with those costumes! Come on out to show off, enjoy music, treats, and festive activities. Everyone is invited to Final Friday, all ages are welcome!

10/14/2026

You are invited to join us Sunday November 8 at 2:00PM for a conversation on the life and legacy of Narcissa Chisholm Owen with America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), foremost Narcissa Chisholm Owen scholar and curator, and Adriana Greci Green, former Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas at The Fralin Museum of Art. The discussion will be moderated by Siera Hyte (Cherokee Nation), the Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The talk will take place in Campbell Hall 158, followed by a small reception with refreshments in the museum. This event is free but registration is required. Please find the link in our bio.

Narcissa Chisholm Owen (Cherokee), b. 1831, Oklahoma; d. 1911, Oklahoma. Thomas Jefferson and His Descendents, 1904. Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in. Gift of the artist to the University of Virginia, 1908. Transfer from the Decorative and Fine Arts Collection, 2025.17. 2025 Photography by Tim Thayer

10/09/2026

You are invited to join us Friday November 6 to explore the intersection of art, history, w**e, and cuisine!

Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s travels through Southern France and the culinary influences he brought back to early America, this seated experience will feature four small bites inspired by historic recipes, each paired with a thoughtfully selected w**e. Presented by C-ville Bites and guided by expert sommelier Erin Scala, guests will explore food and w**e pairings through the lens of Jefferson and his enslaved chef, James Hemings during their travels through France, along with historic recipes, and the origins and traditions of the featured w**es.

Following the tasting, guests are invited to explore the galleries where co-curators and M. Jordan Love and Elisabeth Rivard will be on hand to answer questions and continue the conversation.

Tickets are $60 for non-members and $45 for Fralin members, and can be purchased online at the link in our bio. Space is limited. Don’t miss out on this unique and exciting evening at The Fralin!

cville.bites Market Street W**e

**etasting **e

10/02/2026

Take a trip to 18th century France with Collection & Translation.
Did you know… 🧐
When Thomas Jefferson arrived in France he was so taken with its natural beauty he proclaimed, “I am now in the land of corn, w**e, oil, and sunshine. What more can man ask of heaven? If I should happen to die at Paris I will beg of you to send me here, and have me exposed to the sun. I am sure it will bring me to life again.” — Source: Letter from Thomas Jefferson in Aix-en-Provence to William Short, March 27, 1787. His wife had died before he left Paris, which left him devastated, and his biographers say he came back to life in France. 🇫🇷

📷 Stacey Evans

10/02/2026

Construction of the arts center is expected to begin in spring 2027, according to the university. The Center for the Arts will unite the university’s music and dance programs, as well as The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.

U.Va.’s Center for the Arts gets $275 million in new state and private funding, with construction expected to begin in 2027.

10/01/2026

It’s October! Fall at the Fralin is all about creative writing. We have plenty of opportunities to engage with the art and inspire your creativity!

10/3, 2:00-3:00pm Writer’s Eye Drop-in Tour
10/10, 11:00am-12:00pm Writer’s Eye Drop-in Tour
10/17, 1:00-2:30 Creative Writing Workshop
10/17, 2:00-3:00 Writer’s Eye Drop-in Tour
10/18 11:00am-12:00pm Sancturary Sounds w/Karianne Michelle
10/28, 6:00-7:30 Creative Writing Workshop
10/30, 5:00-7:00 Final Friday

10/01/2026

Co-curated by Elisabeth Rivard, a curatorial fellow, and M. Jordan Love, academic curator at the Fralin, the exhibition considers Jefferson not as a founder of a new nation, but as a traveler who looked closely, who cataloged the world around him with a scientist's precision. The result is a quiet, entrancing study of one man's gaze and of the ideas and questions that seized him.

The Fralin Museum of Art follows Jefferson on a trip in 1787—in which he observed the region’s natural beauty and remarkable Roman architecture—that had a lasting influence on his ideas.

09/28/2026

Board members also saluted Joe Erdman, a 1956 College of Arts & Sciences graduate who has for decades advocated for the arts at UVA. Erdman and Richard Ader were co-trustees of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, which has facilitated numerous gifts to support the arts on Grounds. Erdman also played a key role in Tessa Ader’s most recent commitment to the project, according to UVA Today.

Along with the Aders, Erdman has championed spaces where the University and local communities can gather and enjoy theater, music, film, opera and museum exhibitions.

“Tessa and Richard would be thrilled to know that their passion for the arts continues to move this wonderful project closer to reality,” he said. “I look forward to seeing UVA have a world-class Center for the Arts.”

The expanded center is scheduled to open in 2030.