Things to do in Virginia, United States: The Best Art Museums

VMFA Arts is a top comprehensive US art museum with more than 5,000 years of art from around the world. VMFA is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. The Wall Street Journal recently stated that VMFA is now a "two day museum."

Just a short walk from Downtown, our spacious art center has 75 different artist studios and 5 galleries of local and international art. You can see artists at work and can purchase original art, jewelry and sculpture at amazing prices. We are open 12-6 Tuesdays through Sundays. Join us on 4th Fridays from 7-10 p.m. for new art exhibits and a reception, free and open to the public.

Located in the heart of Martinsville’s Arts & Cultural District, Piedmont Arts is an award-winning art museum that curates thought-provoking exhibitions by international, national and regional artists. The museum also offers performing arts—from concerts to plays to children's performances—and a full schedule of art classes for all ages. Admission is free.

The Linda Matney Gallery is dedicated to curating and developing innovative exhibitions and collections showcasing painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, video and performance for audiences and private patrons in Virginia and elsewhere. "The primary concern of The Linda Matney Gallery is to exhibit the work and ideas of the most significant artists of our time." John Lee Mat

The 18th-century Belmont estate was the country home and studio of prominent portraitist, muralist, and American Impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932). The house contains Gari and Corinne Melchers’ original furnishings and personal art collection, the studio houses over 1600 works by Melchers, and the 27-acre grounds feature restored formal gardens and miles of walking trails. The site is also home to the Stafford County Visitor Center.

19th-century folk household objects (toys, kitchenware, paintings, furniture, etc.) are on display at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.

Randolph College’s Maier Museum of Art houses an outstanding collection of American art from the 19th-21st centuries, chiefly paintings, works on paper, and photographs. The Maier serves the College community and public, offering changing exhibits, rotating displays of the collection, and programs. Artists include Mary Cassatt, Thomas Cole, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gilbert Stuart, and Andrew Wyeth. In 1951, facing nuclear threat by the Soviet Union, the National Gallery of Art chose Randolph-Macon Woman’s College as the site of a secret storage facility to safeguard the nation’s art treasures. Given the code name “Project Y,” construction was supervised by NGA staff, and it was dedicated December 11, 1952. Though never used by the NGA, the College maintained and insured the facility for 50 years. It remained listed as an emergency location until 1979 and a 1983 endowment established by the Pauline and Sarah Maier Scholarship Fund created today’s Maier Museum.