2014 VMFA Lecture Series at the Workhouse
Topic: Why is That Art? 

Speaker: Emily Smith Executive Director, 1708 Gallery, Richmond VA
Looking at modern art can often be challenging. It always raises questions, even amongst the most knowledgeable viewers: What is an abstract painting "of"? How do you determine if something is "good"? A close look at the history of modern art, dating from roughly 1870 through 1950, demonstrates that the changes that occurred, chiefly that art became more abstract, were not arbitrary but rather developed along deliberate paths. Artists were not working in a vacuum but were responding to changes in technology like the development of photography, cultural moments like the industrial revolution and WWI and WWII, as well as the artists and movements that preceded them. Using works from VMFA's collection, this chronological telling of important moments in modern art provides the context in which to answer questions like those above.

Thursday March 13, 2014 at 7pm 
Tickets: $10 for General Admission, $5 for Artists at the Workhouse and Friends of the Workhouse*
Venue: W-3 Theatre
*Pre-registratioin required.


This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund. Additional local support provided by the Hilton Springfield.

Instructor: Chef Kathleen Linton
Anyone can go out for dinner and a movie so why not make your night something special to be remembered! Date Night cooking classes are designed to be fun, relaxing and an escape from the daily grind. They are great way to learn some basic cooking techniques while enjoying your company and making new friends. The menu items will be prepared by participants working together at each of the cooking islands. Participants will be served a tasting portion of all the entrees and a pre-chef-selected drink of choice. No one will leave hungry! Every month you will prepare a new dish ranging from ethnic cuisines like Japanese, Thai and Spanish High Cuisine to Vegetarian and much more! (Meets in W-3, Classroom 302.)

Every Third Saturday of the Month, 7pm to 9pm
March 15 Menu 
-Boxty with Smoked Salmon, Mushrooms and Cabbage with a Whiskey Cream Sauce
-Potato Pancakes 
-Sausage and Potato Coddle
*The name comes from the long, slow simmering or ‘coddling’ of the dish. It has been suggested the popularity of coddle arose because it can be left simmering on the stove till the man comes in from the pub long after the wife had gone to bed.
-Irish Soda Bread
-Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
*Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes filled with a whiskey Ganache and topped with Irish Baileys Butter cream

Chef-selected wine pairings

Tuition for Date Night: $85 per person (covers all food and a pre-chef-selected drink of choice)

Reservations are required. Reservations must be made at least two days prior to event start date. We can not accommodate walk-up registrations to this event.

If you have any food allergies, please list the allergies on the billing page before you check out under "Additional Comments".

Join us for our monthly Ballroom Social Dance in the McGuire-Woods Gallery (second floor of W-16) featuring dancing, complimentary refreshments and cash bar. The social dance will be led by a professional ballroom instructor beginning at 8:00pm and the music, dance, food and fun continue through 10:30pm. All skill levels welcome!

*Need a refresher lesson? Arrive early for a 30 minute mini-lesson! Before each social dance, our professional instructor leads a short class from 7:30pm-8:00pm. While the Ballroom Social Dance will cover many styles over the course of each evening, the mini-lesson will focus on one dance/style each month! Please, note schedule of styles below.


Monthly Dance Series:
Social Dance 8:00pm-10:30pm
Mini-Lesson 7:30pm-8:00pm

Mini Lesson Schedule:
March 15: Mini-Lesson: Fox Trot, Ballroom Instructor Bobbie Brennan
April 19: Mini-Lesson: Country Two-Step, Ballroom Instructor Cookie Bell
May 17: Mini-Lesson: Cha Cha, Ballroom Instructor Bobbie Brennan

2014 VMFA Lecture Series at the Workhouse
Topic: Those Gaudy Ancients: Exploring the Color of Antiquity

Speaker: Dr. Peter Schertz, Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art, VMFA
We encounter ancient sculptures thousands of years after they were created and can readily imagine the complete form of these statues, despite missing parts and broken bits. But it is much harder to imagine something we hardly ever glimpse — color! Ancient statues were painted, often with bright, gaudy pigments. This lecture explores the color of ancient statues and how modern researchers are discovering surviving traces of those colors in order to recreate sculpture’s original appearance.

Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 7pm 
Tickets: $10 for General Admission, $5 for Artists at the Workhouse and Friends of the Workhouse*
Venue: W-3 Theatre
*Pre-registratioin required.


This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund. Additional local support provided by the Hilton Springfield.

Lecture Series at the Workhouse Arts Center
Breaking the Glass Ceiling (1980s-Present)

Guest Speakers:
Speakers TBA

These years saw invisible barriers holding women back from senior management positions began to crumble and access to more traditionally male roles increased. Younger women entering the work force faced fewer barriers and more career opportunities.

Wed April 2nd at 7:30pm 
Tickets: Free, Suggested Donation of $10
Venue: W-3 Theatre

This special engagement lecture series is presented through the generous support of EnviroSolutions, Inc (ESI).

Lecture Series at the Workhouse Arts Center
Equality: What Does It Really Mean?

Guest Speakers:
Speakers TBA

Join a discussion with three panelists about the differing ways men and women now think and feel about their work and home life.  Should there still be gender-specific roles in contemporary society?

Wed April 30th at 7:30pm 
Tickets: Free, Suggested Donation of $10
Venue: W-3 Theatre

This special engagement lecture series is presented through the generous support of EnviroSolutions, Inc (ESI).

2014 VMFA Lecture Series at the Workhouse
Topic: Berthe Morisot and the Impressionist Image of Women

Speaker: Jeffrey Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Statewide Programs Coordinator, VMFA
"It is important to express oneself … provided the feelings are real and are taken from your own experience." – Berthe Morisot
Berthe Morisot was a woman of extraordinary talents who carved a career for herself out of the male-dominated art world of 19th century Paris. She was one of only a few women who exhibited with both the Paris Salon and the highly influential and innovative Impressionists. Morisot’s art depicts the world of the bourgeoisie: their clothes, their lifestyle, their surroundings, and their relationships. Through her unusual talent, the modern viewer can see the essence of quotidian life for the rising middle class of 19th century Paris. 

Thursday May 8, 2014 at 7pm 
Tickets: $10 for General Admission, $5 for Artists at the Workhouse and Friends of the Workhouse*
Venue: W-3 Theatre
*Pre-registratioin required.


This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is supported, in part, by the Paul Mellon Endowment and the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund. Additional local support provided by the Hilton Springfield.

All Skill Levels, All Ages
Instructor: Darlene Kaplan
This ceremonial tea drinking style is meant to focus one’s attention and relax the mind and spirit in a convivial, shared experience. Paying close attention to the evolving taste and aroma of the tea, slowing to observe the dance of its leaves against beautiful cups enhances one’s appreciation of both the tea and the moment. There is nothing like Gong Fu to create a warm, intimate atmosphere among friends. You will sample up to six different Premium to Estate Teas (loose leaf) from Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Tibet, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and more. (Reservations of at least FOUR people are required to run this class, meets in W-11)

Please call (703) 584-2954 to reserve seats!
(1 day event ongoing)
Saturdays (10am-11:30am)

Tuition: $15 (Member) $20(Non-Member)