Ody the Trojan Horse is back up, looking out over Monument Avenue! With him our hopes rise that we will soon settle back into a more regular life at The Branch. As you can imagine, 3-months with no admissions or program income has been daunting for us, and if you can help with a gift of any size, it will be greatly appreciated as we work through challenging times. Donate Here

When the shutdown came, all of our plans for spring and early summer were shutdown as well, so recent weeks have been a guessing game of how quickly Richmond will re-open and what a museum experience will be in the ‘new normal.’  At The Branch, we do not plan to reopen until July 13 ^th , but this newsletter showcases the exciting exhibitions planned for summer (one of them rescheduled from spring). 

What we are most excited about right now is our Architecture Camp, redesigned for a post-Covid experience, but still the same great experience. Registration has been good, but there are still slots open. Remember, Branch members get a discount on camps for their children or grandchildren. And we are finding that children are anxious for a new outlet and interaction beyond their homes.   

You will be getting periodic updates from us over the next month as we set up a new type of musical event with RVA Baroque (formerly Jefferson Baroque) and define what an exhibition opening looks like in a socially distanced world. Members will get first chance to register for these activities, so if you are wondering if your membership has expired or want to renew, just contact Membership Assistant Malia Bates a t assistant@branchmuseum.org .

Penelope C. Fletcher

Executive Director

Architecture Camp is Back!

Looking for something enriching and fun for your children to do this summer? Let them embark on an adventure into the world of architecture! In our five-day Architecture Camp, campers interested in building and designing will test basic engineering principles through interactive activities, engage in 2-D and 3-D design challenges, and meet local architects and designers. Using the Branch House as a workshop, campers will be challenged to think critically about how architecture and design can improve quality of life and positively impact their community. This is the perfect opportunity for the designers and engineers in your family!

Camp sessions run weekly from July 6 ^th through August 7 ^th (no camp during the week of July 20 ^th ) and are open to rising 3 ^rd through 5 ^th graders and rising 6 ^th through 8 ^th graders. Per CDC recommendations, we are limiting our sessions to no more than eight children each – register now before space runs out! Learn more about our awesome program, and about the precautions we’re taking to keep families and staff safe, on our website .



A limited number of scholarships are available to students who are part of the free or reduced lunch program in the public school system, or to children of those working on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Stephanie Burr, Education Manager, at education@branchmuseum.org for more information on how to apply.

Upcoming Exhibitions

VA Made: Meditation Across Media

July 13 - September 13



To this end VA Made is organized around various and diverse things; it features art forms in media that are generally not exhibited together, including pictures, sculptures, jewelry, furniture, and other “functional” objects. 

In doing so VA Made seeks to call attention to seemingly disparate works of various sizes and made of differing materials--wood, glass, fiber, ceramic, metal, paint--and constructed using a variety of techniques. And while such a presentation of subject matter/material does have the effect of undermining the idea that fine art is somehow superior to craft, the main reason for such a presentation is to encourage broader thinking, especially across media. In this sense, VA Made is an explicit attempt to explore the relationship between media, to wonder about the effect of media on subject matter and subject matter on media, how one informs the other.

Listening Theaters: The Sounds of Iconic Landscapes and Architectural Spaces

July 13 - September 13



Many architects consider the aural qualities of their created spaces in terms of acoustics. This exhibition explores how listening to these created spaces can inspire creativity, imagination and discovery of the surrounding world. Karen Van Lengen and Jim Welty have created a series of animated soundscapes that portray visual representations of iconic architectural spaces, including The Academical Village at the University of Virginia, and New York City spaces of Grand Central Terminal, The New York Public Library, The Seagram Building, Rockefeller Center and the Guggenheim Museum. is an exhibition including sound, animation, and drawings created using real recordings and interpretive drawings, presented in active animations that celebrate the aural personalities of iconic architectures. Photographs of the drawings and stills of the animations are included in a colorful display that demonstrates the artists’ process.

Cub Creek: Twenty Years Together

 July 13 - September 13

Cub Creek: Twenty Years Together highlights the diverse work of residents and founding members and heighten awareness of the only residency program exclusively for the ceramic arts in the Mid-Atlantic region. The exhibition will be a critical reflection of the abiding respect, affection and enthusiasm for the ceramic arts that is embodied and promoted by the Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. Located in Appomattox, Virginia, Cub Creek hosts workshops and educational events and offers a year-long supportive residency in a rural environment.

Artwork by Zoe Powell

Cub Creek’s facilities have attracted young ceramic artists from around the world. Several foreign residents have stayed in the Atlantic region and contribute significantly to the vitality of ceramic arts here as teachers and professionals. Workshop presenters at Cub Creek, including Resident Director John Jessiman, represent a virtual who's who of important figures in the field.

History Hunt

The #RVAHistoryHunt is on! We have joined with other Richmond cultural organizations to create a fun and unique scavenger hunt experience. Launching just in time for National Scavenger Hunt Day (May 24) and running through August 23, this initiative has been carefully tailored to create a new way of engaging with the Richmond community while being aware of the unique challenges brought about by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

There are two available scavenger hunts in which you can participate – while practicing safe social distancing – with your family, roommates, or on your own. You will also have the opportunity to enter to win museum shop discounts and items from participating locations! The links are on our homepage !

Everyone who competes in one or both of the scavenger hunts will be entered into a drawing to win museum shop discounts and items from participating locations.