Since the birth of the School of the Arts, the Anderson has been a fixture in Richmond. Launched in 1931 in a former carriage house just behind Lewis Ginter’s mansion, the Anderson Gallery of Art—named for its chief benefactor “Colonel” A.A. Anderson—was the first modern art gallery in the city. Its inaugural show, featuring paintings by Anderson himself, set the precedent of attracting contemporary artists from near and far.
When the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1936, Richmond Professional Institute slowly transitioned the gallery into a library. (The modern James Branch Cabell Library wouldn’t open at VCU until the mid-1970s.) However, over the next 30 years, the building was upgraded with a third story, a mezzanine and new safety features.
H.H. Hibbs, RPI’s first director, wasn’t too fond of the Anderson Gallery fading away. So when Maurice Bonds, then chair of art history, contacted the retired Hibbs in 1969 about acquiring and reviving the gallery for VCUarts, the two set out to return the space to its original role. By 1970, the Anderson Gallery was set to host eminent practicing artists for another 45 years.
Over the course of its run, from 1931 to 2015, the Anderson Gallery featured the work of Wassily Kandinsky, Ferdinand Léger, Pablo Picasso, Howard Finster, Dotty Attie, Sonya Rapoport, Yoko Ono, Mark Dion and many of VCUarts’ own talented faculty members.
2015 marked the gallery’s third major transformation. With the Anderson Gallery closed in anticipation of the opening of the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU. In commemoration, VCUarts published a lush and colorful hardback book titled Anderson Gallery: 45 Years of Art on the Edge.
The building reopened the following year, rebranded as the Anderson. Today, it is a student-centric gallery and performance space focusing on creative engagement and discovery. And it continues to be a source of our school’s creative, boundary-breaking and innovative artistic spirit. In the past year, Chase Westfall, curator of student exhibitions and programs, has organized exhibitions of undergraduate and graduate student work, live music shows, and performances and installations by a number of visiting artists.
2018 marks 90 years of creative daring at VCU School of the Arts. To mark this occasion, VCUarts is spending this school year reflecting on our shared history and envisioning how we can continue to pave the way for creative practice in the 21st century and beyond. Visit the VCUarts 90th Anniversary webpage to learn more about the many stories that have shaped our school, and to share memories of your own.
Are you a VCUarts alum? During the 2018–19 academic year, the Anderson is holding an Alumni Open Call for exhibition and event proposals to take place at the gallery. Submissions are open through February 13, 2019, or until all available slots are full. For more information on how to apply, visit the Anderson’s page on our website.
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