A Gracious Plenty: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Jack Blanton 

4 June — 31 August 2025 

An opening reception will be held Wednesday 4 June from 5 to 8 p.m. 

This unique collection of sensibly scaled works has found a perfect home, where it becomes an intricate part of life in the university, much the same as it did when it graced the residence of the collector. It continues to factor in the daily existence of residents and visitors. Its eclectic inclusions are a comprehensive textbook of artmaking processes and forms. The examples it presents are of the highest quality and will age gracefully. The birth of this collection parallels the rise to national prominence of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. The collection presents an accurate portrayal of some of the best work emerging from Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic seaboard during the 50 or so years surrounding the turn of the century. The intact preservation of this collection should liven the blood of investigative historians. The visitors to this collection and moreover the students and faculty who are fortunate to live daily with this collection will learn from it. Some will have true aesthetic experiences, while others will intuit the significance of their enhanced environment. They will sense the correctness and visual logic of these artworks and will carry indelible mental images into their future. The Blanton Collection will long flavor and spice alumni memories of the good life at Longwood University.

Lester Van Winkle Professor Emeritus, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University

LCVA exhibitions and programs are made possible through the generous support of the Wells Fargo Foundation,  the Walter J. Payne Foundation, Anne Carter & Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation, Walmart, Helton House, Haley Auto Mall,  Candice Jamison Dowdy ’69 & Charles H. Dowdy III + Northwestern Mutual, Lisa & Tim Tharpe, Rock Foundation,  Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, Harriet Butterworth Miller ’51, Joni Beachly + Focused Financial,  YakAttack, Cifers Enterprises, Peachtree House Foundation, Wilma Register Sharp ’66 & Marc B. Sharp,  and Mindy & Nash Osborn + North Street Press Club.