The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is marking America’s 250th with a four-night event that combines history, art and community in a way that is rarely seen in the U. S., organizers said.
From Thursday through Sunday, the museum's facade will be the outdoor screen for Illumination, an 18,000-square-foot video art projection.
The nightly presentation will use light, music, historic imagery and pyrotechnics to tell the story of America, even before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It includes milestones through the present day.
“This is really going to be the premier museum opportunity to engage with the 250th,” said Sam Floor, director of public programs at the VMHC.
The nearly 20-minute projection will highlight major moments, including Indigenous cultures before European colonization; the American Revolution; the Civil War; women’s suffrage; and the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Floor said the show represents a wide range of experiences.
“We want everybody who comes to see this show, no matter who they are or what their background is, to see themselves or their community represented in some kind of way,” Floor said.
The event is part of the museum’s broader commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
According to Floor, the museum has spent nearly a decade helping plan Virginia’s observance and has worked with the state’s America 250 initiatives.
Each evening, the projection will be preceded by a family-friendly block party beginning at 6 on the museum campus. Activities include after-hours access to museum exhibitions, live music, cultural demonstrations, living history programs, art activities, food trucks and a petting zoo.
The nights will also feature performances by local bands, including Bio Ritmo, Erin & the Wildfire, The Wilson Springs Hotel and No BS! Brass.
Virginia Folklife demonstrations will showcase traditional arts such as salt-glaze pottery, African American quilting, Blue Ridge Mountain instrument making and Mattaponi pottery.
Floor said the museum hopes visitors will leave with a greater appreciation for American history and the communities that continue to shape it.
“We don’t see the 250th as just a patriotic story,” he said. “This is an opportunity for lots of different groups and interpretations of American history and how we got here today.”
Organizers also believe the scale of the presentation will make it stand out from other public celebrations. Several streets surrounding the museum will be closed throughout the four days.
“Other museums have done things similar to this, but from our understanding, nothing to this scale or scope has been done,” Floor said. “It’s something different that is going to educate people, connect with them on an emotional level and hopefully inspire them.”
Admission to all activities is free. Organizers encourage visitors to preregister online.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond. Visit virginiahistory.org for more information.
