13-05-2025
Federal cuts hit Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art as lost grant sparks lasting worries
Federal funding cuts to arts and humanities institutions are hitting home in Hampton Roads.
A federal grant awarded to the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art last year to fund a two-year educational project for Virginia Beach public school students was unexpectedly terminated in April, only months away from the project's conclusion. Museum Deputy Director Truly Matthews said the money was already spent and now MOCA will end its fiscal year $32,399 in debt.
The termination was a direct result of a presidential executive order, and if the White House continues to slash arts funding, the MOCA may not be the last Hampton Roads institution to feel the sting.
'There are many museums in Virginia, many museums across the nation, whose grants have been terminated — hundreds of thousands of dollars,' Matthews said. 'So, we're chump change compared to how this affects other organizations.'
In 2023, the MOCA embarked on a two-year, peer-to-peer learning project, Nature's Witness, with three fourth-grade classrooms at An Achievable Dream Academy at Seatack Elementary in Virginia Beach, located in one of the oldest historic Black neighborhoods in the nation. The program took elementary students out of the classroom, on field trips into nature, and had them work with their teachers, museum staff, two artists and high school students from the school district's environmental studies program to create a series of nature journals.
The students observed the natural world, took field notes and made drawings for their books. The museum contracted filmmakers to document the children's work and their growing self esteem and knowledge of the environment. Nature's Witness culminated in their creation of a statue built from materials found in nature that presently is displayed on the museum's front lawn, close to its main doors.
The MOCA had received a grant in August from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to help fund the project. Based on the terms, the museum was to be reimbursed a predetermined sum — in this case, $32,399 — for the cost of the project upon its completion. The grant defined its completion date as August this year.
On March 14, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating IMLS eliminate all non-statutorily required activities and functions. In April, MOCA received two written notices that its grant had been terminated.
The second notice, dated April 28, said: 'Upon further review, IMLS has determined that your grant is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency's priorities and no longer serves the interest of the United States and the IMLS Program. IMLS is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President's agenda.'
The news comes amid the museum's big move. The MOCA is scheduled to relocate from its longtime home at 2200 Parks Ave. near the Virginia Beach Convention Center to a new custom facility at the Virginia Wesleyan University campus by early 2026.
Matthews said she and other museum administrators do not expect the recent grant loss to affect the move or result in staff layoffs. However, the future of some planned exhibits could be affected due to the budget shortfall.
The museum announced its loss of the grant over the weekend via social media hoping to garner financial support and raise awareness about the larger issue.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is not the only arts funding source targeted by the administration. The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities have also been hit with executive orders limiting their ability to distribute grants.
And all three agencies have helped fund major art institutions in Hampton Roads, such as the Chrysler Museum of Art.
Erik Neil, director and president at the Chrysler, in an interview expressed concern about decreased federal funding, noting such cuts won't ever cause the museum to close its doors but said they could affect programming.
As will arts and related organizations, Neil said he suspects other industries will also have to retool and find new resources to replace federal dollars.
Colin Warren-Hicks, 919-818-8139,
