RICHMOND, VA.- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts awarded 43 fellowships to Virginia art students and professional artists in 2011-12 for a total of $258,000. During the VMFA Fellowship Program’s 71 years, the museum has awarded more than $4.4 million and 1,147 awards to Virginia’s art students and professional artists. An additional eight fellowships (four student and four professional) were awarded this year in celebration of VMFA’s 75th anniversary, representing a 25 percent increase in funding. A record 642 applicants submitted works this year, which marks the highest number of applicants in the program’s history. “The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is committed to supporting the commonwealth’s artists and art students,” VMFA Director Alex Nyerges said. “We are grateful to the late John Lee Pratt of Fredericksburg for establishing a VMFA endowment that makes this support possible, as