Virginia Zoo and Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art are swapping members for the month of July!

AGES 6 - 8

Be an earth-conscious artist while exploring a variety of new techniques! In a world where so much ends up in the garbage, artists become the outlet for giving new life to materials. In this camp, take items that most people would toss and rethink the possibilities.

AGES 9 - 12

Investigate local street art, collaborate with classmates on a digital mural, and use a blend of physical and digital art mediums to create a 30x30 inch mural in your own space.

AGES 6 - 8

Let’s go on safari! Journey into the wild and learn about your favorite animals and their unique homes. Study and create realistic ecosystems with modeling clay, plaster, and other materials by sculpting the characteristics of an animal’s habitat.

She Says: Women, Words and Power presents a broad range of approaches contemporary women artists are using with the incorporation of text as an essential part of their artistic practice. Each artist creates and reflects the written word as a formal building block: as way to convey trauma, to assert sexuality, or to investigate power structures on all levels. Featured artists for this exhibition include April Bey, Zoë Buckman, Lesley Dill, Meg Hitchcock, Sandra Ramos, Hadieh Shafie, and Betty Tompkins.

Amplify focuses on the experiences of woman-identifying artists in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Virginia MOCA curators have connected with curatorial colleagues and asked them to share their recommendations of woman-identifying artists who are exploring identity and the gendered roles of women.

Everyday Magic features a selection of recent photographs by Lauren Keim celebrating and exploring the vitality and beauty of overlooked moments in everyday life. Morning light illuminating a bedroom window, dishes at the kitchen sink, and a slept-in bed reveal intimate spaces in the artist’s home. She pays attention to how light shifts throughout the day, often planning an image in advance and waiting in a particular location of her home to achieve her vision.

Children ages 3 - 8 and their caregivers are invited to join us each month as we look, learn, and make, in response to themes from our current exhibitions. This live streamed program for families will include close-looking at artwork, reading of a storybook, and a making activity inspired by the theme.

AGES 9 - 12

Explore the world of fiber and wire, two seemingly simple materials that can be manipulated to form complex, conceptual, and beautiful works of art. Weave and bend materials to create a hanging self-portrait from wire and fabric, get inspired by nature to create a soft-sculpture plant, and learn to design and balance a mobile like a pro!

AGES 9 - 12

Dive into the worlds of art and engineering! Through exciting, hands-on, experimental projects, students will engage with math and science as they test balance, stability, buoyancy, and other concepts necessary to create long-lasting art forms.

AGES 13 - 17

What is the deal with artists painting inanimate objects? Still life art goes back to the Ancient Egyptians and is still widely practiced today. Learn to create a still life using personification, 3D sculpting, realism, and free virtual software!

Join us for a virtual evening with the Guerrilla Girls as they discuss their art, actions, and book Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly. A Q&A session will follow the discussion.

AGES 13 - 17

Jump into the minds of prominent artists and find out why their style and unique perspective made them stand out. Discover what it was like to be an artist at various points in art history and create works of art using historically famous styles as inspiration.

AGES 13 - 17

Wire is a bridge between 2D and 3D art that is so diverse it can be used in realism, surrealism, conceptual art, and much more. This camp will not only cross that bridge but will also take the classic art of wire sculpture and step it up to a new level of creative expression.

AGES 6 - 8

Plushies, prints, and weavings, oh my! Jump into the world of fiber arts and discover the many ways that artists and individuals might use soft sculpture, textile design, or weaving to express themselves.

Join us for a casual conversation exploring current exhibitions, led by Virginia MOCA staff and guest lecturers. Meet artist Lauren Keim and learn about her work in Lauren Keim: Everyday Magic. Everyday Magic features a selection of recent photographs by Lauren Keim celebrating and exploring the vitality and beauty of overlooked moments in everyday life.

This year Virginia MOCA will host its first juried teen exhibition during the Summer of Women. This exhibition will be open to young women ages 13 - 19. The entries will be juried by a committee of their peers, who will work closely with Virginia MOCA staff to curate a selection of artworks that display creativity and vision.

Join Curator Heather Hakimzadeh for a conversation with current and past Virginia MOCA exhibiting artists and other inspiring creatives. Guests will give us a look inside their studios, share current projects, and discuss process and inspiration.

Stitch it up and find your place in the world of textiles! Learn how to hand-stitch and weave fabric, then use those new skills to create artworks that tell a personal story. No sharp tools or sewing experience required.

AGES 6-8

Art can be found all around us, even in everyday objects. Discover the FUNdamentals of design by engaging with the worlds of fashion, product design, and interior decorating! Make your ideas a reality by learning to make miniature versions of fantasy design concepts. Whether it is a bed shaped like a banana or clothing inspired by cakes, if you can dream it, you can design it!

Join Virginia MOCA staff for an in-depth and interactive look at select works of art from our current exhibitions using Close Looking techniques.

Become a member to participate - Join today!

Children ages 3 - 8 and their caregivers are invited to join us each month as we look, learn, and make, in response to themes from our current exhibitions. This program for families will include close-looking at artwork, reading of a storybook, and a making activity inspired by the theme.

Join Curator Heather Hakimzadeh for a conversation with current and past Virginia MOCA exhibiting artists and other inspiring creatives. Guests will give us a look inside their studios, share current projects, and discuss process and inspiration.

Join Amplify exhibiting artist Barbara Campbell Thomas for a master class inspired by her artistic viewpoint. Barbara Campbell Thomas’s works combine painting and quilting, overlaying their material vocabularies to create complex formal dialogues.

Join Heather Hakimzadeh, Curator, for a conversation with She Says exhibiting artists April Bey and Zoë Buckman. The artists will discuss their work on view at Virginia MOCA and their use of text as an essential part of their artistic practice to investigate identity and power.

Children ages 3 - 8 and their caregivers are invited to join us each month as we look, learn, and make, in response to themes from our current exhibitions. This live streamed program for families will include close-looking at artwork, reading of a storybook, and a making activity inspired by the theme.

Join Amplify exhibiting artist Erin Fostel for a master class inspired by her artistic viewpoint. Erin Fostel creates meticulous drawings that invite people to consider their connection to the physical spaces they inhabit.

Join us for a casual conversation with Amplify exhibiting artists Julia Kwon and Erika Diamond. Led by Virginia MOCA staff and guest lecturers.

Family Fest offers a unique opportunity for all ages to create, explore, and connect with art. Join us as we celebrate our current exhibitions with inspired art making, gallery activities, and more!