EXHIBITIONS

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS¬

Hugo McCloud, Take a Seat, 2020. Single use plastic mounted on panel. © Hugo McCloud. Photo by Jason Wyche, New York. Courtesy of Sean Kelly. Collection of Meredith and Brother Rutter.

Collector's Edition

MAIN GALLERY

Our brains are wired to collect things.

Collections can bring pleasure, satisfy curiosity, represent identity, mark moments in time, and create a legacy. There are as many reasons to create collections as there are people who have them. Museums like Virginia MOCA have a special connection to art collectors. We love people who love art and support creative culture. Purchasing artwork preserves our knowledge and values. It forms an exchange of ideas that stretch across the world into our most intimate spaces.

JULY 7–DECEMBER 31, 2023

Brittany Johnson, Tickle Me Link, 2023. Scratchboard. Courtesy of the artist

Open (C)all 2023 Curious Collections

COMMUNITY GALLERY

CALL FOR ARTWORK SUBMISSIONS

People collect all kinds of things for many reasons. Some people collect to fulfill practical needs or as a hobby, while others collect to satisfy an emotional desire or to create a sense of identity.

Virginia MOCA invites Hampton Roads artists of all ages to participate in our upcoming exhibition Open (C)all 2023: Curious Collections. The exhibition will be displayed in conjunction with Virginia MOCA’s main gallery exhibition Collector’s Edition.

What do you collect? Accepted submissions will be displayed in our Community Gallery.

JULY 7–DECEMBER 31, 2023

Tiny Treasures, ARTlab Photo Booth Mural by Tessa Hall Duquette

ARTlab Summer & Fall 2023

ARTlab is our interactive space for all ages located off of our main galleries. Explore the main themes and ideas found in our exhibition Collector's Edition through making, sharing, and personal connections.

JULY 7–DECEMBER 31, 2023

Dale Chihuly, Mille Colori, 2003. Blown glass. Photo by Echard Wheeler.

Mille Colori by Dale Chihuly

RODRIGUEZ PAVILION

Translating to “1,000 Colors,” Mille Colori certainly lives up to its name. This breathtaking 14-foot glass sculpture by renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, is made up of 520 separate blown-glass pieces and hangs as a permanent fixture in our sunlit Rodriguez Pavilion, which was built specifically to showcase the modern masterwork. As our only permanent work of art on view, Mille Colori can be experienced year-round and has been seen by thousands of visitors throughout the years.

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Carlton S. Abbott, Boardwalk Art Show Poster 2012.

On Paper: A Boardwalk Art Show Poster Retrospective

SATELLITE GALLERY (OFF-SITE)

Virginia MOCA is proud to celebrate the history of the Boardwalk Art Show with a special poster show. Featuring a selection of posters from the show's early years along with original artwork and photographs, the display demonstrates the show’s evolving style and the special place it holds in the cultural community of Virginia Beach. Together, the images are a slice of local history that reflects and celebrates the place we call home.

AUGUST 21–NOVEMBER 11, 2023

Photo by Fresh Look Photography.

Prisms Art Camp Exhibition 2023

FLEMING GALLERY

Every summer, Virginia MOCA hosts camps for children and teens ages 2–17. Art campers exercise their imaginations through classes designed to challenge and inspire. At the end of each camp week, students are asked to select an artwork to include in the Prisms: Art Camp Exhibition that demonstrates their creative achievements. On view in the Fleming Gallery, this exhibition is a celebration of a fun-filled, imaginative, and educational summer in the studios.

AUGUST 26–NOVEMBER 12, 2023

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS¬

Alexis Rockman, Departure, 2018. Oil on Dibond aluminum composite sheet. 44 x 56 in. Barbara and Jonathan Lee, Courtesy the artist and American Federation of Arts. Photo by Adam Reich

Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature's Underworld

MAIN GALLERY

Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld unites over 30 sculptures and paintings by two renowned artists who have explored humanity’s strained relationship with the environment for over 30 years.

FEBRUARY 9–JUNE 9, 2024

Spencer Tinkham, detail of Garrulus Glandarius (Eurasian Jay), 2023. Basswood and oils. Courtesy of the Artist

Spencer TInkham: Witness

COMMUNITY GALLERY

Artist Spencer Tinkham creates sculptures of birds that are inspired by his love of nature and art. He has traveled across the country to research specimens found in natural history museums, piecing together the stories of these tiny witnesses to the big things happening on our planet.

FEBRUARY 9–JUNE 9, 2024

PAST EXHIBITIONS¬

EXHIBITIONS¬

WE ARE WHAT WE CURATE

If you’re looking for inspiration from the artists of today, or just something fun to do in Virginia Beach, you’ve come to the right place. As a non-collecting contemporary art museum, our gallery spaces have ever-changing exhibitions. That means every few months, we introduce new, exceptional art for you to see, experience, and celebrate. Check out what is on view now, coming next, and what we’ve shown before.

Admission is free! Tickets can be reserved in advance at the link below.

RESERVE TICKETS →