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Previous Exhibitions

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Open (C)all 2021: Food and Memory

February 6 – June 6, 2021
Virginia MOCA invited Hampton Roads artists of all ages to create works of art exploring food and memory. Food memories are powerful, involving all five senses, and often evoke feelings of nostalgia. We remember more than just the food; these memories can bring strong associations of a person, place, time, or event. The preparation of food or the experience of eating can become symbolic. Food connects us. It brings us together, shapes our identity, and creates understanding.     We would like to thank all artists who participated in this exhibition for sharing their creativity and memories with us.   Media: The Virginian-Pilot   …

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Open (C)all 2021: Food and Memory
Valentina Copeland, Grandma’s Cooking, 2018. Mixed media. Courtesy of the artist.

ART.WRITE.NOW TOUR OPENS IN FLEMING GALLERY

DECEMBER 5, 2020 - JANUARY 3, 2021
PLAN YOUR VISIT Produced and presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Art.Write.Now.Tour showcases a selection of work from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards—offering a glimpse into the minds of creative teens from all across the country.  Through their explorations of personal identities, the intense political and social justice climate, the environmental crisis, and changing societies, teenagers give us hope. Their compelling images and words show us beauty, and their visions and voices challenge us by calling us to action.  Each year, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards give students in grades 7-12 opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication,…

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ART.WRITE.NOW TOUR OPENS IN FLEMING GALLERY
Madison Lopes, Self-Portrait, 2020. Painting, 21x27 inches

Real Food Films

February 6 – June 6, 2021
Real Food Films began as an international competition for short films on food, farming, and sustainability. Many gifted storytellers from around the world have shared their powerful food narratives. In partnership with Real Food Media Virginia MOCA presents a curated selection of these stories from within our region to around the globe. The films are arranged under the following themes: Food Worker Stories Youth, Schools & Education Biodiversity & Natural Resources Health, Hunger & Food Access Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Communities Urban Food, Farming & Community-Building We hope these films inspire our community to learn more about food systems, to engage with food…

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Real Food Films
"The Kelly Street Garden" film still, courtesy of Real Food Media

American Appetite: Selections from the Chrysler Museum of Art

February 6 – June 6, 2021
Essential for existence, food is ingrained in all aspects of our lives and plays a significant part in our social and cultural life. Depictions of food can be found in art throughout human history and across all geographical and cultural regions, including those in the art of the United States. Food and its consumption have always informed who we are and what we value. In this country, artists have used food as a consistent motif to explore both its strengths and its defects. It is woven into the fabric of our lives and connects with larger themes that have immediacy today. Politics, gender, race, religion, and class find purchase in our edible art history. Virginia MOCA will explore these c…

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American Appetite: Selections from the Chrysler Museum of Art
George Benjamin Luks, American (1867-1933) The Wedding Cake, ca. 1910. Oil on canvas. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.678. This work was lent by the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Nourish

February 6 – June 6, 2021
Book your free timed tickets here. To nourish is to provide the food necessary for growth and health. It also means to listen, care, and support one another, our community, our land, our minds, our society, and our futures. Nourish will debut newly created artworks by twelve artists inspired by local food experts. Each artist and food expert team explored the possibilities at the intersection of food and art. The experts, who came from a broad range of occupations including farmers, chefs, nutritionists, writers, food justice and antihunger advocates, and more provided unique insight into the food culture of our region, the inspiration source for the commissioned work on view. The exhibit…

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Nourish
Clayton Singleton. Far from Manna, 2021. Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 84 inches. Courtesy of the artist.