Previous Exhibitions

Kristin Skees: Cozy Up

September 12 - December 28, 2014

Do the things we own and places we live give clues to who we are? Artists have used clothing, objects and setting in portraits to convey the prestige of the sitter throughout history. Artist Kristin Skees makes use of this tradition in her photographs from the Cozy series. The figures in each portrait stand or sit in an environment that is important to them: a place that they feel at home. Objects (and sometimes pets) surround them and define them. Expecting mother Kathleen loves her vegetable garden. Brett and Mindi, a very stylish couple, enjoy an equally chic evening cocktail. But of course, we don’t really know them. We can’t see their faces or know their identities because the artis…

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Kristin Skees, The Bakers. Courtesy of the Artist and Mayer Fine Art Gallery

ARTLab Fall 2014

September 12- December 28, 2014

Experience MOCA’s Fall Exhibits through the interactive ARTlab. Explore Gabriel Dawe’s technique by adding to a collaborative string installation and reflect on the world of color with a giant color wheel. Watch an interview with photographer Matthew Brandt and create your own work of art inspired by the illustrations of Amy Cutler. Still curious? Stay awhile and read about the history of photography, fiber arts or color theory in one of the many books on loan from the Virginia Beach Public Library! …

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ARTlab Fall 2014. Photograph by Glen McClure

Gabriel Dawe: Plexus 28

September 12- December 28, 2014

When you see one of artist Gabriel Dawe’s installations for the first time, several metaphors may spring to mind. Spider webs and rainbows are both a common analogy for his work. This is easy to understand. The artist uses many miles of colored thread to weave his installations. Dawe manufactured a large needle-like tool to hook and move the thread, which forms patterns that mimic beams of light through a prism. Each installation takes tremendous amounts of time, patience and deliberation. The result, as you can see, is simply spectacular. Plexus 28 took approximately 60 miles of thread to create. A native of Mexico City, Gabriel Dawe has exhibited his work throughout the world including…

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Gabriel Dawe installing Plexus 28 at MOCA.

Matthew Brandt: Sticky/Dusty/Wet

September 12 - December 28, 2014

Imagine creating a recipe with unlikely ingredients that blend and transform into something completely new, unexpected, and delicious. Matthew Brandt has done just that with his fearless, playful, process driven explorations, pushing and pulling on photography’s parameters. In an era of the ubiquitous digital image, he upends the very idea of the medium’s core characteristic—its reproducibility—by making each work unique. MATTHEW BRANDT sticky/dusty/wet was organized by the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio. It is the artist’s first museum exhibition and features four of his recent series, all made since 2008. • Lakes and Reservoirs • Dust • Honeybees • Taste Tests in Color …

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Matthew Brandt: Sticky/Dusty/Wet at Virginia MOCA. Photograph by Glen McClure

Disposable Film Festival 2014

September 12 - December 28, 2014

Selected by MovieMaker Magazine as one the world’s “coolest film festivals,” the Disposable Film Festival was created in 2007 by Carlton Evans and Eric Slatkin to celebrate the democratization of cinema made possible by low cost video technology: everyday equipment like mobile phones, pocket cameras, DSLRs and other inexpensive devices. Through screenings, workshops, competitions, panels, and other events intended to educate and inspire, the Disposable Film Festival promotes experimentation and helps build the track record needed for a new generation of filmmakers to enter and change the industry. Disposable kicks off in San Francisco every March before traveling to cities around the…

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