Previous Exhibitions

Small Works, Tall Tales

September 16, 2017 – February 11, 2018

This fall, Virginia MOCA celebrates regional artists with Small Works, Tall Tales an exhibition of narrative sculpture presented on an intimate scale. Each featured artist is an able storyteller. They infuse their work with sharp wit and a complex interpretation of our world. Different materials and approaches resulting in distinct styles. Yet, all share a penchant for creating engaging work of a personal, approachable size. As a sculpture projects into concrete space, it draws the viewer down into a fantastic, diminutive world. The artists included are Aggie Zed, John Tobin, Wade Mickley, Deborah G. Rogers, Tracey St. Peter, and artist teams Kranitzky and Overstreet and Robin and Julia Ro…

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Kranitzky & Overstreet. Blind, 2015. 5.5"x 2.75"x.625". Mixed media. Courtesy of the Artists

Satellite Gallery: Ashley Sauder Miller: There’s Always a Lull

June 15 – October 7, 2017

Artist Ashley Sauder Miller focuses her attention on a familiar object – the chair. An heirloom rocking chair in need of restoration inspired Miller to teach herself to cane, which evolved into an ongoing series of paintings and mixed media works investigating the forms and textures of chairs. These are not simply chairs, but symbols of a complex and ongoing narrative for the artist to explore. Chairs have immediate and personal connections to our everyday lives. They can be functional and efficient, a place to rest, a place for conversation, a place to eat, or a treasured heirloom that evokes and preserve memories. Miller’s work personifies these chairs, each with its own feeling or p…

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Satellite Gallery: Ashley Sauder Miller: There’s Always a Lull

Ashley Sauder Miller. Fixer Chair, 2014. Acrylic, oil, oil pastel, woven paper and plastic on canvas. 36" x 36". Courtesy of the Artist

A Spoken Dish

may 12 - august 13, 2017

A Spoken Dish is a storytelling project dedicated to celebrating and documenting food, memories, and rituals from people across the South. Storytellers include professional chefs, farmers, artists, and children. Produced by Southern Routes artist Kate Medley, the films reveal heartfelt stories about the Civil Rights Movement, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Migration, paw paws, gumbo, and more. A Spoken Dish is a joint endeavor from Georgia Organics, Southern Foodways Alliance, and Whole Foods Market. The film presentation will be screened on an ongoing basis in MOCA’s Price Auditorium and is included with Museum admission. Inspired Programming A Taste of the South with Southern Routes art…

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Open (C)all 2017 Exhibition

May 12 - August 13, 2017

This summer, MOCA presents a series of photography exhibitions: Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and tête à tête, and Southern Routes. These exhibitions take different approaches to photography as a means for expression and exploration. Ideas surrounding beauty, identity and place in the context of culture are taken apart, examined and reassembled. For this Open (C)all 2017 exhibition, MOCA invited Hampton Roads artists to respond to our summer exhibitions through the medium of photography. The result is an astonishing variety of works by 78 artists of all ages. MOCA would like to thank all of the artists for participating. An opening reception will take place on May 11, 2017 at 6:30pm…

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Raven Hudson. My Nest, 2017. Photography. Courtesy of the artist.

Southern Routes

May 12 - August 13, 2017

This year as the summer travel season takes hold, Virginia MOCA explores its own region of the United States: The American south. The south stands as an abundant source of myth and stereotypes. But, its rich and varied history, traditions and cultural output paint a much more complex picture. The south’s fascinating stories are waiting to be shared. In this exhibition, contemporary photographers offer a peek of what is waiting when you travel down its roads. The photographers featured present their own take on the people, history, land and culture that have in many ways shaped the story of our nation. Every artist and every viewpoint tells a completely new story. We hope that South…

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