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- Chris Brown to LA City -- My House Graffiti Is Protected By the 1st Amendment! - TMZ.com June 19, 2013
- Tobacco barns surveyed in Southside Virginia county, with the goal to preserve - Washington Post June 19, 2013
- Virginia Commonwealth University gets funding to study ways to treat nicotine ... - Washington Post June 19, 2013
- New Voters Loosen Republicans' Grip on Old Dominion - Businessweek June 19, 2013
- Petersburg bus riders urge council not to nix routes - WWBT June 19, 2013
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Category Archive: Tourism, Arts & Culture
Jan 12
Special Exhibitions in Commemoration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial at Hampton University Museum
Hampton University Museum, the oldest African American museum in the United States, welcomes two very special free exhibitions in commemoration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Series by Jacob Lawrence, beginning January 27, is a free exhibition highlighting the dramatic biographies of two American abolitionists who lived around the time of the Civil War. Together, the paintings have an extraordinary conceptual unity and visual eloquence. In the Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman series, Lawrence pursues mythic subjects who both share the will and determination, in the face of all odds, to free their minds and spirits as well as their bodies from bondage.
On February 25, the museum welcomes Civil War Vignette: Paintings and Drawings of Freedom Fighters from the Hampton University Museum Collection, a free exhibition that includes drawings and prints from artists Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, William H. Johnson, and John Biggers. All excellent artists, they have portrayed Freedom Fighters Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, and Phyllis Wheatley as the true abolitionist and fighters for justice. This exhibition will be on display on the second floor, Hampton History gallery.
Related programming will be held in conjunction with these two dynamic exhibitions.
For more information on Freedom Fighters: Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Series by Jacob Lawrence and Civil War Vignette: Paintings and Drawings of Freedom Fighters from the Hampton University Museum Collection, contact Hampton University Museum at (757) 727-5308 or check out http://museum.hamptonu.edu/exhibitions_calendar.cfm
Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Series by Jacob Lawrence: January 27, 2012-September 8, 2012
War Vignette: Paintings and Drawings of Freedom Fighters from the Hampton University Museum Collection: February 25, 2012 – December 2012
Hampton University Museum, 11 Frissell Avenue, Hampton, VA 23669
Monday – Friday- 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday Noon- 4:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday, major holidays, campus holidays
Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America’s first continuous English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air & Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others.
Jan 12
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship PORTSMOUTH
PATHS TO FREEDOM at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum on February 4, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth present “Paths to Freedom,” celebrating the African American heritage of Portsmouth. Enjoy traditional African American stories and crafts. Trace the path and stories of the Underground Railroad and see how it existed right here in Portsmouth. Enjoy a special presentation on quilting and the Underground Railroad with quilter, Diane Bakaysa. Make-n-take crafts for children will also be available. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum will be FREE and open to the public.
FRIENDS LECTURE SERIES: Marcus W. Robbins, A Hands-On History of the Gosport Navy Yard in the Civil War at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum on February 9, 2012, Thursday, 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, join us for a presentation by Norfolk Naval Shipyard Command Program Facilities Manager and Norfolk Navy Yard website historian/archivist Marcus W. Robbins, as he discusses the turbulent history of the shipyard during the Civil War. Through the use of historic images and artifacts from the period, Mr. Robbins will discuss the events surrounding both major efforts—Union and Confederate—to destroy the yard during the early years of the war and its reconstruction after re-occupation by Union forces in 1862. This program is FREE and open to the public.
SHIPBULIDING 101 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on March 3, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Learn about the history of ships and their impact on our local history. Also, children of all ages will find out the different parts of a ship, and how ships developed over time—from the Chesapeake Indians to modern day. Visitors also will discover firsthand how a ship floats in the “Ballast Lab Experiment.” Additionally, to commemorate the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862 between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, there will be special emphasis on the construction of ironclads during the Civil War. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth will be FREE and open to the public.
THE CIVIL WAR IN PORTSMOUTH at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on April 7, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
In the spring of 1862 during the Civil War, the conflict became more intense for the Hampton Roads area. Come and see how the war impacted Portsmouth and the Gosport Navy Yard. Learn about the construction of the C.S.S. Virginia, the Battle of Hampton Roads and how Portsmouth changed hands from Confederate then Union occupation in May 1862. Enjoy living history demonstrations, hands-on activities and exhibits exploring the conflict in depth. As with all our First Saturday events, admission and activities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth are FREE and open to the public.
PIRATES at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth Museum on May 5, 2012, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
As a part of the Portsmouth Museums event: Celebrate Kids, join the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum & Lightship Portsmouth for a fun, pirate filled day! Come meet the dreaded Moody Crewe pirates and muster in for the School of the Pyrate. Also, join our scurvy scavenger hunt and build your own pirate ship! As a part of our First Saturday programs, admission will be FREE to both the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship Portsmouth!
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship PORTSMOUTH are located at 2 Water Street, Portsmouth, VA. For more information, call (757) 393-8543, or visit www.portsnavalmuseums.com
Dec 13
Civil war decision helped turn Fort Monroe into a park
by Robert Powell for Virginia Business, posted on November 30, 2011
In May 1861, the month Virginia voters ratified secession from the United States, three slaves appeared at the gates of Fort Monroe asking for asylum.
They would force the fort’s commander to make a decision that ultimately led to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. That bit of history is a big reason that Fort Monroe is now a national park, a development that could help promote tourism in Virginia.
The masters of Frank Baker, James Townsend and Sheppard Mallory contracted with the Confederate Army for the slaves to work on fortifications at Sewell’s Point (now the site of Naval Station Norfolk). They escaped at night, rowing a skiff across Hampton Roads to Union-held-Fort Monroe on a peninsula known as Old Point Comfort.
Their plea for asylum posed a legal dilemma. Although fighting had begun the month before at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, restoration of the union, not the emancipation of slaves, was Washington’s primary aim in the early days of the Civil War.
In fact, the federal fugitive slave law, which required escaped slaves to be returned to their masters, was still in effect. Lincoln’s administration feared premature talk of abolition would cause the four remaining “loyal” slave states — Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri — to bolt to the Confederacy.
Despite these concerns, Fort Monroe’s commander, Major Gen. Benjamin Butler, took in the slaves and put them to work behind his lines.
Under a flag of truce, Confederate Major John B. Cary, showed up the next day demanding the slaves’ return. Butler refused, saying
Dec 13
The Sporting Life
This February 17-19, 2012, join over eight-thousand spectators at the Hampton Roads Convention Center for the Third Annual Hampton, VA Sports Festival & Expo. Featuring over 15 sports with simultaneous competition and a free expo, the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau-sponsored event is a must experience for any sports enthusiast.
“This is the third year we have hosted the festival,” said Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau Group Sales Manager Kris Smith. “Every year, the event continues to grow. The sports festival is helping to showcase our city as a dynamic sports scene to athletic planners from across the country. We are also receiving great support from the region’s residents, as well as out-of-town guests that travel to Hampton specifically for our action-packed sports weekend.”
Last year, the festival featured participants and spectators from neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico, as well as states such as California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Third Annual Hampton, VA Sports Festival & Expo will feature over 15 sports, including:
- Arm Wrestling
- Bikini Body Building
- Body Building
- Boxing
- Chess
- Cornhole
- CrossFit
- Fitness Body Building
- Gymnastics
- Jiu-Jitsu
- K-1
- Kickboxing
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
- Muay Thai
- No Gi Grappling
- Power Lifting- Bench Press and Push Pull
- Strongest Man and Woman
- Taekwondo
During the festival, a free expo will take place in the main concourse of the building, directly in front of the convention center exhibit halls. The general public will have an opportunity to speak with local sports clubs, city departments, and area health representatives, as well as doctors specializing in sports medicine.
For more information, contact Craig Lenniger at (757) 728-5314 or clenniger@hamptoncvb.com. Like the “Hampton, VA Sports Festival” fan page on Facebook to become a fan and follow the developments.
Where: Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666
When: February 17, 2012, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; February 18, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; February 19, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Dec 09
Mark Warner, Fort Monroe and STEAM
From the blog of City of Hampton Mayor Molly Ward
Mark Warner came to Fort Monroe on Friday, November 18 to tour the fort, talk about the National Park Service and explore the possibility a Science, Technology, Engineering and Applied Mathematics (STEAM) academy at the fort. The Senator was accompanied by an entourage of reporters, and he toured the fort on foot.
The proposed STEAM academy would be a public boarding school for grades 9 through 12 with a 24 hour day learning cycle. Students would be drawn from all over the Commonwealth, and there would be no fee to apply or attend. The concept is to build future generations who will be prepared to lead and succeed in the 21st century marketplace. There is a similar school in North Carolina that has seen tremendous success both for its graduates, and the state — as the majority of students stay and contribute to the North Carolina economy by both creating jobs and attracting employers looking for the best and the brightest.
I met up with the Senator at one of the TRADOC buildings for a tour. He greeted me and presented me with the green tie he described as “hideous” that he wore to the Senate hearing on the NPS effort on October 19. He also gave me a picture of him wearing the tie at the hearing.
After the TRADOC building tour, we presented the Senator with a proclamation from the City of Hampton thanking him for his support of the Fort Monroe National Monument.
Dec 09
Virginia Tourism marketing grants in region
The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) has awarded $635,000 in matching grant funds to 35 local tourism initiatives as part of the VTC Marketing Leverage Grant program. Hampton Roads communities shares in just over 21% of the funds as follows:
- Smithfield-Smithfield and Isle of Wight Encore Weddings Campaign, $2,500
- Williamsburg-Christmas in Williamsburg, $50,000
- Cape Charles, Chesapeake-20th Annual Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival, $5,000
- Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Alexandria-Coastal Food Tours of Virginia, $25,000
- Virginia Beach, Hampton, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Newport News-Coastal Virginia Web Site Marketing Initiative: “COASTAL VIRGINIA LOVE: Using the power of the Internet to build Coastal Virginia Visitation,” $5,000
- Norfolk, Virginia Beach-Virginia is for Arts Lovers – Weekend Getaways in Virginia, $50,000
Pictured: Virginia state tourism office’s over-sized LOVE artwork at three Virginia State Welcome Centers.
Nov 22
Glass Studio brings Art Museum’s collection to life
The Chrysler Museum of Art opened the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio on November 2nd to complement the world-class glass collection in the Museum. The addition of the Glass Studio enhances the Museum’s stature as one of only two comprehensive art museums in the United States with a glass studio. The Glass Studio is located in a 7,000-square-foot building at 745 Duke Street, adjacent to the Museum in Norfolk.
The $7.5 million Glass Studio construction and operations are fully endowed from generous contributions from glass enthusiasts and Museum supporters. The Museum acknowledges the Pat and Doug Perry family for their significant investment in its creation. Internationally known glassmaster Lino Tagliapietracreate da work of art to inaugurate the Glass Studio in a private event for donors and media on Nov. 1.
“The state-of-the-art facility will accommodate both aspiring and master glass artists with a furnace that can melt 560 pounds of glass, a full hot shop, a flameworking studio, nine annealing ovens and a coldworking area,” says Charlotte Potter, studio manager. “The Museum will have a visiting artist series and an artist-in-residency program that will attract some of the leading artists in contemporary glass, as well as emerging artists.”
Visitors will be able to enjoy free glassblowing demonstrations, and the Museum will offer a series of classes and workshops for students and adults. These will include a range of educational programs from beginners to master classes for accomplished professional artists.
“It will be an entirely new experience for our visitors,” says Bill Hennessey, the Museum’s director. “In addition to the study and display of art, we can show them the magic behind the creation of art as well. The Glass Studio will allow our visitors to experience glassmaking and be involved in every step of the process. We anticipate this will draw people to the region to learn about glass and meet visiting glass artists and tour our collection. We expect this to be a significant educational component for the region—one that will allow us to further strengthen our partnerships with Virginia Wesleyan College and the Governor’s School for the Arts. With more than a third of our 30,000-object collection devoted to glass, this is clearly a strong suit for the Chrysler. This Glass Studio will bring these works of art to life.”
The Museum’s glass collection includes more than 10,000 pieces that span 3,000 years and is considered one of the largest and most wide-ranging collections in the world. It has inspired glass enthusiasts for decades with its depth, including a world-famous Tiffany collection, plus American, French, English, Italian and contemporary glass art.
“The Glass Studio will help our visitors gain a better understanding and appreciation for the wonderful objects in our collection,” says Kelly Conway, curator of glass. “We devote a lot of time explaining the technical processes used to make these artworks. The Studio will provide far more capable and lively answers for these technique-based questions from our visitors, and tours will connect the live studio experience with the contextual history explained in the glass galleries.”
The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums with a world-class collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America and the new Glass Studio. The Museum is located at 245 West Olney Road in Norfolk, and the Studio is located across the street at 745 Duke Street. Both are open Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. The Chrysler campus is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as on major holidays. Admission to the Museum’s collection in 62 galleries and the new Glass Studio is free. For exhibitions, programming, classes and special events, visit chrysler.org or call (757) 664-6200.
Top Photo Caption: Exterior Glass Studio Photo Credit: Ed Pollard
Bottom Photo Caption: Glass Studio Team from left to right – Charlotte Potter, Glass Studio Manager; Robin Rogers, Glass Studio Technician; and Julia Rogers, Glass Studio Instructor. Photo Credit: Echard Wheeler