Current Exhibition

Message in a Bottle: Picturing Maritime Culture in Hampton Roads

Message in a Bottle considers the rich maritime culture of the Hampton Roads region through a call and response between past and present. Selections from the Barry Art Museum’s permanent collection of 19th-century maritime art will appear alongside works from local museums as well as conceptual pieces from contemporary artists. Vibrant and dynamic traditional oil paintings – carefully collected by museum founder Richard Barry – tell a story of life on the sea: they show the hard work and play of sailors and soldiers. Contemporary works created by ODU faculty and other artists, in turn, reflect on the indelible impact of maritime culture on modern life, from shipping routes underpinning globalization to city layouts. In a world where shipping, sailing, and overall access to the sea can seem invisible, what does it mean for artists to address maritime life? We can’t wait to show you what we’ve found.