Mars Fest 2022: Second Annual Public Arts Festival at ODU

 Join the Barry Art Museum on a voyage to Mars! This fall, the second annual Public Arts Festival at ODU is proud to present Mars: a large-scale sculpture by UK-based artist Luke Jerram. Building on last year’s journey to the Moon, Jerram’s red planet shimmers at nearly 23 feet in diameter; an approximate scale of 1:1 million. Each centimeter of the sculpture represents 10 kilometers of the surface of Mars, and pairs its galactic imagery with lights and custom surround sound.  

Serving as a meeting point on 43rd Street, Mars brings the Tidewater community together for three out-of-this-world nights, featuring presentations and performances by ODU students, professors, and local heroes. Join us for an adventure full of food, vendors, dance, music, and conversation, all exploring the Martian landscape and igniting the imagination of young and old. Alongside lively activities every hour on the hour, telescopes are available to observe the actual red planet. The Barry Art Museum will also be open to welcome visitors with hands-on activities from our partners at NASA Langley. 

Mars is an excursion – a celebration of art and science – that we hope you will be a part of. 

The Barry Art Museum is grateful to artist Luke Jerram, the Exhibition Advisory Committee, Old Dominion University, NASA Langley and all of our enthusiastic community partners for their generosity and collaborative spirit in the creation of this exhibit and related festival programming.

Festival runs each night from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.