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 Jerram’s Moon, The artist’s rendering of the red planet shimmers at nearly 23 feet in diameter; an approximate scale of 1:1 million.
Serving as a meeting point on 43rd Street, Mars brings the community together at the Red Stage with hourly performances of dance, music, and conversations, all exploring the Martian landscape and igniting the imagination of young and old.
This year the festival is expanding its terrain to include Steam Street and the Crater Corridor; both will feature lively activities exploring the intersection of art and science! Venture to Lava Land with the Chrysler Glass Studio, play with Northern Lights projections from the Warehouse Theater and explore a Millennium Falcon sculpture made by the Tidewater Burners. Wander up to the Gordon Galaxy for art and video games and the Martian Market (created by the Selden Market) to discover local crafts. Enjoy live music on the Supernova Stage—brought to you by Arts@ODU—while sipping a Red Planet Red Ale brewed locally by Cova. Grab some otherworldly culinary treats at our Cosmic Canteen, or stop into the restaurants on Monarch Way for Martian inspired specials. In front of Barry Art Museum, telescopes will be available (courtesy of Back Bay Astronomers) to observe the actual red planet, and come inside to enjoy free exhibitions and hands-on activities from our partners at NASA.
Mars is an excursion—a celebration of art and science—that we hope you will be a part of.
Oct. 14th – Oct. 16th
6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public
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.
View other installations of Mars from across the globe.
Mars Fest Community Partners:
African American Creative Community Series Inc.
Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
Elizabeth River Trail Foundation
The Governor’s School for the Arts
The Hermitage Museum & Gardens
Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience
Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
Virginia Space Grant Consortium
ODU Partners:
Department of Game Design, Development, and Criticism
Department of World Languages and Culture
Department of Communication and Theatre Arts
Diehn School of Music & Virginia Wind Symphony
Facilities Management and Construction
Michael and Kimthanh Le Digital Theater Planetarium
Office of Community Engagement
Transportation and Parking Services
