“Message in a Bottle: Picturing Maritime Culture in Hampton Roads” is currently displayed at the Barry Art Museum in Gallery 2 for all students to view.
Coming off the back of “Blue Connections,” the maritime-themed exhibition highlights the rich naval history of Norfolk. New works of art created specifically for the exhibition are displayed alongside older art pieces acquired by museum founder Richard F. Barry III.
The first half of the exhibition is dedicated to art that speaks to the area’s maritime history. It all comes from Barry’s collection of historical paintings and maps. Paintings of battleships and sailboats fill the walls. The gallery even displays a model ship: Yves Pochard’s 2006 piece “Virginia,” made from wood, fabric and metal.
When entering the second half of the exhibition, the viewer is greeted by “Concurrently,” on loan from the artist, Melissa Hill. “Concurrently” is made from thermal bags used to store food. The piece is meant to raise awareness on how modern shipping and consumption affect the ocean.
Many other works in the contemporary collection touch on humanity’s impact on the ocean, such as works created by ODU professor Brendan Bayler. Others focus on the recent maritime history of Norfolk.
A particularly stand-out piece is Norwood Viviano’s pair of works, both called “Norfolk, VA.” One is a screenprint of Norfolk as it appears on a map. The other is a glass recreation of a photograph of Norfolk from a bird’s eye view. The photograph itself, intercut with bits of a Norfolk map made by the Sanborn Map Company, is reflected in a mirror under the glass piece.
Peter Eudenbach, a professor from the ODU Department of Art, has several of his works on display at the exhibition, including a sculpture called “Holocene.” Completed in 2013, “Holocene” is a model of a shipping container wound in a spiral shape of a snail, which Eudenbach notes is one of the oldest shapes in nature.
“It’s a great survey of the different approaches to travel and navigation,” Eudenbach said about the exhibit as a whole. He notes that the Norfolk area’s maritime story is compelling, highlighting the area’s large Navy base and ODU’s recent maritime logistics program.
“You could do a show like this and fill the whole museum, and even then not completely embrace all the different things happening with art and its relationship to maritime issues,” he said.
In addition to the various works of art, the gallery has speakers stationed in all four corners, playing recordings of sounds of waves crashing and ships creaking. The result is a more immersive experience as the art almost comes to life.
The exhibition continues outside the gallery with a few additional paintings and model ships displayed in the main lobby, as well as an infographic of important locations of Norfolk’s modern maritime industry. With them is a collaborative display called the “Captain’s Log,” where people who visit the exhibit can document their own experiences with the maritime culture.
Even though “Message in a Bottle” has been on display for several months, the Barry Art Museum still has some events relating to the exhibit planned. On Oct. 19, Peter Eudenbach will be giving a Gallery Talk discussing his works in the exhibit, as well as the works of other artists influenced by maritime culture. Dec. 19’s Coffee & Contemporary Arts event will be a Maritime Panel Discussion, featuring more contemporary artists who contributed their work “Message in a Bottle.” Both events are open to the public.
“Message in a Bottle” will be displayed until Jan. 5, 2025. For information about the Barry Art Museum’s hours, go here.
