Norfolk photographer brings “Happenstance” to TCC Perry Glass Wheel

Tidewater Community College will feature “Happenstance: Southern Tour” from Jan. 18 through March 22 at the TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center.

The artist’s reception will be held on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., with an informal gallery talk beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Galleries and events are free and open to the public.

In this exhibition, Norfolk photographer Sam Hughes brings photographic accidents, or “happenstance,” to life. In his latest body of work, Hughes, an assistant professor of art at Norfolk State University, used a 1969 Polaroid Land Camera to record unique scenes he discovered while traveling rural routes throughout six southern states. The resulting works of art include technical mishaps, deliberate manipulations and quirky subject matter as part of his creative process.

While Hughes’ work is displayed in the Glass Wheel’s second-floor gallery, selected members of TCC’s Visual Arts Center faculty are showing their work in a wide variety of styles and approaches in the first-floor space. Media include painting, encaustic, sculpture, glass, pottery, drawing, photography, mixed and more.

The TCC Perry Center is located at 128 W. Olney Road in Norfolk.

Gallery hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878, or visit artsattcc.org.

Enjoy the season with TCC at the NEON Holiday Market

If you’re looking for a last-minute gift, stop by the TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Student-crafted glasswork will be on sale. The center, located at, 128 W. Olney Road, will be open 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

You can also enjoy two exhibits: “The TCC Revolving Art Faculty Exhibition” and “Barbara Kobylinska: Imaginary Creatures,” through December 31.

Light refreshments and a children’s activity will be offered between 1 – 3 p.m.

The larger NEON Holiday Market is a short walk away at The Plot at Granby Street and Olney Road. More than 30 creative vendors will participate. Live music and food trucks will be part of the afternoon festivities. For information, visit downtownnorfolk.org and neonnfk.com.

The new gallery is just one of the ways that TCC is expanding into the NEON District. The college plans to open the TCC Perry Center for Visual & Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management at the site of the former Greyhound station in the fall of 2021. The 47,000-square-foot building will allow TCC to expand its visual arts, culinary arts and hospitality management programs.

TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. TCC will continue to host exhibitions at the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth.

For information, call Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878.

TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center’s grand opening set for Sept. 20

The TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center is featuring two new exhibitions, “The TCC Revolving Art Faculty Exhibition” and “Barbara Kobylinska: Imaginary Creatures,” through December 31.

The artist’s reception and grand opening will be held on Sept. 20 from 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Galleries and events are free and open to the public.

In the first-floor gallery, selected members of TCC’s Visual Arts Center faculty will show their work in a wide variety of styles and approaches. Media include painting, encaustic, sculpture, glass, pottery, drawing, photography, mixed and more. Works will rotate on an ongoing basis.

A display of sculptural work by Virginia Beach’s Barbara Kobylinska is on exhibit in the second-floor gallery. Mixed media animals — a kangaroo, mole, monkey, cheetah, giraffe, fish, bugs and others — are made from found and recycled objects. The colorful and imaginative works portray the artist’s unique and whimsical interpretation of the natural world.

The TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center is located at 128 W. Olney Road in Norfolk.

Gallery hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878, or visit artsattcc.org.

First exhibition to open at TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center

The TCC Perry Glass Wheel Arts Center will host its inaugural exhibition, “Corporeal Collective: Chrysler Museum Glass Assistants,” from May 18 through July 17.

The opening reception will be held on May 24 at 6 p.m.

Galleries are free and open to the public.

In this group exhibition, six Chrysler Museum glass studio assistants, Nicholas Folz, Betty Gowans, Matthew Jacob, Meghan Kramer, Johnny Shield and Jieun Yoon, present a wide spectrum of glass techniques, approaches and topics that, in varying ways, focus on the human body.

The artists incorporate pottery, illustration, sculpture, photography and printmaking with glass, filtered through the themes of their more traditional work. Subjects include memories of home; self, and family; identity and interpersonal relationships; performance; anatomy; and the pursuit of spirituality.

In addition to the artwork, these artists are exhibiting in the first-floor gallery, complementary pieces, including those by former glass studio assistants, will be on display in the second-floor space.

Gallery hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. TCC will continue to host exhibitions at the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth, too.

For information, call Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878.