The MEGA CAKE’s journey to Burning Man is getting close to it’s fiery conclusion! Fresh off its successful test build at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, the 50′ tall sculpture has just been listed in Forbes Magazine as on of the “Best of the Best” to watch for in 2019.
From the article: MEGA CAKE is a large scale interactive sculpture of a 4-tier birthday cake that will serve as both a singular piece of art and a place to explore and discover art within. According to the artists, “We are a diverse group of misfits who came together due to a shared love of teamwork and crazy ideas. Each of us has a different combination of reasons for traveling to the Black Rock desert to spend a week laboring to bring a 50-foot wooden cake to life, only to watch it burn shortly thereafter.”
Architect Thom White of Norfolk’s WPA has designed a 12-sided wooden structure resembling a 4-tiered birthday cake. Art glass embellishments representing the animals of the Chinese zodiac and the constellations of the western zodiac will catch the light of the sun and sparkle like sugar in the distance. Plywood panels line each faceted tier and have perforations which recall cake icing embellishments while letting wind pass through. Flexible LED light strips are draped along the top of each level, adding to the icing motif. A propane-fueled “poofer” on the top-most tier will provide flame effects that will fire off at least once per hour at night.
“Our mission has evolved since work began over a year ago. At first, the Cake was thought of primarily as a place to gather, play, and observe Burning Man’s Black Rock City. Then, as the work progressed and construction began, we realized the piece is a singular work of art with vast potential for embedded meaning. MEGA CAKE facilitates a journey through the distinct moments that people encounter along the arc of one’s lifetime.”
SCULPTING WATER | LAUREL LUKASZEWSKI Opening: Friday, June 21 Showing: June 21-Sept 6, 2019
popblossom is pleased to present SCULPTING WATER, featuring the recent works of sculptor Laurel Lukaszewski, Opening Friday, June 21 and Showing June 21-Sept 6, 2019
Washington, DC based artist, Laurel Lukaszewski, has a lifelong fascination with water, enamored by the movement, patterns and rhythms as well as the life that inhabits it. In her new exhibition, SCULPTING WATER, it becomes readily apparent that the natural world and more specifically, water, plays a significant role in Lukaszewski’s creative endeavors. Her most recent works of ceramic sculptures and site specific installations are stunning interpretations of the visual rhythms and the incessant flux of water. According to Lukaszewski, her work aims to capture a snapshot where this constant movement is stilled if only for a moment in time. Her installation based works reflect this continual change, existing for the duration of the exhibition, and then changing if and when configured again.
GUARDIAN (detail) . 2018 . Porcelain, Wax Resist, Glaze . 12” w x 15” d x 9.5” h
Jeremy Sharp, AICP, Zoning Administrator, City of Norfolk
and Peter Johnston, Lead Urban Designer, Work Program Architects
Program Description:
This program will explore the purpose and requirements of Norfolk’s Commercial and Mixed-Use Pattern Book. The Book has been created for developers to make the development process more predictable. The Book is to be used as a companion piece to the new zoning ordinance and includes a checklist for new project development.
Venue Slover Library 235 E Plume Street Community Engagement Room: 6th Floor Norfolk, VA 23510
The planning process will continue with a series of Listening Sessions, which will ensure that the voices of key stakeholders, community members and supporters are heard as we plan for the Hermitage’s future. We would love for you to join us in a fast-paced discussion to identify the most vital aspects of the Museum & Gardens and to consider how they contribute to an aspirational vision for the near, middle, and long-term. Findings from the session will be incorporated into the “2030 Vision” document and a new Master Site Plan that will guide us for the next decade.
Join us on May 7th for the first community Listening Session
Two times are available; please come to the one that best suits your schedule:
9–10:30 am and 5:30–7:30 pm
There will be a tour of the grounds led by our Curator of Gardens and Grounds, Philip Riske, beginning 45 minutes before each session (8:15 am & 4:45 pm).
The agenda for the Listening Session will include a summary of the evolution of the Hermitage and an update on programming and current events. Staff from Work Program Architects will then lead the group in a discussion looking toward the future of the Museum and Grounds. Breakout groups will be formed to focus on key areas and site factors and to generate ideas for improvements, enhancements, and new opportunities – no idea will be too small or too large! The session will conclude with a discussion about next steps in the process and how you can remain involved.
If either session does not work with your schedule you can still contribute. We will have future sessions and you can always send a comment to info@thehermitagemuseum.org.
Hermitage Museum & Gardens | 7637 North Shore Rd. Norfolk, VA 23505
Thank you to all of the artists and guest for a fantastic opening of TRANSFORMATION. The exhibition will be on display until May 24th at the WPA Gallery. The gallery is located in the historic Monticello Arcade at 208 E Plume Street, Norfolk, VA.
Tidewater Burners, the local Burning Man Regional Community, in partnership with WPA Gallery presents Transformation, an exhibition in celebration of change. As the Virginia Burner group experiences its own form of growth and transformation, we want to recognize the transformation happening in the lives of those around us and in the communities to which we belong. Transformation is a juried group exhibition featuring artists from across the country that explore a wide range of topics related to change, with each artist contributing independent and unique ideas based on personal experience.
The artworks included in the show address physical and emotional change, as it relates to the life cycle including the undeniable impact of birth and death. They address changes in our environment, both through perception and reality. They capture society’s impact on personal growth and the effect of technology on human development. All of the works on view originate from a personal perspective yet are relatable on a much larger scale. They convey an understanding and acceptance that transformation is unavoidable. Exhibited together here, they have the potential to raise awareness and help us better understand ourselves, our relationship with others, and our relationship with our environment.
We could not be more excited to announce that we are joining our longtime friends and collaborators @thisisgrow and @madebysway and our new friends @flagshipvisuals in @assemblynfk. Assembly is designed to connect — people, creative companies, our community and the region. Assembly will be packed full of shared amenities and collision spaces that will push each of our companies to grow and succeed faster as we learn from and collaborate with each other. WPA is proud to be designing Assembly for friends who we admire and who have been pushing each other to do our best for Norfolk/VB and the region for over a decade!
Join us on Wednesday, March 27th for a tour of the Norfolk State University Innovation Center on Main Street. Located in the heart of Norfolk’s business district, the center was created in partnership between the Norfolk State University Research & Innovation Foundation and the City of Norfolk to create a space to better connect students, faculty, and alumni with the greater business community. Because there is no defined end user, the Center is a model for flexibility and serve many purposes. It includes small and large conference areas that can be reconfigured many different ways. The space also includes individual break-out spaces and collaborative work areas, informal sitting and lounge areas, a catering kitchen/break room and four touch-down office spaces. Work Program Architects and Norfolk State University will be speaking about the center. A special thank you to Work Program Architects for sponsoring! As always, Commercial Coffee is free-of-charge so please click the “Register Now” link to confirm your attendance. Paid parking at Commercial Place Garage or on-street metered parking are available.
Virginian-Pilot article By Briana Adhikusuma, Staff Writer
IPConfigure, Inc. is a video surveillance and research and development software company based out of Norfolk, VA. When they came to us with the idea of restoring the old Dubin Metals Building on Bowdens Ferry Road we jumped at the opportunity. Here are a few images of the existing conditions and proposed future renovations. This is a historic tax credit project with the original building constructed around 1938 for acetylene gas manufacturing for World War Two! The subsequent additions yield a total building footprint of over 28,000 SF.
IPConfigure plans to utilize a portion of the building as their new headquarters, and they are looking for tenants to take advantage of the large outdoor space and help support their revitalization efforts in the area. This is a very exciting project in the Lambert’s Point area and we are proud to be a part of it!IPConfigure Interiors…the original loading dock canopy welcomes visitors into the building. Skylights and new light fixtures cast a warm glow on the reception area when filtered through new wood slats installed in the steel canopy. Adjustable height desks make it comfortable for employees to sit or stand while they work. A new steel staircase leads up to the original tower. What once was a testing ground for acetylene gas will soon be a conference room, break room, and rooftop terrace. It is really exciting for us that this property sits right on the @ertnorfolk
presented by popblossom 208 East Plume St, Norfolk, VA 23510 Opening: 6:30-8:30pm, Friday, Feb 15 Showing: Feb 15—March 22, 2019
popblossom is pleased to present, ARCHITECTURE OF THE HEART, MIND & SOUL, an exhibition of selected works by Robin and Julia Rogers. Please join us for the Opening Event, Friday, February 15th from 6:30 – 8:30pm at WPA Studio + Gallery, located in The Monticello Arcade in Downtown Norfolk, VA. Glass artists Julia and Robin Rogers share a passion for sculpture and molten glass. Working together since 2001, and creative partners since 2010, the husband and wife team collaborate on every aspect of the creative process.
Julia and Robin have selected works from three different bodies of work in which to examine three distinct, but intrinsically linked concepts—heart, mind and soul—in an effort “to reveal a metaphorical interior of ideas, emotions, and mystery.” According to the artists, “We are driven by the mind and guided by the heart, but the subtle inner workings remain, to a certain extent, unknown.”
Robin Rogers is the Manager and Program Director of the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio and Julia Rogers teaches Glass for Virginia Wesleyan University and Tidewater Community College. Julia and Robin’s sculptures have been featured in numerous exhibitions and are held in private and museum collections.
Join us on Wednesday, March 27th for a tour of the Norfolk State University Innovation Center on Main Street. Located in the heart of Norfolk’s business district, the center was created in partnership between the Norfolk State University Research & Innovation Foundation and the City of Norfolk to create a space to better connect students, faculty, and alumni with the greater business community. Because there is no defined end user, the Center is a model for flexibility and serve many purposes. It includes small and large conference areas that can be reconfigured many different ways. The space also includes individual break-out spaces and collaborative work areas, informal sitting and lounge areas, a catering kitchen/break room and four touch-down office spaces. Work Program Architects and Norfolk State University will be speaking about the center.
