NORFOLK, VA – An 8ft. tall sculpture commissioned by the Norfolk Public Art Program will be unveiled in Ocean View Beach Park. Join the artist and special guest Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander on Saturday, October 30 10:00 a.m. at Ocean View Beach Park for the ceremony.
Chryshellis, by Eileen Gay of Reno, Nevada, is a free-standing sculpture with an oyster shell-like exterior encasing a glass tile, sunrise mosaic. The vivid interior is juxtaposed with a chalky exterior to represent the authentic, salty integrity of Ocean View. The contemporary, forward-thinking artwork embodies the meaning and history of the area and highlights the uniqueness and natural beauty of Ocean View.
Gay specializes in telling visual stories through art using brilliant glass tile mosaics. She began her public art career in 2002 and has created many public artworks throughout the United States. “It’s been wonderful making new friends and working with the folks in Norfolk,” Gay states. “I’m honored that soon one of my mosaic sculptures will be located in such a beautiful location in Virginia by the ocean.”
The artwork is a partnership between Norfolk Arts and Coastal VA Plein Air, a local non-profit that contributed half of the funding for the project.
After the ceremony, all are invited to join Norfolk Arts for coffee and donuts and to stencil a poem onto the sidewalk nearby. As part of their Poetry on the Pavement project, 25 poems by 20 authors who live, work or attend school in Norfolk, VA are being painted in various locations throughout the city.