Grab your shades, because the sun is rising at Old Dominion University.
“Helios” — a giant, inflatable sculpture of the star at the center of our solar system — will take center stage for the Barry Art Museum’s Sixth Annual Public Arts Festival on Nov. 6 and 7 outside the museum on 43rd Street in Norfolk, Virginia.
After bringing the Moon and Mars to campus in past years, the festival continues its planetary journey with another large-scale work from Luke Jerram, the artist behind “Museum of the Moon” and “Mars.”
At a scale of 1:200 million, “Helios” will make its North American debut for the festival, which runs from 5-9 p.m. each night and is free and open to the public.
Attendees can gaze at the blazing sculpture — illuminated from within — while solar storms rage on its surface.
“Art has a remarkable ability to transform how we see and understand the world around us,” said Nicole M. Crawford, director of the Barry Art Museum. “With Luke Jerram’s "Helios”, we invite our community to experience something both familiar and extraordinary through a new perspective. Building on the success of “Museum of the Moon and Mars,” this year’s festival celebrates the intersection of art, science, and discovery while creating opportunities for people of all ages to come together in a shared sense of wonder.”
As with each year, the festival will explore the intersection of art and science through hands-on activities, performances and demonstrations led by campus and community partners, including the Student Art League, Writers in Community, the Society of Physics Students, the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio and Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
Additional programming will be available throughout the festival at Old Dominion University’s Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium and on the Elizabeth River Trail.
Visit the Barry Art Museum’s website to learn more or become a sponsor for the festival.