51�鱨վ

By Jonah Grinkewitz

After bringing giant sculptures and inflatable planets to 51�鱨վ in recent years, the Barry Art Museum will once again make large-scale art accessible to the Hampton Roads community with its fourth annual public arts festival, "Pneuhaus," Oct. 11-12. 

The free festival runs from 6-10 p.m. nightly on 43rd Street, inside and outside the Barry Art Museum, with artworks, pop-up performances, interactive booths, and food, including COVA Brewing Company's "Avant Tart," a blueberry guava gose made for the event.

This year's festival, like previous ones, will emphasize environmental themes, offering attendees the chance to explore and reflect on aspects of earth science through interactive art. 

“Our annual public arts festival is a celebration of creativity, community and the environment, and we are thrilled to invite the Hampton Roads community to experience these remarkable large-scale artworks,” said Charlotte Kasic, executive director of the Barry Art Museum. “The festival allows us to explore the intersections of art and nature in a way that is not only visually captivating but also deeply thought-provoking. We hope attendees will leave inspired to reflect on the role they play in preserving our planet for future generations.”

The festival will feature four distinct "microclimates" or "biomes," each displaying immersive artwork from creators like Pneuhaus, known for experimental architecture, Bike Powered Events with bicycle-powered generators, and artists Brendan Baylor and Kelly Morse.

Outside the museum, Pneuhaus will display two pieces: "Canopy," an interactive inflatable installation with tree-like sculptures that light up, expand and make sounds in response to bike-powered generators, and "Fabric Prism," a light-filled, cave-inspired shelter.

Inside the museum, Pneuhaus's "Cloud Lights" will feature abstract inflatables from the balcony that mimic moving clouds and cast a rainbow of light across the foyer. 

The final "biome," "Sound Map for a Changing Landscape," by Brendan Baylor, an associate professor of art at 51�鱨վ, and Kelly Morse, a former professor of literature at 51�鱨վ, features a shipping container showcasing sound samples and imagery of Hampton Roads’ waterways, tied to 51�鱨վ’s previous Annual Campus Theme "Blue Connections.”

In addition to the large-scale artworks, more than 30 campus and community partners will contribute to the festival. 

In the “Environmental Corridor,” visitors can explore the solar system with the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers, learn about flood mitigation from 51�鱨վ’s Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience and discuss plants with Norfolk Botanical Garden members.

Inside the Barry Art Museum, 51�鱨վ’s Game Design and Development will host a gaming expo, while NASA offers STEM activities.

Other festivities include a performance by 51�鱨վ’s rock band Moonsmoke, a DJ set by local artist Karacell, glassblowing demos by the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio, a pop-up Monarch Marketplace with 51�鱨վ-licensed vendors and live screenprinting demonstrations.

Pneuhaus is sponsored by 51�鱨վ, the 51�鱨վ Educational Foundation and the Brock Foundation. For a full list of programs, visit the Barry Art Museum's .