Now on View
MAMA-Girl!
On View: Sept. 27, 2024 - May 10, 2025
The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries at 51±¾É« Dominion University presents an art exhibition honoring the life and work of Eastern Shore artist and pastor Mary Elizabeth "MAMA-Girl" Onley (1953 - 2018), free and open to the public, with an opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view through May 10, 2025.
You are invited to explore a diverse collection of some 150 artworks and objects from MAMA-Girl’s studio, generously shared with the public by more than a dozen lenders including the Barrier Islands Center and residents of the Eastern Shore, along with others across Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
MAMA-Girl left a lasting impression on so many who enjoyed her company and collected her work. If you would like to join in the tribute, you may share your MAMA-Girl remembrances at  or mail them to: Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, 4509 Monarch Way, Norfolk, VA 23508.
Sincerely
On View through May 10
The Baron and Ellin Gordon Galleries are pleased to present Sincerely, a group exhibition highlighting the diverse and innovative work by the graduating class from 51±¾É« Art Department Bachelor of Fine Arts Program. This exhibition will take place from Friday, April 25 - Saturday, May 10, with an opening reception on Thursday, April 24 from 6-8pm. The reception is free and open to the public. Featuring a wide range of 2D and 3D media, Sincerely, artist presents a unique perspective, reflecting years of dedication, experimentation, and creative growth.
For updates, follow @oduarts and @gordonartgalleries on Facebook and Instagram, and learn more about the Gordon Art Galleries at odu.edu/arts.
Gordon the Robot
Affectionately nicknamed "Gordon" after the art galleries' namesakes—Baron and Ellin Gordon—this innovative telepresence robot allows remote visits from around the world.
Gordon can move around the space, raise and lower height, and zoom in on art. The remote driver can interact live with staff in the galleries and also invite friends, colleagues, and students to join their visit.
Follow @oduarts on ,Ìý, and  for updates.
Proceeds support arts programming and educational opportunities at 51±¾É«.
Jan. 21 - May 7, 2022
Art from Guantánamo Bay
Ìýâ–º
RESCHEDULED Opening Reception Jan. 27, 6 - 8 p.m.
Detainees at the United 51±¾É«s military prison camp known as Guantánamo Bay have made art from the time they arrived. The Art from Guantánamo Bay exhibition features 101 of these evocative works, made by men held without trial, some for more than 15 years. The six artists include both current (Moath Al Alwi and Ahmed Rabbani) and former (Muhammad Ansi, Abdualmalik (Alrahabi) Abud, Sabri Al Qurashi, Mansoor Adayfi) detainees, none of whom have been charged with committing a crime.
Most pieces in the exhibition were taken from Guantánamo by the detainees' attorneys for this showing and following a laborious process of searching, scanning, and analysis for hidden messages by Guantánamo officials. A stamp reading "Approved by US Forces" signals that a work has been cleared, and the stamp's ink often bleeds through to the image on the other side, creating a ghostly mix of art and authority.
Art from Guantánamo Bay includes drawings and paintings as well as sculptures crafted with the few materials permitted to detainees, including model ships made from shirt scraps, prayer caps, razors, and mops. As former detainee Mansoor Adayfi explains in his New York Times essay "In Our Prison on the Sea," the sea "means freedom that no one can control or own, freedom for everyone." Although detainees were held close to the sea, tarps blocked their view until they were removed for four days in 2014 in anticipation of a hurricane; after that, Adayfi recalls, "all of those who could draw made drawings about the sea."
Follow @oduarts on ,Ìý, and  for forthcoming public programming.
Aug. 30 - Nov. 12, 2022
DesignHer: Works by Contemporary Women Graphic Designers
Closing Reception Nov. 10, 6 - 8 p.m.
DesignHer is an exhibition of contemporary graphic design focusing on women practitioners. Highlighting how women have been at the forefront of defining and challenging the conceptions of design, the exhibition presents a sampling of the various purposes design is put to in our culture and the motivations that prompted its use. Participants range from younger artists building a reputation to internationally renowned leaders in the discipline, and works range from individually crafted objects to mass media campaigns.
Gain insight from juror Carl Floyd Medley III and students of the 2021 Juried Student Exhibition in this in-depth look at the show! Congratulations to students Lyn Dowling ('21), Andre Jacobs ('21), and Korrine Maher ('21) whose artwork has been selected by the 51±¾É« President and First Lady from the Juried Student Exhibition for display in the Jacobson House presidential residence for the 2021-2022 academic year!
About the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries exhibit works by nationally and internationally recognized self-taught artists, contemporary artists working in all media, and local and regional artists connected with 51±¾É« Dominion University.