VIRGINIA BEACH
An insightful exhibition on deliberate discriminatory housing in Black and Brown communities is now being featured at The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA). The display investigates racist and restrictive housing discrimination across the nation that began in the 20th century.
Living Apart: Geography of Segregation in the 21st Century is curated by Johnny C. Finn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography, Christopher Newport University; and Heather Hakimzadeh, Senior Curator and Special Projects Manager, Virginia MOCA.
“The community has never been more engaged in conversations related to policies and practices rooted in racism,” said Gary Ryan, Director and CEO, Virginia MOCA. “Through art, we have a unique opportunity to walk this path together and gain a better understanding of how past events shape our region today.” ‘
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of lectures and professional development workshops grappling with the enduring lines of racial segregation and exploring potential pathways for reparative justice.
Living Apart: Geography of Segregation in the 21st Century provides an in-depth account of racist housing policies and how they weakened the financial and environmental health of those targeted in the Hampton Roads region. Through maps, images, and personal accounts, the exhibition explores how these practices shaped minority communities and how their presence can be felt today.
A related lecture on Saturday, January 21 will be conducted by Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, the Endowed Professor of Virginia Black History and Culture and emeritus director of the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center for African Diaspora Studies at Norfolk State University. on Saturday. Titled The Politics of Inequity: Looking Back to See a Pathway Forward, it will be held from 6:30–8:00 p.m
. The MOCA is also offering a series of teacher workshops, open to K–12 Virginia teachers in partnership with the Virginia Geographic Alliance (VGA).
They are “Mapping Meaning: Harnessing the Power of Participatory Photography to Uncover the Meanings of Place” on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, from 5:00–8:00 p.m. and “Mapping Inequality: Harnessing the Power of GIS Technology and Participatory Photography to Explore Racial and Environmental Inequality” on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
For more information or to support the Virginia MOCA as a sponsor, please visit virginiamoca.org. Follow Virginia MOCA at @VirginiaMOCA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to receive the latest updates.
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
Living Apart is generously underwritten by The Lawson Companies. Supported by Virginia Geographic Alliance, Institute of Human Geography, Christopher Newport University, CNU Center for Community Engagement, Ferguson Fellowship for Community Engagement.
ABOUT THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
An AAM accredited non-collecting museum, Virginia MOCA presents exceptional, locally relevant, and nationally resonant exhibitions that invite neighbors, strangers, students, families, communities, and cultures to explore our shared humanity through contemporary art, in all of its timeliness, restlessness, and beauty. More information about Virginia MOCA can be found at virginiamoca.org.
