AACC and the Office of Cultural Affairs use 21st Century Technology for an " interactive exhibi

"AACC and the Office of Cultural Affairs use 21st Century Technology for an " interactive exhibit" about several African American Community Heroes in Virginia Beach".

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Hero Posters Will Soon Be Displayed Across Hampton Roads

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (Nov. 30, 2018) — As you’re out and about this holiday season, be on the lookout for the new public art installation, “Community Heroes.” The City of Virginia Beach Office of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the African American Cultural Center of Virginia Beach present this interactive exhibition featuring portraits of 17 African American Heroes from Virginia Beach. Posters will be displayed across Hampton Roads in guerrilla art style -- on the walls of local businesses, libraries, schools and other select locations.

The expansive poster exhibit is meant to catch people unexpectedly in the course of their day-to-day routines, but there is also a map highlighting the poster locations that the public can use to locate all 17 heroes. When you find a poster, you can scan its QR code with your smartphone to get more information on the hero, plus information about the artists. The community heroes include educators, community advocates, war heroes, actors and more.

Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond, former Virginia Beach Councilmember and founder of the African American Cultural Center of Virginia Beach (AACCVB), is one of the portrait subjects, and she believes this project “will create excitement about the forthcoming African American Cultural Center of Virginia Beach while educating the public on some of our local heroes.” The AACCVB will be the regional leader in generating historical and cultural content through programs, artistic performances and curated exhibits. Visit www.aaccvb.org for more information on the African American Cultural Center.

The artists behind this project are students. Under the direction of local art instructors, Jessica Van Veenhuyzen (Cox High School), Richard Nickel (Old Dominion University) and Christopher Revels (Young Audiences of Virginia), local high school students worked in teams to create the posters. They selected and researched a local hero, created a linocut portrait, and wrote the heroes’ biographies that are found with the QR code.

The “Community Heroes” exhibit will be on display throughout Hampton Roads through the end of February 2019. Visit www.vbpublicart.org/community-heroes for the map and complete list of heroes.

ABOUT THE CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH’S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS:
The role of the Office of Cultural Affairs is to develop the vision and direction of the cultural arts in Virginia Beach, assist and direct the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, coordinate the city's Public Art Program, provide contract management for the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, serve as the liaison with Virginia MOCA and the ViBe Creative District, and serve as a resource to local arts and humanities organizations.

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See official release here.