New Exhibits Open at CNU’s Torggler Center

By: City of Newport News

The Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center at Christopher Newport University (CNU) cultivates extraordinary encounters with the visual arts. Whether viewing an exhibition, taking a class, or attending a lecture or gallery talk, the Torggler beckons you to explore compelling ideas through the transformative lens of visual art. Three new exhibits recently opened at the Torggler for all to enjoy until Oct. 9.

Flora | Fauna | Fiber features contemporary textile works rooted in the representation and exploration of nature. Revealing a rich diversity of approaches, techniques, and content, the exhibition contains examples of fiber comingled with other media, such as photography. Works range from massive wall installations to jewel-like constructions inspired by the intricacies of the natural world. Informed by plants and animals as well as terrestrial and marine topography, the exhibited works also reference conservation and climate change. For more information, visit the Flora | Fauna | Fiber webpage. 

Also new at the Torggler is Kristin Skees: Cozy Portraits. This ongoing portrait series combines traditional women’s craft, contemporary DIY culture, portraiture, and a love of the unexpected and absurd. In this series, the things we normally look for in a portrait — a person’s facial features or expression — are obscured by a knitted cozy. Everyone has basically the same body outline with the cozy. This obstruction and the uniformity imposed by the cozy ask the viewer to look longer and discover for themselves what is happening in the piece. The idea that environment and objects can construct a person’s identity is integral to the work in this series. Visit the Cozy Portraits page for exhibition details. 

While at the Torggler, make sure you check out Suspended Animation: Ryan Lytle. This exhibit is a frozen moment of time in which anvils are suspended by ropes above targets placed on the floor. The installation lies dormant like a paused tv screen until activated by the viewer in the space where the potential weight of the anvils looms overhead. These forms represent the anxieties and pressures that hang over us as we navigate our lives and try to not get crushed. Learn more on the exhibit website. The Torggler is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.; it is closed on Monday. All exhibitions at the Torggler are free and open to the public. For complete information visit thetorggler.org.