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VWU and Virginia MOCA Provide City Council Sneak Peek at Imaginative and Accessible Museum Building
University and museum leaders share bold expansion plans and artist renderings
University News | March 14, 2024
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA) and 91风月楼 (VWU) briefed Virginia Beach City Council this week on the new museum-university affiliation and shared artist renderings of the new state-of-the-art facility to be built on the VWU campus. 
Alison Byrne, Virginia MOCA Interim Director, detailed Virginia MOCA’s programmatic momentum and educational commitment that will activate the Museum building and premises. Tymoff+Moss Architects, in partnership with M. Goodwin Museum Planning (MGMP), a leading museum planning consultancy, designed the building to support education and access, while keeping museum accreditation requirements top of mind.
VWU President Scott Miller and Tymoff+Moss Principal Michael Schneckser walked City Council through the building plans as well as the construction timeline while emphasizing the benefits of the new VWU site.
“The central location of VWU’s campus will make V-MOCA even more accessible, allowing the Museum to better connect with the cultural and educational fabric of the entire Hampton Roads area, explained Dr. Miller. “According to one report, the new location places V-MOCA within a 35-mile radius of 1.6 million people. The current location only has 468,000 people within that same radius.”
For VMOCA, more people mean more schools are located within that radius, opening up a realm of possibilities for greater access for school children throughout Coastal Virginia.
“This incredibly exciting initiative strengthens our ability to educate and collaborate with the community alongside presenting exceptional, locally relevant, and nationally resonant contemporary art. By working together, we can unlock Virginia MOCA's full potential as a vibrant educational hub,” said Byrne.
The new building will support VMOCA’s strategic plan to transform the museum into a regional educational resource and hub of creativity and innovation, serving as a cultural landmark for the region, a vibrant gathering place where people of all walks can experience contemporary art in deeper and more interdisciplinary ways.
The central location on the VWU campus will allow the Museum to better integrate into the fabric of the Hampton Roads region. To that end, the building design provides 20 percent more exhibition space and brings VMOCA’s signature audience a full education and engagement experience and ARTlab, up front and readily accessible. The design ensures the museum can function as one of the largest classrooms on the VWU campus – an immersive, multi-modal learning lab.
While the museum will sit on the VWU campus and be available to VWU students and faculty, VMOCA will remain an independent entity with its own board and staff as well as full curatorial oversight.