Adoption Agency | Adoptions From The Heart

Founded in 1933, the Chrysler Museum is one of the largest art museums in the Southeastern U.S. The collection expanded significantly in 1971 when automotive heir Walter P. Chrysler Jr. donated most of his large art collection to the museum. Today, our Virginia adoption agents consider the Chrysler Museum of Art as one of the most impressive art museums on the East Coast. We love taking family trips here to introduce our kids to new types of art from different parts of the world. Some noteworthy current exhibits here include:

Piranesi’s Prisons

This exhibit features Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s large-scale architectural etchings called Carceri d’Invenzione or Prisons of Invention. This series dates back to 1761 and is a major work of art history. Piranesi depicts fantastical versions of prisons which seem far worse than real prisons. The etchings are of impossible and complicated spaces with walls of heavy stone and wooden beams, presenting a far more grim experience than a normal prison. This exhibition also features some of Piranesi’s other prints from the Chrystler collection, including Antichita, Romane, the Grotteschi, and more.

Looking Back to the Future

In 1958, the city of Norfolk kicked off the largest urban redevelopment project in its history. This began with the demolition of the National Hotel. By this time, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) had already begun development projects in other sections of the city, with a heavy focus on public housing. The Downtown Redevelopment Project had urban planners seeking to replace the old downtown section of Norfolk with something completely new. By the end of the 1960s, 140 acres had been cleared. Taverns, burlesque houses, markets, and hotels had been cleared and large boulevards, civic buildings, and high-rises replaced them. This project was about creating a new identity for the city.

Photographer Carroll Herbet Walker documented these changes with pictures of the constructed and natural environment of Hampton Roads. He published several books about this region which combined historical photographs with Walker’s own photos. In this exhibition, a large collection of these photos is on display.

Photographs Take Time

This exhibit examines how photography has changed over time. It begins with some of the earliest examples of photography – 19th-century daguerrotypes where subjects had to sit still due to the long exposure time of early cameras. The exhibit moves through technological advancements all the way up until modern day, with cameras that use special lights and mechanics to photograph multiple moments in the same frame. This exhibit also examines how some works have made time their subject, including themes like permanence and decay, history and memory, and essence and accident. Photographers featured in this exhibit include Harold Edgerton, Vera Lutter, William Christenberry, and several others.

Promise and Perception: The Enchanted Landscapes of Sibylle Peretti

German-born artist Sibylle Peretti uses two-dimensional kiln-formed panels and three-dimensional lost-wax castings to create dream-like landscapes and scenes which are complemented by narratives that discuss humanity’s complex but beautiful relationship with nature. This exhibit showcases some of her most magical environments and figures.

Glass Studio

The Chrysler Museum has a glass studio where you can watch demonstrations and hot glass performance art or take your own class in glassblowing. This is a great place to learn this complex and rewarding artform.

Glass classes include: