The Visual Arts Center, TCC at Olde Towne held its spring exhibitions, Sam Hughes: A Photographic Exploration of Today’s Children and Barbara Hennig-Loomis: Pieces of Silver, May 5 – June 21, 2012. The Opening Reception took place on Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m.

Both of these programs were masters thesis exhibitions. In his work, Sam Hughes (Norfolk, VA) presented photographs that explored the world of children. In a society that often pressures, exploits and oppresses its young, Hughes depicted children being children. This unique and thoughtful documentation of self-expression included a variety of themes including dance, sports, music and dress-up. Photographs of empty playground equipment seemed to beckon children to play while unusual fence-type frames indicated, keep out.

Barbara Hennig-Loomis (Chesapeake, VA) created large-scale figurative paintings for her program. Often narrative, the artist drew on a variety of art historical references and real life experiences to dramatically and realistically capture her subjects. A vast sight-specific altarpiece encompassed an entire gallery and was complete with kneeling bench, hymnbook and fallen angel. A multi-component piece, the paintings were rich with color and symbolism, and the drawings expertly drafted. Both collections engaged viewers.