Description
Regularly changing exhibitions feature painting, sculpture, photography, glass, video and other visual media from internationally acclaimed artists as well as artists of national and regional renown. By balancing its four primary activities--gallery exhibitions, studio art classes, educational outreach programs and outdoor art shows--MOCA seeks to involve a diverse regional public in the rich and active language of contemporary visual art. By operating at a national standard, MOCA received accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 2010.
Read more in the Director's Welcome by executive director Debi Gray
MOCA is one the region’s best examples of a private-public partnership. The building is owned and maintained by The City of Virginia Beach and MOCA operates within it as a private, non-profit. After maintaining a small oceanfront property for several years, local supporters in the late 1980’s planned to construct a new physical space for the Museum. In 1989, after nearly a decade of planning, fundraising and construction, MOCA opened in its present location at 2200 Parks Avenue. The current structure, designed by Boston architect E. Verner Johnson and Associates, is approximately 38,500 square feet and features 6,300 square feet of exhibition space
