Public Art
Wander through the neighborhood and discover tiny art happenings, large-scale murals and pops of neon color and light. From works by nationally celebrated visual artists like Esteban del Valle and HENSE, to local heroes like Carl Medley III and Hannah Kirkpatrick, to the world-renowned Chrysler Museum of Art, come see the new energy of Norfolk on display.
International Yarn Bombing Day 2025
Multimedia artist Isabella Thompson returned to the NEON District in 2025, creating an ocean-inspired yarn bomb for International Yarn Bombing Day on June 15. Yarn bombs are street artworks created by fiber enthusiasts who crochet or knit pieces for display in public environments, often covering trees, fences or benches. Find Isabella’s piece on Olney Road … International Yarn Bombing Day 2025
View PostLittle Free Library
What started as quirky artist project has now become a free lending library in the community. In 2021, Norfolk glass and craft artist Suzy Peterson built the Lil Gallery on a Post with her summer camp students. It was a tiny art gallery filled with postage-sized works of art for the public to enjoy. Four … Little Free Library
View PostRed Zig Zag
Red Zig Zag – a fence around nothing, is a striking new sculpture at the intersection of Grace and Duke Street, across from the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Perry Glass Studio. Created by Anton Bakker, who is originally from Norfolk, the sculpture stands 14 feet tall—17 feet on its pedestal—and showcases his focus … Red Zig Zag
View PostStarry Daze
Throughout 2024, Norfolk artist Lindsay Horne meditated on and took inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s famed painting Starry Night. Weaving in and out of her life in peculiar ways, the pattern she found in life transcended into her creative work and became the inspiration behind this site-specific installation. Starry Daze is metal wire cut into circles, … Starry Daze
View PostWeatherman
Tim Rodgers, Jr.’s Weatherman mural is an ode to news production, both in front of and behind the camera. Local TV station WTKR’s garage now depicts a weather man in front of two weather backgrounds, one half is sunny and green and the other half is rainy and wet. The second door panel consists of … Weatherman
View PostSHAPES IN THE LOT
The goal for this project was to activate the Cofer Lot and bring bold black and white shapes to the heart of the NEON District during the 2024 Festival! Renowned local artist Dathan Kane wanted to honor the community that utilizes the lot on a daily basis and have the mural serve as a solution … SHAPES IN THE LOT
View Post801 Window Gallery
The NEON District and the condo owners of the Gray Building partner on providing a rotating window gallery space for young and emerging artists. In the fall of 2024, featured young artists representing Solstice Hybrid Academy are on display. Solstice Hybrid Academy founder Sarah Harrington says her students are all special, different and unique. The … 801 Window Gallery
View PostNEON Wayfinding Posters 2024
In 2017, Work Program Architects, Downtown Norfolk Council and Sway Creative Labs joined forces to create an artistic sign package for NEON that included pedestrian signs, gateway fixtures and sidewalk “breadcrumbs” to lead visitors around the neighborhood. Two custom fabricated steel signs were placed on Olney Road and Grace Street with attraction listings and windows … NEON Wayfinding Posters 2024
View PostHealing Hearts
As a collaboration between the Renova Center and the Samaritan House, the artist decided to feature words of empowerment and faceless characters of some of the many heroes helping individuals and families with healing hearts. The mural was mostly painted in the fall of 2023 by d’Art Center artist Vivian Davis with help from volunteer … Healing Hearts
View PostPublic Art Program
Since the birth of the NEON District, new murals and sculpture projects have multiplied, through both top down and grassroots efforts. The combination creates an inclusive, welcoming arts community with a range of talents and styles. The NEON District's public art grant program supports individual artists and property owners seeking designs.
ExploreArts Archive
A number of amazing projects have graced the walls and galleries in the NEON District over the years. Some were temporary, some faded away gracefully and some rotate out over the years. Walk down memory lane with us.
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