Wonder about that new series of cascading glass domes that is nearly complete on Christopher Newport University’s campus?
It is the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center. While it will not open to the public until September, Executive Director Holly Koons, is already hard at work.
The Atlanta native came to Newport News via Northern Virginia having served as Executive Director of the Arlington Fine Arts Center. She took the position to be a part of a start-up and to have programs to grow. “To open a brand-new facility is a great challenge and exciting,” Koons said.
Koons said the legacy of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center impressed her and showed her that the arts are important and well-loved on the Peninsula.
One program she plans to carry over from the Peninsula Fine Arts Center is the Healing Hearts Program which worked with military veterans.
The new arts center will have three galleries. Galleries will display different art shows on a rotating bases from national and regional artists. There will be space for CNU student and faculty art. Courses will be available for the public including a studio space for clay and ceramic creation.
About her move to the Peninsula, Koon noted “everyone has been so nice, this place has been so friendly.”
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