A giant glowing sun sculpture was supposed to greet Norfolk crowds on both Friday and Saturday this week, but a soggy forecast forced organizers to pack the entire Sixth Annual Helios Public Arts Festival into a single expanded day. The free festival outside Old Dominion University's Barry Art Museum on 43rd Street will now proceed Saturday, Nov. 7, folding in performances that had originally been scheduled for Friday.
Museum officials made the call after consulting with ODU's Office of Emergency Management, according to WAVY.com. The decision traced directly to the weather outlook for Friday, Nov. 6, with Old Dominion University citing the forecast for heavy rain and potential lightning as the reason for scrapping that evening's lineup.
“The safety of our visitors, artists and community partners is our first priority,” said Barry Art Museum Executive Director Nicole Crawford, whose comments were shared with the station's report. Crawford added that officials were disappointed to lose Friday evening but were looking forward to Saturday's celebration instead.
A Sun You Can Walk Up To
The reason for all the fuss is Helios, a giant inflatable sun sculpture making its North American debut at the festival. Built at a scale of 1:200 million by artist Luke Jerram, the piece is illuminated from within and depicts solar storms rippling across its surface, per the same account from the station. It's not Jerram's first visit to campus — he previously brought the large-scale installations Museum of the Moon and Mars to Old Dominion University.
Crawford described the piece as an invitation for the community to see something familiar in an entirely new light. Jerram's Helios, she said, lets visitors experience the familiar and extraordinary through a new perspective, celebrating art, science and discovery all at once.
What's on Tap Saturday
Beyond the sculpture itself, the festival features hands-on activities, performances and demonstrations led by university and community groups, the outlet reports. Participating organizations include the Student Art League, Writers in Community, the Society of Physics Students, the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio and Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Additional events are planned at the Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium and along the Elizabeth River Trail.
The gaps left by Friday's cancellation mean the evidence does not spell out a finalized, itemized Saturday schedule or confirm individual start times for each performance. The festival remains free and open to the public, and it arrives as the Barry Art Museum continues work on a broader expansion project tied to campus growth at Old Dominion University, according to Barry Art Museum.
