Explore the Arts District
A Creative Campus Within a Campus
The Arts District at Old Dominion University represents decades of investment in creativity, scholarship, and public engagement. Along Monarch Way and throughout campus, galleries, museums, studios, libraries, and performance spaces create an environment where artists, scholars, students, and visitors come together.
Barry Art Museum
Opened 2018
A landmark destination for art and learning, the Barry Art Museum houses internationally recognized collections of studio glass, nineteenth- and twentieth-century American paintings, and historic European and American dolls.
Beyond exhibitions, the museum serves as a teaching resource for students across disciplines, encouraging engagement with original works of art through classes, research, and public programming.
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Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
Opened 2007
The Gordon Art Galleries serve as the university's primary exhibition venue for contemporary art and the permanent Gordon Gift collection of self-taught and folk art from across the Americas.
Through exhibitions, lectures, and community programs, the galleries connect ODU students and visitors with artists and ideas from Hampton Roads and around the world.
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Barry Arts Building
Opened 2015
The Barry Arts Building serves as a central academic hub for the Department of Art. The building houses classrooms, faculty offices, graphic design laboratories, collaborative spaces, and the Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library.
The facility brings together teaching, research, and creative practice in one collaborative environment.
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James A. Hixon Art Studio Building
Opened 2015
Designed for intensive studio practice, the Hixon Art Studio Building provides specialized spaces for disciplines including painting, sculpture, and printmaking.
The building also houses the James A. Hixon Student Gallery, where students gain professional exhibition experience through thesis exhibitions, juried shows, and curated projects.
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Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library
Established 1979 | Relocated 2015
Founded through the generosity of Norfolk arts patron Elise N. Hofheimer, the Art Library supports research and teaching across the visual arts.
Its collection includes specialized books, exhibition catalogs, periodicals, digital resources, and artists' books that support students, faculty, and researchers.
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Diehn Fine & Performing Arts Center
Opened 1991
The Diehn Fine & Performing Arts Center provides a home for music education and performance at Old Dominion.
Featuring rehearsal spaces, performance venues, the Diehn Composers Room, and Chandler Recital Hall, the facility supports concerts, recitals, and creative work by students and faculty.
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Goode Theatre
Opened 2014
The Goode Theatre is a flexible black-box performance venue designed for contemporary theatre, film screenings, experimental productions, and technical theatre education.
Its adaptable design allows students and artists to explore new approaches to performance and storytelling.
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The Future: Engineering and Arts Building
Opening 2027
The next chapter of the Arts District will bring artists, designers, engineers, and innovators together in a shared environment.
The Engineering and Arts Building will include classrooms, design studios, maker spaces, and exhibition areas designed to encourage collaboration across disciplines.
The facility continues a tradition that began with twelve easels in a converted classroom: the belief that creativity grows when people and ideas come together.