The CAN Foundation

Love I experience this in so many ways every day. I know it’s power, I feel it’s energy. Today I was outside playing in the dirt, talking to nature, Under pressure - Queen/Bowie - came on. Love dares you to care. Back in December I was taking down my piece from TENFOLD @_canfoundation “Phases” Dichroic film, glass, hand dyed paper and intentions. I like to bring color and light, experience the interaction within the space. I had cut the filament of the first phase, moved onto the next, and as I made the cut and was holding that phase, in that moment time did that curious thing where it pauses and lets you think through what you know is going to happen but lets you choose the path that you feel is best for you. I knew that disc was falling through my fingers and I could feel its energy. It indeed fell and cracked, and it’s ok. I’m a believer in the work will morph on its own. As I continued to take down the rest, I wondered what intention was on the piece that broke. Human Kind and Love These were new intentions I added for this show. For a second I let the negative thought cross my path, and was like nope. Love can break Human Kind, and can change it. I feel it, I see it in amongst all the other energies that are not love. Love

A peek into the 10 x 10 Working Artist Session at the CAN Gallery/Studios @citycenteratoysterpoint created & facilitated by CAN Artists in Residence, @raintheneo & @creator_flower . Many thanks to the artists who joined @joeldewsumnflippen @jennclemonsart @xojenniferalexis @andre_the_poet_ @_zagman @wmj.art @kylielove.art @savy_k_ & more! Stay tuned for more from the day & to come.

LAST CHANCES TO CHECK OUT TENFOLD!

Many thanks to all who joined us this weekend for Conversations in Art/The Artist Salon that took place in conjunction with TENFOLD at the CAN Gallery @citycenteratoysterpoint . Special thanks to our panelists! We appreciate your generosity in time, insight, and spirit! Conversations in Art Panelists Included: Heather Hakimzadeh, Senior Curator, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (VA MOCA) @virginiamoca 
Kate Pittman, Executive Director, Vibe Creative District @thevibecreativedistrict @katepittman104 
Careyann Weinberg, Director of Economic Vitality, Downtown Norfolk Council @car3yann 
Jeff Stodghill, Former Board Chair, Newport News Public Art Foundation, President, PMA Architecture @pma.architecture 
Hampton Boyer, Co-founder, CAN Foundation, Artist @hamptonboyer 📷 1: @j.p.photog

Current First Patron AIR Studios @creator_flower & @raintheneo as well as that of @nnpublicartfoundation AIR @_dkane give TENFOLD visitors a look into the active process of the artists we support! Join us this evening to have an inside look behind the scenes. Tickets at the link in our bio.

A table of 10 years including large scale photographs by former CAN Studio Artist @j.p.photog who has been documenting CAN workshops, exhibitions, artists, and events since he participated in a CANtemporaries Workshop in 2023. Join us at TENFOLD tonight for the 2 in 1 event that includes a ‘Conversations in Art’ followed by the ‘Artist Salon’. Tickets at the link in our bio.

A TENFOLD install shot featuring work by @bpresto3 , @jaidag.art , and @shale03 . Make an appointment to check out the exhibition today, or join us this Saturday for the 2 in 1 event: ‘Conversatjons in Art’/ ‘The Artist Salon’ at the CAN Gallery @citycenteratoysterpoint by getting tickets at the link in our bio.

SOLD! 🔴 Many thanks to the patron who purchased artist @restlessrootssigns Ashley Carson’s ‘757 or Bust’ currently on view in the CAN’s 10 Year Anniversary exhibition, TENFOLD. Check out the works in our auction or catalog to find original work from some of Hampton Roads’ best!

A repost from TENFOLD participating artist, Jazmine Beatty! @jazzyb_designs Join us next Saturday to meet some of the TENFOLD artists, engage, and build community around a shared love of the arts! Read on for Jazmine’s original post: Forever grateful to be part of this exhibition and be among so many amazing artists and people! 💕 Come check out the exhibit anytime this month! #tenfold #communityvibes #757artist

Tickets for Conversations in Art/The Artist Salon at the link in our bio! Read on to learn about the 2 in 1 event! Conversations in Art: A Decade of the Arts in Hampton Roads Join us on December 20th from 6-8 pm at the CAN Gallery for a special edition of Conversations in Art, bringing together cultural leaders to reflect on the impact of the past decade and envision what lies ahead for the region’s creative landscape. This public dialogue will explore how supporting artists uplifts communities, the lessons learned through public art, residencies, and exhibitions, and the shared work of building a sustainable creative ecosystem for the future. Moderated by:
Asa Jackson, President & CEO, McColl Center; Co-founder, CAN Foundation @asajacksonart Panelists: Heather Hakimzadeh, Senior Curator, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (VA MOCA) @virginiamoca 
Kate Pittman, Executive Director, Vibe Creative District @thevibecreativedistrict @katepittman104 
Careyann Weinberg, Director of Economic Vitality, Downtown Norfolk Council @car3yann 
Kendrick Hopkins, Producer, WHRO @kendrickhopkinsjr 
Jeff Stodghill, Board Chair, Newport News Public Art Foundation, President, PMA Architecture @nnpublicartfoundation @pma.architecture 
Hampton Boyer, Co-founder, CAN Foundation, Artist @hamptonboyer These conversation offers a space for reflection, dialogue, and collective imagination — honoring the intertwined relationship between artists, institutions, and the communities they sustain. Following the conversation join us for: THE ARTIST SALON, 8-10 PM Following the conversation, we invite TENFOLD artists along with creatives and art appreciators alike for an Artist Salon where we will network, connect, and celebrate around a shared love of the arts!

#throwbackthursday Residencies! Exhibitions! A blurb from CAN’s newsletter review of 2021 provided insight into culminating exhibitions for the CAN’s inaugural artist in residence cohort. Enjoy a look back at the 2020-2021 resident artists culminating exhibitions, beginning with the two person exhibition featuring resident artist @hamptonboyer who was accompanied by @alexmichael (including some in progress shots of the exhibit), and read on for context from the January 2022 Newsletter. *As a side note, we wish Hampton a very Happy Birthday today! The heart of the CAN Foundation’s work is The First Patron Initiative; a 15 month artist residency housed at The Contemporary Arts Network headquarters. During the course of the residency, artists are given studio space and the opportunity to collaborate on various projects. As a culmination of their time in First Patron, the artists produce an exhibition.  2021 saw culminating exhibitions by Adewale Alli, Nastassja Swift, and Hampton Boyer.  In August 2021, The CAN Foundation presented the culminating exhibition by First Patron Artist in Residence @hamptonboyer Hampton Boyer, accompanied by @alxmchlstudio Alex Michael.  The two man exhibition featured new bodies of work entitled ‘The Sunflower Fields’ by Hampton Boyer and ‘A MTHRNSON’ by Alex Michael. The exhibition explored mother and son relationships, grief, the celebration of life, and creation as a healing response to physical passing.  It included accompanying programming and discussions centered around the theme. It ran through September 18, 2021.

TENFOLD participating artist @spencer.tinkham.art pictured with his work. Stop by during our viewing hours this week to see it in person! Read on to learn about the work and the artist. Dendrobates azureus (Blue Poison Dart Frog) Basswood, marble dust and oils Spencer Tinkham combs databases of natural history museums for specimens with fascinating individual narratives.  Tinkham then visits these natural history museums to collect photo reference of specific specimens, which inspire his sculptures.  Macrosculptures balance art with science, abstraction with realism, and sculpting with painting.  These large wall-hanging works present the viewer with magnified perspectives of specific specimens with intriguing narratives. The heightened texture dramatically conceals or reveals colors as the viewers’ perspectives shift. Hand-illustrated specimen tags are recreated on the back of each work, referencing the sourced specimen that inspired each piece- its end-of-life history, the collector, and collection.   24” x 24” x 2.5”