Hours:
M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sa 10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed Sunday
Call For Artists
Looking for the opportunities for artists to display? Well, look no further. Our open calls have now moved to their own page! Check out the page using the button below.
Rotating exhibit located on the 2nd floor.
The Newport News Community Gallery displays exhibits throughout the year featuring the works of local, national, and international artists. This gallery also hosts multiple student exhibits. If you are interested in having your artwork displayed at Downing-Gross, fill out our Artist Display Inquiry Form. For more information about the gallery, please feel free to contact us. We also have a Foyer Gallery.
On Display Now
Beetle Mania: Science, Arts, and the World of Beetles
Explore the wonderful world of beetles through art enhanced with vibrant colors and textures. Interactive features include a variety of giant hand-painted floor puzzles, microscopes magnifying intricate insect body anatomy, and fun photo ops. Sequential artworks (ceramics, paintings, and installations) focus on beetle metamorphosis, pollination, and symbiotic relationships. On display in the Newport News Community Gallery through October 31, 2025.
Upcoming Exhibits
Patrick Mills: A Celebration
Patrick Mills: A Celebration is an in-depth & triumphant look at the work of one of Hampton Roads’ most respected visual artists. Working primarily in acrylic and oil, Patrick Mills’ work poignantly illustrates the black experience, the American experience, and how the two are inextricable from one another. While some of his works speak to the happenings in society past and present, Mills also depicts his family’s history and lineage- using himself and his family’s history as a mirror upon which the viewer sees their own lives and history. The subjects of his paintings range from jubilant jazz, to pious religiosity, to historical figures, to serene scenes, to the transatlantic slave trade, to the pandemic.
Join us for an opening reception on November 8 from 1:30pm-3:30pm. Free and open to the public, with light refreshments served. RSVPs are appreciated.
Simply Love
Presented by Heather Hughes Photography, Simply Love is a black and white photographic exhibition featuring local families and showcasing the importance of displaying photography that captures love, joy & togetherness.
Portraits of Hampton Roads children, youth, and adults are accompanied by personal stories about love, kindness, and how that love and kindness have positively impacted them, their lives, or their role in the community.
The goal of this exhibition is to spread love and understanding within our community while showcasing the importance of printing & displaying family photographs to pass on personal stories of love, joy & togetherness.
Join us for an opening reception on December 11 from 6-8pm featuring a live performance from the Soundscapes Performance Ensemble. Free and open to the public, with light refreshments served. RSVPs are appreciated.
Previous Exhibits
