The Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center cultivates extraordinary encounters with the visual arts. Whether viewing an exhibition, taking a class, or attending a lecture or gallery talk, the Torggler beckons you to explore compelling ideas through the transformative lens of visual art.
This remarkable 83,000 square-foot building features a luminous atrium capped by three cascading domes, symbolizing the three ships commanded by the university’s namesake, Christopher Newport. In addition to housing the Department of Fine Art and Art History, the Torggler offers the following amenities:
- Magnificent main gallery for major exhibitions
- Interactive Art Explorers Gallery for children (opening in 2026)
- Community art gallery
- Studio classrooms for academic and public art classes, workshops and camps
- 150-seat auditorium
The center bears the name of Mary M. Torggler. Mary and her husband George are longtime supporters of arts and education programs at Christopher Newport. Through their generosity, they have created unique opportunities for artists in both the performing and visual arts to flourish.
At present, the Torggler is a non-collecting organization focused on providing compelling art experiences through changing exhibitions and engaging educational programs. The Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center seeks to enrich the cultural landscape of the commonwealth of Virginia by presenting exceptional visual arts programming that empowers creative expression, critical thinking, lifelong learning and cultural dialogue.
The Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center presents changing exhibitions in four gallery spaces:
- The Anne Noland Edwards Gallery features professional work in a variety of media by artists with national and international profiles.
- The William M. Grace Community Gallery features work by local and regional artists.
- The Academic Gallery features work by Christopher Newport students, faculty, and alumni.
- The Microgallery features experimental projects in an intimate setting.
We proudly offer our exhibitions to the public and the Christopher Newport community at no charge. Our goal is to ensure full accessibility for everyone in our community to experience compelling visual art.
Shylight by DRIFT
Visitors to the Torggler are greeted in the atrium by Shylight, a kinetic sculpture by Studio DRIFT. The Torggler's only permanent installation, Shylight is inspired by certain flowers that close at night for defense. This natural process, known as nyctinasty, is mirrored by the fascinating choreography of Shylight, which begins with tentative movements and builds to a crescendo. The work descends while blossoming in all its glory, only to subsequently close and retreat upward again. Shylight is created out of many layers of hand-cut silk, chosen for its airy and fluid nature, as well as custom machinery and software. The Torggler's Shylight is the first installation of this work in a fully transparent space.
Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta founded Studio DRIFT in 2007. With a multidisciplinary team of over 60, they work on experiential sculptures, installations, and performances. DRIFT manifests the phenomena and hidden properties of nature with the use of technology in order to learn from the earth's underlying mechanisms and to re-establish our connection to it.
Above: DRIFT (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Shylight (detail), installed in 2021. Aluminum, polished stainless steel, silk, LEDs, robotics. Christopher Newport University, Gift of Liz and John Warters.