Last night from 7-9pm, Virginia MOCA hosted an evening of mystery, intrigue and illusion at the most recent teen takeover night. The event featured plenty to tantalize attendees, including uniquely named “mock”tails (such as the hanged man, the chariot, etc), tarot card readings, mask making, a photo booth, and the event ended with a grand illusion performance by magician John Kingry.

The focus of teen takeover night is to enrich the lives of teenagers by making the world of art more approachable. This particular event was inspired by the MOCA’s current exhibits, which features an array of artwork, including pieces from Brian Dettmer, a tarot deck art project (with submissions from over 80 different artists!) and more! Teen takeover night is a free event exclusively for students in high school, hosted by teens from Virginia Beach Public Schools. MOCA graciously host’s the event in celebration of the City of Virginia Beach’s 50th Anniversary.

After everyone got a chance to enjoy all that the event had to offer (including a bunch of silliness that came from posing at the photo booth!), we all headed into the auditorium to watch the illusionist show. As someone who doesn’t really “believe” in magic, I have to say that I was pretty impressed! There were so many times after a trick where I was left dumbstruck wondering “how did he do it?!”. That (in my opinion) is the mark of a great performance! It was also fun to watch how the magician incorporated the teens into his show, having them help demonstrate his tricks, or even making them a part of the tricks!
All in all, this was a great evening, and I know we are all looking forward to the next teen takeover night, which will be at the beginning of November!