kempsville | Washington Glass Studio

We’ve begun laying out and trimming the community-made glass panels for the Kempsville public art project—an exciting moment where the collective story starts to come into focus. Our attention now turns to the sculpture’s narrative bas-relief panels.

The quick studio flyover shows us evaluating the works side by side, spotting patterns, rhythms, and powerful adjacencies. The panels tell stories of local flora and fauna, historic buildings, heroic and difficult histories, Indigenous and colonial narratives, local teams, and contemporary life.

Choosing which panels make the final sculpture will be the hardest part—every piece matters. Harbor of Stories is becoming a true communal portrait of Kempsville.

Steel framework for WGS’ “*Harbor of Stories*” in the metal shop

This summer, Washington Glass Studio has been quietly building the foundation for Harbor of Stories, a new public artwork for Kempsville, Virginia. The nearly 18-foot steel structure now standing in the metal shop is the armature that will soon hold hundreds of community-made glass elements.

Erwin Timmers and Michael Janis hosting glass making workshop at Kempsville Community Center, summer 2025.

In partnership with the City of Virginia Beach and Historic Kempsville, we worked directly with Kempsville residents through a series of hands-on workshops held at Virginia MOCA and the Kempsville Community Center. Participants translated personal histories, local landmarks, and shared memories into colorful fused glass tiles — each one a small but vital part of the whole.

Excited Kempsville residents proudly display their glass panel art.

The artwork will also feature larger cast glass bas-relief panels created by Washington Glass Studio artists, depicting Kempsville’s native flora and fauna and the layered histories that define the area.

Right now, the steel stands empty — but not for long. The next phase involves cutting, prepping, and installing the glass, transforming this structure into a welcoming beacon at the corner of Witchduck Road and Princess Anne Road.

The harbor is coming together.

The Washington Glass School

Tag Archives: kempsville

Gathering the Stories: A Studio Look at Kempsville’s New Sculpture

Building the Harbor Before the Stories Arrive