Splash: Honoring Virginia Waterways

Splash: Honoring Virginia Waterways 

ON VIEW: July 16 – August 20, 2026
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, July 16, 2026, 5:30pm to 7:00pm, 
Reception is FREE and open to the public. Enjoy light refreshments, meet artists, and explore the exhibit. 

VIRGINIA WATERWAYS TALK: Friday, August 14, 2026 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm More information below. 

THEME

JUDGE: Daniel J. H. McDonald

Daniel J. H. McDonald is an environmental outreach professional and the coordinator of Keep Suffolk Beautiful. A professional graphic artist, published illustrator, photographer, and painter, his work is inspired by nature, wildlife, and a strong sense of place, often blending detailed realism with expressive design. Through community cleanup initiatives, environmental education, and public engagement, he works to promote stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. His passion for both art and conservation continues to shape his creative work and community outreach throughout the Hampton Roads region.

Virginia Waterways Talk

Friday, August 14, 2026 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm | Free & open to the public 

Virginia hosts the largest estuary in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay. Three experts will be speaking about the various ways in which different state and local organizations are actively preserving Virginia waterways. We invite you to attend, listen, and discuss the importance of protecting and restoring the Waterways of Virginia.

Speakers: 

Lisa Renee Jennings, the Hampton Roads Outreach & Program Manager from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Lisa Renée Jennings has been the Hampton Roads Outreach and Advocacy Manager for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for five years. She formally ran a Buy Local regional program and, before that, litter prevention, recycling education, and beautification programs for the City of Norfolk.  In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and rescuing vintage clothing.

Cassidy McKelvie, the Senior Environmental Planner from the City of Suffolk and co-president of Virginia Master Naturalists

Cassidy McKelvie is the Senior Environmental Planner for the City of Suffolk, where she works with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area regulations and ensures that development projects move through the appropriate environmental review channels for wetland impacts and waterway protections.  She also volunteers as the Vice President of the Historic Southside chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists, participating in citizen science efforts such as water quality testing and vernal pool monitoring.

Leila Avery, a master’s student at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, who has collaborated with the Nansemond Indian Nation and United Houma Nation on reclaiming identity through oyster aquaculture and restoration.

Leila is a Marine Scientist based in Newport News studying how indigenous communities of the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of America are reclaiming tribal identity through oyster aquaculture and restoration by exploring the concept of solastalgia. She is also the owner and operator of Brains, Beauties, and Bivalves LLC, a mobile raw bar and catering company. As a mermmelier-an oyster sommelier she is accustomed to telling the stories of oyster farmers and merroir their oysters embody.