Exhibit celebrating the life and poetry of Nikki Giovanni opens in Alexandria

We're celebrating Nikki Giovanni many Hokies can attest to the power of her words both spoken and written she is known around the world for her poetry essays and written work. "I was stolen in an African war.” We have been Nikki Giovanni immersive experience here and we originally launched it at the cube in Blacksburg, Virginia, but we were really excited to bring it to Alexandria and the Torpedo Factory. Being able to help pull the whole Commonwealth together with the things that are going on in Virginia Tech is really an important thing for us. “My strength no longer able to hold the hot and cold.” An interesting thing for me is the fact that each one of the pieces comes from a different point in Nikki Giovanni's life and to hear each of the poems you know at those different stages and the fact that somebody can hear her saying those things. It has truly been an honor to work alongside such talented and dedicated groups of individuals. The thing that has made the most lasting impact on me though is the opportunity to contribute to this project that honors and celebrates the legacy of Nikki Giovanni. What we're inviting viewers to do is to come and stand or sit or however you want to be in the space, but to just spend a little bit of time with Nikki Giovanni and her poetry and her words. I feel like this will be a great project for people to come see and experience, and I think that it speaks so much volumes. I'm just very thankful for Nikki and everything she has done.

culture 1:38 Exhibit celebrating the life and poetry of Nikki Giovanni opens in Alexandria

By:

Craig Newcomb

19 Feb 2026 193

Alumni and community members attended the Greater Washington D.C. Area Tech on Tap reception for the opening of The Nikki Giovanni Immersive Experience at the Torpedo Factory Art Museum in Alexandria. The exhibit, produced by the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), combines audio of Nikki reading her own poetry with composed music, audio soundscapes, and motion graphics for an immersive experience. The exhibit will remain at the Torpedo Factory until May 17th, 2026.