VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A thought-provoking art exhibition is opening at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.

“Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick” will be displayed on the museum walls from March 9 through June 11.

“I think it’s impossible for anyone to come to this exhibition and not leave forever changed,” said art collector Jordan Schnitzer. The exhibit is from the collections of Schnitzer and his family foundation.

“Kara Walker; Cut to the Quick” examines slavery, racism, gender and physical abuse.

Schnitzer said the work makes you look within.

“The role of this artist is to stop us in our tracks, look at her work and force us to examine our values,” he said.

He has an extensive art collection and travels around the country, showing it off.

“For me, it’s all about the art and the audience,” Schnitzer said. “That’s why they’ve gone through all the work they have. I’ve said before, too many eyes don’t wear out the art.”

Inside his collections are pieces by Kara Walker that confront hard-hitting themes of our past.

“Kara Walker, as a chronicler, has forced us to deal with these issues prevalent in our society,” Schnitzer said.

You’d see her art in major museums, and now it’s in Virginia Beach.

“You don’t have to go to New York, San Francisco, or Chicago to see this artist’s work. It’s right here in your community,” he said.

Want to go?

Tickets for the exhibition, “Kara Walker; Cut to the Quick,” at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art at 2200 Parks Ave. in Virginia Beach are free. If you want them, click here. The exhibit runs through June 11.