Tag Archives: Featured

Sheldon Scott: the Finest Amenities

In the Finest Amenities, Sheldon Scott examines the relationship of the Potomac and the people of Alexandria through the lens of a historic luxury: ice.

Sheldon builds upon his immersive performance this past April, which was inspired by the history of harvesting ice from the Potomac, and the storage and use of that ice at nearby Gadsby’s Tavern. the Finest Amenities brought together performance, video, installation, photography, and community dialogue. He layered in enslaved narratives and the history and ecology of the river to examine the crucial relationships between race, class, environment, luxury, and consumption.

 

The exhibition in the New Project Studio (Studio 8) will include ephemera, like Sheldon’s suit, performers’ costumes, and the wheelbarrow, as well as a selection of large-scale photographs and video documentation from April. It will also include further insight into Sheldon’s thoughts and inspirations for the Finest Amenities.

This exhibition is part of the Alexandria Office of the Arts’ Time & Place program. This public-art series seeks to foster a dialogue about our region’s history and its continued reverberations today.

Follow #TimeandPlaceALX for information.

About Sheldon Scott

Born and raised in the Gullah/Geechee Lowcountry of South Carolina in the small town of Pawley’s Island, Sheldon Scott now lives and works in Washington, D.C. as an artist. His work plays in the intersection of race, sexuality and economics, while impugning mythologies of black male supernaturality. Sheldon makes performance, sculpture, installation, photobased work, spoken word, creative nonfiction, objects and ephemera. He is an alumnus of the Capital Fringe Theatre Festival and (e)merge Art Fair. His storytelling has been shared on the stages of Busboys & Poets, Story District, and The Moth, where he serves as host for the DC outpost. Scott’s Fine Art practice has enjoyed exhibits at the WPA Select Auction, Arlington Arts Center, Delaware State University, Goucher University, Art Miami the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, National African Art Museum, Katzen Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. He has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Blouin Art Info, Art 21 and Hyperallergic. His upcoming memoir Shrimp & Griots, is based on his storytelling narratives of the same name. In a quest for truth, Scott hopes to de-silo the disciplines of art, history and science through the use of shared language and practices. ConnerSmith Contemporary represents Scott’s Fine Art works while Ross & Yoon Literary Agency represents his written works.

 

 

The Late Shift: Freestyle

Part skate park, part secret pop-up art show, The Late Shift: Freestyle is the first of three late-night festivals over the course of the 2017 summer season. Experience a late-night art happening along the riverfront and in the Torpedo Factory.

Highlights

Indoor skate park at the Torpedo Factory
DJ set by Sharkey
Poetry Slam
Beer, wine, sandwiches, and bronut ice cream sandwiches with EatsPlace
Photo booth
Torpedo Row artist market
DIY artmaking

Featured Artists

– Josue Martinez (Corinto Gallery)
– KEYHAN
– Superwaxx
– Michael Price
– Maps Glover
– Mobile Art Lab
– Rockeats Alcoreza
– Conrado Muluc
– Fran Livaditis
– Val Proudkii
– Mirella Belshe
– Jen Athanas
– Lisa Schumaier
– Art by BS
 
Skate Affiliates
– DC Wheels
– sPACYCLOUd
– The Board Bus
– Vicio Skateboards
– Delores Wheel Co
– One Collective
 
Music by DJ Sharkey and Capps Music.
 
Photobooth provided by DMV Premium Photo Booths.

 

Schedule

6 pm: Preview
7 pm: Skate Park opens
7 – 10 pm: DJ set by SHARKEY
10 pm-10:30pm: DJ set by Capps Music
11 pm: DJ set by SHARKEY
Midnight: Bounce out

Bring your ideas! There will be a table for future brainstorming of art activities and other pop-up ideas at Torpedo Factory.

About the Featured Artists

Josue Martinez

Born in Corinto, El Salvador, Josue Martinez is a passionate artist and graphic designer with more than fifteen years of experience creating inspired works of art. He studied at the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and is the founder and head creative of Art in Promotions, a full-service graphic design firm. As a community artist, Josue has worked with a variety of youth and change-making organizations. Favorite media include pencils, computer graphics, and he has recently discovered metals.

KEYHAN

KEYHAN’s a mixed media artist based in Arlington, Virginia.  His interest in pop-art, surrealism, dadaism, low-brow street art, and fine art define the aesthetics of his works.  His process often explores layers, textures/patterns, and contrasting themes that engages the viewer’s own introspection.  Follow him online via @keyhansolo.

 

 

 

 

Sharkey

Musician, producer and beat maker, Sharkey, has worked and performed with such heavyweights as Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas, Rick Rubin, Everlast, Spank Rock, Jedi Mind Tricks, Kool Keith, and Wyclef Jean. He’s also featured on the soundtracks for movies like Big Daddy and Strays, television shows like House, and XBOX360 video games like Rockstar. His first album, Sharkey’s Machine was credited by The Washington Post as one of “The Top 10 Best Records of 2004” and his second album, Monster Maker was highly rated in Entertainment Weekly and Urb Magazine. He received a Capitol Hill Hilly Award as the 2011 Artist of the Year. He has recently partnered with the Joodlum Group on restaurant and nightlife venues slated to open in 2017.

Story District Favorites

The Torpedo Factory Art Center welcomes Story District for their first-ever Virginia event on June 23. Join us for a hilarious night with some of the finest storytellers to have performed on the Story District stage. Best for an 18+ audience.

Doors 7:30 pm
Event 8 pm – 9:30 pm

Now Sold Out! Second Show Added!

Doors 10 pm
Event 10:30 pm – midnight 

Cast

Graham Campbell (hear a story; some adult themes; language)
Andrea Jones (hear a story; some adult themes)
Keith Mellnick (hear story below)
Vijai Nathan (hear a story; some language)
Cody Pomerantz
Corey Quinlan Taylor
Chris Wade
Sarah Weber

Host: Scott Hollingsworth


Buy Tickets

About Story District 

© alexandermorozov.com

Called the “gold standard in storytelling” by The Washington Post and nominated for the 2012 and 2016 DC Mayor’s Arts Awards, Story District is widely known in the region for showcasing storytelling at its best.

Story District promotes excellence and cultivates new talent in storytelling in the Washington, DC, area through its live performances, coaching, classes, and ongoing support of storytellers. By showcasing diverse perspectives and life experiences, our stories entertain, enrich an understanding of the world, promote compassion, and highlight our shared humanity.

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Second Thursday Art Night: Pride and Joy

Enjoy a special after-hours event at the Torpedo Factory Art Center every month. Browse open studios and galleries, interact with artists, and enjoy special programming. Stop by on your way to dinner and make an evening of it!

  • 6pm: ASO Sympatico performs in our Main Hall, featuring music by Orff Ensemble and Singing Eagles.
  • 7 pm: Target Gallery (Studio 2) welcomes juror Adriel Luis, curator of digital and emerging media at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to talk about the new exhibition, Glitch.

“Ever since the invention of fire, humans have approached technology with intrigue, bewilderment and audacity – sometimes all at the same time. The work submitted for this exhibit presented a treasure trove of ways that artists attempt to tame this flame.” – Adriel Luis

Glitch: An Exploration of Digital Media

Reception: Thursday, June 8 | 6 – 8 pm | Juror Talk 7 pm

The newest exhibition in Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, explores emerging technological and interactive media in art. Glitch: An Exploration of Digital Media features the work of 11 artists from across the country, five of whom are from the region. Adriel Luis, curator of digital and emerging media at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, juried the show.

“Ever since the invention of fire, humans have approached technology with intrigue, bewilderment and audacity – sometimes all at the same time,” said Luis. “The work submitted for this exhibit presented a treasure trove of ways that artists attempt to tame this flame. I learned that technology and media-based art is not merely a genre or medium, but rather a layer of reality that will inevitably become present in all forms of creative expression.”

The work on view in Glitch shows the complex—and sometimes messy—relationship between emerging technologies and basic human communication. Technology can be an obstacle, a distraction, or a placeholder for storytelling. For example, in Sasha de Koninck’s Zeroes and Ones, each jacquard weaving has musical compositions embedded into them. Viewers can play preprogramed compositions or create their own arrangements based on where they move and direct the camera on the accompanying tablet device.

“I chose works that insisted on telling their tales in spite of these challenges,” said Luis. “The works presented here may demonstrate new ways of looking at media, but more importantly, they are new ways of looking at ourselves.”

Glitch is the first exhibition of its kind in Target Gallery and the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

“This exhibition reflects contemporary culture,” said Leslie Mounaime, Target Gallery director. “Artists are embracing technology, utilizing new media and digital elements to enhance their artistic storytelling. The media itself is consistently revolutionizing, too. We’ve risen to the challenge to illustrate the evolving nature of art using digital technology.”

The participating artists:

Jill Burks, Cambridge, NY
Eric Corriel, Brooklyn, NY
Sasha de Koninck, Santa Monica, CA
Alexis Gomez, Dumfries, VA
Ed Grant, Brooklyn, NY
Maxim Leyzerovich, Washington, D.C.
Tracy Miller-Robbins, Westerville, OH
John Mosher, Salisbury, MD
Zach Nagle, Minneapolis, MN
Lyric Prince, Arlington, VA 
Kaylah Waite, Hyattsville, MD 

About the Juror

Adriel Luis is a musician, poet, visual artist, curator and coder from the California Bay Area. Adriel is currently based in Washington, D.C., as the curator of digital and emerging media at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, where his team has been developing a series of “culture labs” as community-created alternatives to traditional museum exhibitions. He is also a founding member of the psychedelic spoken word collective iLL-Literacy, and moonlights on design projects with artists and non-profits. Adriel frequently travels, with particular interest in how digital space shapes global communities. Adriel can be found across online platforms as @DRZZL.

Image: Zach Nagle, Glamour #2, 2015, Mixed Media/Print
Video: Sasha de Koninck, Zeroes and Ones: Exercises in Translation, 2015, Interactive Jacquard Weaving 

Mel Chin: Fundred Dollar Bill Project

Activating across the U.S. for nearly a decade, the Fundred Dollar Bill Project will be in residence at the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s New Project Studio (Studio 8) through June 30. Fundred will be workshoping new ideas and strategies to help end childhood lead poisoning. Visitors will be invited to learn about the project, share their thoughts, and create their own unique Fundred, a currency of imagination.

Hear Fundred founder Mel Chin talk about how the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina inspired this project and how it has evolved over the last 11 years. Co-producer and artist Maps Glover also performs. The New Project Studio will be open late for guests to make their own Fundred Dollar Bills.

To date, they’ve gathered more than 450,000 hand-drawn $100 bills from across the country, educating people about the dangers of lead poisoning, particularly in children. The interactive presentation seeks to engage teachers, parents, students, politicians, health and housing agencies, and community members to know that anyone who donates their individual expressions in this collective effort can take steps against the lead poisoning of children.

Teachers, access the resource guide to create bills with students.

This event is Free to the public, but RSVP is recommended to reserve a seat.

About the Fundred Dollar Bill Project

A Fundred is an individual’s drawing in the form of currency. It represents the value of a person’s expression against the invisible threat of lead poisoning that undermines health, intelligence, and behavior, particularly in children. The Fundred Dollar Bill Project was initiated to offer the population most affected, the young, a means to respond. This purposeful collection has grown into a massive reserve of individual drawings inspired by a single focus. As of May 2017, there are 453,168 unique, hand-made Fundred drawings.

For more information, visit fundred.org or follow the Torpedo Factory on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Veterans Comedy Show with Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)

The Torpedo Factory Art Center welcomes back Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) to host a special comedy show featuring veterans, service members, and military family members from the DC Metro Area. The event will provide a platform for veteran artists to showcase their talents, express themselves, and have their voices heard in front of members of the local community. This is an opportunity for the civilian and military world to connect through comedy, dispel stereotypes and misnomers, and engage in an honest dialogue about the veteran, military, and human experience.

Tickets: General admission tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. Eighty percent of the proceeds from ticket sales will directly support ASAP’s programming.

Doors open 7:30PM, show starts 8PM

Buy Tickets

logoAbout the Armed Services Arts Partnership: The Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) helps veterans, service members, and military families reintegrate into their communities through the arts. ASAP promotes expression, skill-building, and camaraderie through seven- to ten-week classes in stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, and creative writing. ASAP then partners with local colleges, arts organizations, and performance venues to offer its graduates continuous opportunities for artistic and personal growth. In the process, ASAP provides participants with transferable life skills, a renewed sense of purpose, and healing benefits, and strengthens ties between veterans and their communities through the arts. To learn more visit asapasap.org.  To learn more visit asapasap.org.

About the Torpedo Factory’s Community Partnership Program: The Torpedo Factory Art Center regularly co-presents programs with outside groups to bring new artists, works, and disciplines to our visitors. Recent partnerships have included Eames Armstrong, Heloisa Escudero, ReelAbilities Film Festival, AIA Northern Virginia, USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore, Nomadic Jazz, DC Public Opera, Underground Kitchen, Alexandria Choral Society, and Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.

The 3D Art of NASA

The Washington DC Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH and the Torpedo Factory Art Center present Joey Ponthieux, Emmy-award-winning 3D-animator and concept-visualization artist at NASA. Ponthieux will delve into where, and how, art and science intersect as well as what it means to be an artist or a scientist. He will explore the fine line that separates art and science, how we perceive this separation, issues of convergence between art and science, and convergence as a matter of creativity.
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About ACM SIGGRAPH Washington DC

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH is a non-profit, professional computer graphics organization serving the Washington metropolitan area. Our mission is to foster the synthesis of art and technology while promoting and educating the computer graphics and interactive media community through the exchange of printed and electronic information and innovative ideas. We are a volunteer organization that relies on its members to provide unique resources for the benefit of those interested in the field of computer graphics and interactive media and techniques.

About Joey Ponthieux

Joey Ponthieux is a professional 3D animator and concept visualization artist. With a career that began in analog graphics production for offset lithography, he is an EMMY award winning artist with 30 years of CGI production experience in the areas of Higher Education, Broadcast News, and Aerospace Research. He is currently employed by Science Systems and Applications Inc., and assigned to provide advanced computer graphics support for the Aeronautics Research Directorate at NASA Langley Research Center.

About the Torpedo Factory’s Community Partnership Program: The Torpedo Factory Art Center regularly co-presents programs with outside groups to bring new artists, works, and disciplines to our visitors. Recent partnerships have included Eames Armstrong, Heloisa Escudero, ReelAbilities Film Festival, AIA Northern Virginia, USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore, Nomadic Jazz, DC Public Opera, Underground Kitchen, Alexandria Choral Society, and Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.

Contact ACM SIGGRAPH Washington DC:
http://washington-dc.siggraph.org/
https://www.facebook.com/DCsiggraph
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/dc-siggraph

Emmy is a formal trademark of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (“NATAS”)

Ephemera: Artist Panel

 

Join Target Gallery, the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center, for an artist panel featuring seven participating artists from our current exhibition Ephemera. During the panel, we will be discussing the artist’s inspiration, process, and how their work relates to the ‘ephemeral’ by contemplating themes of nature, time, memory, and brevity.

Participating Artists Include:

Madison Bolls
Anne Cherubim
Kelly Johnston
Bryanna Millis
Caroline Minchew
Gretchen Schermerhorn
Lilach Schrag

 

Image Credit: Bryanna Millis, Your Prisons, Your Mountains, 2015, photo, ink, and metallic thread on muslin

Second Thursday Art Night

In May, we celebrate the theme “Everyone Has a Story”. This month’s line-up features a talk for Ephemera in the main hall outside of Target Gallery, a DIY project with the Artist Association on the 3rd floor, and a solo artist reception for Lesa Cook in The Art League. Stop by the Post Graduate Studio to meet with current MFA grad Samantha Sethi. Meet George Washington University’s Art Therapy 2017 graduating class and take part in a creative storytelling workshop. Explore the Fundred Dollar Bill Project as they bring their ongoing project to the New Project Studio. Meet your local Alexandria Library and hear about their Alexandra Reads project. Welcome Story District, the critically-acclaimed DC storytelling program, to Northern Virginia in anticipation of their first-ever Virginia event here at the Torpedo Factory on June 23.  Visit our friends in the Alexandria Archaeology Museum all night as they share stories about artifacts from Alexandria’s past. As always, EatsPlace has the beer and victuals.

 

ALL EVENING

 

  • 6-9pm: Post-Grad Residency – Studio 12
    Take part in a hands-on project with Samantha Sethi, the Spring 2017 Post-Grad Resident, and hear about her upcoming projects throughout the DC area.
  • 7 pm: The Art League – Studio 21
    Reception for solo artist Lesa Cook: Gods, Heroes, and Fools
  • 7:30 pm: Target Gallery – North Hall (near Spiral Staircase)
    Artist panel for Ephemera, an exhibition in Target Gallery contemplating themes of nature, time, memory, and brevity. Several participating artists will discuss the process behind their works and answer questions.
  • 6-9pm: Torpedo Factory Artists Association – 3rd floor landing
    Join members of the Artist Association as they partner with WABA (Washington Area Bicyclist Association) to make sculptures out of bike parts.

 

EVERYONE HAS A STORY

  • “Everyone Has a Story: Creative Workshop”
    GWU (George Washington University) Art Therapy Students Association – Main Hall
    Over the past year, the graduating class of GWU’s Art Therapy program developed a series of art workshops and conversations focused on exploring identity and diversity. Join these talented students as they reach the culmination of their year with a special workshop at Torpedo Factory Art Center.
  • The Fundred Dollar Bill Project
    New Project Studio – Studio 8
    In celebration of the Corcoran Gallery’s extension of Mel Chin’s Fundred Dollar Bill Project, the New Project Studio welcomes this one-of-a-kind art project for the month of May. Experience the wonder of this unique art piece dedicated to raising awareness of lead poisoning among children. Create a Fundred Dollar Bill of your own. Come back on Thursday May 25 for a special reception and conversation in the Main Hall with artist/creator Mel Chin and the Fundred Dollar Bill Project team.
  • “Books and Beyond: Find Your Story”
    Alexandria Library – Second Floor Mezzanine
    The Alexandria Library is dedicated to building community by providing opportunities to learn, explore, create and connect throughout our neighborhoods. Stop by their table tonight to hear about their upcoming events, including All Alexandria Reads, in partnership with our Second Thursday event.
  • “Story District at the Torpedo Factory”
    South Hall
    Welcome Story District for a special pop-up project in preparation for their first-ever Virginia event on June 23 here at the Torpedo Factory. Called the “gold standard in storytelling” by The Washington Post and nominated for the 2012 and 2016 DC Mayor’s Arts Awards, Story District is widely known in the region for showcasing storytelling at its best.  Story District promotes excellence and cultivates new talent in storytelling in the Washington, DC, area through its live performances, coaching, classes, and ongoing support of storytellers. By showcasing diverse perspectives and life experiences, our stories entertain, enrich an understanding of the world, promote compassion, and highlight our shared humanity.
  • “Alexandria Speaks”
    Alexandria Archaeology Museum – Studio 327
    Artifacts can tell a story about what life was like in Alexandria long ago. Write your own histories of artifacts on display before returning to the present to watch oral history interviews of current Alexandria residents from the Immigrant Alexandria Project.

 

Refreshments
EatsPlace Café & Marketplace
Enjoy wine, beer, sweets, and hot sandwiches from EatsPlace. Try out the famous Bronut (Brownie/Donut) as featured in the Washington Post.
Next Month

Thursday, June 8: Pride & Joy