On View in Site 2 Community Gallery

OFF THE GRID: Creating Change Through Art Instruction & Inspiration

Reception: Friday, July 20 7 – 9pm, with opening remarks at 7:30pm

“Off the Grid” is an exhibition featuring the artwork created by Northern Virginia inmates under the volunteer instruction of Kelli Schollard-Sincock (aka Ms. Kelli) of ‘Inspiration Matterz’. The students in Ms. Kelli’s classes range in age, background, and experience, most having never drawn before. She uses a step-by-step process utilizing a griding system to teach the basics in observation and interpretation of line, tone and texture. The artwork displayed in this exhibition is just a small sampling of an enormous body of work that has been produced over the past year by her students. (*Out of respect of privacy for the students, names are simplified to their initials.)

Donated of art supplies are also accepted.

Wish List

• Pads of Bristol Board Drawing Paper (various sizes)
• Pads of Drawing Paper (NOT SPIRAL BOUND)
• Pads of tracing paper
• Packages of carbon paper
• Packages of standard printing paper (white and colored)
• Cardboard backed canvases (variety of sizes)
• Smudge sticks (packages are best – we go through tons of these)
• Erasers: gum, kneaded, and white (we use them all)
• Drawing Pencils: (specifically 8B, 4B, 2B, HB, 5H, and 6/7H) All drawing pencils greatly appreciated!
• Paint Brushes in a variety of sizes
• Acrylic Paint sets (especially black, white, red, yellow, blue)
• Legal Size Manilla Folders

For Inquiries on the Exhibition

Contact: Leslie Mounaime, Target Gallery Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 703-746-4590

About the Curator

Kelli Schollard-Sincock is a Volunteer Art Instructor at both the Alexandria Detention Center and the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. She began developing her art curriculum at the Alexandria Detention Center on a trial run in 2017. Within a year her program has grown to include the Fairfax Country Adult Detention Center now serving approximately 85+ students per week. Kelli began this program as a way to give back to her community and to teach self-empowerment through tangible working skills. As much as she enjoys seeing the beautiful work produced by her students, her greatest sense of fulfillment is witnessing the pride in accomplishment by her students and ultimately to watch them become teachers themselves. Teaching art within the jail system poses many challenges including restrictions on materials and tools. Both the Alexandria and Fairfax facilities have been extremely encouraging and cooperative in aiding the program to grow and develop. Since its inception, the Inspiration Matterz art courses has worked with well over 200+ students. Kelli is a certified Forensic Sketch Artist through the Stuart Parks Forensics Associates. She holds a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Interdisciplinary Art from the University of Washington, and has recently completed the Bachelor of Fines Art’s program in Printmaking at George Mason University.

About Inspiration Matterz

Inspiration Matterz is the brainchild of Kelli Schollard-Sincock and is currently in the works to become a non-profit with the intention of serving the less fortunate within her community through art instruction. She is indebted to and greatly humbled by the support she has received from her community through donation of materials, legal services, monetary support, and the provision of classroom opportunities from so many people including: The Alexandria Detention Center, The Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, The Del Ray Artisans, The Reston Buy Nothing Group, Cooley LLP Legal Services, Thomas J. Long Foundation, Cathy Fisher of Fisher & Kong LLP, and Leslie Mounaime Director of the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. She is especially thankful to her family for their continued and unwavering support of her program.

This exhibition is supported by the Del Ray Artisans.