Tag Archives: Featured

Holiday Helper 2022

Torpedo Factory Art Center is your destination for one of a kind, handmade, gifts directly from the hands that made them. Our Holiday Helper makes it easy for you to find what you’re looking for.

Find Winter themed, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and General Holidays offerings along with special deals often at prices under $50 or $100.

Download your copy of Holiday Helper 2022 here or pick up a copy in the Art Center.

Holiday Cards, along with the original painting, on display at Kurt Anderson Studio 5

Brandi Couvillion, Alluvial Riverbank Earrings, Etched Jewelry

Click to Download Your Copy

 

Alison Sigethy, Desk Jewel, Glass

 

Samantha Shelton, HanakCat

 

Christine Coyle, Holiday ornaments. Ceramic

 

Jenny Nordstrom, Old Town Alexandria 2023 Wall Calendar

 

Guido R. Zanni, Midnight Blooms, Limited Edition Print, 16 x 20

 

Rosemary Feit Covey, Cameron Street, wood engraving

Professional Development Series: Finding the Right Open Calls, Residencies, & Galleries for You

One of the most challenging and exhilarating things about working in the arts is that success is unique and varied: there is no one route to success and there is no one definition of success. Among so many different open calls, how can you identify and procure the opportunities that are right for you?
In Part 1 of this three-part professional development series, join art world experts and practicing artists Bill Carroll, Director of Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts’ Studio Program and Kelly Olshan, NYFA Program Officer in Career Advice and Training, who will dive into these topics in conversation.

Tune in on Facebook Live for:

  • Best practices for applying to open calls–from residencies to exhibitions
  • How to approach opportunities in alignment with your career goals
  • The juror and grantmakers’ perspective on artist submissions
  • When it is appropriate to seek gallery representation

Guest Speaker:
Bill Carroll, Director of Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program
Bill Carroll has been involved in the New York Art World for forty years. He was the Director of the Charles Cowles Gallery in Soho; and the Elizabeth Harris Gallery in Chelsea. Bill also worked in non-profit at the Dia Art Foundation, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Nancy Graves Foundation, and is presently the Director of the EFA Studio Program. He has curated numerous solo and group exhibitions. Bill teaches an MFA course at Pratt Institute titled Art World & Professionalism., and has lectured including at NYFA, NYU, Cranbrook, Bard College, SVA, Columbia, Cornell, and F.I.T. Bill has exhibited extensively, and in 2016 had a solo installation of fifty-six paintings at the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library. In 2018 his work was included in Selections NYC at the San Luis Obispo Museum in California. Bill’s had his sixth solo exhibition at the Elizabeth Harris Gallery, in Chelsea, in April 2022.

Click here to Join on Facebook. 

The series includes:

All Professional Development Opportunities

This opportunity is presented in partnership between Torpedo Factory Art Center and New York Foundation for the Arts.

 


New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is a 501(c)(3) service organization that provides artists, emerging arts organizations, arts administrators, and students with critical support, professional development tools, and resources for defining and achieving career success. NYFA was established in 1971 to serve individual artists throughout New York State. Since then, they have extended their programs and services throughout the United States and internationally and expanded our scope to serve additional members of the arts community.

Art Fest

12PM – 4PM

Free to enter. Shop for affordable art deals on all three floors of the Art Center while enjoying art demos and drinks. Enjoy discounts on selected affordable art (varies on each day). Plus, artist talks and live performances.

New Works on Paper by Mariella Bilitsa, A Galactic Panther Exhibition at Torpedo Factory Art Center free reception, Sunday, 12-2 PM in Site Two Community Gallery. Learn more here.

2022 Fall Salon exhibition free reception, Sunday, 2-4 PM.  An exhibit of up 79 original artworks for sale in Target Gallery. Each piece will be priced no more than $500. Learn more about the Fall Salon here.

 

Buy your Tickets Here:

Buy Now

 

When you buy an Art Fest ticket, you get two drink tickets to enjoy at any point over the two days, plus access to several discounts throughout the Art Center.

 

Art Discount Participants (Available to Ticket holders Only)

 

    • 5 Kurt Anderson 10% off 10×10 works
    • 8 Tara Barr 20% off original paintings
    • 18 Hyun Jung Kim 10% off jewelry
    • 22 Tracie Griffith Tso $50 all Tracie Griffith Tso limited-edition matted/unframed prints
    • 22 Sandi Martina 10% off glass work
    • 22 Elke Seefeldt 10% off ceramics and work
    • 22 Bikki Stricker 10% off ceramics and work
    • 22 Brian Grow 10% off ceramics and work
    • 23 Dejan Jovanovic 10% off
    • 31 Michelle Hoben 15-20% off
    • 203 Yoshiko Ratliff 10%off select works
    • 223 Marcos Teixeira 10%off all works
    • 223 Natalie Abrams 10%off all works
    • 224 Rosemary Covey 10% off christmas cards and small prints
    • 225 Judy Heiser 25% off select works
    • 229 Saya Behnam 10% off
    • 320 Jenny Nordstrom 15%off select works
    • 322 Dhamin Jassim 10-30% off select works
    • 322 Donna Lomangino 10-30% off select works
    • 329 Karen Tyler 10% off
    • 331 Ahmed Ansari 10% off orginal paintings
    • 335 Alison Sigethy 20% off paintings digital and lenticular
    • 329 Berit Estabrook 25-40% off
    • 344 Guido Zanni 20% off unframed paintings

 

Demonstrations and Receptions throughout the Art Center (Free to all Attendees)

Saturday, November 12

  • Enamelists Gallery (Studio 28) 12pm
  • Berit Estabrook (Studio 341) Reception 12-4pm
  • Calina Franziosa & Christine Manwiller (Studio 334) Reception 12-4pm
  • Kurt Anderson (Studio 5) 1pm
  • Alison Sigethy (Studio 335) 2pm
  • Claire Meyer (Studio 14) 3pm

 

Sunday, November 13

  • Saya Behnam (Studio 229) 12pm
  • Galactic Panther (Site 2) Reception 12-2pm
  • Gale Wallar (Studio 225) 12:30pm
  • Donna Downing (Studio 19) 1pm
  • Lisa Schumaier (Studio 16) 2pm
  • Target Gallery (Studio 2) Reception 2-3pm
  • Alison Sigethy (Studio 335) Reception 2-4pm
  • Beverly Ryan (Studio 333) Reception 2:30-4pm
  • Guido Zanni (Studio 334) 3pm
  • Fall Salon Talk (Studio 325) 3pm

Special thanks to The Factory Society

The Factory Society began as a young patrons committee of the Torpedo Factory and was launched as a separate and distinct nonprofit in 2017. Since then we have expanded our mission to include collectors of all ages.

 

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Professional Development Series: NYFA Resources & Services Talk

Artists all disciplines are invited to join us for this free NYFA Resources and Services event via zoom. 

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with Torpedo Factory Art Center, will present a free public program. This NYFA Resources and Services event will kickstart the upcoming professional development programming series co-presented by the two organizations November – December 2022.

In this session NYFA staff–including representatives from the NYFA Learning and Fiscal Sponsorship teams–will present an overview of our free and low-cost national programs and services. Whether you’re trying to raise money to finish a particular project, seeking feedback on your work, looking for an artistic residency, or trying to find a job, NYFA has resources that you can use to help you sustain and grow your artistic practice. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask NYFA staff questions about all of these topics directly. Registration required, space is limited.

Click here to Register for the Wednesday, November 9 program. 

In addition, information will be provided on upcoming Instagram and Facebook Live series on the topics pictured below taking place on November 15, November 29, and December 12–each at 12pm.

The series includes:

All Professional Development Opportunities

This opportunity is presented in partnership between Torpedo Factory Art Center and New York Foundation for the Arts.

 


New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is a 501(c)(3) service organization that provides artists, emerging arts organizations, arts administrators, and students with critical support, professional development tools, and resources for defining and achieving career success. NYFA was established in 1971 to serve individual artists throughout New York State. Since then, they have extended their programs and services throughout the United States and internationally and expanded our scope to serve additional members of the arts community.

27th Annual Art Safari

An Alexandria tradition for more than a quarter-century, Art Safari returns for an in-person day of activities for kids and families! Join fellow lovers of art and learning for projects throughout the building.

Great for kids ages 5+. Younger children may need some extra help, but will still have a lot of fun!

Pre-registration Requested

 

Activities and Demonstrations

  • Learn about printmaking with Printmakers Inc. by creating Linoleum printing of animals with artist Claire Meyer and watercolor monotypes with artist Avis Flemming.
     
  • Learn about the Potter’s Wheel with a demonstration by Scope Gallery.
     
  • Become a work-of-art by having your face painted or getting a special temporary tattoo by Post Grad Resident artist Kiel Posner. Great for kids of all ages.
     
  • Collaborate with artists Tara Barr and Rosemary Covey on coloring pages specially designed by the artists.  
     
  • Paint like a real artist, at an easel with brushes, with artist Judy Heiser.
     
  • Create dynamic collages using bits of fabric and fiber with Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery artists.
     
  • Play and experiment with a piece of wet clay to mold and shape into any form they can imagine led by artist Tracie Griffith Tso.
     
  • Take part in a gallery scavenger hunt – Led by The Art League Gallery exploring their current exhibition. Each completed scavenger hunt can be shown at the Gallery desk to receive a special prize.
     
  • Learn about Alexandria’s historical waterfront with the Alexandria Archaeology Museum.
     
  • Contribute to a large canvas cloth collage project with artist Mina Oka Hanig.
     
  • Enjoy additional STEAM-focused adventures with our partners at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the College of William & Mary.
     

 

 

On The Road: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center

Torpedo Factory Art Center On The Road, now on view at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center newly refreshed lobby, located at 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22311.  A public reception will take place on November 15, 2022, 5 – 7 pm.

Torpedo Factory Art Center is proud partner with The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center to bring art from the Art Center’s renowned artists to Alexandria’s west end. The exhibition is a collection of 15 artworks by 14 of the Art Center’s Resident Artists and Artists Pro Tem, all selected through a detailed, competitive, jury process.

Artists include:

  • Sierra Barnes (Artist Pro Tem)
  • Tara Barr (Studio 8)
  • Saya Behnam (Studio 229)
  • Rashad Ali Muhammad (Studio 222)
  • Charlene Nield (Studio 316)
  • Jenny Nordstrom (Studio 320)
  • Jacelyn Orellana (Artist Pro Tem)
  • Yoshiko Ratliff (Studio 203)
  • Alanna Rivera (Artist Pro Tem)
  • Beverly Ryan (Studio 333)
  • Alison Sigethy (Studio 335)
  • Mike Stevens (Artist Pro Tem)
  • Jessica Valoris (Artist Pro Tem)
  • Sally Veach (Studio 342)

All art is two dimensional, and includes wood, oil and acrylic paint, natural pigments, found objects, collage, and photography. Tara Barr, and Sierra Barnes’s work includes fun and whimsical depictions and styles of carousel horses. Charlene Nield and Jacelyn Orellana both explore figurative painting, abstracted through process. Photographers Jenny Nordstrom and Mike Stevens find narrative and composition through the lens of their cameras, while artists such as Beverly Ryan, Alison Sigethy, and Sally Veach use varied process to develop abstract forms rotating between flat plain and dimensional space.

“Our partnership with the Torpedo Factory Art Center is incredibly special, as celebrating Alexandria’s local culture is placed at the forefront of what Hilton Alexandria Mark Center represents. Along with guests being able to enjoy products and treats sourced from local businesses, which we just debuted at our new Marketplace, they can now experience the talents of Alexandria’s best artists,” said Greg Langweg, General Manager of Hilton Alexandria Mark Center.

“We were grateful for the invitation from Hilton Alexandria Mark Center to bring art to the west end of Alexandria. This partnership helps grow new audiences and helps expand our mission of igniting the creative spirit in all Alexandria.” Brett John Johnson, Director, Torpedo Factory Art Center.

More exhibitions to follow!

 

Artwork includes a selection of the following:

Tara Barr, Carousel Horses, Oil on Canvas, 2022

 

Jacelyn Orellana, Sanctuary, Acrylic on Canvas, 2022

 

Mike Stevens, Where Water Once Was, Photographic Print on Metal, 2021

Charlene Nield, I Am Enough, Acrylic on wood panel, 2022

 

Rashad Ali Muhammad, Floating in Stillness, Faux flower petal collage, 2021

 

Beverly Ryan, Circuitous Route, Oil on Canvas, 2020

The Late Shift: Masquerade

Second Fridays through October 

The Art Center’s signature evening series returns with eclectic art and activities. In among three floors of open artists’ studios, find gallery receptions, stimulating artist talks, pop-up performances, hands-on projects, lively music, and more.

 

October is a time for reflection and renewal. Put on your favorite fall colors, sip your pumpkin-spice latte, and enjoy the cooler weather as we put on a fall masquerade. Costumes are optional but HIGHLY ENCOURAGED. Best dressed will win a special prize at our presentations at 8:30 pm. Featuring DJ sets with all your favorite October and Halloween-themed music. In partnership with our community makerspace friends at Nova Labs.

 

FREE, 7-10pm

Pre-registration Requested

 

 

Exhibitions  

Target Gallery (Studio 2)

Body Talk
Reception: 7 – 9 pm
Art Talk: 8 pm
Torpedo Factory Art Center presents Body Talk, an all-media group exhibition themed on self-portraiture, figural work, or depictions of the self on view in Target Gallery and Studio 9. The goal for this exhibition is to explore themes of identity, culture, gender, and mental health through the expression of the physical form.

 

 


“Masquerade” Activities and Exhibitions

Enjoy art projects, art tables, and hands-on activities with studio artists, visiting artists, and our friends at Nova Labs.

 

 

Nova Labs

Located in Fairfax, VA, just outside Washington, DC, Nova Labs is a membership-driven, all-volunteer makerspace, founded in 2011 with the purpose of empowering our community to Rediscover the Joy of Making Things!

Nova Labs is a community full of makers who never stop learning. We share what we know, and learn from one another. From STEM to safety classes, arts and beyond, our schedule is consistently full of ways for children and adults to challenge themselves and stretch their minds.

Learn more about Nova Labs with a series of  tables providing several costumes and props, as well as works in progress.

 

Facepainting Sessions 

No costume or mask? No problem! Visit the Grand Hall of the Art Center for a free face painting session with Fairy Jennabelle during the entire event.

 

Living Artworks with Bex Novak

Meet two examples of bodypainting as living artworks, courtesy of artist Bex Novak. Stop to take a photo or two.

Gelli Plate Printing with Printmakers Inc

Join the artists of Printmakers Inc (Studio 14) for a demo from 7 – 8:30 pm. Gelli Plate Printing uses a gelatin plate to create Monoprints without the use of a press.

Torpedo Row

Meet some of the DMV’s up-and-coming artists with hands-on projects and artwork displays:

  • Cristiane Maldonado
  • CJ Davis
  • FirstLady Custom Art
  • JAL
  • Kalla Shernick
  • QuietStorm
Detail

Keil Posner, Bowl Glitsh (detail), 2020. Vintage ceramic waterslide decals, thriftstore ceramic bowl.

Meet the Post Grad Artist: Kiel Posner

Welcome the Fall 2022 Post Grad resident Kiel Posner (Studio 319) to their first Late Shift!

Kiel is a Queer Jewish ceramicist currently living in Bethesda, Maryland. Their work investigates the legacy of the button factory their great grandfather worked his way up to owning after immigrating to NYC, from Eastern Europe, in 1912. 109 years later, after producing for Macy’s and Disney, what’s left of the now defunct factory are some ceramic decals and a dusty kiln. Kiel received their BFA in Craft and Materials Studies in 2020 from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. While in Richmond they were awarded a Fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine arts and rented space at Shockoe Bottom Clay. Since relocating to the DMV They have started teaching ceramics classes at Vis Arts Rockville and The District Clay Center.

 

 

Kamille Jackson Artist Talk

Link to Premiere: facebook.com/torpedofactory
Video goes live at 12pm

 

Join us on Thursday, September 29th at 12pm on Facebook for the online premiere of artist talk with 2022 Post-Grad Resident, Kamille Jackson, as her three-month post-grad residency comes to a close. Jackson talks with moderator Leslie Mounaime, curator of exhibitions, about her art practice and experiences during her time in the Post-Grad Studio #319.

Kamille Jackson is an interdisciplinary artist from Northern Virginia. In her work, cosmic colors meet checkerboards from a long-gone suburban counterculture and symbols plucked from astrology and spirituality-based imagery. Floating and loosely abstract pictures form from the amalgamation of texts conjured by black conceptual artists, desert transcendentalists, and queer media. Through her work, Kamille builds a queer, black, mystical iconography with drawing, painting, writing, and embroidery.

She earned an MFA from George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She recently shared a visiting artist lecture with the graduate students at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and received the Outstanding MFA Award as a participant in the Next Exhibition. She has exhibited work at The Garden, Target Gallery, Anderson Gallery, Studio 23, Bronx Art Space, Gallery 5, Richmond Library, and the Refinery Space. Commissions include Justin Allen’s Black Boots’ Ekphrastic Punk EP, Afropunk, Elbowroom, and Gallery 5.

Jackson has been working in studio #319 from July – September.

Workshops on the Waterfront: Natural Inks with Saya Behnam

Enjoy a free workshop or live demo with a Torpedo Factory Art Center artist at the Waterfront entrance of the Art Center. There will be a different project every third Saturday of the month from April – September, 1 – 3pm.

 

In this workshop, Saya will show the quick and preliminary steps of getting inks from some plants and flowers and introduce some pigments and minerals to get their colors. She will prepare the primary colors such as Yellow (from the dried Weld), Red (from Brazilian wood tree bark), Blue (from Cobalt stone powder), and Purple (from Cochineal, which is an insect that grows on some cactus) and other colors. Attendees can observe her create these on paper.

Sayeh “Saya” Behnam (Studio 229) is an Iranian-American artist born in Tehran-Iran. Fleeing from war, turmoil, revolution, experiencing dictatorship, cultural and traditional barriers, all had a profound influence in her art and life. She believes her art is where she can easily find and establish a true identity that could very much have been lost and undefined.   Her art deals with the core concepts of the human being; life, death, freedom, the now, time and more. She is very active in the social and humanitarian art space, working with NGO’s in the Middle East and the USA, especially with street children. She currently lives in northern Virginia, near the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Body Talk

Exhibition Dates: September 17 – October 30
Exhibition Reception: Friday, October 14

 

View Exhibition Online

 

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents Body Talk, an all-media group exhibition themed on self-portraiture, figural work, or depictions of the self on view in Target Gallery and Studio 9. The goal for this exhibition is to explore themes of identity, culture, gender, and mental health through the expression of the physical form.

 

Participating artists: 

Jenna Alderiso, Melbourne, FL

Aliana Grace Bailey, Washington, DC

Laurie Berenhaus, Jersey City, NJ

Hannah Boone, Buffalo, NY

Eliza Clifford, Bethesda, MD

Dek, Tacoma WA

Sharon Draghi, Scarsdale, NY

Ash Hagerstrand, Brooklyn NY

Michael Hubbard, Midland, TX

Leslie Keifer, Washington DC

Elizabeth Lamb, Brooklyn, NY

Elissa Leibowitz-Poma, Silver Spring, MD

Rebecca Spilecki, Wilton, ME

Paula Stuttman, New York City, NY

Jessica Valoris, Washington, DC

April Vendetta, Brooklyn, NY

David Voss, Silver Spring, MD

Milan Warner, Silver Spring, MD

Redeat Wondemu, Washington DC

Lauren Woods, Opelika, AL

Mia Zheng, Honolulu, HI

 

Image Credit: Sharon Draghi, Time is an Illusion, 2020. Archival Pigment Print

About the Juror

Matt Storm (he/him) is a photo-based artist in Washington, D.C, and a 2020 recipient of the Arts & Humanities Fellowship from Washington D.C.’s Commission on the Arts & Humanities. Storm’s work engages with the theme of identity, and the questions, “who are we, and how do we know?”

Storm serves as Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus for Pride Caucus, and he curated a show of art by D.C.-area artists who identify as transgender, non-binary, Two Spirit, and agender as part of Trans Pride DC in 2019.

Storm has worked at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, and he graduated from Dartmouth College with the Perspectives on Design Award.