Tag Archives: Featured

Through These Eyes

On view in Studio 9.

Exhibition dates: June 10 – September 4
Exhibition Reception: Friday, June 10, 7-10PM

View Online Catalog

As an extension of Target Gallery the Torpedo Factory Art Center is hosting the pop-up video exhibition, Through These Eyes, in Studio 9 of the Art Center during the summer of 2022. This exhibition features a series of videos that focuses on perspectives of underrepresented identities, including BIPOC identity, LGBTQ+ identity, and physical or mental disabilities in the form of film shorts, documentaries, and animations.

This exhibition will feature a series of videos projected, playing one-at-a-time on a loop in Studio 9 of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The work will be viewable all together on our online digital catalog which will be available on our website.

Participating Artists:
Megan Christiansen, New York, NY
Michael Covello, Virginville, VA
Kiana Honarmand, Mountain View, CA
Willow Machado, Quincy, Massachussetts
Dawn Nye, Farmington, ME
Elizabeth Schneider, Virginville, VA
Kate Stone, Brooklyn, NY
Jessica Valoris, Washington, DC
Angelica Verdan, Lorton, PA
Nancy Wyllie, N Kingstown, RI

Image Credit: Willow Machade, Just Leave It, 2022 (Video Still).

About the Juror:

Naoko Wowsugi (she/her) an DC-based artist of Korean-Japanese descent, who works with photography, video, and performance as forms of communication. Using interdisciplinary practices of visual art, local research, and community participation, Wowsugi’s projects highlight and fortify everyday communal and interpersonal identities. Wowsugi received an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA from both the Kansas City Art Institute and Osaka University of Arts in Japan. She is currently a professor at American University in Washington DC.

 

ArtTable DC – Alexandria Art Tour

ArtTable DC is coming to Alexandria for an art tour by the waterfront, led by Leslie Mounaime, curator of exhibitions at Torpedo Factory Art Center.

Attendees will meet at Waterfront Park to view and learn more about I Love You, the public art installation by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt of R&R STUDIO. From there the group will visit Torpedo Factory Art Center to see Target Gallery’s solo exhibition LE DRIP: The Uncontainable Sauce of Black Essence by artist Blu Murphy.

Attendees will enjoy a private talk with the artist to learn more about the exhibition and her process. We will then have the option to continue on a walkthrough of studios and galleries in the Torpedo Factory Art Center with Leslie.

Admission:

  • ArtTable Members – $10
  • Member Guests – $15

Details & Tickets

The Late Shift: Art & Technology

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.

Celebrate the growing tech, DIY and makerspace movement happening in Alexandria and beyond, with music, drinks, and demonstrations. Plus, welcome the Solo Exhibition artist in Target Gallery with a reception at 8 p.m. 

Hands-on art projects and visual-striking tech installations across the Grand Hall with NOVA Labs and Building Momentum. Reception for the Alexandria Library’s Teen Winter Creative Art Project in Site 2. Collaborative tech project in the New Project Studio with the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. Meet the new Spring Post Grad artist Julia O’Bryan in the Post Grad Studio. Welcome the new 2022 Solo Exhibition Artist Blu Murphy in the Target Gallery with a reception and talk at 8pm. Plus: Live DJ music all night long.

Pre-registration Requested 

Register Now

Exhibitions & Receptions  

Target Gallery (Studio 2)

LE DRIP: The Uncontainable Sauce of Black Essence Opening Reception
Artist Talk:  8 pm
Target Gallery’s 2022 solo exhibition recipient. The LE DRIP series is a group of mixed media portraits created by 2022 Solo artist Blu Murphy as a tribute to the black community and celebrates the essence, beauty, and magic of this resilient and often undervalued group of people.

Post-Grad Studio (Studio 319)

Welcome Julia O’Bryan
Julia O’Bryan (BFA 2019) is a graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. Her work stems from her childhood growing up in southwest Missouri as well as from her struggle with an aggressive auto-immune disease. Her work is an accumulation of her experiences; from her childhood, from her struggle with an aggressive autoimmune disease, all of the things that have made her who she is. Based on the destroying and scarring found throughout her lungs and body from her struggle with her autoimmune disease, the coral is a reflection of the beauty that can be seen through decay. The wide range of color throughout the coral on her work is meant to reflect the passage of time through the “bleaching” effect it creates. Gold accents throughout the work is meant to draw attention to the beauty in the human body over time and the beauty through brokenness that can occur throughout life.

New Project Studio (Studio 9)

Mini Forklift Hydraulics with Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Harness the power of hydraulics! Help archaeologists from the Alexandria Archaeology Museum move three excavated historic ships to their new home in Ben Brenman Pond. Use hydraulics to build and operate a mini forklift to move tiny ships from the excavation site to their new preservation home in the pond.

Site 2

Alexandria Library’s Teen Winter Art Exhibition
Juried by two of Torpedo Factory Art Center’s very own resident artists, Saya Behnam and Jenny Nordstrom, come to the second floor Site 2 Gallery to enjoy the winner’s of Alexandria Library‘s annual competition for local Alexandria-based artists from local schools. Be the first to see the next generation of artists in our area! 
 

Hands-On “Art & Technology” Activities
Grand Hall

 

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.


Building Momentum

Building Momentum is a problem-solving organization based in Alexandria, Virginia that pushes the boundaries of what people can learn and build.

Innovation and creativity are at the core of everything we do at Building Momentum. Services we provide include corporate training and events, military training, research & development, and small-business support. We reach people of all ages and from all walks of life, including children and teens, service members, entrepreneurs and more.

Through our services, we carry out our mission to teach the lessons of today using the tools of the future. While carrying out our work, we never forget who we are: passionate, kind, honest, flexible, helpful, respectful, problem solvers.

 

George Mason University’s Mason Innovation Exchange (The MIX)

The MIX is an initiative of Mason’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

We foster an interdisciplinary environment where Mason’s students, faculty, and staff have a chance to collide, collaborate, and create.

We support a community of trailblazers by providing access to centralized resources. We strive to foster a culture of innovation, creativity, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial thinking. Our team works to make the path easier for collaborations, ventures, and creative discoveries that allow the Mason community to make an impact in the world.


The Playful City Lab

The future of cities depends on participation and engagement. The Playful City Lab in Washington, DC, investigates the power of playful tactics to advance equity, strengthen the sense of place, and build strong communities. Our team is led by Dr. Benjamin Stokes and based at American University in Washington, DC. Our work takes place within the AU Game Center,

 often using the Humanities Truck, with research based at the Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI) and the Metropolitan Policy Center (MCP), and in design collaboration with the Leimert Phone Company.

 

The Forensic Science Program at George Mason University

GMU’s Forensic Science Program provides strong theoretical and operational foundations and outstanding scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students seeking forensic science careers. These programs address the growing national and regional demand for trained forensic scientists and technicians. They combine a solid foundation in legal and technical crime scene investigation with scientific skills relevant to forensics, and are especially relevant for students involved in the high-technology law enforcement workplace in Northern Virginia. Join us in the Grand Hall for a demonstration with forensic artist at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and GMU’s College of Science professor Joe Mullins.

Live DJ Music by DJ Jaybo

DJ Jaybo is a DMV native from Silver Spring with music embedded in his soul. Jaybo is not new to this, he grew up under the same roof with the neighborhood’s favorite DJ…his dad. It was his dad’s massive vinyl and CD collection that sparked his love & passion for music. He quickly became the “go to guy” for radio recording mixtapes in the 90’s, to CD downloads and mixes in the early 2000’s and later interning with local radio stations to help fulfill his love for the art of music.

With 10 years (and counting) of experience, Dj Jaybo is known to bring the party to wherever you are. Jaybo believes music is universal and brings people together from all walks of life. He loves playing music of all genres & enjoys the reaction of being able to take a crowd on a musical journey with 2 turntables. Ranging from kids parties and banquets to clubs and the cookout- you are sure to leave your event with good vibes and an ongoing question…”Who’s the DJ”?

All of his creative work can be found on Mixcloud, Twitch, Instagram and an event near you.

LE DRIP: The Uncontainable Sauce of Black Essence

Exhibition Dates: April 23 – July 17, 2022
Exhibition Reception: Friday, May  13, 2022 7 – 10pm 

 

View Online Catalog

LE DRIP: The Uncontainable Sauce of Black Essence is a solo exhibition by Washington-based artist Blu Murphy, Target Gallery’s 2022 solo exhibition recipient. The LE DRIP series is a group of mixed media portraits created as a tribute to the black community and celebrates the essence, beauty, and magic of this resilient and often undervalued group of people.

The subject matters included in this series are elementary and middle school students who attend a title one school in southeast D. C., where the artist also teaches arts education. Through collage, the artist carefully and strategically combined the statement “I Am Art” with graffiti and images that represent black narratives. The portraits in this series offer the viewer an opportunity to challenge their perspectives and see a subset of individuals who are often unseen or overlooked as valuable masterpieces.

The white industrial walls of  Target Gallery are used as a backdrop to represent urban communities. Steeped in symbolism, upon entering the gallery, viewers will observe shoes hanging from a wire anchored in the ceiling. In urban communities, this symbolizes remembrance; we are honoring and remember community members who are no longer with us.

The series includes more than ten (10) works of art encased in vibrant colored up-cycled frames. Dripping paint “le drip” travels from the portrait to the frame and then onto the gallery wall representing the uncontainable and undeniable sauce of the black essence. The ingredients of “the sauce” are rich and include: our combined pain, triumphs, joys, strength, and swag.

This exhibition was created to challenge the viewer to think about the following questions:

  1. What do you qualify as art?
  2. What do you view as valuable?

These questions are explored further in a simple, black, and white video created by the artist that features people from her community either boldly making the statement “I Am Art” or expressing why they consider themselves art. She hopes that each viewer will leave with a heightened sense of self-love and a different perspective on what they qualify as art.

About the Artist

Brandy “Blu” Murphy (she/her), is a Washington, D. C. based artist is known for capturing the strength of her subjects through photography and utilizing graffiti, texture, and color to tell the story of disenfranchised African-Americans who are often unheard and unseen and showcasing them as works of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Jurors

Maps Glover is an artist and innovator, from his installation and performances at some of the nation’s premiere stages including the Kennedy Center. Maps’ illustrations have also graced the covers of magazines like The Fray, Hello Mr, and Condé Nast Traveler. His approach to art is unique meditative his practice invites the viewer to reimagine the world around them.

Heather Hakimzadeh is the Curator at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Since her tenure at Virginia MOCA, she has organized over 50 exhibitions ranging from local to internationally recognized artists. Hakimzadeh’s recent exhibitions include She Says: Women, Words, and Power, Inka Essenhigh: A Fine Line, and Wayne White: Monitorium. She wrote essays for both Inka Essenhigh’s monograph and the catalogue that accompanied the seminal group exhibition, Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose. She earned a B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, a B.A. in Art History from Old Dominion University, and an M.A. in Art History from the George Washington University.

Thomas James is a visual arts curator and arts facilitator based in Maryland. An appreciator and collector of fine arts, he highlights working artists and facilitates spaces for creatives to refine and develop their craft. Beginning his career in the arts while in college at Frostburg State University, his first exhibition was at Mountain City Center for the Arts, where he was interning. Shortly after graduation, Thomas took an opportunity to independently curate an exhibition on display at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, and it was eventually travelled to George Washington University’s ArtReach Gallery in Washington, DC. Shortly after, Thomas went on to conduct a fellowship at The Maryland Federation of Art before joining the Baltimore anchor institution, Creative Alliance, in 2018 through 2021. He now leads the exhibition programming at Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Baltimore. Thomas has curated exhibitions on display at The Phillips Collection, Anne Arundel Community College, Gallery Al-Quds, and Syra Arts. In addition to curating, Thomas has served as a writer, designer, consultant, lecturer, and more for organizations and companies such as Vans, Kaiser Permante, B&O Railroad Museum, Munger, Tolles, & Olsen LLP, Urban Walls Brazil, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and more. To learn more visit thomasjamesdc.com.

Cherry Blossom Jubilee

An Official Event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival

Celebrate the Cherry Blossoms during the height of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. After Saturday’s Cherry Blossom Parade in D.C., stop by the heart of Alexandria the next day to enjoy cherry blossom-themed activities and other events. Kick off the celebrations at noon with a live performance by taiko drum group Nen Daiko by the Waterfront entrance. Afterward, view cherry-blossom-inspired works of art throughout studios and galleries on all three floors. Enjoy music and live art demonstrations from participating TFAC artists.

National Cherry Blossom Festival logo with two flowers on the right side

Free, All Ages 

RSVP

Schedule of Activities

Live Music:

Hands-on Projects between 12 – 3 pm:  

In the Studios:

Visit various studios and galleries throughout all three floors to view The 2022 Cherry Blossom Exhibition. Resident artists showcase their floral and festive designs for visitors to enjoy all month long! On display from Saturday April 2 to Sunday May 1.

2022 Cherry Blossom Exhibition

Enjoy a colorful in-person exhibition full of everyone’s favorite pink flowers on view in participating artists’ studios as part of the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

All artworks will be available to view in studios from Saturday April 2 – Sunday May 1.

1st Floor 

  2nd Floor

3rd Floor 

SeeWorthy: Modeling Maritime Archaeology

W-Th (10-6), F-Sat (11-5), Sun (1-6)
On view in the Torpedo Factory Art Center Grand Hall and Studio #9

 

View ship construction through the eyes of maritime archaeologists in SeeWorthy, a new exhibit presented by the Alexandria Archaeology Museum  highlighting the technology used to digitally reconstruct historic vessels.  Recent development along the waterfront has led to significant discoveries by archaeologists, including the remains of four historic ships. These remnants have been laser scanned to create models showing what they would have looked like in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

 

View 3D models of three of the historic vessels from the Robinson Landing Site in the new SeeWorthy exhibit and find out how archaeologists use digital and physical models to compare ship construction and to answer questions about the age and use of the vessels.

Free Webinar: Open Call for Resident Artists

Torpedo Factory Art Center is holding two free online webinars for all prospective applicants to the 2022 Open Call for Resident Artists.

Advanced registration is required for access to these Zoom sessions. The content of both presentations will be identical. Participants do not need to attend both sessions.

Register for March 30 at noon     Register for March 31 at 7 p.m.

Participants review the application process and staff will answer application-related questions. These are optional and have no bearing on juror’s scores. Both webinars shall provide the same information.

For more information about the 2022 Open Call for Resident Artists, visit torpedofactory.org/studiojury.

Post-Grad Artist Talk: Mrinal Joshi

Live Artist Talk: facebook.com/torpedofactory

Join us on Sunday, March 27th at 2pm on Facebook for a live artist talk with 2022 Post-Grad Resident, Mrinal Joshi, as his three-month post-grad residency comes to a close. Joshi talks with moderator Leslie Mounaime, curator of exhibitions, about his experiences during his time in the Post-Grad Studio #319.

Mrinal will speak about how his residency inspired his work and process.  With two degrees in Studio Art and Graphic Design from Spring Hill College, hear him discuss his continued exploration his interest in the marriage of western art and contemporary visual culture, and how that relationship is further shaped in the age of digital media.

Mrinal will be working in Studio #319 through March.

2022 March150 Art Party & Reception

Target Gallery’s popular annual exhibition and art sale, March150, returns for the 12th year. Proceeds benefit future exhibitions and programs at Target Gallery and the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

This yearly all-media exhibition features 100+ works created and donated by artists local to Alexandria and the greater D.C. region. Emerging and established artists are shown together displayed a wide variety of styles and media. The only requirement to be on view in the exhibition is that artists use the gallery-supplied 10” x 10” wood panels to create the work. All artwork in the show is priced at $150. The prize and size makes the art ideal for collecting!

The perennial favorite March150 Art Party is an opening reception, allowing partygoers primary access to art sales. VIP patrons get even earlier access with first chance at art sales and a more intimate viewing experience. VIP tickets* are limited and should be reserved early before they’re gone.

For this special 12th year anniversary, the Art Party will be an opening reception–allowing Art Party patrons to get the first chance at art sales. VIP patrons will get early access and first choice at sales. Art Party patrons will not only enjoy first access to the exhibition but also will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a full cocktail bar provided by SimplyFresh Events; limited-time art installations such as the Goodnight Moon Room, and DIY art projects with several Torpedo Factory artists. The Best in Show among other prizes will also be announced that evening for participating artists in the exhibition at 8:30pm.

Special thanks to the Factory Society and Simply Fresh for their support of the event.

Buy Tickets Now

 

All Art Party times and activities are subject to change with notice. In the event of the Art Party having to move to a virtual platform due to COVID-19 all Art Party patrons will receive a partial refund to compensate the price difference.

All Art Party patrons are required to wear a mask unless actively eating or drinking. There is a 10-person limit inside Target Gallery at a time to encourage physically distant viewing. Volunteers will provide timed tickets in the gallery, as necessary. In addition, the food and bar will be separated from the main art activities on the first floor.

* March150 participating artists get in for the general admission price for free. For March150 participating artists who are interested in VIP tickets, contact Target Gallery to get a special coupon code to get $30 (the GA price) off of your ticket.