Neighbor News
The real people behind characters on Mercy Street - 2nd Thursday Art Night
Learn about the real Emma Green and her beau, Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow, during Second Thursday Art Night at the Torpedo Factory.
The past and present of Alexandria meet at the Torpedo Factory Art Center for February’s Second Thursday Art Night.
The Alexandria Archaeology Museum
- The new PBS series Mercy Street is centered in Alexandria during the Civil War. One of the main characters is based on the real Emma Green. See her photo and learn about her relationship with Frank Stringfellow in The Real Emma & Frank: Alexandria’s Civil War Sweethearts.
- The Mansion House Hospital was one of many military hospitals in town. In Old Town Alexandria’s Civil War Hospitals, learn about buildings you walk by every day and probably had no idea of their importance during the Civil War.
Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Trending: Contemporary Art Now is new this month. Target Gallery partnered with the Women’s Caucus for Art to present the exhibition as part of WCA’s 2016 national conference in Washington, D.C. It features work by 12 self-identified women who are driving the direction of contemporary art and offers a cross-section of media to reflect the leading edge of contemporary art, including video, collage, 3D photography, found objects, installation, and more. The exhibition also includes an online gallery and catalog featuring additional works.
- In advance of The Art League’s upcoming Patron’s Show fundraiser on Sunday, February 14, The Art League Gallery features a preview exhibition with the work that will be available. It’s a great opportunity for attendees to build a wishlist.
Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Color and Shape opens in The Associates Gallery (studio 311) and features work by painters Jill Finsen and Barbara Muth.
Special After-Hours Programming
- The artists of the Torpedo Factory Art Center are inviting the community to share their love for art with a community collage on the magnet wall by the Union Street entrance. Create a mini collage on the 3rd floor, then take a portrait of your work before adding it to the wall. At the end of the evening, see the collage grow and review the online photo album to see everyone’s individual contributions.
- Classical guitarist David Toves provides the soundtrack for the evening with sets at 6:15 – 7:15 pm and 7:30 – 8:30 pm.
About The Alexandria Archaeology Museum
The Alexandria Archaeology Museum opened in 1984 in the newly renovated Torpedo Factory Art Center. The museum serves as the hub of the City’s archaeology program where visitors interact with archaeologists and volunteers working in the public laboratory; experience Alexandria’s 13,000 year-old-history through exhibits, self-guided tours, and hands-on activities; and view the latest finds from current excavations. For more information, go to www.alexandriaarchaeology.org.
About The Art League
Founded in 1954, The Art League, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, is among the nation’s largest and oldest multi-service organizations for visual artists. As a major component of the cultural fabric of Alexandria, The Art League offers extensive exhibit opportunities for artists through its gallery, outstanding fine art education through the school, and valuable outreach programs to the local community. The Art League is headquartered in the landmark Torpedo Factory Art Center.
About Target Gallery
Target Gallery is the contemporary exhibition space for the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The gallery promotes high standards of art by continuously exploring new ideas through a variety of visual media in a rotating schedule of national and international exhibitions. The gallery is open daily from 10-6 pm and until 9 pm on Thursdays.
About the Torpedo Factory Art Center
Founded in 1974 in an old munitions plant, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to the largest number of publicly accessible working artist studios in the U.S. The organization’s mission is to foster connections between artists and the public that ignite the creative spirit. Just south of Washington, D.C., the Torpedo Factory Art Center overlooks the Potomac River in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Va. Each year, more than a half million national and international visitors meet and interact with more than 160 resident artists in 82 working studios and seven galleries. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is also home to The Art League School and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. For more information visit torpedofactory.org or follow the Torpedo Factory Art Center on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram via @torpedofactory.
