Pandora's Box to open December 10 with reception from 6-8pm, juror talk at 7pm

Pandora’s Box Exhibition: December 10-January 10
Reception for Pandora’s Box: December 10; 6-8pm
Juror talk with Landria Shack: December 10 at 7pm

Pandora’s Box Youth Outreach Art Project: December 10-January 10; with VIP reception on December 10, 5:30-6:30pm

The Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery presents Pandora’s Box; an exhibition that had artists create a visual interpretation of the Greek Myth and express how it relates to modern times. The exhibition is a visual interpretation of Pandora’s act of releasing woe (and hope) upon humanity. On December 10, there will be a reception to meet the artists from 6-8pm and to hear the juror’s remarks about her selections at 7pm. The show closes on January 10, 2010. The juror for the exhibition is Landria Shack, former curator with Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Springs, MD. She chose 37 works out of approximately 150 submitted for her review.

In addition to these two exhibitions in the Target Gallery, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is also sponsoring an art project by local youth from the new Charles Houston Recreation Center. Under the guidance of local multimedia artist, and educator, Rebecca C. Adams they will create a large group artwork piece in conjunction with the gallery’s national exhibition Pandora’s Box. The piece will be displayed at the Torpedo Factory and celebrated with a reception. The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association, the Art League School, The City of Alexandria, the Charles Houston Recreation Center, and the Black History Museum are collaborating together on this outreach project, which has the goal of educating and raising awareness of the Charles Houston Memorial Project. For more information regarding this project please visit our website at www.torpedofactory.org/Community_outreach.htm.

A special VIP reception is planned to honor the students and their work on December 10 from 5:30-6:30pm. The student’s work will remain on exhibit in the main hall of the Torpedo Factory right outside of the Target Gallery through January 10th.

Upcoming Exhibition: Renee van der Stelt - Projections: Line on Land

What: Target Gallery’s 2009 Open Exhibition Winner, Renee van der Stelt, will be exhibiting her drawings/sculptures that explore how a drawing can affect and shape space.

When: October 28- November 29,2009, reception to meet artist on November 12: 6-8pm with artist talk at 7pm

Where: Target Gallery, TFAC, on the Waterfront in Old Town Alexandria

Walking into van der Stelt’s studio in Roswell was like suddenly being enveloped in rays of celestial white light in the middle of a busy city street on a workday-except that in this case the quotidian setting was the apparent emptiness of the environment. ~ Kathryn Davis

The artist’s drawings apply a variety of methods, from cutting, pricking and puncturing paper, delicate graphite marks, to the use of light. Some of her drawings take on a sculptural form challenging the viewer to reconsider the traditional notion of a landscape drawing. The artist will be conducting research with the City of Alexandria’s Archaeology Museum, examining land use in Alexandria and creating a few drawings from this research to be on exhibit. The majority of the works on exhibit, however, are from her recent yearlong artist in residency in New Mexico at the prestigious Roswell Artist In Residence.

The catalog, which will be for sale in the gallery, includes a critical essay by acclaimed arts writer/critic and art historian Kathryn Davis. Davis, who is based out of New Mexico, is the Executive Editor of THE magazine and writes for a variety of national publications to include ARTnews. The catalog will include all the work on exhibit except for the Alexandria drawings, which are still being made especially for the exhibition. Davis says about the artist’s work: “Drawing, then, is van der Stelt’s laboratory, her notebook of experiments on the subject at hand. Like a physicist filling a chalkboard with mathematical proofs, the artist seeks to stretch our understanding of space itself.”

Artist Biography:
Renee van der Stelt received a Masters in Art History in 1990 and a Masters of Fine Arts in drawing in 1993 from the University of Iowa. Van der Stelt now lives in Baltimore, MD and exhibits nationally in solo and group exhibitions. She has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the City of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. She was an artist in residence at the MacDowell Colony in 2008, and recently spent a one-year artist residency at the Roswell Artist in Residence, Inc in New Mexico. Her work is included in the Drawing Center’s Artist Registry, NY and the Washington Project for the Arts registry.

October 8, Second Thursday Art Night

Please be sure to stop by the Target Gallery for Second Thursday Art Night on October 8 from 6-8pm. The traveling exhibition, From There To Here will be entering its last week and some of the artists from the art centers on exhibit will be here.

Also, on October 3 will be Art on the Avenue in Del Ray along Mt. Vernon Ave and the Charles Houston Graffiti Doors will be installed in between Caboose Cafe and Bakery and Cheesetique. So, if you attend be sure to check them out! They will be auctioned off on October 23 during the Alex Arts Awards which will be taking place at the Torpedo Factory.

From There 2 Here - Art Center Exchange Exhibit

Exhibition Dates: September 10 - October 18
Reception: September 10, 6-8pm
Gallery Talk: 7pm with TF founder Marian Van Landingham



As part of the Torpedo Factory's 35th anniversary celebration, Target Gallery presents From There 2 Here, an exhibition featuring artwork from three regional art centers that were inspired by the Torpedo Factory's groundbreaking concept. The participating art centers are, LibertyTown Arts Workshop (Fredericksburg, VA) GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Reading, PA), and the Prizery (South Boston, VA).

These centers are similar in design to the Torpedo Factory in that they have open studios and galleries inside of repurposed architectural spaces. These participating art centers hosted our TFAA artists this past year at their centers and we are delighted to have them here as part of our anniversary celebration.

In The Flesh II - Closes THIS weekend!

In The Flesh II exhibit closes THIS Sunday, August 30th. Make sure to come by and check it out if you haven't seen it!

Here are some images from the reception on August 13th

In The Flesh II - Reception THIS Thursday

Join us Thursday, 6-8pm, to meet the artists & hear a gallery talk with our Juror Andrea Pollan at 7pm.

Reception: August 13, 6-8pm
Juror Talk & Awards: 7pm

ALSO

Thank you Lenny Campello for this AMAZING review of In The Flesh II
"This show is a winner; almost every piece could have been a Best in Show on its own..."
CLICK HERE to read the whole review here

In The Press...

"To say that I was blown away, as impressed by a gallery group show as I have been in many years, does not even begin to cover how good this show is...This show reaffirms what I have been thinking for a long time: Target Gallery is easily the leading edge gallery in Alexandria, and I dare say in the region..."
- Lenny Campello, dc art news

Read The Complete Article:
http://dcartnews.blogspot.com/2009/08/mellema-on-target-gallery-this-review.html


"This being the second figure show at Target Gallery in as many years, we can only hope it's become an annual show in their rotation. While there have been a string of figure shows around town of late, the one at the Phillips Collection is the best show about the act of painting. While the Target Gallery show isn't as well executed as all those canvases by the likes of de Kooning, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon (not much is), the Target Gallery show hits harder on a purely psychological level. They're both great shows to catch. The Phillips show will teach you how to paint, and the Target show will teach you how to think. They work well together."
-Kevin Mellema, Art Beat, Falls Church News Press

Read The Complete Article:
http://www.fcnp.com/arts/4814-northern-virginia-art-beat.html

In The Flesh II - Opens July 22

In The Flesh Part II
July 22 – August 30
Reception: August 13, 6-8pm - Gallery Talk: 7pm

In The Flesh Part II is an exhibition that focuses on contemporary figurative art. This exhibition opportunity attracted close to 300 artists from around the country and world providing the juror with well over 830 images with which to choose for this exhibition. Our juror chose 27 works mostly two-dimensional paintings, drawings, mixed media, and photography but also a couple of three-dimensional works, one of which is a very large installation piece. Our juror, Andrea Pollan is the founder and curator of the Curator’s Office in Washington DC. Pollan is a well-respected expert in the art field. She has organized over 135 exhibitions of contemporary art both regionally and nationally and has written numerous catalogs and exhibition brochures. Her business, Curator’s Office was identified in December 2006’s Vanity Fair as an important player in “The Art Universe.”

CMDupre Video

An interview with the artist - find out why she became painter, who inspires her, and what her art is all about.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

CMDupre : The Mysterious Other

Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Artist of the Year
Exhibition Dates: June 10 - July 12

Reception: Second Thursday Art Night, June 11, 6-8pm - Gallery Talk: Shauna Lee Lange, 7pm, during reception

Meet the Artist Reception: Second Thursday Art Night, July 9, 6-8pm - Awards Ceremony: 7pm, during reception

May 28th Graffiti Mural Event & Panel Discussion

On May 28th, the Target Gallery, in conjunction with our FRESH exhibition, led a Mural project in the main hall of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. We collected 9 found doors and hinged them together & had a local DC graffiti artist create a beautiful piece on one side & covered the other as well. On the 28th, FRESH artist Gabe Pons, along with several local Alexandria teens created a mural about the life of Charles Houston using the technique of wheat paste collage and stencils.

Later that night a panel discussion was held in the gallery by Gabe Pons (FRESH artist) & Marissa Bothelo (local DC artist) & Cory Stowers of Words Beat & Life, inc., about the art & history of graffiti - participants were later able to "tag" a panel set up on the Torpedo Factory's smoke stack & have their FRESH tshirts tagged as well.

Target Gallery Special Event: May 28, 4-8pm

4-7pm: Local youth will help create a graffiti inspired mural with FRESH artist Gabriel Pons
The mural project will be a collage and stencil design over graffiti painted doors. The theme of the mural will be about the life and work of Charles Houston.

7-7:30pm: Panel Discussion about the “Art of the Tag”.
Panelists include artists Marissa Botelho and Gabriel Pons

7:30-7:45: Question and Answer session

7:45 – 8:00pm: Refreshments

The painted doors will be auctioned off at a later date with proceeds going to the Charles Houston Memorial Public Art Project.


DON'T FORGET: All day on May 28 please bring donated art supplies to the Torpedo Factory Art Center for the CHARLES HOUSTON RECREATION CENTER

Public Art Project Community Outreach : Summer Art Program 2009
Art Supplies Wish List:

16 color watercolor sets
25 color oil pastel sets
8 color marker sets
12 color soft/chalk pastel sets
drawing pencils: HB 2B
Pencil sharpeners
Eraser: Gum, Plastic
9x12” sketch paper pads
11x15” watercolor paper pads
18x24” drawing paper pads
compressed charcoal
conte’crayons: black, white, sanguine sienna
glue sticks, tacky/craft glue
aluminum foil
scissors
1” masking tape and painter’s tape
construction paper
acrylic paint (1- GAL jugs): red,yellow, blue, and black and white
Bristle paintbrushes: 1”flat, ½” chisel, detail
assorted clay tools
posterboard: black, white
sharpie markers: black – fine & extra fine
Aquanet fragrance free hairspray
reusable plastic containers, cups & lids
recycled magazines: National Geographic, etc.
men’s/women’s size large: button-down long-sleeved cotton dress shirts

FRESH Exhibition - Opens May 6th

Join us for a reception on May 14th from 6-9pm

May 14th Reception Line-up
6-8pm: DJ Phill will be performing music in the gallery - Special addition FRESH T-Shirts for sale!
7pm: Gallery Talk: FRESH Juror & acclaimed artist Clark V. Fox will be here to discuss the work and his choices for the exhibit!
6-7pm: Break dancers will perform on the docks in front of the TFAC
8-9pm: Finale performance by the break dancers inside the building


Here is a peek at the amazing artwork that will be on display...

Reclaimed Exhibition on the BBC!

Click here to watch the video of the 3-minute Torpedo Factory segment which aired yesterday, May 5, on BBC World News:

Reclaimed is specifically featured, along with a short interview with Reclaimed artist Carol Levin!

LAST CHANCE! - Reclaimed Closes THIS Sunday

This weekend is your last chance to check out Reclaimed -
make sure to come check it out before it closes on Sunday!

Reclaimed Exhibition - Press Review

Here is a snippet from a review written by the Falls Church New Press' Kevin Mellama (Northern Virginia Art Beat) - Thanks Kevin!

"Of all the galleries around town, the Target Gallery consistently does the best job of bringing in work from outside the Metro area. Target Gallery's open call shows are truly open to all comers, where other galleries around town offer open call shows to Metro area or, at most, to Mid-Atlantic artists. The Target Gallery typically brings in work from across the nation, with a few international pieces as well.

The D.C. area art scene operates in a bit of a bubble without any real connection to the outside world. We don't even have a decent connection to Baltimore, and we're practically joined at the hip. It seems to be a problem in general, but the Target Gallery is doing what it can to fight that insular structure."
Click Here to read the rest of the article

**Also check out Reclaimed on Apartment Therapy
**Lenny Campello for Old Town Crier - Great Images!

Reclaimed Reception

This past Thursday was our reception for our exhibition Reclaimed; what a wonderful & vibrant night! We had an amazing turn out, including many of the artists in the show - one artist travelled all the way from Mexico! Our jurors for this exhibition, Steven and Linda Krensky, gave a lovely talk - emphasizing the importance of what all of these artist do & the positive impact art and galleries like ours has on our society.



Vice Mayor Del Pepper joined us to present the City of Alexandria Award of Recognition


Awards were given out to the following people...
Best in Show: Half In Half Out by Kristyn Weaver
2nd Place: Violin by Deveren Farley
3rd Place: Altoids Theater by Lisa Schumaier
Torpedo Factory Artist's Choice Award: Chat Noir by Alfonso Arambula Robles
City of Alexandria's Award of Recognition: Chat Noir by Alfonso Arambula Robles

Alfonso Arambula Robles accepting his awards



Our Handmade Garden was a HUGE success - Thank you so much to everyone who participated & to everyone who collected recycled materials for us!

Reclaimed Public Art Installation

In conjunction with our Reclaimed Exhibition, the Target Gallery is hosting a site specific installation project that will be installed in the main hall of the Torpedo Factory on the night of the Reclaimed Reception, April 9th (during 2nd Thursday Art Night). The public is welcome and encouraged to participate in the building of this "handmade garden" installation which will include a large tree, garden wall & flowers - all made from RECYCLED objects!

Below is a list of the recycled objects that we will be collecting from now until April 8th. Please bring your donations to Target Gallery committee member Lisa Schumaier in Studio 16 (first floor of the Torpedo Factory, across from the Art League Gallery). If you have any question please contact the gallery.

Recycled Supplies needed
1. Chicken wire
2. tin cans, any size, open on both ends.
3. bottle caps
4. little tabs off soda cans
5. metal paper clips
6. used dried coffee grounds
7. big green straws from starbucks used and rinsed

Reclaimed Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: April 1st - April 26th, 2009
Reception: April 9th, 6-8pm, Juror Talk at 7pm

Reclaimed is an exhibition that focuses on everyday common objects that are reclaimed, recycled, reinterpreted and transformed into art. From Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-mades” to Robert Rauschenberg’s “combines”, artists have been for years recycling and reclaiming everyday common objects and transforming them into something new and unique. The jurors for this exhibition are gallery owners and collectors, a husband and wife team, Steven and Linda Krensky. Out of 470 entries, congratulations to the 34 chosen!

Congratulations to the 2009 Newly Juried Artists

Target Gallery is hosting a one week exhibition to welcome three new artists to the Torpedo Factory Art Center...

Saaraliisa Ylitalo
Jessica Beels
Carlos Beltran Baldiviezo

Please join us this week from Sunday, March 8th to Sunday March 15th and come see a sample of their work.

Come out on Sunday March 15th from 2-4pm for a closing reception to meet the artists!

Art

Memorial Exhibit - Reception THIS Sunday

"Animals in Motion" - a memorial exhibit honoring the life and work of Torpedo Factory Artist, Mary Ann Charette.

Exhibition Dates: February 27 - March 1st, 2009 (3 DAYS ONLY!)
Reception: Sunday, March 1st, 2-4pm

The Target Gallery will be hosting a memorial exhibition to honor the life and work of Torpedo Factory Artist, Mary Ann Charette. Mary Ann’s trademark was animals in motion; she carved those images into porcelain vases, bowls, slab-formed tiles, plaques, and jewelry. She was also known for perfecting special firing results with raku and smoked porcelain. Her work recently appeared in the book “500 Animals in Clay.” Describing her work she said, “I try to capture the appearance of the animals in motion accurately and at the same time show the emotions that I see in their movements, especially that of leaping impalas.”

Bookends Reception

BookEnds: The Book as Art

Exhibition Dates:
Target Gallery: January 22 – February 22
Reception: Second Thursday Art Night; February 12, 6-8pm; Juror, Helen Frederick, talk at 7pm
__________________________________

Exhibition Dates: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center- February 10 – April 18; reception on Saturday, February 14





Two DC area art centers are “Bookending” the DC art scene; Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery in Alexandria, VA and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, MD.

From late January through April, Torpedo Factory Art Center and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring are coming together for an interesting collaborative exhibition, “BookEnds: the Book as Art”. This juried exhibition focuses on the book as art and includes artists both nationally and internationally. The exhibition will be split between two venues, Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery and Pyramid Atlantic: A Center for Print, Paper and Book Arts. The juror for this exhibition is Helen Frederick, Founder and former director of Pyramid Atlantic. Frederick chose 56 pieces that will be on display at both galleries. The work encompasses more traditional forms of art books and more contemporary and sculptural versions as well. The juror will present a gallery talk on February 12 at 7pm during the reception.

Excerpt from Helen Frederick’s juror statement:

The artist books in this exhibition equally represent forms of letterpress, etching, relief printing, screenprint, lithography and digital printing. This fact acknowledges the spirited community of individuals who employ the book arts as a medium based on print technologies, and it also demonstrates the health of available artist books programs in academia, public, private and non-profit art centers. Exhibited artists are no doubt a mix of mentors and students who sustain and advance the book arts movement.

In the area of mixed media, some very delightful constructs were employed, from glass to collage to magazine pages, all useful in rendering text and image in deconstructed and reconstructed manner of ways. And although we think of a book as hand-sized, in this exhibition you will find numerous and various senses of scale that extend the hand. As Marshall McLuhan says “we make our tools and in turn our tools make us”.

__________________________________________

The Target Gallery is located on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, VA. The gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday 12-6pm and Thursdays 12-8pm. The entire exhibition will be online at www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/target_current.htm by January 22. The gallery’s mission is to promote high standards of art by continuously exploring new ideas through the visual media in a schedule of national and international exhibitions.

Pyramid Atlantic Art Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit contemporary arts center located in the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Silver Spring. Pyramid’s mission is to promote and nurture artistic excellence through imaginative programming in the visual arts for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. For more information, visit www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.