Palestinian American Zina Azzam has been chosen as Alexandria’s poet laureate, and will take over the post filled three years ago by KaNikki Jakarta, who was honored with a proclamation on Tuesday night (April 5).
“I’m really delighted to be here and to I’m really honored to have this position,” Azzam told the Alexandria City Council. “I’ve got big shoes to fill and I’m really looking forward to it.”
(Updated 7:15 p.m.) For a while now, there’s been a fairly straightforward trade between the City of Alexandria and developers: if you want more density, you need to build affordable residential units.
New development in Old Town North, however, has thrown a wrinkle into that system by opening up a second option. Now, developers can also get bonus density by opening up sections of new development to arts use — part of the city’s efforts to establish Old Town North as an arts district.
Mayor Asks Metro for Support During Closure — “Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson urged Metro in a Thursday letter to commit to city rail and bus service amid an announcement of extended closures, particularly on the transit agency’s Yellow Line.” [WTOP]
West Glebe Road Bridge Lane Closed — “Engineers have identified a structural issue with a bridge connecting Arlington County and Alexandria, prompting a lane closure.” [Patch]
The City of Alexandria is still mulling over what to do with the Torpedo Factory, but one way of paying for the expensive additions could lie in a program started under FDR.
At a meeting of the Waterfront Commission, representatives from the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) outlined one potential path to financing the Torpedo Factory overhaul as part of a “public real estate entity.”
A new art project coming to Waterfront Park later this month is bringing a splash of pink to Old Town.
The project by Miami artists Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt was proposed last year and the city announced it will be officially unveiled on Friday, March 25.
Fresh off an approval to expand their music venue, the concert series at Classical Movements (711 Princess Street) is planning to highlight the music of two countries in crisis.
One of the two concerts will feature music from Afghanistan, featuring a performance from a recently arrived refugee. The other will feature musicians from the National Symphony and the Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders’ work in Ukraine, according to a release from Classical Movements.
The new kitschy “I Love You” public art installation at Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) is scheduled to be unveiled on March 25.
The new installation by Miami artists Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt features illuminated neon pink lights spelling out “I Love You” mounted on a 15-foot high display and will “bathe visitors in a soft pink hue,” a press release from the city described with an unusual touch of sensuality. The color scheme had earlier been described by Office of the Arts Director Diane Ruggiero as “Pepto-Bismol pink.”
There’s been some drama around the future of the Torpedo Factory, but applications are opening next month for local artists looking to get in ahead of those changes.
“The City of Alexandria will be accepting resident artist applications for studio space at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union Street) beginning March 1,” the city said in a press release. “Individuals or groups of up to four artists are invited to apply for the studio jury for a three-year lease in one of the available studios. The deadline to apply is April 19.”
The Alexandria Library is hosting an art contest for Alexandria teens and the deadline is early next week.
The Teen Winter Creativity Contest is open to all local writers, visual artists and photographers in grades 6 through 12. Entries must be received by the Alexandria Library by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 15). The entry forms are available at the bottom of the contest page and only one entry is permitted per student in each category.
After nearly two years of hosting outdoor classical music concerts in Old Town, Classical Movements wants to expand their operation.
City Council, which approved Classical Movements’ request to operate last year, will review the application to expand hours and increase seating for the venue at The Rectory at 711 Princess Street at its meeting on Saturday, Feb. 12. Classical Movements wants to increase outdoor seating from 50 to 181, and expand hours from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Ever since he was five years old, local muralist Patrick Kirwin has been drawing on walls. The artist behind the Dogs Of Del Ray mural has been busy during the pandemic, and his work is mostly positive.
Kirwin says that’s what his clients want these days.
