art | ALXnow - Part 19

Morning Notes

Published May 19, 2020 at 9:00AM

City Helps World Central Kitchen Give Out 1,250 Meals — “On May 14, City staff and volunteers distributed 1,250 hot meals to 350 families in the third food distribution organized in Alexandria by World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit food distribution organization founded by chef José Andrés. Local nonprofit ALIVE! also distributed 800 pounds of food at the event. This food distribution will take place again at Casa Chirilagua on May 21 and Ramsay Elementary School on May 28.” [City of Alexandria]

10,000 Maniacs Show at The Birchmere Rescheduled to November — “his show has been RESCHEDULED AGAIN, now for Friday November 20, 2020! All 3/20/20 & 5/31/20 tickets will be honored on the new date. Refunds available through Ticketmaster if you cannot attend the new date. If you purchased at The Birchmere Box Office, please hold on to your tickets until we reopen. Tickets for 11/20/20 on sale now!” [Birchmere]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published May 5, 2020 at 9:00AM

ACPS Nurses Helping Out Health Department — “When Megan Costanza, a nurse at the T.C. Williams High School Clinic got the call to say her skills were needed by the Alexandria Health Department’s Coronavirus task force, she didn’t hesitate.” [ACPS]

Carpenter’s Shelter Raising Funds for Giving Tuesday — “#GivingTuesdayNow and Do More 24 have synched efforts to help organizations like Carpenter’s Shelter raise money during this unprecedented time. Advanced giving is open, so please support Carpenter’s Shelter by donating!” [Facebook]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published April 14, 2020 at 9:00AM

Neighborhood Restaurant Group Family Fund Raises $44K — “Our employees are the lifeblood of this company and form the backbone of this amazing industry; they are the core of our communities and the heart of our restaurant family. We are working to support them through our to-go and delivery efforts and through our gift card sales – and we will continue to do whatever it takes. With your help, we will survive this crisis so we can continue to support our team and the communities in which we operate.” [GoFundMe]

Greener Cleaner of Del Ray Looking For Business on National Laundry Day — “It’s a perfect time to ‘Spring Clean During the Quarantine!’ Winter coats, comforters, rugs, all clothes, and much more accepted. Masks are also available for sale for $8.” [Facebook]

News

Torpedo Factory Art Center a Ghost Town, Artists Haunted by Rent Payments

By Vernon Miles

Published April 10, 2020 at 3:15PM | Updated April 10, 2020 at 10:48PM

The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Update 10:40 p.m. — City Spokesperson Craig Fifer noted that the city has offered deferred payment of certain businesses taxes until June 30 and offered 12-month payment plans after that, which is the same offer available to the artists. Fifer also said that rent is paid to the city because the city owns and manages the building, with management resumed in 2016.

Artists can still access their studios and derive value from having a place to work, make online sales, and store their supplies and art. Because some artists derive more income from walk-in sales than others, it would not make sense to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to studio rent. We notified each of our 119 leaseholders on March 31 that they could request rent relief with just a simple email, and only eight so far have done so.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published April 8, 2020 at 9:00AM

Running along the Alexandria waterfront with the Tall Ship Providence in the background (staff photo by James Cullum)

Asthmatic Champion Sprinter Noah Lyles Cautious Amid Pandemic — “Professional athletes can seem superhuman, but some like US sprinter @LylesNoah are having to take extra precautions to protect themselves during the Covid-19 crisis.” [Twitter]

The Majestic Menu Available Only For Easter Sunday — “We’re so hoppy to be back 🐰 The Majestic is back for one day only and offering a chef curated, prix fixe Easter menu for four. To pre-order, call us today at 703.997.5300. All Easter meals must be picked up at Mia’s Italian Kitchen located just .5 miles from The Majestic.” [Facebook]

News

Alexandria Activities This Weekend for Those Stuck at Home

By Vernon Miles

Published April 3, 2020 at 5:15PM

Stuck at home this weekend social distancing but still want to connect with your fellow Alexandrians? A few online or quarantine-friendly activities

If the quarantine has you stressed out, there are several local online meditation classes. Mind the Mat Pilates and Yoga is live-streaming various yoga, pilates and other exercise classes. The Meditation Center of D.C. is also hosting live-streamed meditations every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. with a Buddist monk.

News

Waterfront Park Art Project to be Completed Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published March 19, 2020 at 3:15PM | Updated March 20, 2020 at 2:14AM

New public art at Waterfront Park (Photo by James Cullum)

Despite the coronavirus pandemic and economic woes afflicting Alexandrians, there’s a rare bright spot today: the art project at Waterfront Park in Old Town is nearly complete and on-course to be finished next week.

The designs for the new art project from Olalekan Jeyifous at the park were first unveiled last year. They depict silhouetted figures representing the city’s history of slavery and its role in building the industries Alexandria was later known for.

News

March150 Returns to Torpedo Factory in Old Town for 10 Year Anniversary

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2020 at 11:30AM

Annual art exhibition March150 is coming back to the Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union Street) this Saturday with a celebration of the show’s 10 year anniversary.

The multimedia exhibit in the Target Gallery of the building will feature over 200 works from artists in Alexandria and throughout the D.C. area. An opening reception is scheduled for this coming Saturday, March 14.

News

Upcoming Cherry Blossom Events in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published March 5, 2020 at 11:35AM

You don’t have to go across the Potomac to enjoy cherry blossom season.

Alexandria’s pink and white blossoms are not as famous and centrally-located as those in D.C., but local tourism group Visit Alexandria put together a list of several cherry blossoms themed events around town.

News

Artist to Depict Alexandria’s History with Slave Ship ‘Enterprise’

By James Cullum

Published January 17, 2020 at 3:45PM | Updated January 17, 2020 at 4:43PM

Eric Crenshaw believes in fate and that he was destined to create paintings depicting the emotion involved in the story of the Enterprise slave ship.

The ship left the port of Alexandria on Feb. 11, 1835, and was blown off course by a hurricane and landed in Hamilton, Bermuda, where a British Court freed 72 of the 78 slaves, who were held in appalling conditions on the Enterprise.

News

Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published January 15, 2020 at 8:00AM

Light trails of passing cars at sunset near Suburban Cleaners on Washington Street in Old Town (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Whole Foods Donating to Local Nonprofit — “Now through the June 1, 2020, you can support The Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC) in Alexandria when you bring your own bag at Whole Foods at 1700 Duke Street. By bringing your own bag, you’ll save on the five-cent bag fee, which will automatically be donated to CFNC.” [Zebra]

Art Program for Residents in Recovery — “This fall, the Alexandria Residential Treatment Center (ARTC) partnered with Heard, a local nonprofit, to offer art workshops for individuals in recovery. An Alexandria-based creative arts initiative, Heard partners with nonprofits and local governments to provide marginalized and at-risk adults the opportunity to be heard through art and creativity with workshops in creative writing, visual arts, poetry, dance, etiquette and improvisation.” [City of Alexandria]