The 19th annual Alexandria Film Festival kicks off this weekend with over 60 film screenings in store, from immersive documentaries to experimental films.
Three days of screenings start tomorrow (Friday) and run until Sunday, Nov. 9. Tickets cost $16.79 at each venue, while an all-festival pass costs $85. Federal workers affected by the government shutdown may also receive complimentary tickets at the box office with a valid government ID, while supplies last.
An Alexandria artist is preparing to host her first-ever portrait exhibition at the Torpedo Factory Art Center this fall.
Lifelong artist Mahua Mazumdar’s new exhibition, “Expressions of Light,” features 15 portraits “exploring the nuances of human presences, vulnerability, complexity and joyous moments,” she told ALXnow. The collection will be available to view at The Art League Gallery from Nov. 12-Dec. 7 at 105 N. Union Street.
Sandy Williams IV’s proposal for an art installation in Alexandria to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was approved this week by the city’s Commission for the Arts.
The work, entitled “10:00,” will feature 600 limestone rulers stacked into a 40-inch-by-48-inch-by-50-inch box. Williams has calculated that if you walk at a pace of 1 mile per hour, you cover 17.6 inches every second. Every ruler in the piece will be 17.6 inches long, and Williams says that it takes about 10 minutes (600 seconds) to read the Declaration.
Grammy winner Macy Gray is performing her greatest hits at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria next month, and spoke with ALXnow for a few minutes.
Gray is performing across the country this and next month on the final leg of an international tour marking the 25-year anniversary of the release of her hit album “On How Life Is”. The Nov. 4 concert is her second appearance performing in Alexandria, after she sang at The Birchmere in 2023, and she says she’ll be performing the entire album, plus a few covers and new songs.
Next week, Sandy Williams IV will submit his proposal for an art installation in Alexandria to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Williams’ proposal for public art to adorn the courtyard of the Alexandria Circuit Court (520 King Street) from April to November must first receive approval from the city’s Commission for the Arts. The design is still under wraps, although the artist, who is known for creating pieces that defy convention, says that the issues the signers of the Declaration of Independence wrestled with in 1776 are similar to those faced by contemporary Americans.
Ready to solve a mystery at home?
Four years ago, a group of Alexandrians combined their talents to launch the Literary Adventure Society, a play-at-home mystery game series based on classic detective stories set in Victorian London, featuring sleuths Sherlock Holmes and Loveday Brooke. Would-be detectives (up to six at a time) can order the $55 interactive mystery boxes that include audio plays, clues, as well as custom tea blends and scented candles to get everyone in the right frame of mind to unravel mind-bending crimes like A Scandal in Bohemia, The Dancing Men, and The Mystery of the Black Bag.
Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood was packed with art lovers for the 30th annual Art on the Avenue festival in Del Ray on Saturday (Oct. 4).
Hundreds of juried artists sold their work, live music was performed on four stages and the event and its founder Pat Miller were recognized by Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th), Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5th) and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley.
Welcome to Friday, Alexandria. Here’s a look at the top stories of the week.
ALXnow’s top story this week is on the man who was struck by a train at the Potomac Yard Metro station on September 22 and later died at George Washington University Hospital. Metro Transit Police stated at the time that the man had trespassed onto the tracks, and an investigation revealed that he was being chased by two alleged fare evaders: a 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old female, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
It’s time to say “nevermore” again, because Edgar Allan Poe actor David Keltz is returning to Alexandria’s Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) Oct. 29 and 30.
Keltz will recreate Poe’s visit to the city before he died in 1849. The program will include recitations of Poe’s poems “The Raven” and “El Dorado,” as well as two chilling stories, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA). The actor has been performing as Poe since 1991.
Alexandria will host its first-ever State of the Arts ALX event this month at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus (3625 Potomac Avenue).
The city’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities — Office of Arts is hosting the free event on Oct. 15 at 8:30 a.m. Speakers discussing the local art scene and artistic accomplishments in Alexandria include Poet Laureate Maria Cristina Donoso and Jen Goold, executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center.
Several Alexandria businesses are offering discounts and freebies to federal employees affected by the government shutdown.
Made in ALX (415 King Street) is offering discounts on workshops, has items on sale, and is putting out one of their artists’ 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles for anyone to work on during regular business hours. “I’m in a federal family, and have gone through several shutdowns in the past,” Beth Lawton, a cofounder of Made In ALX, told us. “I know firsthand how stressful it is, and if we can make things easier on people affected this year, we’re happy to do that.”
