The Rite of Calligraphy is the next installment of the Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center's Performance Art and Lecture series. Our speaker is the noted author and calligrapher Cecil H. Uyehara, who has lectured, demonstrated and exhibited his works at premier art galleries around the United States. Uyehara, a calligrapher, writer, poet, and recent president of the Sumi-E Society of America, brings with him a fascinating vista of Japanese calligraphy. Uyehara will discuss the inter-relationship between Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and also highlight its historical, philosophical and political perspectives.

"The Business Side of the Arts: Behind the Scenes"
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
Tickets: $12, or $10 for members of the Friends and WEBA, as well as Torpedo Factory artists; Reservation recommended: brahmopticians@aol.com or 703-772-6716. 

The Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center and the West End Business Association will co-sponsor a program discussing the methods as well as the benefits of forging partnerships between the business and arts communities, and how members of each community can profit from such alliances. Among the many topics discussed by the panel of speakers will be insights on preparing successful grant applications for funding from private foundations, how arts organizations can enlist the support of the business community in general, and why such alliances can lead to better working environments.

Speakers include: 

• Deborah Tomkins Johnson, Senior Manager of Dominion Power , which sponsors an extensive arts foundation
  
  
• Adrien Finlay, Executive Director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra
  
  
• Linda Hafer, Executive Director of The Art League of Alexandria
  

Moderated By: 

• Linda Vitello, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center , Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus.
  

Questions and answers session to follow. There will be a drawing for door prizes. Light refreshments will be served. 
 
The West End Business Association provides the City of Alexandria, Virginia's West End businesses with networking, education and growth opportunities while offering unified advocacy.  For more information go to www.alexandriaWEBA.com .

An Evening of Chamber Music by Beau Soir Ensemble
Sunday, October 18, 2009, at 6:30 pm
FREE ADMISSION

Beau Soir Ensemble is a flute and harp duo that performs live chamber music concerts for diverse audiences throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.  Formed in 2007, the duo -- Lauren Panfili (flute) and Michelle Myers Lundy (harp) -- specializes in performing new and standard repertoire spanning all eras of classical music. 

The duo released their first recording, “Debut”, in the summer of 2008, and the second CD, “Intermezzo”, in the fall of 2009.  Beau Soir Ensemble’s goal is to make classical music accessible and enjoyable, inspiring a new generation of music lovers.

The Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center are delighted to feature Beau Soir Ensemble in our Performance Art and Lecture Series. For more information, call Mike Jankowski at 202-669-7869.

Please bring your friends.  Membership applications will be available at the performance. Your contributions allow the Friends to present more artists like Beau Soir Ensemble to the Art Center. 

Mosaics, Past and Present: Free Demonstrations
October 1: 7pm, First Floor
October 2 and 3: 1-5pm, Third Floor

Visit the Torpedo Factory this Thursday through Saturday to see demonstrations of mosaic methods, materials, and tools by Gene Sterud of The Art League School.

The art of mosaics can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, nearly 5,000 years ago. It has enjoyed periods of enormous popularity, such as during the Greco-Roman time, and then occasional ages of relative obscurity. Not only has this enduring art form come down to the present but it is currently enjoying a spectacular revival of interest in today’s world.

On Wednesday, May 20 a fashion show took place at the Torpedo Factory Art Center as part of the program for the Friends' annual meeting and the Performance Art and Lecture Series. Artists and models from the Malaysian community showed designs in women's wear made from colorful batiks. Each dress is a unique piece, hand-crafted and dyed by the artists themselves.

View photos from the fashion show.

Batik has ancient roots in Southeast Asia. To make batik, melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. Sometimes several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps. After the last dyeing, the fabric is dried, then dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its distinctive character. Contemporary batik artists may use other techniques such as etching or stencils, and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramic.

JANE FRANKLIN DANCE PERFORMED AT TORPEDO FACTORY ON APRIL 22
Part 1 of a Two-Night Dance Invasion at the Torpedo Factory

Returning one year after their triumphant debut at the building, noted local dance company Jane Franklin Dance performed at the Torpedo Factory Art Center on Wednesday, April 22 as part of the Friends' Performance Art and Lecture Series. The evening incorporated excerpts from recent collaborations and previewed upcoming premier work.

View photos from the Dance Invasion.

Jane Franklin Dance celebrates movement and makes dance accessible to a wide range of audiences through public performances, community engagement, dance education, and collaborations with artists from other disciplines. The company has been presented at numerous state and regional venues including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Booth Playhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the International Dance Festival in New York City.

FRIENDS’ ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2009 CMDUPRE FETED AT A RECEPTION

The Friends sponsored a reception in the Target Gallery on July 9, at which they presented long-time TFAC artist CMDupre with her $1000 cash prize for winning the Friends' 2009 Artist of the Year contest. The reception was held amid an exhibit of the winning artist's work in the Gallery. Ms. Dupre offered a thorough discussion of her work, which was tied to the overall theme of "The Mysterious Other". The award marks the twentieth anniversary of the "Artist of the Year" contest. This year's winner was selected by juror and local art impresario Shauna Lee Lange of the Arts Advisory Group.

More than 20 artists from the Torpedo Factory Art Center are displaying their work at the Ronald Reagan National Airport, Terminal A, from March 27-September 30. Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC), sponsor of the exhibition, held a reception at the airport in appreciation of the Metropolitan Washington Port Authority (MWAA) support and collaboration of the project, which began 10 years ago.

On hand to host the reception held on August 28 was President of TFAC, Mike Jankowski. Among the artists present to welcome friends, families and visitors to the reception were Jamaliah Morais, Jolande Goldberg, Rachel Collins, and Marian Van Landingham. MWAA General Business Specialist, Jeremy Meltzer attended the event that attracted passengers and visitors walking through Terminal A.

The exhibition is a colorful display of fine arts, sculpture, pottery and fiber art. Participating Artists: Felicia Belair-Rigdon, Rachel Collins, Tory Cowles, Ann Di Placido, Min Enghauser, Roberta Glick, Jolande Goldberg, Mina Oka Hanig, Everett Hill, Deb Jansen, Marcia Jestaedt, Carol Lopatin, Mary Lynch, Joyce McCarten, Jamaliah Morais, Lisa Schumaier, Alison Sigethy, Marsha Staiger, Jean Thompson, Marian Van Landingham, and Liang Wei., and Curator for the art at the airport, Jamaliah Morais, Chinese brush painter

The next round of artists from TFAC will install their work for six months at the airport from October 16, 2009 to April 16, 2010. .

Please consider joining the Friends.

Click here for the membership form. For further information, contact .