Art Review
Art on the Waters’ Edge

By Ashleigh Luthman-Hackett (November 29, 2004)

On Monday, October 18^th, Maria Shield’s IB art class returned to school both physically and mentally worn. The previous excursion to the Torpedo Factory, in Alexandria had required frequent exploring of the center’s uniquely hands on atmosphere. The factory itself, previously existing as an actual torpedo factory for the United States Navy, up until 1945, was established and renovated as an Art factory in the 1970’s. Being a highlight of Alexandria’s waterfront town life, attractions of the center include its 84 working studios, in which artists converse and invite inquisitors, 5 galleries, the Alexandria archeological museum, and it’s riverside restaurant, which is one of the many bistros along the water’s edge in Alexandria.

Visitors to the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria get to see great art and actual artists at work. Here are examples of their work: A painting by Lane Palmisano, sculptures by Robert Rosselle, and two paintings by Marcel. (Photos by Rachel Miller)

Admission into the center is entirely free of charge, giving one’s austere day an unexpected but beneficial lavishing of both art and history. Classes in all areas of art interest, such as ceramics, printmaking, painting with watercolors, etc, are available, with charges applying. What captivated my interest was the fact that classes are uniquely being taught side-by-side professionals IN the professionals’ studio workspace. One could suppose that classes are both exceedingly beneficial for the student’s artistic progression and well worth the money spent.

Artists with a wide range of specialties work in their studios on each color-coded three floors, ranging from silver jewelry making to fairy take illustrations, which are similar to the range of talents of George Mason art students. Many students, while at the factory, found a particular artist or two that intrigued them and therefore spent several minutes or so of constrictive time interacting with them. Anna Shakeeva, an artist originally studying art in Russia, particularly engrossed me with her surreal, rich, dreamlike, colorful, and extremely meticulous paintings, which his similar to my own interests. My fascinations with my own art progressed after speaking with her and discovering her methods and motivations, in her illuminated studio with a window overlooking the bay.

My last look of the Torpedo Factory was the center’s famous and handcrafted staircase, having every segment or so constructed of a different type of art made by an artist of that specialty. A conclusion can be drawn that our visit was not only a brief excursion for locals looking for a worthwhile spending of a lazy day, but a fortunate experience for prospective art students, who indulged in and progressed their own interests by meeting those who have reached the level of professionalism.