Free Hands-on Family Activities At The Torpedo Factory

From The Torpedo Factory:Hundreds of children and their families are expected to visit the Torpedo Factory Art Center on Saturday, October 21, for Art Safari, an Alexandria family tradition for 22 years. Visitors can get their hands, clothes,and feet dirty with a bevy of interactive activities and crafts from noon to 4 pm.

Resident and visiting artists lead young visitors in more than 15 creative projects across a variety of media, including clay, papier-mâché, printmaking, and feet painting. Children should wear clothing that can get dirty. All activities are free with most appropriate for children age 5 – 11 with some activities requiring parental assistance.

Tens of thousands of people across the region have attended Art Safari during its two-decade history. Leading up to the special day, the public is invited to share their own stories and photos of past Art Safaris with hashtag#artsafariALX.

For more information, visit http://torpedofactory.org/artsafari, email torpedofactory@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4570. Torpedo Factory Art Center is located at 105 N. Union St. in Alexandria, Virginia.

List of Activities:

· Giant Papier-Mâché Elephant – Led by Lisa Schumaier In only four hours, children use simple paper and paste to transform a wire frame into a new sculpture. Many of Schumaier’s previous Art Safari sculptures, such as the iconic camel, are on view in the first floor throughout the year.

· Halloween A-Dada – Led by Michael Holt Inspired by Dada art and just in time for Halloween, make your own Dada Jack-O-Lantern! Paste magazine cut outs onto foam pumpkins and spiders. Draw on it with markers, and then toss some googly eyes on it for fun!

· Scrap City – Led by American Institute of Architects of Northern Virginia
AIA Nova joins Art Safari to celebrate Arch-tober. Turn cardboard, twine, plastic bottles, and other bric-a-brac into architectural feats, then place them in the city grid to reimagine the future of Alexandria. Design a new wing for the Torpedo Factory, too.

· Dance Painting – Led by Local Motion Project Swirl, splatter, dance, and freeze. Kids can literally jump into this giant mural and paint with hands, feet, brushes, and more.

· Mini Paintings and Coloring Tables – Led by the Torpedo Factory Artists Association Painters from the Torpedo Factory Art Center will sit side by side with young visitors to create miniature paintings together. Participants learn to pain on canvas with acrylic paint, and blending colors to make new and unique shades.

Artists from the Torpedo Factory community have also created black-and-white line drawings for children to embellish with color.

· Bottlecap Art – Led by UpCycle Creative Reuse Center
Bottlecaps are transformed into sparkling art with the help of sequins and glitter glue.

· Die-Cut Bookmarks – Led by Alexandria Library
Create custom bookmarks for that favorite story and decorate buttons to show a love of reading.

· Studio 8 – Make Your Own Sea Creatures – Led by Constantino Bastidas In the New Project Studio, make a new and strange underwater sea creature.

· Studio 21 – Gallery scavenger hunt – Led by The Art League Gallery This year, The Art League’s scavenger hunt explores the October Open Exhibit. Each completed scavenger hunt can be shown at the gallery desk to receive a special prize.

· Studio 22 – Clay Experience – Led by Susan Greenleaf Children play and experiment with a piece of wet clay to mold and shape into any form they can imagine. Potters will demonstrate their technique for throwing clay on a pottery wheel.

· Studio 29 – Fiber collage – Led by Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery Artists help children create a dynamic collage using bits of fabric and fiber.

· 2nd Floor Hall – Easel stations – Led by Christine Cardellino With acrylic paint and paper, children paint anything they can imagine at the easel stations located on the 2nd floor.

· Studio 325 – Silkscreen printing – Led by Patrick Sargent Children progress through four different color stations throughout the building to create their own full-color silk-screen image. The final station is located in Studio 325.

· Studio 326 – Noodle Necklaces – Led by Sissy Cutchen and Friends of the Torpedo Factory Artists help kids string and decorate necklaces made of macaroni and rigatoni. Learn more about the Friends of the Torpedo Factory and their work supporting the arts. Artist Sissy Cutchen will be reading and signing her children’s book,Everybody’s Cookies which explores American food and its international menu.

· Studio 327 – Artifact Illustration – Alexandria Archaeology Museum
Artifact illustration is still used by archaeologists to reveal details that otherwise might be missed by a photograph. Visitors will choose a real artifact to measure and illustrate on their lab sheet. Artistic representations of other artifacts will also be on display throughout the museum.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, e-mailtorpedofactory@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4570, Virginia Relay 711.

Image Courtesy of Jingwei Li