Friends Gathered for Pubic Farewell to Alexandria Legend Marian Van Landingham at Torpedo Factory
Alexandria, VA – On Sunday, May 16, a celebration of life honored the memory of Torpedo Factory Art Center founder and former Virginia State Delegate Marian Van Landingham, who passed on April 4.
The event was held at the TFAC main floor hall where friends and colleagues, political as well as artistic, gathered surrounded by her artwork and images of Marian. Alexandria City Councilman Canek Aguirre read the Council Resolution commending the life and contributions Marian had made throughout her 88-plus years.
Former Delegate Brian Moran, Virginia Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles, and Adam Ebbin, Senior Advisor at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, drove up from Richmond to attend. Former Alexandria Mayor and Congressman Jim Moran spoke fondly of his memories of Marian. Longtime aide and dear friend Harlene Cullen Clayton shared her remembrances of the legendary Van Landingham, as did Boyd Walker and former Mayor Alison Silberberg among others who knew and admired the TFAC’s beloved founder.
Friend Dorothea Peters, speaking with Janet Powers, noted so eloquently that Marian’s artwork seemed to tell stories about pathways and escapes – a fitting farewell from someone who always found a way to get things done and who has left us all too soon.
