Alexandria, VA- The public art initiative in Alexandria, fueled by the Alexandria Office of the Arts, the Commission for the Arts, and various private, state, and federal grants, has gone viral. Murals on public and private property are springing up from the east side to the West End to north Old Town and all around Del Ray.
We’ve become accustomed to the sight of a provocatively illustrated brick wall or glowing smoking meteorite, or silhouetted ghosts of the legacy of labor among African American enslaved and free Alexandrians around town. But have you ever walked around Old Town and Del Ray or DC and spotted what appears to be a tiny yellow or white stenciled robot figure embedded in the pavement? Have you recently been strolling around Old Town and looked up to notice something unusual attached to the traffic light wires hanging above you?
He’s baaaaaAAAAaaaack! The humanoid robot images are the work of a street artist pseudo-named Stikman, who has been working since the 60s placing these linoleum tape stick figures all over the country. Since 2008 there are reputed to have been 150 Stikmen spotted around the DMV. As an artist, Stikman is the real deal, exhibiting his less urban and more urbane artwork in galleries worldwide. Amazon selected works by Stikman for their first collection of limited-edition international street-artist prints.
He’s heeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeere! While in Old Town, check out the utility lines above your head. If you’re lucky you may spot the latest installation by street artist Reed Bmore. Bmore is a nom-d’artiste for the Baltimore-based aerial wire sculptor. The Filipino veteran graffiti artist has segued to a more dynamic 3-D mixed media primarily involving suspended wire sculptural expressions of local culture and social commentary. Perhaps Bmore has discovered the new Mang Eton Filipino food truck cuisine taking over Suki Moon in Del Ray.
Heading back indoors, exploring ALX gallery and exhibit space happenings this month, and speaking of Del Ray, don’t miss the popular biennial $100 and Under exhibit at Del Ray Artisans, currently on view through December 1. Curated by DRA Facilities Director Kurt Peterson and former DRA President Dale Spivey, this show features all art priced at $100 or less. Artwork is sold TO GO for this exhibit. If you buy it, you take your purchase home sooner than soon – to go!
Nepenthe Gallery has exciting November news ~ artwork will remain on exhibit for four weeks! If you can’t make a Thursday ART + WINE + CHEESE (AWC) 6 – 7:30 pm event one week, you may still view the spotlighted artist’s work throughout the month. The first November AWC kicks off with new works by Hunt Slonem. The Pop Art whimsy depicted in Slonem’s paintings of bunnies, birds, butterflies, horses, and fish are smile-out-loud infectious. His neo-expressionist depictions of the natural world are in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim, the Met, the Whitney American Art Museum in NY, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He’s a favorite of Art NewZ. If only he painted zebras!
Meet Philadelphia mixed media artist and art professor Matt Higgins at Nepenthe on November 14 from 6-7:30 pm. His dynamic paintings utilizing text evoke passionate and powerful messaging.
Local oil painter Jennifer Barlow will be at Nepenthe on November 21, sharing her fun and fabulous food-inspired art during Thursday’s AWC. You’ll likely leave hungry and inspired! After all, Thanksgiving is coming!
Something super cool is always going on over at Galactic Panther. A Galactic Biergarten and Art Auction was recently held at the stylish and artfully chic new Hotel Heron, featuring three ALX fave purveyors of artisanal craft brews, curated ciders, and elevated wieners: Port City, Lost Boy, and Haute Dogs.
LIMBS: A Group Art Show is currently on view at the Galactic Panther King Street Gallery. Found and Fabricated, the new GP satellite exhibit at the Canal Center Gallery in North Old Town showcases the multimedia work of minimalist and post-minimalist Asha Cabaca and the organic incongruity of nature represented in the contextual, temporal constructions of Molly Davis.
Art is up, down, and all around Alexandria. Next time you take a stroll down King Street, be sure to stop by the Coldwell Banker Realty offices at 310 King Street. A Focus on Nature exhibits the nature-themed photography of Steven Halperson and the mosaics of Nina Tisara on view now through December 21. Stop in and have a look. Heads up and watch your step walking there. You’ll thank us later!
Other Art NewZ and Noteworthy Exhibits: Don’t miss the Open Exhibit at the Art League Gallery in the Torpedo Factory, landscape paintings by Lindsey Kustusch and Nate Ross on view at the Principle Gallery, and the art of master printmaker Susan Goldman at the Athenaeum in Old Town. Camila Mancilla, an Alexandria-based collage artist and Architectural + Design doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech, is currently exhibiting her architecturally inspired work in a new show called Homesick at the District of Architecture in DC.
ICYMI: Community Day of the Dead Altar Debuts in Del Ray Nov. 1 & 2
