Untitled Me: Portrait Exhibition

The Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery presents Untitled Me: Portrait Exhibition of Artists of the ART Options Program, an exhibition of emerging members of the DC artistic community in conjunction with St. John’s Community Services’ ART Options Program. This show hopes to contribute to the conversation and educational collaboration between artists living with and without disabilities around the Washington, DC area. The show will open in Sites 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floor of the Art Center on August 4, 2012.  A hands-on community sculpture will also be open for the public to contribute to in the main hall. The public is invited to meet some of the artists at the reception on August 9th held during the Art Center’s Second Thursday Art Night.

About the Exhibit:
Untitled Me is a collection of self-portraits and celebrated icons created by diverse talented artists from the area. The works include pieces capturing the unique qualities of the artists’ heroes, as well as pieces expressing how the artists envision themselves and their world.

To encourage public participation and discussion, during the length of the exhibition visitors are encouraged to partake in a unique opportunity by contributing to a community sculpture. Visitors can add to the sculpture from a collection of items that will be provided, or by bringing their own items such as old jewelry, broken tea cups, part of toys, etc, that will be attached to a wire armature in the shape of a human figure. Once completed, this sculpture will represent all of the pieces that make up each one of us, and in turn how each one of us makes up a part of our community.
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About St. John’s Community Services ART Options Program
The mission of the ART Options Program is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to learn about, experience, and create art in order to develop successful careers and personal lives.  By enabling artists to use art as a tool for personal growth and personal sustainability, the program encourages artists to fully participate in and become contributing members of their community. With the community’s support of this program and the artists involved, the Torpedo Factory will contribute to the artistic exchange between people with and without disabilities while enhancing the artists’ career development, thereby encouraging their self-direction.

About Art in Public Spaces: The Art in Public Spaces (APS) program serves as the community outreach arm for the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) by providing rotating exhibition and educational program opportunities. APS does this by utilizing the public space on all three floors of the art center. This program works with DC-metro area organizations in an effort to reach out to new and neglected groups, expanding the diversity of the audience to the TFAC. APS is managed by Target Gallery, national exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

About the Torpedo Factory Art Center
The Torpedo Factory Art Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance public art appreciation and education. Home to over 165 artists working in 82 studios which are open to the public, the Torpedo Factory serves as an example of how the arts can revitalize a community. The highlight of Alexandria's Potomac River waterfront, the art center attracts approximately 500,000 visitors annually. In addition to three floors of artist studios, the Torpedo Factory is home to six galleries, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, and The Art League School. The art center is open daily from 10am to 6pm and until 9pm on Thursdays. For more information: www.torpedofactory.org