Torpedo Factory: Fine art in a funky place
The last place you might expect to find fine art is in a building once used to make weapons, but that’s exactly what you get at Washington D.C.’s Torpedo Factory. This one-time WWII ammunitions factory now houses work and exhibition space for hundreds of talented local artists, and is open to the public year-round.
Located along the picturesque waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, the Torpedo Factory was originally built in 1918 as a manufacturing center for torpedo shell casings. A green MK-14 torpedo still resides in the building’s main hallway as a tribute to the factory’s history.
After WWII, the building was converted into storage space for the Federal Government, holding such diverse objects as the Smithsonian’s dinosaur bones and archives from the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials.
In 1974 a portion of the space was converted to an art center, and in 1983 the entire factory was converted into art studios, display and sale spaces. Artists must pass a jury review of their work to be granted space, and all work displayed at the factory has been created on-site.
Today more than 160 professional artists display and sell their work at the Torpedo Factory, including painters, sculptors, photographers, glass-blowers and jewelry makers. Visitors can peruse more than 80 individual studio areas, observe artists at work, ask questions about the art, and even purchase works for sale.
Aside from regular daily hours, the factory also features frequent special exhibitions, events and lectures. A copy of the event’s calendar can be found online at: http://www.torpedofactory.org/calendar_of_events_.htm. The City of Alexandria Archaeology Museum and Research Laboratory, a free working museum featuring artifacts and fossils, is also on site, located on the factory’s third floor.
Fine art and fossils in a factory may seem a little off-kilter, but the Torpedo Factory is a lovely place to wander and explore. It’s a great destination for art lovers, history buffs, or anyone interested in a day of something different.
- by D.J. Siegel, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro
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