Principle Gallery

Principle Gallery, in partnership with Torpedo Factory Art Center, presents a new exhibition featuring artwork by artists recently juried into the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Artists on view will include new and returning Resident Artists, and Artists Pro Tem who are eligible to sublease and take part in Art Center programs. New Resident Artists will gain a studio in the Fall. The exhibition, curated by Principle Gallery, offers the public a first view of artwork by over 35 of the artists selected for the Art Center.

While the artists were selected through the Art Center’s process, Principle Gallery curated the artwork of over 35 artists into a unified exhibition. Artwork on view will include paintings, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, new technology, and more.

The exhibition opens next Friday, August 5th, and will be on display through Sunday, August 21st. Principle Gallery will be hosting an Opening Reception on August 5th from 6-8:30 pm.

About the Torpedo Factory Art Center

Founded in 1974 in an old munitions plant, Torpedo Factory Art Center is the nation’s longest continually operated community of publicly accessible artists’ studios in a converted industrial space. The City of Alexandria manages Torpedo Factory Art Center through the Office of the Arts’, a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities family of programs and facilities. Just south of Washington, D.C., the Art Center overlooks the Potomac River in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Va. Each year, more than a half million national and international visitors meet and interact with more than 160 artists in 71 studios and seven galleries. 

In December 2021, Alexandria City Council approved and directed staff to implement the Action Plan for Vibrancy & Sustainability at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The plan was based on a 2019 City-commissioned meta-analysis of 15 public and private reports. Implementation of the plan is the Art Center’s Vibrancy Initiative. The Vibrancy Initiative provides direction for the Art Center to become a 21st-century, leading arts institution with a broad and deep connection to Alexandria residents, visitors, and regional artists built on equity and high performance with a curated building of artists at its heart. 

“Artists are the most important part of the Art Center, and we are excited to share their work in one exciting exhibition. Partnering with Principle Gallery gives artists an opportunity to exhibit in a professional gallery, while creating a more outward-looking Art Center connecting directly to the community.”

Brett Johnson, Torpedo Factory Art Center Director

 “Now more than ever, it’s important for arts organizations to collaborate in support of the arts, artists, and disseminating culture. The Torpedo Factory Art Center has been an institution in Old Town for almost 50 years and we are excited to team up for the first time to usher in the new class of artists and a new day for the institution.”

Clint Mansell, Principle Gallery Director

Featured Artists

We hope you can join us for the Opening Reception next Friday, August 5th from 6-8:30 pm. In addition, we have a lot of exciting exhibitions on the books this Fall and Winter. If you’d like to click here to visit our exhibitions page and click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter.