Who cares about the arts....what can they do to improve a city's economy? Alexandria's Torpedo factory helps to answers that question; "Work began on the building in May of 1974, with artist volunteers and City personnel working together to remove the debris of 55 years. Bulldozers and fire hoses were initially needed and 40 truckloads of debris were eventually removed. Studio walls were built, electricity and plumbing expanded. The entire exterior was repainted. By July, artists had converted the huge space into a complex of bright and clean studios. On September 15, 1974, the Torpedo Factory Art Center opened to the public." Vision, commitment, elbow grease, civic support and the vitality of the arts, brought economic prosperity to a dilapidated piece of waterfront property. 82 artist's studios bring in over 500,000 visitors a year. Wow! The economic prosperity target gets a direct hit! The Torpedo Factory has been on my, "I want to see this," list for years. Once again the art lovers, Nancy, Dave and I, spent the whole day wander through studios, visiting with artists and taking in the Target Gallery's multi media show called, Please Touch. 20 national and international artists were chosen for this interactive show. Kurt Treeby, an artist from my hometown of Buffalo NY, made architectural tissue boxes out of plastic canvas. "Plastic canvas is a cheap crafting material often used for kitschy objects and it's most often associated with the creation of tissue box covers. These covers often take the shape of quaint country homes or cottages far removed from the modern architecture of the city. Like the tissue that gets discarded once it is used, all of the buildings recreated here have suffered the same fate." I took a picture and a tissue as I contemplated the three pieces Kurt had in the show. When I returned home, I emailed the artist and explained the project. Here is what Kurt said about his personal fabric, "I thought about your question, and I think if I were to design a fabric that represented me, it would have an architectural appearance- a brick pattern or a shingle pattern, something associated with a building." The Torpedo Factory, a direct hit for LEAP 366 !
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LEAP 366
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