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1108 Jefferson Street
Alexandria
Virginia 22314
Phone:703.838.6348
Fax:703.838.6344 |
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For Immediate Release
January 7, 2007
PIO#010-08/jlh
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For
More Information, Contact
Jennifer Harris, Communications Officer, at 703.838.5078 |
Alexandria City Council Approves Van Alstine Sculpture Donation
Yesterday, the Alexandria
City Council approved the Alexandria Sculpture Festival donation
by John Van Alstine. The sculpture, “Sacandaga Totem,” is a rough
cut, granite obelisk with four heavy steel fins bolted at the
base and welded to a steel plate. The sculpture measures 113 inches
high x 66 inches wide x 43 inches deep, and weighs 5,000 pounds.
Van Alstine, who lives in New York, has exhibited widely in the
United States, Europe, and Japan. The sculpture will be displayed
in the plaza at the southwest corner of South Fayette and King
Streets.
The City received more
than 50 comments during public input earlier this month. The majority
of comments viewed the sculpture donation favorably, and the Alexandria
Commission for the Arts voted in favor of receiving the donation
this past Monday.
“The City of Alexandria
is very excited to receive a sculpture from such an internationally
renowned artist,” said Mayor William D. Euille. “Art enhances
a community and we look forward to future opportunities to add
art throughout our City.”
For more information
about other programs and services of the Alexandria Commission
for the Arts, please call the Commission's office at 703.838.6348,
or visit alexandriacommissionforthearts.org.
To
read the artist's resume, CLICK
HERE.
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For Immediate Release
May 7, 2008
PIO#168-08/jlh
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For
More Information, Contact
Jennifer Harris, Communications Officer, at 703.838.5078 |
Alexandria Commission for the Arts Schedules
Public Hearing on Public Art to Honor Charles Houston
Input
Needed to Develop Criteria for Art Honoring Famed
African-American Lawyer
To learn more about input gathered from the community to date,
click here
to read notes from the Arpil 24 and 29 community meetings.
For
more information on the Charles Houston Public Art Project,
Click Here
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The public is invited
to attend a public hearing to provide input and to develop criteria
for art that will honor the memory and contributions of civil
rights attorney Charles H. Houston at the Charles Houston Recreation
Center, which is currently under construction. The public hearing
is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. at the Dr. Oswald Durant
Memorial Center (1605 Cameron St.). The Commissions regular
monthly meeting will follow the public hearing.
The purpose of the
public hearing is to gather input from the community, and to provide
an update of information received from previous community meetings.
Residents are encouraged to bring suggestions about their preferences
for the public art that will be placed in the new recreation centers
pedestrian plaza. City staff will use the ideas generated to develop
the scope of work for the public art. The scope and concepts will
then become part of the information used in the public art competition
sponsored by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
The recreation center
is located on the former site of the first Parker-Gray School
on Wythe St., which was demolished in the early 1980s.
Houston was an attorney of national reputation, and a seminal
figure in the civil rights movement. He used his expertise and
influence to bring educational opportunity to Alexandrias
African American community. Houston (who later became Dean of
Howard University Law School) authored a legal brief that was
used by his protégé, Thurgood Marshall, to win
Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education, the landmark U.S.
Supreme Court case that helped to end racial segregation in American
schools.
Persons unable to
attend the public hearing can send written comments to the Department
of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, Attention: Cheryl
Anne Colton, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314, or e-mail
cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
Written comments must be received by June 6, 2008.
For additional information,
call the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
at 703.838.6348.
The City of Alexandria
is committed to compliance with the City's Human Rights Code and
the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation
or to request materials in an alternative format, call Cheryl
Anne Colton, Cultural Arts Administrator, of the Department of
Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.838.6348 (TTY
703.838.4902) or email cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
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Alexandria
Commission for the Arts
Solicits ideas for the
CHARLES HOUSTON PUBLIC ART PROJECT
In
June, Alexandria's City Council endorsed the concept of incorporating
public art honoring Charles Houston into the renovated Charles
Houston Recreation Center slated to be completed in December of
2008.
The
Alexandria Commission for the Arts with the Department of Recreation,
Parks and Cultural Activities is in the process of organizing
a series of community outreach activities to garner insights,
input and community support on the type of public art that should
be located at the Charles Houston Recreation Center plaza honoring
Charles Houston. The public art proposal will honor, commemorate
and memorialize Charles Houston and his contributions to the struggle
for civil rights and equality in public education in the City
of Alexandria. It is anticipated the memorial will be sited in
the open space-pedestrian plaza at the main entrance of the new
facility.
Charles
Houston was an attorney of national reputation and a seminal figure
in the civil rights movement. He was Dean of Howard University
Law School and authored a legal brief that was used by his protégé,
Thurgood Marshall, to win the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case,
Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education, which helped end racial
segregation in American schools. Houston used his expertise and
influence in bringing educational opportunity to the Alexandria
African-American community. In appreciation for his contributions,
the elementary school on Wythe Street was renamed in his honor.
The Arts Commission is developing fund-raising plans for the Houston
memorial. Lavern Chatman, Urban League President and CEO, and
Mame Reiley, President of the Reiley Group, will be heading the
fundraising efforts. If you wish to become involved with the Alexandria
Commission for the Arts in these planning efforts or have any
suggestions or comments you wish to provide, please visit, the
Alexandria Commission for the Arts' website at www.alexandriacommissionforthearts.org,
or send in your comments to:
Charles Houston Public Art Project
c/o Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA 22314,
or call 703.838.6348 or email: publicartCH@alexandriava.gov.
The City of Alexandria
is committed to compliance with the City's Human Rights Code and
the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation
or to request materials in an alternative format, call Cheryl
Anne Colton, Cultural Arts Administrator, of the Department of
Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.838.6348 (TTY
703.838.4902) or email cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
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City Council Receives the Lord Cultural Resources
Final Report on the Arts
To
obtain a copy of the "Lord Report" in Acrobat Reader
format, CLICK
HERE.
On On February 23, the Alexandria City Council received the Lord
Cultural Resources' final report, and thanked the members of the
Commission for the Arts for their efforts on behalf of the City.
The next step is to have a joint work session with the Arts Commission
to further discuss the contents of the recommendations, to specifics
in terms of processes, goals, missions and outcomes, to be followed
by an implementation process.
Lord Cultural Resources consultancy firm conducted
a study of the arts in Alexandria to assist the Commission for
the Arts in creating a plan for the future to make Alexandria
a more exciting, dynamic and creative community that embraces
and celebrates the arts and culture. The report offers fifteen
recommendations. These recommendations focus on a vision for the
arts; a new mission, strategic plan, and organizational structure
for the Commission; and ways to increase funding resources for
the arts.
To obtain a copy of the Lord Cultural Resources'
final report, or for more information about the Alexandria Commission
for the Arts, call 703.838.6348 or CLICK
HERE to obtain a copy of the "Lord Report"
in Acrobat Reader format.
The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance
with the City's Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities
Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials
in an alternative format, call Cheryl Anne Colton, Cultural Arts
Administrator, of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural
Activities at 703.838.6348 (TTY 703.838.4902) or email cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
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Alexandria Commission for the Arts Announces Results of
National Study: Arts & Economic Prosperity III
To
obtain a copy of the Report in Acrobat Reader format,
CLICK
HERE.
To
download Mary Margaret Schoenfeld's Power Point Presentation,
CLICK
HERE
The City of Alexandria’s Commission for the Arts is pleased to
announce the results of the most comprehensive economic impact
study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted
in the United States. Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit arts
organization based in New York City, conducted the study, Arts
& Economic Prosperity III. The study report documents the impact
of the cultural industry in 156 communities across the country.
The report can be downloaded at in Acrobat Reader format Here.
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Commission
for the Arts are proud to have been active partners in this groundbreaking
study. The results establish the arts and cultural industry as
a major factor in Alexandria’s economy. “Alexandria is very lucky
to have such an active and diverse arts community. The impact
the arts has made on our community is very obvious,” stated Mayor
William D. Euille.
Each year, the arts and cultural industry contributes
more than $80 million to the local economy in Alexandria. This
figure comprises $13.64 million in expenditures by nonprofit arts
and cultural organizations and an additional $66.37 million in
event-related spending by their audiences. It is this corollary
spending that pumps vital revenue into local restaurants, hotels,
retail stores, parking garages, and other businesses in the City.
Mary Margaret Schoenfeld, Community Development
Manager with Americans for the Arts presented the City of Alexandria's
findings at the Wednesday, February 27 artCHAT event held at the
Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union St.). Residents wishing
the opportunity to further explore this groundbreaking survey
can download a copy of Ms. Schoenfeld's Power Point presentation
by clicking Here.
The City of Alexandria is committed
to compliance with the City's Human Rights Code and the Americans
with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or
to request materials in an alternative format, call Cheryl Anne
Colton, Cultural Arts Administrator, of the Department of Recreation,
Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.838.6348 (TTY 703.838.4902)
or email cherylanne.colton@alexandriava.gov.
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