Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center
1605 Cameron St
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone:703.746.5588
Fax:703.519.3485
Arts Scene


Special Concert to Celebrate Alexandria's
Swedish Sister City: Helsingborg

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - A musical extravaganza on Saturday, Jan. 30, will highlight the relationship between the City of Alexandria and its Sister City, Helsingborg, Sweden. This special 4 p.m. concert will be held at Convergence, an artistic community at 1801 North Quaker Lane. It is free to the public and is being hosted by the City of Alexandria as part of an exchange program. Helsingborg's Mayor, Carin Wredström, will be in attendance. Helsingborg has been a Sister City of Alexandria since 1966.

Mayor William D. Euille says, "We are pleased to have a delegation from Helsingborg in Alexandria. I encourage all citizens to join me at this concert and enjoy some Swedish culture."

The program is sponsored by the City of Alexandria in partnership with the Citizen Assistance Office, Office of the Arts, the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, Alexandria Choral Society, Alexandria Harmonizers, Alexandria Performing Arts Association, Alexandria Singers, and Empowered Women International. The following musical groups will perform:

  • "The Seven Sopranos";
  • "Lucia Girls," a Helsingborg-based teen choir;
  • the Alexandria Choral Society;
  • "The Swedish Jazz Duo;" and
  • "The Groomsmen," Alexandria Harmonizers.

Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Following the concert, there will be a reception honoring our Swedish guests, providing an opportunity to meet the musicians as well as a presentation of art by Empowered Women International's visual artists and artisans. Reservations are required. Please e-mail: cfripp.rsvp@ewint.org. For more information about the event, call the Office of the Arts at 703-746-5588.

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Winners of the 2009 Alex Arts Awards

Ilona Savage was born in Germany and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Though she has a special interest in music, she has long demonstrated a love for and interest in virtually all forms of art. Ilona has attended art classes at the The Art League School developing her own skills as an artist. A former member of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, Ilona was active in the Marketing Committee, Music Panel, and the "In-Kind" art contribution program. Through her efforts, several businesses contributed materials to Kathy Harty Gray Dance Theatre, Choreographers Col1aboration Project, Del Ray Artisans and the City's Recreation Centers.

Ilona joined the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Performing Arts Association (APAA) in 2008, at the same time the organization was developing an idea for a new program, ENCORE (Entertainment Carried Out to the Retired and Elderly). In one year, Ilona embraced the idea and built the program into one of the most vital new arts initiatives in Alexandria. ENCORE seeks to bring high quality performing arts to elderly persons who lack the mobility to attend performances in one of the City's traditional venues. Since its inception one year ago, ENCORE has reached thousands of seniors through more than 30 performances and programs at Senior Centers throughout Alexandria and the region.

Marga Fripp was a successful broadcast journalist in her native Romania where she championed the causes of disenfranchised women and children, many times at great risks to herself and her job. Marga's tenacity and vision lead her to create The Association for the Promotion of Women in Romania (APoWeR) the largest and most successful women's service and advocacy organization in Romania. Through her leadership APoWeR succeeded in passing the first domestic violence and sexual assault laws in South East Europe. Marga created this group at the age of 23.

In 2001, serious health problems with her infant son led Marga to immigrate with her American husband to the area. While coping with her son's health problems, Marga was also dealing with a lack of English language skills. Marga is now fluent in English and her son is fully recovered. But it wasn't enough for Marga to find her own way in a new country and culture. While studying English, Marga met other women who shared her immigrant experience. To address the isolation, cultural and economic barriers many immigrant women face, Marga created Empowered Women International (EWI) and gave voice to immigrant and refugee women by promoting their art and cultures and leading them to entrepreneurial success. Through EWI, Marga helps more than 300 immigrant and refugee women each year to overcome their struggles, while sharing their arts and cultural heritage with more than 1500 schoolchildren and community members through arts programs.

The 2009 Alex Arts Awards that will be presented to Ilona and Marga were created by artist Blair Meerfeld. Nationally recognized in the world of ceramics, Blair is the chairman of The Art League Ceramics Department. Born and raised in Colorado, Blair has a BA from Adams State College. He worked for 10 years as a ceramic engineer before returning to full-time studio practice. His work is included in international exhibits and collections, as well as professional journals and books on ceramic art. "My pots are mostly variations or abstractions of shapes I see - mechanical, human or landscape...my objective is to unite traditional processes with contemporary color and form."

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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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