Hundreds of children and their families are expected to visit the Torpedo Factory Art Center on Saturday, October 13, for Art Safari, an Alexandria family tradition for 23 years. Visitors can get their hand dirty with a bevy of interactive activities and crafts from noon to 4 pm.
Resident and visiting artists lead young visitors in more than a dozen creative projects across a variety of media, including papier-mâché, printmaking, and painting. Children should wear clothing that can get dirty. All activities are free with most appropriate for children age 5 – 11 with some activities requiring parental assistance.
Tens of thousands of people across the region have attended Art Safari during its two-decade history. Leading up to the special day, the public is invited to share their own stories and photos of past Art Safaris with hashtag #artsafariALX.
This year, scientists affiliated with the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) will work alongside artists to help participants understand and appreciate the interplay of art and Earth-system science. Art Safari takes place on the eve of AGI’s Earth Science Week, which runs October 14–20. This year’s theme is “Earth as Inspiration.” Earth Science Week reaches more than 50 million people worldwide, offering free education resources, information, and activities on earth science and art. This year, former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell is AGI’s 2018 Earth Science Education Ambassador.  
Outside on the Potomac Riverfront, take a free tour of the tall ship Godspeed, a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607. The Godspeed is visiting from the Jamestown Settlement living-history museum in Virginia’s Historic Triangle. The dockside will have exhibits highlighting Jamestown’s history and Virginia’s 1619 American Evolution commemoration. The Office of Historic Alexandria and Alexandria Archaeology Museum (Studio 327) will offer an insight into Alexandria’s past, too. Tours are first-come-first-served and not ticketed.
Further along the waterfront, the Portside Festival welcomes the change of season in Alexandria. The weekend festival features live music, food vendors, a beer garden, and art and history displays and activities.
For more information about Art Safari, visit torpedofactory.org/artsafari, email [email protected] or call 703.746.4570. Torpedo Factory Art Center is located at 105 N. Union St. in Alexandria, Virginia.
The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, e-mail [email protected] or call 703.746.4570, Virginia Relay 711.
About the Torpedo Factory Art Center
Founded in 1974 in an old munitions plant, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to the nation’s largest number of publicly accessible working artist studios under one roof. The Torpedo Factory is currently part of the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts, a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities. Just south of Washington, D.C., the Torpedo Factory 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 resident artists in 82 studios and seven galleries. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is also home to The Art League Gallery and School, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, and the Alexandria EatsPlace Café and Market. For more information, visit torpedofactory.org or follow the Torpedo Factory on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest via @torpedofactory.