Returning Artists Represent Majority Receiving Torpedo Factory Leases

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The second round of re-jurying artists studios at the Torpedo Factory Art Cneter was completed in July, and the majority of artists receiving leases already have studios there.

An annual jury and re-jury process of artist studios is part of the Torpedo Factory Art Center vibrancy and sustainability plan adopted by Alexandria City Council. The process, which started in 2022, was the first time re-jurying is happening for current artists in the art center's 48-year history. Selected artists receive three-year leases for studios.

All artist studios at the Torpedo Factory Art Center will be re-juried, except for 1974 founding artists and their studiomates. Founding members and their studio occupants can receive renewable one-year leases for the duration of their tenure in the studio.

According to the latest re-jurying report released in July, 29 artists were offered 27 studios at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in 2023. Of these, 62 percent are incumbent artists, and 38 percent do not currently have Torpedo Factory Art Center studio space.

Of the 24 incumbents who had applied to keep studios in the 2023 re-jurying process, five were not offered a studio, and one withdrew the application.

New leases begin on Oct. 1. The subsidized rent price for an artist studio is $17.39 per square foot per year.

Visual artists were invited to apply for studios for themselves or groups up to four. Artists for the 27 studios were chosen among 84 artists in 80 total applications, although six applications were withdrawn.

Four independent jurors chose artists for studios through a multi-phase process. In the first phase, jurors evaluated applicants' art and chose some to advance to the next stage. Jurors then reviewed applicants backgrounds and chose the top 50 to advance to the final stage. Applicants in the final stage met with jurors, who evaluated artists' ability to communicate about their art and potential to interact with the public, as the Torpedo Factory Art Center allows the public to visit working artist studios. The highest scored applicants were chosen to receive studio space.

Of the artists not chosen for studios, 20 were offered the opportunity of artist pro tem, which allows them to sublease and be on the wait list for a studio. Artists had to advance past the three application phases and receive at leasr 60 out of 100 points from jurors.

This was the second of third re-jurying groups in the city's new process to assign studio spaces. The Group A studios re-juried in 2022 were for artist studios last juried between 1975 and 2003. The Group B studios just announced in July 2023 were for artist studios last juried between 2004 and 2017.

Next up will be re-jurying of group C studios in 2024 for artists juried between 2018 and 2021.

For artists not chosen for new leases, current studio leases will end on Sept. 30. Departing artists not qualifying to be an artist pro tem are receiving support at no cost through the arts economic and personal development firm Art Hero. The year-long program provides coaching sessions, a business course, monthly mini-trainings, and a community and peer support group.