<cal1>April 2-May 15
<cal2>The Nest Project. What does home mean to you? This project is a four-part endeavor that enlists the help of a dozen local D.C. area art groups, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, and the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association. Outdoor nest installations are created by local DC arts groups. All nests will be composed primarily of natural renewable resources like leaves, twigs, and driftwood, but could also contain recycled materials. Reception is April 14, 6-9 p.m., with Gallery Talk at 7 p.m., Target Gallery. Torpedo Factory Artists’ In-Studio Nests - April 2-May 15. Indoor Community Nest sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia - April 2-May 15.
<cal1>Thursday/March 31
<cal2>New Exhibit Opens. "Nurses, Spies and Soldiers: The Civil War at Carlyle House." At Carlyle House Historic Park. Alexandria became a major transportation route and many buildings were commandeered for use as hospitals. The Carlyle House and the properties that once surrounded it were known as the "Mansion House Hospital." A grand hotel before the war, the building could hold up to 700 sick and wounded soldiers. This exhibit takes a close look at Carlyle House’s figures, including poet Walt Whitman, Confederate spy Frank Stringfellow, and Sarah Emma Edmonds, who disguised herself as a Union soldier. Visit www.carlylehouse.org or call 703-549-2997.
<cal1>Saturday, April 2
<cal2>New Exhibit Opens. "The Marshall House Incident" exhibition. At Fort Ward Museum. The deaths of Union Col. Elmer Ellsworth and secessionist James Jackson at the Marshall House Hotel on King Street during the Federal occupation of Alexandria on May 24, 1861 stirred patriotic fervor in the North and South. This exhibit will feature objects from Fort Ward’s collection, like a star from the flag that had flown over Marshall House, and loan items from the Mary Custis Lee Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy to tell this notable story that launched the Civil War in Alexandria. Visit www.fortward.org or call 703-746-4848.
<cal1>Now Through April 3
<cal2>Kiln Club Annual Show. At the Scope gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Hours are Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Thursdays open until 9 p.m. At 105 North Union Street, ground floor Studio 19, Alexandria. Call the Scope Gallery at 703-548-6288 , visit www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/scope.htm and www.kilnclubwdc.com.
<cal1>Now Through April 4
<cal2>Water Marks. Watercolorist Barry D. Lindley creates striking paintings portraying the effect water has on natural and man-made objects. On Display in the Art League Gallery.
<cal1>April 4 to May 1
<cal2>"Flowers & Garden: Outdoors and In." This potting season, come to the Torpedo Factory Art Center's Scope Gallery to see some ceramic groundbreaking odes to fleglings and flora, focused on home and garden clay accents. Clay artists will feature bird sculptures, nesting bowls and home-inspired work surrounding the nest centerpiece. At Scope Gallery, 105 North Union Street, ground floor Studio 19, Alexandria. Call 703-548-6288 or visit www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/scope.
<cal1>Tuesday/April 5
<cal2>From Social Work to Sculpture. 6 to 8 p.m. Free. Featuring Carol Gellner Levin, Torpedo Factory Artist. At Morrison House, 116 South Alfred Street, Alexandria. Visit www.morrisonhouse.com or call 703-838-8000.
<cal1>April 5 to June 5
<cal2>Two Visitors Exhibit. Photography by Laurie Sand and Colleen Spencer Henderson. Opening reception is April 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. At Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union Street, Studio 312, Alexandria. Call 703-683-2205.
<cal1>Friday/April 8
<cal2>3 North Carolina Poets. 8-10 p.m. Washington, D.C.’s Ruthless Grip Poetry Series visits Del Ray Artisans for National Poetry Month. Acclaimed North Carolina writers Lee Ann Brown, Chris Vitiello, and Dianne Timblin will read from their works. Email Bryan Koen (bwkoen@gmail.com) or visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org.
<cal1>April 1 to May 1
<cal2>It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, But I Like It! Del Ray Artisans’ April show, pays homage to all things Rock ‘n’ Roll. All-media show, juried by Fierce Sonia and Jen Chappell. Meet the artists at the opening reception, Friday April 1, from 7-10 p.m. A day of rock-themed movies is planned for Sunday, April 10 noon-9 p.m. An open mic lyric slam is planned for Sunday May 1, 2-4 p.m. Visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org or Fiercesonia@aol.com.
<cal1>April 1 to May 15
<cal2>Artist Linda L. Anderson. Dimensional Landscapes: New Perspectives of our Natural World. Artist’s Reception is Saturday, April 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Artist’s Talk at 6 p.m. At the Schlesinger Center’s Margaret W. & Joseph L. Fisher Gallery, NVCC Campus, Alexandria.
<cal1>April 6 to May 1
<cal1>River Views and Moldau Visions. Watercolor paintings by Helen Dilley Barsalou. Barsalou’s exhibition is comprised of four parts: River Views, Moldau Visions, Florals, and Animals. An opening reception is Sunday, April 10 from 2 – 6 p.m. Watercolor painting demonstration on Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. Closing reception is Saturday, April 30, from 4 – 7 p.m. At Gallery West, 1213 King Street in Old Town Alexandria’s Boutique District. Visit www.gallery-west.com or call 703-549-6006.
<cal1>April 7 to May 2
<cal2>"Food, Glorious Food." Free. Artist Cindy Packard Richmond food-scapes on display. Meet the artist reception is Thursday, April 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. At the Art League Gallery. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; Thursdays until 9 p.m.; Sundays noon to 6 p.m. Visit richmondlikethecity.blogspot.com.
<cal1>Now Through April 10
<cal2>"Bare Bones/Ruth Trevarrow." Show contains a collection of powerful shapes and lines that dare us to see a lush beauty in bare bones. At The Athenaeum, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria. Visit www.nvfaa.org.
<cal1>Now through April 10
<cal2>Asian Inspirations. Jewelry, sculpture, clothing, and wall pieces are some of the items that will be exhibited. At Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery, Studio 18 of Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union Street, Old Town Alexandria.
<cal1>April 15 to June 3
<cal2>Solos 2011. Opening reception is Friday, April 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. For this exhibition, DC collector and curator Michael Pollack and independent international curator Melissa Keys, former of the Perth (Australia) Institute of Contemporary Art, selected this year's crop of promising emerging contemporary artists from across the Mid-Atlantic region. Artists in the exhibition are Mindy Hirt, Mariah Anne Johnson, Ailsa Staub, Leigh Davis, Joshua Wade Smith and Jennifer Coster. At the Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Call 703-248-6800. Visit http://www.arlingtonartscenter.org
<cal1>Now Through April 16
<cal2>Perception: Value and Form. The Art of Lisa Tureson. At Broadway Gallery, 5641 B General Washington Drive, Alexandria.
<cal1>Now through April 24
<cal2>Artistic Duo II. Noon to 4:30 p.m. daily. Featuring a joint display of landscape and floral watercolors by Carolyn Grossé Gawarecki and photographic subjects by Stephen J. Gawarecki. At Green Springs Gardens Horticultural Center, 4601 Green Spring Road, Alexandria.
<cal1>Now Through April 25
<cal2>Exotics Et Cetera. Some 25 works by Ruth Ensley, watercolorist. At Green Springs Garden Historic House. Contact Ruth at rensleyart@yahoo.com.
<cal1>Now Through May 1
<cal2>Exhibition of Commemorative Wares. Features ceramic wares that reflect the Alexandria community’s keen interest in current and historic events. At the Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street, Old Town Alexandria. Open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. $2 admission. Call 703-746-4994 or visit www.alexandriahistory.org.
<cal1>Now Through May 7
<cal2>Artist Horace Day. "Style and Identity: Black Alexandria in the 1970s, Portraits by Horace Day." The exhibition of more than 30 paintings by Horace Day (1909-1984) features Alexandria street scenes and portraits of African American Alexandrians from the early 1970s. At The Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street in the heart of Alexandria’s historic Parker-Gray District. Visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703-746-4356.