<cal1>Now Through Dec. 20
<cal2>Heavenly Dialogue: Photographs of Natural Occurrences. New Work by Lucy Herrman. A portion of the sales from this show will be donated to SHARE of McLean. At 2401 26th Road South, Arlington. Call 703-585-1705. Go to www.DualityContemporaryArt.com
<cal1>Now Through Dec. 21
<cal2>The Vander Zee Studio Painters held a holiday opening night, Thursday, Dec. 3, to launch a December exhibit that will display the works of 18 local artists and members of the Studio. The exhibit features 52 oil and acrylic painting, varying in both style and subject matter, by members of the VanderZee Gallery Painters.
Open from now through Dec. 21, the Vander Zee Studio Painters Annual Show takes place at the Vander Zee Gallery at 105 South Lee Street (3rdfloor) in Old Town. Open hours for the exhibit are: Thursday to Saturday and Monday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Visit www.vanderzeestudiopainters.com or call 703-683-1814.
<cal1>Now through Dec. 31
<cal2>Gallery West Presents: The 30th Anniversary Celebration/Small Works Show
Join the members of Gallery West in a month-long celebration of the gallery’s 30th year. The gallery is located at 1213 King Street in Old Town Alexandria’s Boutique District, between Payne and Fayette. Shopping and fine dining are nearby.
The gallery is open from 11 – 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Images of work by the members are on view at the gallery’s Web site: www.gallery-west.com. Call 703-549-6006.
<cal1>Now Through Dec. 31
<cal2>Small Works/Holiday Show and Silent Auction at Gallery West. The Second Thursday Reception is Dec. 10 from 6-9 p.m. At 1213 King Street in Alexandria. Call 703-549-6006 or go to www.gallery-west.com.
<cl> Flowering Bull
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 3
<cal2>New Mythology/Tracey Clarke
Tracey Clarke's otherworldly work pairs dramatic images with short narratives that both answer — and ask — questions. An artist's reception will be held Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. On display at the Athenaeum Gallery, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035 or visit nvfaa.org.
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 3
<cal2>The Kiln Club Show. Runs Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Thursdays open until 9 p.m. Scope Gallery is located at 101 North Union Street, ground floor Studio 19, Alexandria. Call the Scope Gallery at 703-548-6288 or visit www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/scope.
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 3
<cal2>Size Matters: Two Shows-Two Jurors. Juried by Peg Koetsch and Brett John Johnson. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except second Thursdays 2 to 9 p.m. At the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Street, #312, Alexandria. Call 703-683-2205.
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 4, 2010
<cal2>Pamela H. Viola, "The One Less Traveled."
Photographer Pamela Viola’s solo artist exhibit at The Art League Gallery, "The One Less Traveled," features dreamlike, mysterious landscapes that challenge the viewer to see the world in a new and different way. Opening Reception: Thursday, Dec. 10, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sundays, 12 noon – 6 p.m. Open Thursdays until 9 p.m. Exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. The Art League,105 North Union Street, Alexandria.
<cal1>Tuesday/Jan. 5
<cal2>"Morrison House Presents: From the Torpedo Factory to the Mount Vernon Trail." 6-8 p.m. Torpedo Factory artist Christopher Erney will discuss his creation of the George Washington Mural, the longest realistic mural in the United States. Part of a salon-style series celebrating culture through arts, literature and history discussion. At the Morrison House, 116 South Alfred Street, Alexandria. Visit www.morrisonhouse.com or call 703-838-8000.
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 10
<cal2>Pandora's Box Exhibition. Pandora’s Box is an exhibition that had artists create a visual interpretation of the Greek Myth and express how it relates to modern times. Reception Dec. 10 from 6-8 p.m. Juror talk with Landria Shack: Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Pandora’s Box Youth Outreach Art Project: Dec. 10-Jan. 10; with VIP reception on Dec. 10, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
At The Torpedo Factory Art Center on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria at 105 North Union Street; call 703-838-4565, ext. 4; Visit www.torpedofactory.org
<cal1>Feb. 3-28, 2010
<cal2>Gallery West Presents: The 13th Annual National Juried Show
Gallery West invites the public to view works selected for the 13th Annual National Show, juried by Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum. Reception: Saturday, Feb. 6 from 5 – 8 p.m. Second Thursday Reception: Feb. 11, 6 – 9 p.m. Located at 1213 King Street in Old Town Alexandria’s Boutique District. Visit www.gallery-west.com or call 703-549-6006.
"Spirits in a Bottle" — Extended into January 2010
Barbara Hardaway’s exhibition, "Spirits in a Bottle: Decorative Expressions of an Ancient African Tradition," has been extended through Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Alexandria Black History Museum. This show pays homage to the 9th- and 10th-century Congolese tradition of adorning the ends of tree branches with colorful bottles that would catch the sunlight. Hardaway, a Washington, D.C., artist, updated this ritual by decorating more than a hundred Arizona Iced Tea bottles and festooning them with feathers, fabric, beads, netting, ribbons and seashells, bestowing each with character and panache. She also designed bottles featuring Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Marian Anderson, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other luminaries.
The exhibition is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The suggested admission is $2. The Alexandria Black History Museum is located at 902 Wythe Street in the Parker-Gray Historic District. Visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call the museum at 703-838-4356.