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Take A Seat Panel Discussion and Art Exhibit

Come see all the completed chairs displayed at the Beatley Central Branch and hear from a panel of participating Take A Seat artists and art experts discussing the project.

Curious about upcycled art? Interested in learning how your favorite Take A Seat artists transformed a simple library chair into a public art piece? Four Take A Seat artists and the City of Alexandria’s Deputy Director of Cultural Activities will participate in a panel on the topic of Upcycling techniques, and the value of Public Art.

Learn more about the Take A Seat program, the artists, and see photos of all the chairs at alexlibraryva.org/take-a-seat. Participating artists include: 

Ashley Kurth: Ashley Kurth-Reinhart is a sustainable fashion designer and upcycling advocate based in Alexandria, Virginia.  Her art piece, Adorned Through Time: 250 Years of American Textiles and Jewelry, documents, layers, and ultimately opens a question: given what this history has made, what might the next era look like?   

Matt Liptak: Matt Liptak is a mixed-media artist residing in Old Town, Alexandria.  His art piece, A seat for our bounty, our harvest, explores America’s relationship to agriculture and the land and systems—both oppressive and enterprising— that have built our country.   

 
Vicki McGill: Vicki McGill is a mixed media artist that has been drawn to creative expression, first through crafting and photography, and later discovered a passion for painting and drawing. Her art piece, Path to Freedom, honors Alexandria-area Black patriots—John Pipsico, Benjamin Whitmore, William Lee, and Joseph Longdon—whose documented service remains a cornerstone of the city’s history.   

 
Jenny Newberry: Jenny Newberry is a mixed-media artist who creates sculptural and assemblage-based work from reclaimed and discarded materials. She transformed her chair into a bald eagle, an enduring national symbol.   

Registration is required. 

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