Brett John Johnson

Director, Torpedo Factory Art Center

Dear Torpedo Factory Art Center,

• At their meeting in December, City Council did not approve a renovation of the Art Center (including any major changes to the first floor) or any of the three illustrative scenarios presented by staff. Instead, staff has been directed to proceed with the following three objectives:  
  
  1. Exploration of creating a separate public entity to consolidate financing of the Art Center with Alexandria’s artistic real estate assets in Old Town North. 
  
  2. Establishment of a Stakeholder Task Force appointed by the City Manager to provide feedback and input on a coherent approach to expand Vibrancy and Sustainability.  
  
  3. Implementation of the Action Plan for Vibrancy and Sustainability.
   
  
• The op-ed letter also states, “The [Fiscal Year] 2023 budget included $3 million to begin executing the Vibrancy Plan”. That is not true.  
   
  The 10-year proposed Capital Improvement Project (CIP) budget is $16.3 million for maintenance. It's purpose is to maintain the building in good working order, not for renovations. The $3.2 million proposed for Fiscal Year 2025 (which begins on July 1, 2024) is for items such as upgrades to the building's electrical system.  
  
  
• The author also said that the Vibrancy Plan will cost the city $46 million. That is not true. He has mistaken the Vibrancy Plan for the three illustrative scenarios mentioned above that were not approved by Council. 
   
  
• The op-ed letter states that because of the approval of the Action Plan for Vibrancy and Sustainability for Torpedo Factory Art Center, “all working artist studios will be removed from the coveted first floor,” citing “Overall, 30% of the Factory’s working artist studios are to be shuttered.” 
  
  The Action Plan for Vibrancy and Sustainability does not call for studios to be removed from the first floor. Aside from the creation of a multipurpose space on the third floor, already underway, there are no plans for studios to be removed.   
  
  When citing the removal of studios, the author appears to again be referencing one of the three illustrative scenarios, the “Custom Option”, presented by staff at the December City Council meeting that was not approved (described above in the first bullet). This Custom Option, which is not being implemented, included a reduction in art spaces that totaled 1% overall, not 30%. 
  
  
• The op-ed letter quoted the Vibrancy Plan as saying, “The more passive programming of open studios … will have to shift to a more proactive public attraction roll.”   
   
  This fragmented statement is pulled from the Study of the Studies, a review the 15 existing public and privately commissioned studies. Here is the full statement for context: “Weaving art and history together are at the heart of the City’s waterfront development plan. The iconic character of the TFAC makes it an anchor for that theme. As the waterfront regains its status as the historic ‘front door’ of the City, the character and role of the [Art Center] will evolve. Food venues, celebration, strolling, tourism, and shopping will dominate the area. The [Art Center] will need to complement those activities by becoming a more open public space, actively programming for tourists, shoppers, diners, families, and special events. An expanded audience orientation will require new forms of services, programs, marketing, management, and collaboration. The more passive programming of open studios, small galleries, minimal history interpretation, and modest food spaces will have to shift to a more proactive public attraction role, especially on the first floor.” 
    
  
• The op-ed letter quoted the Vibrancy Plan as saying the first floor will be a “showroom” and equated it to a car dealership with salespeople. The Vibrancy Plan, that is being implemented, does not use the word “showroom.” The word “showroom” was again taken from the Study of the Studies where it went on to describe the first floor as having gallery space, an interactive make-it space, working artist studios, and more. 
  
  
• The op-ed letter implied that the Torpedo Factory Art Center Board (TFACB) is still in existence, saying that “Torpedo Factory Art Center Board is about the building”. The TFACB dissolved in 2016. 
   
  
• The author suggests that it would be wise to jury high school students for studios at the Art Center. While we appreciate working with high school students, to lease in the building an artist needs to be 21 years or older (as it has been).  
   
  
• In regard to the jury process, the op-ed letter said that 50 of 100 points are based “almost exclusively on an aspiring artist’s talent for both ‘public interaction’ and ‘marketing ability’ — not art.”  
   
  The first phase of the jurying process is blind and based exclusively on art. More than half of the applications’ final scores are based solely on the artists’ art, including scoring art during an in-person review. Five points out of 100 are awarded on marketing ability. You may learn more about the scoring here.
  
  As a public-facing institution where artists are expected to interact with visitors, the Art Center considers more than a dozen areas in the jury process. The process also reviews artist statements and process statements. Artists need to demonstrate proficiency including public interaction and engagement – a reality artists will face if they have a studio here.  
   
  
• The author suggests the torpedoes are hidden away and that the Art Center doesn’t talk about the history. We, in fact, celebrate that history.  
   
  Since the Navy Seabees delivered the 3,000-pound, 21-foot-long, green MarkXIV torpedo testing case as a housewarming present in May 1983, visitors have been able to see and touch part of our building’s history. The silver MarkIII torpedo by the waterfront and the 20-foot historical display also tell the story of our navy roots. In 2019, we added the 8-foot timeline to the Grand Hall and recently added a panel near the Union Street doors with more narrative history of the building, from munitions plant to federal records center to the Art Center. 
  
  Additionally, in 2019, we worked with Istrico Production on the documentary A Brush with History, about this history. (Watch it online here.) 
   
  
• The op-ed listed the Vibrancy Plan as 37 pages. The Action Plan for Vibrancy and Sustainability is 8 pages and the Study of the Studies is 28 pages.