Dogs have an undeniable presence in the City of Alexandria.  They are frequently seen walking with their owners, playing in one of our city’s many dog parks, drinking from bowls outside businesses, and enjoying treats from shop counters. Numerous businesses in Alexandria cater to the needs of dogs and their owners, and it’s unlikely a day will pass without a resident encountering a dog. Our project explores the roles that dogs play in the City of Alexandria and how they fit into our community. 

Fur-Vor will encourage and enhance artistic engagement with businesses, students, local artists, and the Alexandria community throughout the phases of the project. The project will engage over 500 students enrolled in Alexandria City’s out-of-school programs to introduce them to new artistic media. The project will also engage businesses in Alexandria in a competition to create Fur-Vor art using their own upcycled material. We intend to enlist the assistance from Alexandria-based Torpedo factory artists to create a dog-themed float and costumes for the Scottish Walk, which draws 30,000 visitors to the city each December. Finally, at several community events, including Del Ray's First Thursday, Art on the Avenue, the AWLA Shelter Walk, and Alexandria's Earth Day Celebration, Fur-Vor will engage the public in and provide opportunities for the community to create upcycled art.

This project is funded by generous support from the Alexandria City Commission for the Arts, 2015 Arts Grant program.  As well as the following individuals, businesses and organizations:

TOP DOG
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria


FIDO'S FRIENDS
Baylor Solutions

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME AND YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED!  
FUR-VOR PROJECT PAGE

Crowds of visitors to Art on the Avenue 2012 were drawn to the UpCycle tent of materials and enjoyed a hands-on experience at the festival.  People of all ages (and species--what was that green guy?) worked with our materials, decorating a log with bottle caps and creating embellishments for our rope.

Many were drawn to the tools:  cutting wire and hammering were not an every day experience for most.  And, one mother commented that it had been a long time since she had created something.  She, and many others, were quite satisfied with their work.

This winter, the garland we created will decorate the holiday tree in front of A Show of Hands, a popular Del Ray shop featuring local craft and artwork at 2301 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301.

We hope our work will inspire you to find ways to give discarded materials new life!

Art on the Avenue was a big event!!! Even though it rained for most of the day, we had a very steady stream of visitors come to the UpCycle tent. We offered three experiences with materials. Decorating a log, found in the river, with bottle caps donated by Los Tios was a very popular experience. The decorated log will become the base to a small glass-tip table.

Another opportunity that was offered was weaving with color collections.

We also offered collage. The glue did not cooperate fully with the wetness of the rain but that did not stop one young lady who created a doll with the materials available. She used the nails and hammer from the log to create what she wanted.