The Athenaeum is home to the Northern
Virginia Fine Arts Association and located in the heart of Old Town
Alexandria. The programs of the NVFAA include art exhibitions and performances in the Gallery. The Athenaeum is available
to rent for special events and is a lovely venue for weddings, receptions and meetings.
The NVFAA is a member organization and welcomes all that are interested in the arts and historic restoration to join us. Please visit our Membership page.
The NVFAA is committed to compliance the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in an alternative format please contact us at nvfaa@nvfaa.org or 703-548-0035
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Sunday: Noon - 4:00
201 Prince Street
Events at the Athenaeum
Art Exhibitions
May 2 through June 15, 2008. Opening reception: Friday, May 2 from five to seven.
In Rackets & Remedies, influenced in part by the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum and the collections of Dr. Robert Greenspan, Hausler explores two basic concepts. The first is the inexorable intertwining of advertising and medicine. And the second is how little this relationship, and the relationship to the consumer has changed in the last century or so. Hausler’s works incorporate oil paint, paper, pencil, ink .... sometimes coffee and wax. Her works are memorable in their haunting incorporation of dark and light, innocence and exploitation, trickery and trust.
SPECIAL EVENTS The Old Town Medicine Show, Saturday, May 31 The Old Town Medicine Show is day filled with nineteenth century medicine show quackery, science, magic, and history amid the Rackets & Remedies art exhibit in the Athenaeum on Saturday, May 31. Dr. Chalmers Bodkin-Child’s Amazing Patent Medicine Show and Dr. Orson Squire Fowler will bring a wide array of historically accurate and theatrical performances to the Athenaeum. Professor Orson Squire Fowler’s Phrenology shows are at eleven o’clock and three o’clock. Dr. Chalmers Bodkin-Child’s Amazing Patent Medicine Shows are at one and five o’clock. Thanks to support from the Office of Historic Alexandria and the Burke and Herbert Bank, the Old Town Medicine Show is free to the public. Seating is limited - reserve space online at or call 703 838 3852.
Lecture: Robert E. Greenspan, MD : Advertising, Promotion and Medicine, Sunday, June 8 Dr. Greenspan, author of “Medicine: Perspectives in History and Art” will discuss the relationship of advertising/promotion and medicine. Illustrating his points with examples from his collection of medical tools, packaging and ephemera, he will illustrate the topic from the sublime to the ridiculous. Dr. Greenspan will sign copies of his book. June 8 at 4:00 in the Athenaeum gallery. Free, but seating is limited - reserve space online at or call 703 838 3852.
Music
Laura Baron CD release Concert! Thursday, May 8 - 7PM Singer songwriter Laura Baron is releasing a new CD, "Scenes From the Avenue". Laura brings a poets sensitivity to her writing and is known for the beauty of her voice and jazz stylings. "Winter Don't Own Me" a cut on the CD won a 2007 Gold Award in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in the Jazz/Blues category. Laura will be joined by the outstanding blues guitarist Sol Creech as well as the dynamic Pat Quinn on bass and the wonderful and witty Ron Goad on drums. This show will feature Laura's original jazz, blues and her contemporary acoustic compositions. "Laura's song soar with rhythm, beauty and intelligence. The lyrics stand as poem alone and her voices seduces...discover a voice you need to hear". Terry Kester, WPFW
Madeline MacNeil Thursday, June 12 - 7PM It's been said that Madeline MacNeil's audiences hold their collective breath as the last notes of her songs drift into the tableau of stages large and small. Since 1972, when she began performing in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, Madeline's goal has always been to bring listeners into the song. Her interest in stories first brought the mountain and hammered dulcimers to her attention, for they are part of this country's musical history and the heritage of other countries before they arrived here. This is part of Madeline's treasure as a performer: she sings and tells the stories with her beautiful voice and exceptional dulcimer skills.
Harley String Band Thursday, July 10 - 7PM Three talented singer-songwriters who mine the deep veins of American music and bring back the occasional rough diamond. Supporting each other on a variety of instruments, they aspire to breathe new life and fresh ideas into traditional musical forms. Harleystringband.com
Admission is $10 at the door or pre-pay online here.
YOGA AT THE ATHENAEUM Yoga 1 - Mondays 11:30 - 1 Please join us in our beautiful, light-filled gallery for yoga classes lead by Betsy Huffman (200 hours RYT) . Classes are on a drop-in basis and cost $18 per class . Wear comfortable clothes and bring a mat.
The Athenaeum is Located at the Corner of South Lee and Prince Streets in Old Town, Alexandria
Its easy to become a Sponsor-level member of the NVFAA - just click the icon to the right and let PayPal take care of it!
The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association is pleased to be a recepient of grants from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, The Virginia Commission for the Arts, The Donnor Foundation, The National Park Service, The Historic Alexandria Foundation and many loyal members and friends. Thanks!
The Athenaeum, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria Virginia 22314, 703-548-0035
