The Workhouse Arts Center will present an interactive exhibit Oculus: Of A Place Unseen, featuring works of artists Elaine Buss, Edgar Endress, Michelle Repiso and Steve Wanna. A press release states:
There will be an opening reception and Artist Talk on Saturday, December 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until February 2.
The use of the word ‘oculus,’ most known as an eye-like form in architecture, gestures towards the enlightening narratives discovered throughout the show. Each referencing feelings of solitude and contemplation, the storylines range from institutional boundaries to societal oversights and mantra meditations. Some works are as light as silk, some as heavy as stone, but the overall space is quiet — both literally and figuratively. Oculus: Of A Place Unseen encourages visitors to listen, connect and reconnect.
About the Workhouse Arts Center is located at 9518 Workhouse Road in Lorton.
The property on which the Workhouse stands was purchased from the Federal Government in 2002. The abandoned former Occoquan Workhouse, founded in 1910 as part of the District of Columbia’s Correctional Facility in Lorton, Virginia, was transformed into a cultural arts center which opened its doors to the public in 2008; the Workhouse Arts Center is a multidisciplinary arts center offering a broad array of arts experiences, the majority of which are free or low-cost, to the public.
