Elaine’s Literary Salon welcomes Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins Art in Every Space Project with a beautiful painting by artist Alfa Tate O’Neill

About the Artist: Alfa Tate O’Neill creates work that blends acrylic paint, photography, and hand-applied “bling”—rhinestones, crushed diamonds, and jewelry—to transform familiar subjects into luminous, dreamlike works of art. Her pieces explore the beauty of memory, elevating everyday moments of family, flora, fauna, and heritage into shimmering expressions of magical realism.

“Each work begins with a photograph—a fragment of real life—and evolves through paint and light into something more emotional than literal,” says O’Neill. “I want the viewer to experience both recognition and joy, as though the memory itself has come to life.”

After a 35-year career in Los Angeles film marketing, where she helped promote major motion pictures including The Hunger Games, Batman, Argo, and The Hurt Locker, O’Neill relocated to Alexandria and turned her creative focus to fine art and writing. She brings a cinematic sensibility to everything she creates, using light, texture, and composition to evoke emotion and reveal the story within a single frame.

Artist Alfa Tate O’Neill

Whether on canvas or on the page, O’Neill strives to tell a compelling story with clarity, beauty, and heart. Her mixed-media paintings have been exhibited at The Art League Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Nepenthe Gallery in Alexandria, and the JoAnn Rose Gallery in Reston, where she presented her first solo exhibition. Learn more: alfadesignllc.com

About Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins Art in Every Space Project: The Art In Every Space Initiative is a civic pilot program from the Office of Mayor Alyia Gaskins designed to strengthen Alexandria’s creative economy by placing original artwork by local artists in businesses and professional spaces throughout the city. The program bridges the gap between talented local artists seeking visibility and businesses looking to enrich their environments with authentic, locally created art.

The Initiative welcomes a broad range of original wall-hanging works by Alexandria-based artists. The following are examples of the types of art that may be displayed — this list is not exhaustive: Paintings • Photography • Mixed Media • Drawings & Illustration • Printmaking • Fiber & Textile Art • Wall-Hanging Sculpture • Digital Art (printed) • Collage

Mayor Gaskins at Art in Every Space event, July 7, 2026 • Photo by Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief

Key goals: 

• Support and elevate Alexandria’s local artist community
• Unite the City of Alexandria through art — bringing residents, visitors, businesses, and artists together to form new connections, foster joy and creativity, and build meaningful relationships throughout our city
• Transform everyday business spaces into accessible art experiences
• Foster meaningful partnerships between artists and local businesses
• Strengthen the city’s cultural identity and creative economy
• 

  Alexandria Artist Robin Jordan, creator, Art in Every Space • Photo by Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief

  Make art accessible to all Alexandria residents — not just gallery visitors

• Provide a zero-cost opportunity for both artists and businesses to participate — there are no fees or charges to join the Initiative
• Create new engagement opportunities — businesses gain exposure to new visitors drawn in by art, while artists reach new audiences in areas of Alexandria they may not have previously been represented in
• Drive traffic and visibility — when artists invite friends, family, and colleagues to see their displayed work, it brings new visitors directly into participating businesses, benefiting both the artist and the business
• Inspire community celebration — businesses are encouraged to host events marking the arrival of new artwork, creating memorable moments that connect the community, spotlight the artist, and energize the business

About the woman who inspired an Art Revolution: Mayor Gaskins traced the initiative to a resident’s email and credited Robin Jordan, the program’s task force lead, with turning the idea into reality.

“Robin reached out to me and said, ‘I’ve got an idea and it’s called Art in Every Space,'” Gaskins said. “And I said, ‘I love this idea, but I can’t do it by myself.’ And Robin said, ‘I think you just need a few good people who care about this city and will roll up their sleeves and figure it out.'”

Robin says the program has already created connections that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. “What excites me the most about this program is the connection that it’s creating between artists and businesses who may have never crossed paths and between residents and neighborhoods they may have never visited. Maybe you’re walking to a business for the first time because a friend’s art is there.”

To learn more about the project, click here to email Robin Jordan.