The Town of Herndon has released its official roster of events for this holiday season.

Residents can choose from several options, including craft pop-ins, improv events, a German-inspired market, and holiday performances. Below is a rundown of events that are expected to run from Saturday, Nov. 27 through the end of the year.

Every Thursday except this Thursday and Dec. 23, residents can enjoy a holiday craft pop-in, which includes crafts for children and parents at Arts Herndon. The event takes place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and a donation of $5 is suggested.

A holiday market by local artists and artisans gives residents the chance to purchase unique Christmas and holiday presents at Arts Herndon. The market takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An open-mic event is set at Arts Herndon later than day at 7 p.m. It is open to all.

But if you’re looking for something more structured, Santa Clause, Rudolph and a wide array of other seasonal characters make an appearance in NextStop Theatre’s performance, “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!). The show runs from Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 19. General admission is $25, with additional fees on top of that.

The Wicked Olde Band will kick off a holiday performance with a mix of folk, blues, Celtic and light jazz at Arts Herndon on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 7-9:30 p.m. The event is free, but a donation of $10 is recommended.

At the Town Hall Square, all can join for a holiday tree lighting and sing-along that day. The hour-long event begins at 5 p.m.

A arts and craft show with more than 70 vendors comes to Herndon Community Center. Admission and parking are free for the show, which takes place on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents can also enjoy a holiday performance by Treble Clefs and Friends that day at Arts Herndon from 5-7 p.m. A donation of $10 is recommended.

The Wintermarkt, which brings the old world charm of Christmas in Europe to Herndon, returns to the Herndon Municipal Center on Saturday, Dec. 11 from noon to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all.

The holiday model train show also returns to Arts Herndon on Saturday, Dec. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The caboose will be open for tours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A New Year’s Ev golf tournament is also planned for Friday, Dec. 31. The shotgun starts at 10 a.m. and the entry deadline is Dec. 26. The fee is $75 per player.

Photo via Herndon Wintermarkt/Facebook

ArtsFairfax has awarded grant funding to 40 nonprofit organizations in Fairfax County, the arts agency recently announced.

This year, ArtsFairfax received requests for over $937,000 in funding and allocated a total of $441,900.

The Operating Support Grant program is designed to assist local, nonprofit arts organizations with funding to support their basic operational needs.

In recognition of the challenges that the arts community has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, ArtsFairfax says it increased the minimum grant amount to $1,000 and waived a requirement that recipients match the funds they receive.

ArtsFairfax President and CEO Linda S. Sullivan says the program was also modified to place more emphasis on equity and how organizations are considering issues of diversity, access, and inclusion in their operations, programs, and services.

“The past year has created an unprecedented hardship for arts organizations and artists,” Sullivan said. “The Operating Support Grant provides arts organizations with critically needed funding for basic operations — funding that helps keeps the doors open — as they develop artistic programming for audiences return.”

The Reston and Herndon organizations that received grants are:

• Arts Herndon
• Gin Dance Company
• NextStop Theater
• Public Art Reston
• Reston Chamber Orchestra Trust
• Reston Community Player
• The Reston Chorale
• Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
• Virginia Chamber Orchestra

“Fairfax County residents benefit from a dynamic and diverse arts sector,” Sullivan said. “To sustain and grow our cultural capital over the long-term requires a consistent source of public and private funds. ArtsFairfax’s Operating Support Grants are a direct investment in our community ensuring that the arts remain centerpieces and economic engines in our community.”

The Reston Town Center Association is among the five honorees selected by ArtsFairfax for its 2021 Arts Awards, an annual celebration of Fairfax County’s arts community.

ArtsFairfax, a nonprofit that has been designated as the county’s arts agency, announced the winners of this year’s awards on Tuesday (July 27).

“For ten years, our annual Arts Awards has recognized the creative visionaries who inspire us, engage us, and create transformational change in our communities,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Linda S. Sullivan said in a press release. “This year’s honorees exemplify the impact that artists, arts and cultural organizations, and those that support them are making to the future of Fairfax County.”

In addition to marking their 10th anniversary, this year’s Arts Awards herald a return for both the awards themselves after they were canceled last year and local arts groups, which are tentatively starting to reemerge from the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) will receive the Arts Philanthropy Award, which “recognizes an individual, corporation, or foundation that has provided leadership funding or long-term monetary support to the arts,” according to ArtsFairfax.

A private nonprofit incorporated in 1988, RTCA says its mission is to “maintain a vibrant and viable downtown for the benefit of residents, employees, and visitors,” including by providing public arts, social, and civic events at Reston Town Center.

Since its founding, the association has maintained an Art Fund with revenue from its annual commercial property assessments to support public art and cultural programs, such as the summer Concerts on the Town and the annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, according to Arts Fairfax.

While the summer concerts were canceled for a second year in a row, RTCA is planning to bring back the Tephra Fine Arts Festival in September, and it is working with Herndon’s NextStop Theatre on a new Theater in the Park initiative expected to launch next spring.

“Supporting a strong cultural proposition is central to our mission,” RTCA Executive Director Robert Goudie said. “It is part of what we think differentiates Reston Town Center as a compelling destination. So we are very proud to receive this recognition, especially from an organization, ArtsFairfax, that is so important to the region’s arts scene.”

Goudie says RTCA shares the award with its partners, including Reston Community Center, Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, Public Art Reston, Washington West Film Festival, and Reston Town Center owner Boston Properties.

This year’s other honorees are:

• Jinx Hazel Award: National Museum of the United States Army
• Arts Impact Award: 1st Stage Theatre
• Arts Education Award: Traveling Players Ensemble
• Individual Arts Education Award: artist Kelli Schollard-Sincock, who volunteers as an art class teacher at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center

The 2021 ArtsFairfax Awards will hold a reception on Oct. 15 in The Atrium at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) in Tysons. Tickets are now available for purchase.

Photo via Reston Concerts on the Town/Facebook

The Reston Community Players are back on the stage after a year of no on-stage performances.

Dark since March 2020, the Reston Community Players have drawn back the curtain for a virtual-only performance of the Cold War-era drama “A Walk in the Woods.”

The show was pre-recorded at CenterStage at the Reston Community Center. It was available on-demand starting last week and will be available through March 25.

The theater’s artistic director Kate Keifer said the theater has been working “tirelessly” to develop new ways of creating and delivering their art to the community.

“It’s a hard time to know when is the ‘right’ time to come back to the stage,” writes Keifer in an email to Reston Now. “We have all missed producing live theater so much during the past year. Filming this production at the CenterStage at RCC… and then streaming it online seemed to be a good compromise to the continued concerns for the health and safety of our volunteers and our patrons.”

Keifer says that while it’s been the pause “equal parts frustrating and fascinating,” it’s given the theater a chance to innovate and learn new skills.

This past summer, the theater organized a two-day virtual telethon with partnership with more than a dozen other community theaters across the region to raise money for the arts.

In the fall, they held a month-long concert series to help with their own operating costs as well make donations to other local non-profits.

This performance of A Walk in the Woods, however, is the first time that they are getting back to doing something similar as they had done in the past.

A Walk in the Woods follows two Cold War nuclear arms negotiations, one Russian and the other American, as they hold a series of informal discussions in the woods about the current state of affairs. The seasons change, as do their understanding of one another.

Keifer admits that it was a challenge for the two-person cast to perform in front of an empty theater, but gave them the opportunity to get creative.

“[It was] definitely not as much fun as performing to a theater full of appreciative patrons,” she says. “But the actors in this production are extremely talented professionals who deliver carefully crafted, emotional performances despite the lack of a live audience. We were also able to explore techniques we don’t typically get to use, such as close up camera angles.”

As for when audiences will be able to see the Reston Community Players again in person, Keifer says the hope is soon.

“We are hopeful to be able to return to the stage before the end of 2021,” she says. ” We are working feverishly on some very exciting plans to make it happen.”

The Reston Community Players is a non-profit 501c and have been performing since 1966. It has called CenterStage their home since 1979.

Photo courtesy of Reston Community Players

As the seasons shift to spring, the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival is fast approaching.

Among the events kicking off this year’s festival will be Art in Bloom, a community-wide public art exhibition. The exhibition includes sculptures of oversized blossoms decorated and finished by 25 area artists, including Reston resident, and painter and ceramic artist, Tracie Griffith Tso.

The 4.5-foot-tall fiberglass sculptures will be installed in all eight D.C. wards, as well as National Harbor in Maryland and the Aurora Hills and National Landing neighborhoods in northern Virginia. The 25 artists were selected from 129 local and national submissions.

Griffith Tso’s sculpture, entitled ‘Sakura+Seasons,’ will be installed today at the Southwest Waterfront at 4^th Street and M. The sculptures will debut March 20, the opening day of the festival, and remain on display through May 31.

“Many small strokes of my brush created a larger-than-life grand spectacle of the cherry blossom,” Griffith Tso said in a release. “The idea of modest contributions to a greater whole is enduring in many ways today and for the future.”

According to Griffith Tso, her sculpture is a tribute to age-old Japanese sumi-e or black ink brushwork as a nod to the gift of the cherry blossom trees from Japan in 1912. The flowers on the sculpture – which is sponsored by Mars, Inc. – are interactive, doubly functioning as colorful seating.

Her design was completed in eight days and painted freehand. Bamboo rings the edges of the blossom while orchids bloom in the center and chrysanthemums make up the base. The blossoms represent winter, orchids for spring, bamboo for summer and mums for autumn, according to Griffith Tso.

Additionally, the bamboo represents longevity and resilience on the flower edges, chrysanthemum represents prosperity in the base and orchid indicates bravery as the center to form the sakura, or cherry blossom, a symbol of optimism.

Griffith Tso is the brush painting teacher at The Reston Community Center Lake Anne and also sells her pottery and prints at the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Scope Gallery in Alexandria and on Etsy. A California native, she began working out of the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne after moving to Reston in 2007 from Kentucky with her husband.

She teaches and lectures about Chinese brush painting nationwide and specializes in spontaneous flower-bird painting. She has specialized in Chinese artwork since she began art classes as a 12-year-old.

“The Art in Bloom exhibition will radiate springtime across the District and beyond,” Diana Mayhew, president and CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, said in a press release.

“We can’t wait for everyone to see the artists’ designs on these larger-than-life blossoms.”

Anyone interested in viewing the exhibition pieces can visit the Art in Bloom map online to go on a Blossom Hunt in order to find the sculptures. Visitors to the sculptures are also eligible to win festival prize packages, including a $25 Amazon gift card, by posting photos of the pieces to social media, tagging the festival (@CherryBlossFest) in posts and adding #ArtInBloom in the caption. Winners will be chosen each week during the display period.

Art in Bloom will culminate with a Blossom Auction in late spring 2021. Proceeds from the sale of the sculptures will support National Cherry Blossom Festival programs and community initiatives.

Art in Bloom is presented by Amazon and supported by Clark Construction Group. Additional supporters include Arena Social Arts Club, Chase, Clark Concrete, DowntownDC Business Improvement District, Embassy of Japan, JBG Smith, Mars, Incorporated, Miller & Long Concrete Construction, National Harbor and National Landing.

Photos courtesy Tracie Griffith Tso

Dozens of local artists and arts-oriented organizations got welcome news last week when ArtsFairfax announced the recipients of $567,138 in emergency relief and recovery grants on Jan. 15.

A nonprofit that serves as Fairfax County’s designated local arts agency, ArtsFairfax created an Emergency Relief and Recovery Grants program in order to provide quick funding to an industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program comes in lieu of the agency’s usual grant programs, which were suspended for fiscal year 2021.

“The impact of COVID-19 continues to have a devastating effect on the arts community, yet we have seen the arts continue to provide arts education, senior engagement, family entertainment and so much more,” ArtsFairfax president and CEO Linda S. Sullivan said.

Out of the $108,500 in funding requests that it received, ArtsFairfax has awarded $101,950 in emergency relief grants to 40 different Fairfax County arts organizations. It also raised private funds to support $28,300 in grants to 29 individual artists.

In addition, 39 arts organizations will receive operating support grants for FY 2021. These funds are awarded annually to nonprofit arts organizations in Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church to support basic operations.

ArtsFairfax is awarding $436,888 in operating support grants for this fiscal year after receiving $913,933 in requests from 39 different organizations.

“The arts will be a vital part of our health and economic recovery,” Sullivan said. “We need to support the arts today, so they are here for us tomorrow.”

With in-person performances and exhibitions largely suspended for the past year, the pandemic has taken a significant toll on the American arts and culture industry.

The nonprofit Americans for the Arts estimates that, as of Jan. 11, arts and cultural organizations have lost $14.8 billion nationally as a result of COVID-19. 63% of workers in the arts sector have become unemployed, and 95% have reported a loss of income.

According to a dashboard from Americans for the Arts, nonprofit arts organizations in Fairfax County have reported a median financial loss of $30,000 for a total impact of $4.3 million, though that is based on a small sample size of 55 respondents.

Local recipients include Arts Herndon, the Reston Chorale, and Reston Community Orchestra. A full list of ArtsFairfax grant recipients can be found on the nonprofit’s website.

Photo via Reston Community Orchestra

Artwork by students at South Lakes High School is on display at Marymount University through Jan. 3.

The exhibition, titled Visions, features the work of several students, including David Raw and Maxine Prudhomme, who won honorable mention awards for their work.

The following students’ work is featured:

• Juana Hernandez
• Sahitya Jammula
• Audrey Kim
• Brianna Le
• Maxine Prudhomme
• David Raw
• Milagro Rosa Flores
• Simone Stevens
• Camila Ytriago
• Mindy Zheng

“The South Lakes work is incredibly inventive, personal, and experimental in both media and concept,” said SLHS art teacher Matt Ravenstahl.

Here’s more from Erica Harrison, who curated the exhibition:

Adjudicating the visual explorations of regional emerging artists who are investigating the complexities of the human experience through varied artistic disciplines was a pleasure. When selecting the works for the exhibition I looked for a combination of form and content that was intelligent and compelling.

During this process, I asked myself several questions; was the focus of the work well composed and visually impactful? Did the artist have a clear sense of what they were communicating? Did the treatment of media show an understanding of artistic fundamentals?  The notable artists selected as awardees not only demonstrated a mastery of media but showed a passion for independent exploration and a willingness to push themselves.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the families and friends of all these young artists for encouraging their gifts, the faculty members of the art departments for their courage and commitment to their students, and Marymount for fostering this open opportunity that supports our vibrant artistic community.

The exhibit can be viewed online.

Artwork by David Raw

Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) has announced the Mary B. Howard Invitational: An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea, on view now through February 6 via the exhibition’s online viewing room. The group exhibition features new work by Rahne Alexander, Matthew Mann, Omolara Williams McCallister, Zia Palmer and Mojdeh Razaeipour. 

The artists were selected by Guest Curators Zoe Charlton and Tim Doud, the co-founders of ‘sindikit, alongside GRACE Associate Curator Erica Harrison, according to a press release from the arts center. 

Artists were invited to submit a proposal for the exhibit using its title as a prompt, in alignment with the project’s commitment to supporting studio research and experimentation emphasizing gender, sexuality and race, according to the release. Artists explored and developed concepts, receiving feedback from the curators. 

The ‘sindikit project is a self-funded endeavor that values collaborative practices as artists and educators. The platform includes artist projects and creative community conversations between cultural activators, visual artists and their co-conspirators, said the release. The project was founded on the discussion of socio-political and cultural issues affecting art and artists.

According to the arts center, the exhibit honors the memory of Mary B. Howard, an artist, long-time board member and supporter of GRACE. 

GRACE remains closed to the public. For more information, readers can visit their website. 

Art by Rahne Alexander/GRACE Online Viewing Room

The Herndon Town Council is considering a move to create new incentives for art-focused redevelopment projects.

The language of the proposal applies to projects in downtown Herndon, but a town spokesperson did not indicate how the plan applies to the stalled redevelopment of downtown Herndon, which is a joint effort between the town and Reston-based company Comstock.

Economic incentives include:

• A 50-percent reduction in fees for water, sewer and building permits in the initial establishment of the project
• An annual rebate of up to 100 percent of real property taxes linked to the total. Redevelopment project for taxes due to the town for up to a decade.
• Exceptions that allow a reduced number of parking spaces required for multi-family residential use
• Deferral of developer contribution for recreational amenities

“These amendments create additional opportunities to expand the type, quantity and quality of. Art offerings to town residents and increase the town’s presence as a destination for art activities,” according to an Oct. 20 staff report.

It’s unclear how the incentives will be applied to the redevelopment project in downtown Herndon. A town spokesperson did not provide comment by the publication deadline.

The $85 million redevelopment project, which includes a new arts center, would transform nearly 4.7 acres of land in downtown Herndon into a vibrant mixed-use district.

A meeting on the matter is set to take place today (Tuesday) at 7 p.m.

 Image via handout/Comstock

As local camps announce cancellations for the summer, the Greater Reston Arts Center is transitioning to its first digital summer art camp.

The program, which is geared toward children between the ages of 5 and 10, includes guidance on how to make art through pre-recorded, instructional videos The digital program replaces in-person camps, which were previously organized with Reston Association.

The online program mirrors what is offered at the in-person program and will run for six weeks between June 29 and August 7.

The art camp includes a weekly collection of pre-recorded video lessons with a professional arts educator.  Each activity, which will be 15 minutes or less in order to limit screen time, will also include written instructions.

The camp also includes a camp-in-a-box kit with materials required for activities. A list of materials not included in the kit like scissors or makers will be available on GRACE’s website before the camp begins.

Each kit was prepared by PPE-wearing staff members using items ordered online. Kits can be picked up every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at GRACE by appointment only.

Here’s more from GRACE on the different sessions offered:

My Mom Would Never Let Me Do That!

June 29-July 3 (Ages 5-7)

July 6-July 10 (Ages 8-10)

Explore the possibilities of art with our most popular camp, adapted for our new digital camp model. Using a variety of materials, this session combines scientific exploration and the creative process to create the messiest and silliest of art projects.

FUN-TASTIC Forts!

July 13-17 (Ages 6-10)

In this camp, kids investigate all things 3-D! From blankets to boxes, we cover the basics of building the best forts ever! Campers will spend their days creating new spaces to explore and will walk away with a basic understanding of engineering, and a personalized fort of their own!

Fibers & Friends!

July 20-July 24 (Ages 5-7)

July 27-July 31 (Ages 8-10)

Have you ever wondered how a spider builds its web, how a bird weaves a nest, how your friend made such an AWESOME key chain? Become a wonder-weaver as we explore all things fiber!

Art & Movement

August 3-August 7 (Ages 6-10)

Who says art-making has to be stationary? This camp session focuses on all the ways art can get you moving and features 2-D and 3-D projects, which will utilize movement and art-making in innovative ways.

Registration, which is $220, opened today (Monday). It will close one week before the start of each camp.

Photo via Mariah Hewines/Unsplash

Maryland Man Arrested in Connection with Robbery — Police believe Ronald Smith, 46, assaulted a man while he was walking along Sunrise Valley Drive on May 14 at around 8:30 p.m. Smith, a Maryland resident, was charged with robbery and possession of marijuana. The victim had minor injuries. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Masks Required on Metro Starting Today — “Face coverings or masks be required when traveling on Metro effective Monday, May 18. The move strengthens Metro’s position on the matter, which has ‘strongly recommended’ the use of face coverings since early April.” [WMATA]

Greater Reston Arts Center Exhibit Reviewed — “For those looking for an introduction to the book art space, The Velocity of a Page covers ample ground. Others will be compelled to search out the book-makers for more. In fact, the way to get the most out of this exhibition is to leave it. This is something the curator seems to understand, and is perhaps why The Velocity of a Page is marketed as multi-platform.” [Hyper Allergic]

Photo by vantagehill/Flickr

Along with a myriad of other events, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival in Reston has been rescheduled for later this year.

Event organizers made the call yesterday (March 24) to postpone the festival, which brings together a variety of handcrafted art pieces, until September due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release.

Now, the festival is set to take place from September 11-13, according to the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE).

“Our first priority is the health and well-being of our artists, volunteers, sponsors, and patrons,” GRACE’s Associate Curator and Festival Director, Erica Harrison said in the press release.

This annual event draws more than 30,000 guests from around the D.C. area, according to a press release.

As originally planned, the festival will still take place at the Reston Town Center.

Photo via Northern Virginia Arts Festival/Facebook

Greater Reston Arts Center has selected a new executive director and curator after former head Lily Siegel resigned earlier this year.

Jaynelle Hazard will lead the organization as it rebrands and repositions itself in the community as a cultural force, according to a press release.

“I intend to expand GRACE’s already critically engaged practice by introducing new methods to advance scholarship; extend its reach in interdisciplinary experimentation of contemporary art and ideas; and engage audiences of all backgrounds and identities,” Hazard said.

Here’s more from the release:

Hazard received her BA in Fashion Design & Merchandising from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York (she is currently DC Chapter Co-Chair for Sotheby’s Institute of Art Alumni). For the last two years she has been the Director of Exhibitions for the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, where she oversaw five main gallery spaces, six artist-run galleries, outdoor installations and community-related projects (including a highly regarded outdoor mural project and festival), produced 75+ exhibitions, provided opportunities for 200+ artists, bolstered a new base of over 700 visitors, and grew social media presence by more than 2,000 followers. Before that she lived in New York working as Art Collection Administrator for the important UBS art collection (supporting an inventory of 30,000 modern and contemporary art works). She also spent four years in Cape Town, South Africa, a time that included serving on the team at Blank Projects Art Gallery. She is the Chair of the Faith Flanagan Fellowship and Co-Chair of the State of Art 5/DC conference for the DC Chapter of ArtTable, Inc. (the foremost professional organization dedicated to advancing the leadership of women in the visual arts).

“Jaynelle differentiated herself from a strong list of candidates with her inspiring contemporary curatorial vision and aesthetic since, first and foremost, we are a content organization dedicated to delivering the very best contemporary cultural experience,” said Robert Goudie, GRACE Board Chair. “And at a time when we are growing the strength of our voice in the regional and national cultural conversation, Jaynelle also brings strong connections to art networks in the DC region and New York. There are a lot of very talented people in our region, but Jaynelle, I think, is someone who can really establish for herself and GRACE pretty special and distinguished territory.”

Siegel left GRACE to become the new executive director of Hamiltonian Artists in the District as its fellowship program and exhibit transitions into a nonprofit organization.

Photo by Prathibha Polapragada