Want to get in touch with your creative side? With these picks from our annual reader’s choice survey, you can explore the arts and music of the community, and even try your hand at making art of your own.
Art Gallery
Winner
Gallery Underground
Arlington’s visual arts community has grown in recent decades, helped in part by the nonprofit cooperative Arlington Artists Alliance. Its Gallery Underground promotes the fine art of established and emerging artists. Every month, it shows off the work of new members, as well as other local and national artists. The gallery also gives members the opportunity to sell their work. 2100 Crystal Dr., Arlington
Runner-Up
Workhouse Arts Center
9518 Workhouse Wy., Lorton
DUAL WINNER: Live Music Venue; Outdoor Concert Space
Winner
Wolf Trap
Who doesn’t love Wolf Trap? The national park site in Vienna has it all. The open-air setting has great sound quality and attracts top artists from all genres. With a location 3 miles from the Capital Beltway and free parking, Wolf Trap provides plenty of convenience. And the fact you can bring in food and have a picnic gives it another gold star. Among the artists performing this season: Tori Amos, Diana Krall, and James Taylor. 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna
Runner-Up (Live Music Venue)
Tally Ho Theater
19 W. Market St., Leesburg
Runner-Up (Outdoor Concert Space)
The Perch
1805 Capital One Dr., 11th Floor, Tysons
Museum
Winner
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
This hands-on farm museum can’t be beat for spurring the imagination. The interactive children’s farm lets kids milk a lifelike cow. Learning opportunities include what’s in a kitchen before the days of electricity and what life was like for Loudoun’s first inhabitants. New garden areas this year will feature apples, grapes, and more perennial fruits. 21668 Heritage Farm Ln., Sterling
Runner-Up
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy., Chantilly
Stand-Up Comedy
Winner
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse
The local and national comedians who perform at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse pack the house. You will want to leave the kids at home. It’s a nobody-under-21 joint for late-night entertainment, and seating is first come, first served. Renny, Nick Di Paolo, Judy Gold, and Quinn Dale are among those taking the stage this year. 2903 Columbia Pk., Arlington
Runner-Up
Tally Ho Theater
19 W. Market St., Leesburg
Theater House
Winner
Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre pushes the envelope to bring NoVA bold musicals as well as refreshing adaptations of the classics. The theater aims to connect with the community by offering a wide variety of viewpoints through its performances. Not to be missed this summer: Sweeney Todd and Soul Divas Reprise. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
Runner-Up
Creative Cauldron
410 S. Maple Ave., Ste. 116, Falls Church
Kids Class
Winner
The Heartfelt Workshop
Kids apply their creativity to both hand and machine sewing. In class, they learn how a sewing machine works, different stitches, how to reach patterns, and how to sew buttons and zippers. The weekly class for kids 8 and older runs one hour and 15 minutes. Summer camps start at age 7. 6721 Curran St., Ste. 100, McLean
Runner-Up
Progressions Dance School
8797 Commerce Ct., Manassas; 410 Rosedale Ct., Warrenton
Pottery Studio
Winner
Clay Cafe
Try your hand at throwing pottery with Clay Cafe’s try-it classes for adults and kids. You can paint your own ceramics at its studio or take an acrylic canvas painting class. For kids, the studio has summer camps and birthday parties. 14511-G Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy., Chantilly
Runner-Up
Paint Your Own Pottery
Mobile/pop up
Local Band
Winner
Moonshine Society
When you hear Jenny Langer and the Moonshine Society belt it out, you can’t stop listening. The band draws its blues, soul, and R&B inspiration from the greats, including B.B. King and Johnny Winter. The band performs a mix of original songs and cover favorites. When they are not touring, you can hear them around the DMV.
Feature image by Christopher Mueller
This story originally ran in our June issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
