From May 18-20, the 27th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will deliver the work of about 200 artists from across the country to the streets of Reston Town Center. The juried event attracts roughly 30,000 visitors per year and features an array of pieces for sale, from jewelry to photography to sculpture. This year, the festival expands from two days to three and includes children’s activities and a Saturday night awards party open to supporters of the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE).
Festival Director Erica Harrison and GRACE Executive Director Lily Siegel spoke with us about the event.
How did the festival get started?
Harrison: The Fine Arts Festival was started by Judith Forst, an artist living in Reston. She was the executive director of GRACE in 1991 when it was new. She developed the idea of bringing artists to the town center to act as a fundraiser for Greater Reston Arts Center. We are regularly ranked in the top 20 national fine arts festivals in terms of quality.
What are some of the event highlights?
Siegel: There are a few new things we’re really excited about this year, starting with the festival beginning on Friday. That really opens up some new opportunities for us with the workforce and the other retail here in Town Center. Select businesses will be offering discounts or having special events in their stores to really help bring people out. This year, we’ll have a public awards ceremony at the [Saturday night] party. We’re working with Baltimore-based artist Laure Drogoul and she’s presenting a work called The Illuminated Fountain of Extinction. She will be bringing performers and other visual artists to collaborate and create an interactive, immersive theater experience during the party.
Why buy artwork from this festival versus a West Elm or a Z Gallerie?
Harrison: Art speaks to your heart and it really is something that you have to connect with very personally. Hearing why the artist made it, where they were inspired, how it relates to your own life is such a priceless experience. You get to have a piece of art, you get to live with that and tell people who visit you all about it and it becomes more than just that transactional experience—it really becomes part of your story.
Siegel: Part of our mission year-round is providing accessibility to art and artists for the greater DMV community. So bringing 200 artists on site for three days not only allows for visitors to have that personal connection, but it helps support artists. If you walk into a store or even just a gallery any day of the year, you don’t get the complete experience. You have your response to artwork on the wall, but this helps with accessibility, understanding and, I would argue, appreciation for the arts.
(May 2018)
