Arts News

As a non-profit studio operated by a public university, SoA Print is able to offer outstanding competitive pricing to all of their customers. Their services range from archival exhibition prints, design portfolios, mixed-media paintings, student assignments, posters, books, and proofs. For pricing information on all of their products and services, refer to their web site at http://soaprint.gmu.edu/index.html. For quotes or additional information, email SoA Print at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

They are located at George Mason University

The Arts Council of Fairfax County is proud to host a FREE preview of the documentary “American Ballerina: An Improbable Journey to Russia,” by local producer Ken Ferguson, May 23, 3:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 1800 Presidents Street, Reston, Virginia.  A reception with Keenan Kampa, the subject of “American Ballerina,” will be held following the screening. Drinks and hor dourves will be served.

To RSVP for this event.

Please join us for this screening of “American Ballerina: An Improbable Journey to Russia,” and meet the rising star of the ballet world in person.  To rsvp, please  contact our Development Manager, Maureen Clyne, at the Arts Council of Fairfax County at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  To learn more about Keenan Kampa and “American Ballerina: An Improbable Journey to Russia,” please visit the website at www.keenankampamovie.com.  The Arts Council is delighted to honor Keenan’s impressive accomplishments and to host this sendoff as she prepares to return to Russia in late May.

2000 years of Western music history in 90 odd minutes? Absolutely! From Seikilos (the oldest surviving example of a complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world) to U2! You are also welcome to attend a short pre-concert talk by our creative director, Jennifer Rodgers Beach where she will, among other things and in her own words, geek out. This is VCS' annual Concert for a Cause. It is funded in part by a grant from the Rotary Club of Vienna, and goes to support arts education in Fairfax County and beyond. Event will be on Saturday, May 19 at 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA 22124. For more information call 703.255.5508.

This performance will feature works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The International Chamber Soloists is a unique group of extraordinary young string players from all over the world. They are brought together by the group’s Founder and Music Director, prominent violinist Dmitri Berlinsky. Dmitri arrived on the international scene as the youngest winner in the history of the Paganini International Violin Competition. The performance begins at 2:00 pm at the Reston Community Center CenterStage at 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston, VA 20191. Tickets will be available for purchase.

Meet Alice Hoffman, bestselling author of The Dovekeepers, Practical Magic, Here on Earth, The Red Garden and others. Books available for sale and signing. Registration required - visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library for details and registration information. Event will be free and open to the general public

Dear Arts Leader,

April 16 - 17, 2012 is the National Arts Advocacy Conference and Advocacy Day in Washington DC, sponsored by Americans for the Arts.  Arts leaders from across the United States will travel to our Nation’s Capital to attend the conference (16th) and meet with state representatives on Capitol Hill (17th). The National Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill is free.

The Arts Council of Fairfax County is the State Captain for this year’s Advocacy Day.
If you plan to attend the conference and/or visit with your representative, please let us know by Wednesday, April 4, 2012.  As a State Captain we will assist our arts representatives by providing National Advocacy Day information, legislator contact information, and talking points.

It can be difficult for arts organizations to come up with the budget and the time to prepare each board member for the tasks that lie ahead.

The Arts Management Program at George Mason University can help with that process through the Board Member Institute. The GMU Arts Management Program has two different informational offerings: (1) our semiannual New Board Member Orientation—a half-day training session designed for new board members in arts organizations offered once in the Fall and again in the Spring and (2) Financial Responsibilities session offered in the Spring.

As many of you may have read, Peggy Baggett, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), is retiring as of December 1, 2011.

Ms. Baggett has been with the Commission for 35 years, 31 of which as Executive Director and has worked for over three decades with artists, arts administrators, board members, and thousands of volunteers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including nine different Governors. She led the creation of the Virginia Heritage Awards as part of the ongoing efforts of building the arts across the state and helped to make possible the unprecedented collaboration within the cultural community of MINDS WIDE OPEN; Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, which included over 10,000 arts events in 400 locations across the state on the theme of women in the arts.  
To quote Ms. Baggett,"I am grateful to have had a career that I continue to love and am richly rewarded to have had a small role in the flourishing of the arts across Virginia."

In the Virginians for the Arts latest newsletter, they published some very interesting points on the economic impact of the arts in Virginia. For those organizations who receive VCA grants, we hope that some of you will come down to the ArtWorks Conference & Reception sponsored by the VA Commission for the Arts on January 24-25, 2012 and the Arts Advocacy Day sponsored by VFTA January 26, 2012. Enjoy the read.

It is important for elected officials to understand the huge economic impact - as high as $1.13 billion, based on Virginia's current population and the results of the last economic impact study - that the arts have on the Commonwealth.

From: Thomas L. Birch, Legislative Counsel, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

Senate Appropriators Set 2012 NEA Funding at $155 Million

The Organizational and Professional Development Grants (formerly Organizational Development Grants) are intended to fund the business side of the arts including strategic planning and implementation, consulting services for marketing and fundraising, and technology upgrades as well as training and conference attendance for staff and board members.  We hope that by renaming the grant program and offering the option of an extended grant period,  arts organizations take advantage of this opportunity to help move their groups to the next level. Please refer to the updated application and guidelines posted on Grants Page for detailed information.

The Grants Research and Training Center will sponsor a free workshop for nonprofit organizations, Proposal Writing Basics and How to Approach a Foundation, on Thursday, April 19, 2012. The event will be held at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035 in Conference Rooms 9/10 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The first half the session will cover what to include in a standard proposal and tips for making your proposal stronger. The second half will describe how to effectively communicate with funders during the grant process.

Space for this event is limited.  Register online at Grants Research and Training Center workshop or call the Foundation Center at 202-331-1400.

Strauss Fellowships awardee Virginia Virtuosi will be performing the Shenandoah Suite this Saturday, Nov 12, 2011 at the BB&T Center for the Performing Arts of Luray. This is the work written for the Strauss Fellowship. The composition commemorates the 75 Anniversary of the founding of Shenandoah National Park and includes five movements (White Oak Canyon, Blooming Most Recklessly, Arnold and the Duke (1935), Big Meadow, and Dark Hollow).  You can by ticket here.

Saturday, November 12, 2011 7:30 pm
Performing Arts Luray
BB&T Center for the Performing Arts
1 E. Main St.
Luray, VA

The Cooperative Agreement between Metro and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) stipulates that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) shall manage and coordinate the public art component of the Phase-One Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. WMATA staff, in cooperation with MWAA, conducted a competition for public art proposals for the five phase-one stations.  This is the first time that public art will be integrated at a metro station in Fairfax County.

In 2008 an Art Review Panel composed of community representatives and members from, the Fairfax County Arts Council, art & design professionals and representatives of Metro, MWAA, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, selected five proposals to present to the Board for approval. Members included Doug Carter, Tim Davis, Luca Gori, Elizabeth Lodal, Howard Menaker, Marcia McAllister, Neil Nott, Ann Rodriguez, Robert (Bob) E. Simmon, Richard Steven and Henrik Sundqvist. The panel reviewed 167 portfolio submissions, selected fifteen artist finalists and recommended five artwork proposals for approval by the Metro Board.

Please check out the latest artist opportunity at MPA?  Application Deadline is April 3, 2012 at 5PM.

Elan Magazine has a great opportunity for artists to get their work published.

See this link http://www.elanmagazine.com

The Reston Association, in partnership with the Initiative for Public Art – Reston (IPAR), is seeking an artist to develop an interactive water feature for Dogwood Pool, Reston. This opportunity is open to established professional artists living in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. An artist will be commissioned to work with the design team working on the renovation plans to develop an interactive water feature element that will be installed between the pool area and the picnic pavilion. An artwork at this community facility will strengthen its profile and attractiveness for current and future residents. An interactive artwork will enhance the playful experience that people can have there. Application deadline is April 6, 2012.

Falls Church Arts invites artists to submit work in any “ism.” Can you see references in your work to Georges Braque’s cubism, Georges Rouault’s fauvist paintings, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s impressionism, or to any other “ism” of any period? Here is your opportunity to declare the links between the artists who have been classified into particular styles or “isms” and their influence on your work. Entries due 5:00 pm, Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

The Reunion Music Society, Inc. and the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Annandale campus, are pleased to announce the fifth year of a music scholarship program being offered to Northern Virginia area high school bassists and cellists. The Lafayette Jackson Memorial Scholarship is available to two (2) eligible students during the 2012-2013 academic year. Applications must be received by March 30, 2012.