October will give local residents the chance to “fall into the arts” with artoberVA, a month-long celebration of the arts across Fairfax County.
A collaboration between ArtsFairfax and CultureWorks, the initiative will present a number of free events coupled with discount offers from local artists and arts organizations across Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
“Our motto at ArtsFairfax is to ‘stay curious and stay local’ to experience the arts, and artoberVA is the perfect way for the culturally curious among us to discover their new favorite artists and arts organizations while investing in their local community,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt said.
CultureWorks, which serves the Richmond area, has presented local artoberVA celebrations downstate for a decade. Started as a grass-roots arts movement, the festivities now involve over 100 artists and cultural organizations that offer a variety of free or discounted events throughout October, from craft classes to theatrical performances.
“We’re excited to collaborate with ArtsFairfax to expand artoberVA’s reach, ensuring more of the commonwealth can experience compelling arts and culture offerings all month long,” CultureWorks President Scott Garka said.
The idea to bring artoberVA to Fairfax County came out of roundtables that ArtsFairfax regularly organizes in each of the county’s magisterial districts to gather feedback from local artists and organizations.
Participants expressed a desire for a promotional campaign similar to the restaurant weeks that support the region’s culinary industry, “but for the arts,” ArtsFairfax Director of Advocacy and Communications Allison Mui told FFXnow.
The arts agency quickly reached out to its Richmond counterpart to learn more about its experiences. According to Mui, the two organizations have collaborated in the past, sharing data from research studies and advocating for more public funding for the arts, including through the statewide nonprofit Virginians for the Arts — which counts both Holt and Garka as board members.
“Our hope is to grow this initiative year over year,” Mui said of Fairfax’s first artoberVA celebration. “We are so pleased by the enthusiasm we’ve received from our local arts groups who have come up with great discount offers and audience perks for our first year out.”
Centerpiece attractions to be hosted by ArtsFairfax include:
- A kickoff social hour on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Honor Brewing in Fairfax. Open to all, the event will be free with a cash bar, though advance registration is requested.
- A new exhibition showcasing artists based in Northern Virginia will open Thursday, Oct. 16 at Springfield Town Center. It is free and open to the community
- The annual ArtsFairfax Awards luncheon will be held on Friday, Oct. 25 at the Hyatt Regency Reston. This year’s award recipients will include supporters of the Wolf Trap Foundation and Workhouse Arts Foundation, the Iranian American Community Center, and South Lakes High School art teacher Marco Rando.
October is marked as National Arts and Humanities Month, and the new Northern Virginia celebration will help promote the region’s wide array of artistic endeavors.
“The collaboration between CultureWorks and ArtsFairfax is incredibly inspiring,” said Colleen Messick, executive director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. “Local arts agencies play a pivotal role in Virginia’s creative ecosystem, and these two are leading the way in showcasing how to build stronger, more inclusive and culturally vibrant communities across the commonwealth.”
Local arts organizations can contact ArtsFairfax to be part of the celebration, which will last from Oct. 1-31. Offers announced so far include a week of free dance classes from Center for Ballet Arts, discounted tickets for the Reston Community Orchestra’s new season, free admission to Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s Oktoberfest fundraiser in McLean, and more.
The list of events and discounts will be updated daily on the ArtsFairfax website.
