A new art installation has been unveiled at Springfield Town Center.
The gallery wall, which opened last week through a collaboration between the mall and ArtsFairfax, features seven works from a handful of local artists.
The unveiling coincided with ArtsFairfax’s month-long artoberVA celebration of Fairfax County’s arts community. Organized in partnership with the Richmond-based arts agency CultureWorks, which has been running artoberVA celebrations downstate for a decade now, the initiative encourages arts organizations to offer discounts and promotions similar to what eateries do for restaurant weeks.
“Through partnerships with Springfield Town Center and others, we want to bring art to the people and meet them where they are,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt said in a statement.
Springfield Town Center General Manager Eric Christensen added that the mall was excited to partner with ArtsFairfax to give visitors “something they haven’t experienced here before.”
The official arts agency for Fairfax County, ArtsFairfax previously worked with Tysons Corner Center to give local and international artists an opportunity to display their work at the D.C. region’s largest mall.
Celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 16, the “ArtsFairfax Presents at Springfield Town Center” exhibition features work from three different artists, who were selected from numerous applications, according to a press release.
“[Public art] is a vital and powerful part of our cultural life here in Fairfax County,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said, “and I’m grateful for initiatives like this that continue to reach and enrich our community.”
The show will remain on display on the lower level of the mall near its grand court through March 31, 2026. All works are available for purchase during the exhibition.
More from ArtsFairfax on the selected artists:
Tumôhq Abney was raised in Northern Virginia before serving in the United States Air Force and graduating from Old Dominion University. They have nine years of experience in sculpting, welding, and machining and have been commissioned for murals and installations for the last six years. In addition to their work as an exhibiting fine artist, they are a props master for multiple theatres, enriching their experience on large-scale art projects.
Jován Bethel is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is dedicated to storytelling, empowerment and cultural truth. With a global perspective gained from extensive travel, he explores the intersections of identity, healing, and social change, blending Afrocentric themes with avant-garde expression. His platform supports underrepresented voices and communities, particularly those navigating issues of self-worth and societal pressure. Whether through painting, public exhibitions, or collaborative projects, his goal is to use art as a tool for liberation and advocacy.
Isabella Merlos fuses diverse mediums to craft evocative narratives. Isabella has adorned such galleries as Visarts Center, Falls Church Gallery, Dupont Underground, and more. She was selected for a National Group Exhibition at Target Gallery in 2022 and received an Honorable Mention at the 2023 D.C Regional Juried Exhibit, leading to her first solo exhibition at Hill Center in 2023 and her second solo exhibition “Internal X External World” at Rhizome in March 2024. Isabella’s art strives to challenge perspectives by invoking profound emotions that foster empathy, connection, and deeper understanding among viewers.
