Support for the arts can take different forms, as evidenced by the honorees who will take center stage this fall at the 2026 ArtsFairfax Awards.
ArtsFairfax announced earlier this month that this year’s recipients of the annual awards will be longtime McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) donor and board member Bruce Berlage, Reston community leaders Karen and Jim Cleveland, the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation and D.C.-area singer, conductor and composer Thomas Beveridge.
“The 2026 ArtsFairfax Award honorees are deeply committed to the local arts scene through their leadership and roles as civil servants, dedicating their time, talent, and expertise to the accessibility and creation of arts experiences that directly impact the daily lives of Fairfax residents,” ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt said in a press release.
A U.S. Army veteran who built a career in real estate as managing partner of the firm Beck & Berlage, Berlage will receive ArtsFairfax’s premier Jinx Hazel Award for his longstanding support of MPA — a commitment he shared with his wife of 43 years, Donna Berlage, until her passing in 2023.
A sizable contribution to MPA for its new arts and education center in downtown McLean led the nonprofit to name the facility after Berlage. Featuring multiple galleries, a ceramic studio, classroom space and a cafe, the center officially opened on April 30 at 6910 Fleetwood Road, giving MPA a larger, more centrally located home to supplement its exhibition space in the McLean Community Center.
“The newly opened facility, built with so much care and attention by its namesake, is a transformative new home for community gatherings in Fairfax,” ArtsFairfax said.
Winners of the Philanthropy Award, Karen and Jim Cleveland will be recognized for their lifelong efforts to highlight “the arts’ essential role in civic engagement,” according to ArtsFairfax.
The couple’s contributions to Reston’s art scene have included support for the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA), which Jim helped guide as a founding director and a board member for over two decades, as well as Public Art Reston, where Karen currently serves as board chair.
Among other roles, Jim Cleveland also helped shepherd the first phase of Reston Town Center’s development in the early 1990s as president of the Reston Land Corporation, while Karen Cleveland served as CEO of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, spearheading the Best of Reston Awards for Community Service it bestows annually with the nonprofit Cornerstones.
“Through their leadership, generosity, and unwavering commitment, Karen and Jim Cleveland have helped shape Reston into a community where the arts flourish, connections deepen, and Simon’s vision continues to thrive,” ArtsFairfax said.
The Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC), a nonprofit economic development organization that promotes the Richmond Highway corridor, will receive the Innovation Award for its use of public art as a revitalization tool.
In its release, ArtsFairfax specifically highlights the “Faces of 1” series that brought 10 sculptures crafted by artist Michael Alfano to select, publicly accessible locations throughout the corridor. After their 1-year lease term ends, the installations can be retained by local businesses.
Nepenthe Gallery (7918 Fort Hunt Road) in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center has also sold miniature replicas of the sculptures, and some have been featured in the American Horticultural Society’s gardens at River Farm.
“It is a celebration of the stories and people that shape our community,” SFDC Executive Director Evan Kaufman said of the series. “The sculptures embody themes of connection, transformation, and identity, inviting people to reflect on the shared experiences that define Richmond Highway.”
The organization has also commissioned five murals and installed a Free Little Art Gallery at Mount Vernon Plaza in April.
Finally, New Dominion Chorale founder and artistic director Thomas Beveridge will be honored with the ArtsFairfax Achievement Award for his extensive career as a singer, composer and conductor as well as his leadership of the professional choir he launched in 1991.
Beveridge’s 700 compositions and arrangements include “ONCE: In Memoriam Martin Luther King, Jr.” — which was commissioned in 2023 by the Choral Arts Society for the 60th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom — and “Yizkor Requiem,” which premiered in 1994 and was written in honor of his parents after his father’s death.
As a singer, Beveridge has performed solo at the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall and Library of Congress, among other venues. He also previously served as director of choral activities at George Mason University, chorus master of the Washington National Opera and appeared as a guest conductor for the Washington Chamber Symphony’s “Messiah” sing-along at the Kennedy Center.
“Thomas Beveridge has built a legacy that embraces new audiences, mentors young talent, and grows the canon of choral works in America,” ArtsFairfax said.
The 2026 ArtsFairfax Awards will be presented at a reception and luncheon on Oct. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Reston (1800 Presidents Street). This is the second consecutive year that the hotel in Reston Town Center is hosting the ceremony, which had been held at Capital One Hall for four years prior to 2025.
ArtsFairfax says proceeds from the annual awards help support its programs and services, which include distributing $820,000 in grants to local arts nonprofits, professional development events, public art projects, and a job board and other resources for artists.
