ArtsFairfax is planning a series of exhibitions to showcase local artists around Fairfax County.
The “ArtsFairfax Presents” initiative was developed after a survey commissioned by the local arts agency last year revealed that, for many artists working in Fairfax County, finding affordable and appropriate spaces to showcase their work can be a challenge.
With 78% of the individual artists surveyed identifying their main artistic practice as the visual arts, ArtsFairfax hopes to address that need by finding new venues to host art galleries, such as the Lincolnia Senior Center, Braddock District Office and Springfield Town Center.
“‘ArtsFairfax Presents’ is our initiative to bring the arts to where people are in their daily lives,” said Stuart Holt, president and CEO of ArtsFairfax. “We work with the county and property owners to reassess their spaces as possible venues for the presentation of visual art.”
He noted that ArtsFairfax has “a record of advocating for artist spaces and needs, auditing properties, and making recommendations that allow this sort of work to occur.”
In the future, ArtsFairfax hopes to expand the series to include other art forms, such as theater, music and dance, Holt says.
Lincolnia Senior Center
From now through September, the senior center at 4710 North Chambliss Street will be home to a mixed media collection called “Images of America,” displaying 16 works from 10 artists that explore American identity and iconography.
After organizing successful exhibitions earlier this year featuring work by artists from the Mason District Arts Council and Lake Barcroft Art League, ArtsFairfax has partnered with the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services to turn the Lincolnia Senior Center’s lobby and hallways into gallery spaces.
“These installations encourage Lincolnia Senior Center residents and daily program visitors to come and observe, learn, and interpret the art on display,” NCS Director Lloyd Tucker, who also chairs the county arts committee, said in a press release. “… We hope that ‘ArtsFairfax Presents’ at Lincolnia Senior Center can be a model for future art galleries in all nine of Fairfax County’s magisterial districts.”
Upcoming exhibits include “Exploring the Great Outdoors,” a show that will celebrate green spaces and waterways in the county. ArtsFairfax is currently accepting submissions for the show, which is scheduled to run from this October to January 2027.
In addition, people taking part in the Workhouse Arts Center’s Military in the Arts program will showcase their artwork at the senior center from February to May 2027. The exhibition will then transfer to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton next June.
Braddock District Office
A solo exhibition called “Naturally” from Ariane D’Souza will be on display at Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore-Heizer’s office (9002 Burke Lake Road) through the end of August. Other shows from artists based in Braddock District will follow.
Springfield Town Center
A six-month exhibition is coming back to Springfield Town Center in October at the same time of “artoberVA,” a month-long campaign that commemorates arts and culture, inspired by the area’s many “Taste of” promotions for the local restaurant industry.
ArtsFairfax described artoberVA as an opportunity for people to gain free and discounted access to arts events, programs and venues.
This story was updated to clarify that the Mason District Arts Council and Lake Barcroft Art League exhibitions at the Lincolnia Senior Center were organized by ArtsFairfax, not those organizations, as originally stated.
