GREAT FALLS CITIZENS ASSN. TO HOST CANDIDATE FORUM: The Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) will hold a forum Sept. 27 featuring candidates in races for the state Senate, House of Delegates and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
GFCA will hold the event at the Great Falls Grange, 9818 Georgetown Pike. The public will have a chance to meet the candidates starting at 5:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Grange, then the forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the building’s upper level.
The following candidates have confirmed they will be participating:
• James “Jimmy” Bierman (D) and Puneet Ahluwalia (R), who are competing to represent Dranesville District on the Board of Supervisors.
• State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D) and her Republican challenger, Matthew Lang.
• Del. Rip Sullivan (D) and his Republican challenger, Kristin Hoffman.
The candidates will make individual statements and answer questions on topics such as tax impact and budgets, transportation challenges, land-use and development policies, affordable-housing needs, the environment and public safety.
The forum will end around 9:15 p.m. and be followed by refreshments and further opportunities for informal conversations with the candidates.
The Nov. 7 election will be unusual for Great Falls because the community is set to receive an entirely new set of elected officials, owing to redistricting and some retirements.
Organizers expect a large turnout for the event and encourage attendees to arrive early.
20TH ANNUAL GREAT FALLS STUDIO TOUR SET FOR OCTOBER: The annual Great Falls Studio Tour will mark its 20th anniversary Oct. 20-22, with more than 40 artists participating.
The tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with artists providing live demonstrations and showing their works in the Great Falls Village Centre and in private studios throughout Great Falls.
The tour is a unique experience for art lovers of all ages, organizers said. The once-a-year event lets the public visit artists in their places of work and see how they design and create.
The artists’ works range from painting, jewelry, pottery and mixed media to photography, clothing and accessories. The event might inspire attendees to take art classes or start their own projects, organizers said.
Gold Sponsors for this year’s tour are TD Bank and Lori Shafran of Yeonas & Shafran Real Estate. Silver Sponsors are Our Mom Eugenia, Vivid Chill and Great Dogs of Great Falls.
An interactive GPS site will help the public navigate from studio to studio on the tour.
For more information, visit www.greatfallsstudios.com/studio-tour-2023-home.
DETAILS SET FOR 2023 ‘MPA ARTFEST’: McLean Central Park will come to life on Sunday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when MPAartfest returns with a full day of art, music, food and fun.
Now in its 17th year, this year’s festival features the work of more than 35 visual artists, some of the region’s most talented music performers, local food vendors and a variety of children’s activities to engage creative minds and captivate art-lovers of all ages.
A one-day juried fine art show and sale, MPAartfest transforms McLean Central Park into a lively landscape of mini art galleries showcasing and offering for sale the work of acclaimed artists from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
“Each fall, MPAartfest celebrates our community and the arts in the beautiful setting of McLean Central Park,” said MPA executive director Lori Carbonneau. “We invite all the community to join us for a relaxing and inspiring day of art in the park.”
MPAartfest will again offer a full day of lively and varied musical performances, and the MPAartfest Children’s Activity Tents will feature a variety of art-based activities and learning stations. Other art highlights include the New Dominion Women’s Club Children’s Art Walk, a juried open-air gallery displaying artwork from local public and private elementary school students.
On the food front, MPAartfest will once again feature the much-loved Café Beret (sponsored by The Mather) where guests can enjoy wine and beer provided by The Wine Outlet. The event will also offer food from a variety of food trucks and eateries, including Rocklands BBQ, Pikoteo, Timber Pizza, Kona Ice and MooThru.
MPAartfest 2023 is presented with the support of lead community sponsor McLean Community Center, and through partnership with Fairfax County Park Authority. Mars is the presenting corporate sponsor.
Admission is free. For information, see the Website at www.mpaart.org.
McLEAN PROJECT FOR ARTS TO OPEN EXHIBITION: McLean Project for the Arts’ latest exhibition – “(Not) Strictly Painting 14” – will run from Sept. 14 to Nov. 9 at the organization’s space at the McLean Community Center.
The biennial exhibition features pieces from 50 artists throughout the Mid-Atlantic area.
An opening reception is slated for Thursday, Sept. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. An in-person Artist Talk will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
“Now in its 14th incarnation, ‘(Not) Strictly Painting’ will exhibit works by some of the most interesting and innovative artists currently active in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Nancy Sausser, MPA’s director of exhibitions and curator. “The exhibit was expertly juried by Tim Brown, director of IA&A at Hillyer.”
Featured artists include Maremi Andreozzi, Sondra Arkin, M.K. Bailey, Julia Bloom, Maria Brito, Nikki Brugnoli, Tory Cowles, Pamela Crockett, Delna Dastur, Anna Davis, Thomas Drymon, Gayle Friedman, Genie Ghim, Jane Godfrey, Pat Goslee, Reni Gower, Freya Grand, Lou Haney, Amelia Hankin, Tom Hill, Andrew Hladky, Leslie Holt, Sabiha Iqbal, Barbara Januszkiewicz, Wayson Jones, Joanne Kent, Pamela Keravuori, Chee Kung, Ruth Lozner, Matthew Malone, Nicole Maloof, Nipun Manda, Sasha-Loriene McClain, Begona Morton, Olivia Niuman, Cory Oberndorfer, Sookkyung Park, Judith Pratt, Sharon Robinson, Violet Simulation, Kanika Sircar, Marsha Staiger, Ann Stoddard, Monica Stroik, Terry Thompson, Roderick Turner, Jessica van Brakle, Ashley Joi Whitley, Sharon Wolpoff and Debra Wright.
For information, see the Website at www.mpaart.org.
