Events
In recent months, the Mason District Arts Council sponsored and presented multiple events for the United States Semiquincentennial as part of our Mason Arts 250 program—as well as some much-needed social time with our local arts community—which you can read about below.
You can also discover more local arts, events, and classes in the Mason District (and elsewhere in Fairfax County) by exploring the links on our Community page.
July 24, event triple-header
The day started with representatives from ArtsFairfax, ArtLords, the Mason District Arts Council, and the office of the Mason District Supervisor, celebrating the public display of the community mural created for the Mason Arts 250 program.
In late afternoon, Lorena Saavedra Smith hosted an event of poetry and connection at Cafe Hive in Annandale.
The day concluded with a concert in Spotlight by Starlight series which runs until August 21. Our council chair, James Albright, provided opening remarks and encouraged the audience to attend our fall art festival.
Photos (L-R) by Jay Townsend, James Albright, and Erin Albright
Members of the Mason District Arts Council with Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez and his staff, former Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, and Stuart Holt from Arts Fairfax pose with the completed community mural on July 24, 2026.
Lorena Saavedra Smith (right), author of "Awaken Your Roots" hosts a Poetry and Connection Night event on July 24, 2026 at Cafe Hive in Annandale, which featured an open mic, poetry, storytelling and community.
James Albright, chair of the Mason District Arts Council, introduces the City of Falls Church Concert Band on July 24 at the Mason District Park Amphitheater to kick-off the summer Spotlight by Starlight concert series.
June 27, Community Mural and Wishing Tree Project
In cooperation with ArtLords and inspired by the Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” inscribed on a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty, we staged a community mural painting in the parking lot at the ACCA Child Development Center alongside the final collection of tags for our Wishing Tree during the DMV Night Market event.
As America celebrates the semiquincentennial, this was the perfect time to reflect on our nation’s history and ask our neighbors to write down their ideas about “What is My America” onto the tags at our events in May and June, 2026 and as the mural painting concluded, we hung the tags of wishes onto a recently planted tree in the ACCA roadside garden facing Columbia Pike.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Mason District Arts Council Wishing Tree tags being collected and tied to string as part of the Mason Arts 250 series of activities to commemorate America's 250 founding anniversary.
Omaid Sharifi, President of ArtLords, a collective of self-styled "artivists" who create street art worldwide, leads the painting.
Sibyl Dauer hands out symbolic seeds to audience members during a reading by Anthony Dauer as Thomas Paine in which he asks he asks what we intend to do with our citizen’s inheritance.
Audience member Cathy Becker sings the “Suffragist Hymn” during the performance of “Suffragist Mrs. Robert Walker.”
June 20, passages: one-act play readings and oratorio
As part of our Mason Arts 250 celebration, we asked two historical reenactors to interpret and reimagine history from the American experience at an event on June 20, 2026 at Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia, which also featured readings of four original one-act plays by local playwrights and actors.
More details and photos.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Dr. Irving Ray performs "Pearls III: Since You Left."
Mark Evans, Jr. also known as Maestro The Cellist, performs "Viva La Vida."
june 13, ‘america the beautiful at 250: reimagining the future through music and poetry’ concert
As part of our month-long Mason Arts 250 community-wide commemoration of the United States Semiquincentennial, we asked local musicians and poets to interpret and reimagine music and poetry from the American experience for a concert on June 13, 2026. An audience of nearly 100 gathered at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Annandale for a string instrument “petting zoo,” an hour-long concert featuring eleven songs, and the premiere readings of three poems by their authors from our Mason Arts 250 poetry contest.
More details and photos.
Photos by Jay Townsend
June 7, ‘America Celebrates 250’ concert
As part our Mason Arts 250 programming, NoVA Lights Chorale celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a free concert featuring songs focused on the country’s history, beauty, and pursuit of freedom to an audience of more than 150 attendees at at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bailey’s Crossroads. A reception with light food and beverages followed.
The performance of 14 songs conducted by artistic director Stanley Livengood and featuring accompanist Anna Eun Joung Ko included “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “Words of Lincoln,” “Workin’ for the Dawn of Peace,” “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” and “The Star Spangled Banner” with historical narration by Chorale member Beatrice Squire.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Some audience members waved flags and clapped along during rousing songs.
NoVA Lights Chorale artistic director Stanley Livengood leads the singers during the patriotic celebration.
May 21, Mason District Arts Council Meeting
At our May Arts Council meeting, attendees learned about current and upcoming community mural projects, concerts, community theater performances (along with ticket discounts for Mason District Arts Council members), the final plans for our Mason Arts 250 activities, our initial plans for our October 17 Mason District Art Festival, and other events being considered for the coming year.
Garden Social outdoor seating near the old bus.
May 14, Mason Arts Happy Hour
Friends, members of the local arts community, and friends of friends joined us at the bright Garden Social beer garden at 4363 John Marr Drive. Celebration is an essential part of our culture, and we enjoyed celebrating with you.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Friends, family, supporters, and Mason District Arts Council members enjoy food and beverages at our May social gathering on May 14, 2026.
May 11, Art Exhibition Reception
ArtsFairfax and Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) hosted an art opening at the Lincolnia Senior Center. This is the third show in the revamped Senior Center gallery space with more shows to follow in the near future. Speakers included Fairfax County Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services Director Lloyd Tucker, and ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt. Artists in the exhibition included Jan Barrett, Chica Brunsvold, Mason District Arts Council member David B. Goldstein, and J. Larry Golfer.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services Director Lloyd Tucker makes remarks.
Fairfax County Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez welcomes attendees to the reception.
(L-R) Chica Brunsvold, David Goldstein, and Jan Barrett with their paintings at the Lincolnia Senior Center.
May 9, Arts in Daily Spaces Exhibit Opening and Concert
Storytelling through visual art and music at John Calvin Presbyterian Church at 6531 Columbia Pike. The evening began with a curated exhibit and brief talks from three featured artists and concluded with a concert from Ali and the Wild Geese. The event was free, fun, and open to the public.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Arts in Daily Spaces exhibit opening in cooperation with the Mason District Arts Council included opportunities for attendees to fill out a Wishing Tree tag.
Mason District Arts Council member, Reverend Casey Wait, welcomes attendees to the Arts in Daily Spaces exhibit opening and concert.
Performance by Ali and the Wild Geese.
Sopranessence
May 9, Concert
Sopranessence, our local resident ensemble of musical divas (including Mason District Arts Council member Bharati Soman), performed a benefit concert at the United Baptist Church at 7100 Columbia Pike. Proceeds from the concert support the ACCA Child Development Center in downtown Annandale. They hope to “awaken your inner child and help you see the world through their eyes.”
Photo by James Albright
March 21, Nowruz celebration
Members of local and international arts communities came together with friends and family to celebrate Nowruz at an event hosted by Mason District Arts Council member Reverend Casey Wait at John Calvin Presbyterian Church on Columbia Pike and led by Omaid Sharifi, who co-founded the art collective ArtLords in Afghanistan in 2014 as a grassroots movement of artists and volunteers, driven by the desire to harness the transformative power of art and which has since expanded worldwide.
Nowruz, meaning “new day” in Persian, is the ancient Iranian New Year festival that marks the arrival of spring on the vernal equinox. Celebrated for over 3,000 years by more than 300 million people worldwide, it symbolizes renewal, the rebirth of nature, and the triumph of light over darkness. It is also regarded as the start of the new year in Afghanistan.
The celebration featured traditional Afghan music, food, calligraphy, community mural painting, children’s crafts, and included an art exhibition featuring works by members of ArtLords, miniature paintings rescued from Afghanistan, paintings by Reverend Casey Wait, and by James Albright, chair of the Mason District Arts Council.
Photos by Jay Townsend
Miniature paintings rescued from Afghanistan on display at the event.
Sulieman Hedayat writes the names of attendees during a calligraphy demonstration.
Attendees enjoy short concert by Afghan musicians.
Musicians performed several works of classical Afghan music.
Attendees of all ages work on the mural during the celebration.
Reverend Casey Wait and Omaid Sharifi, who co-founded the art collective ArtLords, with the completed community mural painted during the event.