eARTh Day Celebration
April 25 @ 11:00 am – 5:30 pm
Presented in partnership with
An art-inspired celebration of the day!
Saturday, April 25, 11:00am-5:30pm
Reston Town Square Park
ALL FREE
Day’s schedule/programming:
11:00am-5:30pm
Streets surrounding
Town Square Park
Public Art Reston’s ChalkFest, Face Painting, and Poetry Contest
- The streets surrounding Town Square Park will come alive with an environmentally themed ChalkFest! Established and aspiring artists of all ages welcome. For Registration and details, go to Public Art Reston’s ChalkFest.
- Face painting for people of all ages!
- Winning poems from the Public Art Reston Poetry Contest will be featured during the day, highlighting the voices of local writers alongside the visual artwork. Got to contest link to register and submit by the April 10 deadline.
12:00-5:00pm
Tephra ICA
Enjoy the Janet Loren Hill | Andrew Casto and Abdulrahman Naansehترحال / Nomadism Exhibitions at Tephra ICA and special events:
- On view:
- In the Tephra ICA main gallery, the Janet Loren Hill | Andrew Casto exhibition. Janet Loren Hill’s work presents surreal characters moving through complex environments, tracing various global histories of coercion, labor, and the potential for rupture. Andrew Casto’s ceramic sculptures explore the connection between “macrocosmic” environmental change and interruptions in our often-routine existence.
- In the Tephra ICA Signature Gallery, the Abdulrahman Naansehترحال / Nomadism exhibition explores the complex relationships between experience, identity, and ideas of home. rooted especially in his personal experience leaving his homeland of Syria.
- 2pm: Special musical performance with Marcolivia in the Tephra ICA Gallery.
12:00pm
Town Square Park
Amphitheatre
eARTh Day Opening Celebration
- Hosted by Robert Goudie, Executive Director RTCA
- Poetry Reading from the 2024–2027 Fairfax County Poet Laureate, Angelique Palmer.
- Dignitary remarks, to include Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra, Sup. Walter Alcorn, and ArtsFairfax Executive Director Stuart Holt
- Overview of the day:
- ChalkFest, Ricki Marion, Public Art Reston
- Art Activations and Exhibitions, Ms. Jonell Logan, Tephra ICA Executive Director
- Concerts, Mr. Goudie of RTCA
12:30-1:45pm
Town Square Park
Amphitheatre
eARTh Day Concert — Project Locrea
- An environmentally themed set list from Project Locrea, a global jazz-fusion ensemble combining sound and instrumentation of world folk traditions with classical, jazz, and contemporary music conventions. The project’s focus is to bring a better understanding and deeper connection between cultures in current days. 2022 WAMMIEs (Best World Music Group and Best World Music Song); part of the Touring Artist Roster of the Virginia Commission for the Arts; has performed internationally (MACAO Youth Music Festival in Macao, China) and at many important regional venues (including Strathmore and Blues Alley).
1:00pm-5:00pm
St. Franics St.
Tephra ICA Activations
- Tephra ICA presents drop-in art-making workshops with contemporary artists along St. Francis St.. Accessible for audiences of all ages. Workshops will include David Alexander (papermaking); Eric Clark Jackson (batik/Chesapeake Bay); Adjoa Burrowes (Printmaking with Plants); and Rachel Garcia-Palmer (plein air painting).
2:30-3:45pm
Town Square Park
Amphitheatre
eARTh Day Concert — Juan Megna Group
- A Washington, DC-based ensemble known for its vibrant blend of jazz and Afro-Brazilian influences, centered around original compositions that showcase rhythmic sophistication and stylistic breadth. Their debut album, Mariwô (2024), has been widely praised as a “worldly and exciting body of work” that seamlessly navigates jazz, Brazilian traditions, and global sounds, earning recognition from outlets such as Jazziz Magazine. The group has played iconic venues on the East Coast jazz scene, like Blues Alley, while also generating positive buzz on radio and industry charts, including the Roots Music Report and other jazz listings. With compelling live performances, strong critical reception, and growing chart visibility, the Juan Megna Group is a compelling, emerging voice in contemporary jazz.
5:00pm
Town Square Park
Amphitheatre
ChalkFest Awards Ceremony
- Public Art Reston to announce First, Second, and Third Place winners for each of the Friends and Family, Amateur, Professional, and People’s Choice categories, with cash prizes to be awarded for each.