Fairfax, VA (October 1, 2026) – ArtsFairfax Awards, the region’s premier event to honor major arts contributions in Fairfax County, will honor Bruce Berlage, Karen and Jim Cleveland, Thomas Beveridge, and the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation on Friday, October 30. To celebrate their extraordinary contributions to the arts, the annual event will feature music performances by members of New Dominion Chorale and Woodbridge Flute Choir. ArtsFairfax board member and four-time TV news Emmy winner Peggy Fox will serve as the ceremony emcee and Barbara Januszkiewicz is the artist commissioned for this year’s awards.

“The ArtsFairfax Awards shine a well-deserved spotlight on the people and organizations advancing the arts throughout our region,” says BeBe Nguyen, Executive Director of Reston Community Center, the fundraiser’s Visionary Sponsor. “Reston Community Center is honored to support this celebration and to help ensure that the arts remain accessible, vibrant, and deeply connected to community life.”

Lead Sponsorship is provided by McGuireWoods and the Tim and Barbara Rizer Charitable Foundation. The event’s Reception Sponsors are BXP and Reston Town Center Association. Proceeds from the Awards help sustain the programs and services ArtsFairfax provides at zero cost to local artists and arts organizations across the County. ArtsFairfax offers critical resources and opportunities to artists, including:

  • $820,000 in grants to over 60 local arts nonprofits annually;
  • Free networking and professional development opportunities;
  • Commissions through public art and creative placemaking initiatives; and
  • Visibility through arts promotion and marketing campaigns like artoberVA.

By bringing over 400 business professionals, elected officials, and arts and community leaders together, the fundraiser provides direct support to ArtsFairfax as it broadens services to the local arts sector—a $300M industry in Fairfax County.

Event Details:
Friday, October 30, 2026
11:15am – 2:00pm
Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents Street
Reston, VA 20190

Event Performances
In honor of ArtsFairfax Achievement Award honoree Thomas Beveridge, singers of the New Dominion Chorale (NDC) will perform an abridged version of the 4th Movement from Johannes Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, accompanied by Frank Conlon. Beveridge founded NDC in 1991 as a community chorus based in McLean, which now counts 140 members as one of the largest choral groups in the area. Maintaining its model as a non-audition singers’ cooperative, the Chorale operates with a board of directors consisting solely of current members. Following Beveridge’s 35 years as Artistic Director, Dr. Casey Cook now leads NDC with a focus on living composers along with classical favorites.

Woodbridge Flute Choir (WFC), which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, will feature Karen Edwards on C Flute, Tara Nadel on C Flute, Ginger Melby on Alto Flute, and Jim Waterman on Bass Flute in a performance of “Cassis Orange” and “China Blue” from Cocktail Paradise! by Satoshi Yagisawa. Under the leadership of Debbie Gilbert, who celebrates 20 years as Artistic Director, WFC is the recent winner of the National Flute Association 2027 Flute Choir. Comprised of 30 members who play piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute, and contrabass flute, WFC presents a regular concert series in Northern Virginia and has performed at The Kennedy Center, the White House, and at national and international flute festivals and conventions.

Commissioned Artist
ArtsFairfax commissioned local artist Barbara Januszkiewicz to create this year’s awards. Januszkiewicz is an award-winning, Washington Color School–inspired visual artist based in the DC metropolitan area. Known for her monumental abstract color-field paintings and luminous plexiglass sculptures, she has exhibited in museums and has partnered with developers and architects to integrate site-specific sculptural installations into new developments and community projects, bringing a distinctive, contemporary visual language to the built environment.

About ArtsFairfax
Driven by the belief that the arts are essential to our lives and strengthened by a diversity of perspectives, experiences, and audiences, ArtsFairfax is the nonprofit designated as Fairfax County’s local arts agency. Their mission is to invest in and amplify the arts for all of the 1.2 million residents across Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church. By offering vital funding, advocacy, and professional opportunities to the local arts sector, ArtsFairfax promotes the arts’ capacity to cultivate community and fuel social and economic growth. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1964, ArtsFairfax is funded in part by the County, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as corporations, foundations, and individuals.