NOTE: This events calendar is from 2015. The guide to 2016 holiday events can be found HERE. Ready or not, here come the holidays! Here are some of the greatest celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa in Reston and the surrounding areas of Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 Tysons Corner Center’s…

During my interview with artist Anne Smyers in the Reston Community Center about her current exhibit there, she was frequently stopped by admirers of her work. “Are you the artist? Your work is extraordinary!” “There are no words, wow.” “My grandmother used to quilt, and I’d love to learn to make ones like yours.” “Your handwork is magnificent.” And…

Every Saturday morning during farmers market season, an art market takes place on Lake Anne Plaza. If you haven’t taken a close look at the vendors there, I encourage you to do so. There is a lot of talent and quality on display every week. I’ve discovered some beautiful artwork and hand-crafted products at the Reston…

The streets of Reston Town Center are filled with extraordinary art this weekend at the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. Over 200 artists from around the country have arrived in Reston to display their work at this show. Art forms include painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, textiles, furniture, pottery, and more. It’s a juried show, which means that only…

This weekend the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston Town Center on Saturday and Sunday. This festival is a Modern Reston favorite, and one that you don’t want to miss. This event is a nationally top-ranked fine art and craft festival that attracts over 30,000 visitors each year, and it is also the primary fundraiser…

In Town Square Park at Reston Town Center sits a prominent new public art piece. From afar, the structure looks like cabins drawn with fluid brush strokes. As you get closer, you realize they are sturdy structures made of carefully bent sticks. And if you see the sculpture from above in one of the tall buildings nearby, it appears that a swirling…

It’s cold outside and for some reason my brain thinks there’s nothing fun to do indoors on the weekends. Of course, my brain is always wrong. We live in a thriving metropolitan area with THE SMITHSONIAN, for pete’s sake. But what if I don’t feel like heading to The Mall (or leaving Virginia) for my art fix?…

I’ve long admired jewelry artists who can create beautiful items with beads, but I’ve never known much about the use of beads in other forms of art. I’m not even sure I’d given it any thought before I heard about this exhibit. So I didn’t know what to expect when I headed to GRACE to see…

UPDATE 6/20/17: Prelly Cookies is no longer located in Northern Virginia. One of Modern Reston’s main goals is to discover local people doing extraordinary things. It turns out that the more we explore Northern VA, the more talented people we unearth. Luckily for us, this area is a treasure trove of entrepreneurs and creatives. One such…