Rebranded as Tephra ICA, NOVA’s Favorite Art Festival Returns

A volcanic eruption is set to hit the Greater Reston area. But instead of fire and lava creeping up on your front steps, it’s an amazing art festival and a new face for the world of Reston contemporary art.

Known for years as the Greater Reston Arts Center, the creative team behind this Fairfax County art hub has decided to grow their wingspan and take flight as Tephra ICA, an art institute dedicated to community building on a global scale.

While the former GRACE had consistently displayed astonishing art in the heart of scenic Reston, the now Tephra ICA aims to do the same but also welcome new perspectives and cultures.

“We want to connect the Tephra name to the Greater Reston legacy while also remaining devoted to community-building and welcoming new voices,” Associate Curator & Festival Director Hannah Barco says.

“The goal is to live up to our namesake ‘tephra’ which is a matter that releases from geothermal eruptions and nourishes the surrounding area.”

And local nourishment is the name of the game when it comes to Tephra ICA’s upcoming art festival.

Set to take place from May 20 to May 22, this celebration is the 31st festival from the Tephra/GRACE team.

The event is free-of-charge and fundraises for future Tephra ICA efforts and scholarships. Attendees can expect over 200 artists present such as Cassie Taggart, a Silver Spring mixed media artist, prior award winner in the festival’s painting category, and the creator of “Fly Me To The Moon,” the festival’s featured piece.

Along with works on the canvas, the Trisha Brown Dance Company will perform a site-specific routine entitled “In Plain Sight” that welcomes audience activity and attempts to break down audience/performer barriers through contemporary dance.

And in terms of reaching new audiences and welcoming new perspectives, Tephra ICA has taken forward action by enlisting a panel of artists from varied practices and backgrounds to act as the festival jurors.

Expect names like the international-trekking Hillary Waters Fayle or the Wyoming-born studio artist and curator Gerald Ross.

Also making way as a highly-anticipated juror is D.C.-based artist and researcher Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, a voice for Arab art appreciation and the managing director of Washington Studio School.

Having been host to over 30,000 attendees in past celebrations, Tephra ICA is grateful for the Reston community, which has always bolstered its patronage.

From a quick glance, it’s safe to say that the new direction Tephra ICA has taken is one for the best.

From welcoming the presence of new voices in the Reston area to holding onto their legacy as a Reston community base, it’s clear that all possible effort has been expended in this rebranding and that the upcoming Tephra Festival is one for the Reston history books.

The Tephra ICA Festival takes place from May 20 to May 22. Check out their event schedule to see what’s in store.

Tephra ICA Festival at Reston Town Center: 11900 Market St. Reston, VA; tephraica.org // @tephra_ica

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Mela Rodrigues-Oliveira