The Connection

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Seven Major Art Events Held Throughout Herndon – Nicholas Black holds a poster depicting the daily events of Herndon Arts Week. Mike O'Reilly, President of the Board, Arts Herndon said, "Arts Herndon, the official arts organization of the Town of Herndon, is once again celebrating Herndon Arts Week with a variety of programs for all ages throughout the week. We are fortunate to live in a town that recognizes and appreciates the importance of the arts in creating a community where we all want to live, work, and play."

Photo Courtesy of Arts Herndon

‘Kids Day’ Dancing, Drumming, and Art – On Monday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 150 children and adults joined Arts Herndon and their arts week partner, Frying Pan Park, Fairfax County Park Authority for “Kids Day” held at the park, 2739 West Ox Road, Herndon. The family-friendly event offered free dance, music, and craft experiences. The Bureau of Good Roads in Washington D.C. teamed up with Arts Herndon and provided hands-on crafts for children to learn more about street design through art.

Photo courtesy of Allen Hobson

International Guitarist/Vocalist in Concert – Acoustic guitarist Beppe Gambetta of Genova, Italy, presented a concert of American root music fused with northwest Italian traditions and folk ballads at Amphora Diner Deluxe, 1151 Elden St., on Tuesday, Oct. 10. The Folk Club of Reston/Herndon hosted the event, funded in part by Arts Herndon. Using steel string guitars, Gambetta awed the audience of 87 ticketed guests.

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Cabaret Performance at the Herndon Senior Center – For many of Herndon's older residents, getting out for a concert can be challenging. With this in mind, Arts Herndon brought the nostalgic music of Tim McGee of Oak Hill to the Herndon Senior Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 1-2 p.m. Nicholas Black, Director of Music, Arts Herndon described McGee's voice as "warm [and] filling the entire ballroom." Ruth Junkin, director of the Herndon Senior Center, commented on the importance of music, no matter one's age. "Performing arts lend grace to our lives, evoke fond memories, and give us an emotional connection to our world... Thank you to Arts Herndon for sponsoring a wonderful performance."

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Arts Crawl in Downtown Herndon – Due to inclement weather, Arts Herndon canceled the Arts Crawl scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 12. It was to be the grand finale of the newly added 2017 series, Third Thursdays Arts Crawl, seven once-a-month free crawls held outdoors on the Town Square in downtown Herndon featuring artists and the sale of their works, live music, dance, children's hands-on craft projects, sidewalk chalking, and demonstrations. Pictured from the Sept. 12, Third Thursday Arts Crawl, is Artisan Jordan Kinslow of Herndon speaking with local crawlers Stephen Vides-Sanchez and Stephanie Wright.

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Reading and Book Signing – On Friday, Oct. 13, 7- 9 p.m., at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center St., Arts Herndon celebrated the literary arts with a book signing and reading of a novella, “The Appointment,” by Mike Maggio, vice president of the Poetry Society of Virginia, Northern Region. Maggio said his novella is about an “aging professor whose life is turned upside down." Peggy O'Reilly, board member of Arts Herndon, attended the event. "I was fascinated by Mike Maggio's discussion of literary influences on the characters and story development… It was an extra treat to hear him read a passage from the book, and encourage us to respond to the images and characters from our own experience."

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Portrait Competition and Exhibit – First Place winner in the 9th Annual “Expressions” Portrait Competition, Nathan Loda of Vienna stands with his wife Florencia and daughter Ella Mae beside his oil portrait, "The Fishing Girl." Asked why he entered the competition, Loda simply said, "I was out to win." Loda received a cash prize of $750. Anna Schoenfeld, co-director of Arts Herndon described portraiture as "...painting, drawing and sculpting a person's likeness, done over time and with training and skill." Upon viewing the art, Town Councilmember Signe Friedrichs expressed her pleasure in seeing a diversity of portraits in subject, medium, and technique.

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Local Guitarist/Vocalist in Concert – On Sunday, Oct. 15, at ArtSpace Herndon, guitarist and vocalist Crys Matthews blended her signature Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and funk into a strong performance. Matthews said, "I'm very appreciative of the community that's been fostered through Arts Herndon. They have been very supportive of my music and the message I hope to send with it. My message is, even in the darkest of times, hope and love in all its forms should be a beacon."