Board Matter April 14, 2026

Background: Recognized as one of the nation’s top outdoor cultural events, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival returns to Reston Town Center from May 16 to 17 — and this year marks the festival’s 35th anniversary.

This annual arts festival is a competitive, juried event that presents original paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and mixed-media works in a dynamic, open-air setting. It attracts casual art lovers to serious collectors from across the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, and this free event continues to increase in popularity. Last year, the festival saw a 40% increase in visitors, drawing a record 40,000-plus attendees.

The 2026 festival will feature 200 artists from around the country, along with live glass blowing demonstrations, a Festival Art Park, dance performances, and a free public concert — bringing art to life for visitors of all ages.

To mark its 35th anniversary, the festival will introduce a new People's Choice Award in honor of festival founder Judith Forst, and it also will recognize American craft traditions as part of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art — better known as Tephra ICA — it’s been a gathering space for contemporary art, artists, and the community for over 50 years. Local artists and residents founded this nonprofit with a commitment to the vision of Reston's founder, Robert E. Simon, Jr. — that Reston should be a place welcoming to all people and it should prioritize the arts as essential to a well-rounded life. In that spirit, Tephra ICA has grown into one of the region's most vital cultural institutions.

Motion: Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I ask without objection that the Office of Public Affairs prepare a resolution to recognize the Tephra ICA Arts Festival’s 35th anniversary to be presented out of the Board room on May 16.