Alexandria, VA – The countdown for the 29th Annual Art on the Avenue is just starting, and already, the event is breaking records. Over 600 artists applied for the region’s top arts festival, bringing new talent – plus old favorites – to Del Ray’s signature fall event.
Art on the Avenue returns to the streets of Del Ray on Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voted by Virginia Living readers as the top arts event in Northern Virginia, Art on the Avenue is entirely volunteer run, with support from the local business community. The event draws over 50,000 people annually and features over 350 artists, four stages of live music, free children’s crafts, international food, a pie-baking contest, and more.
Don’t miss these Alexandria-based artists who will be making their Art on the Avenue debut:
Andreas Barrett Art Studio
While this is abstract painter Andreas Barrett’s first year participating in Art on the Avenue, the festival is a family affair. His 13-year-old daughter, Grace, is marking her fourth year as an Art on the Avenue youth artist.
Calina Franzosa Fine Art
An avid traveler, Calina Franzosa is an oil painter who strives to capture everyday scenes, intimate landscapes, and epic vistas in a way that makes places unique and familiar.
Coastal Driftwood
Trish Karsadi draws her inspiration – and materials – from the sea. She uses driftwood as her medium to create sailboats, air plant arrangements, and scenes; she also uses sea glass to create framed sea glass art.
Darren Smith Art
Darren Smith is a mixed media artist who creates collages by hand using a combination of his original photographs plus postage stamps; the resulting layering of the pieces creates a subtle three-dimensional effect, adding depth and casting shadow.
Devi Creations
A fiber artist, Ranjanaa Devi counts knitting as a part of her spiritual practice. “Each stitch is infused with a meditational prayer with the hope that my work will bring happiness and calm to those who wear them,” said Devi.
Eastman Photography
Fritz Eastman splits his year between Virginia and Utah, doing portraits and winter landscapes.
Fiscus Glassworks
Brad Fiscus has been creating stained glass art – from window suncatchers to large custom installations – for over 20 years. Drawing from his experience as a former public school teacher, Fiscus also opens up his Alexandria studio for a wide variety of classes in stained glass and fused glass art.
GepPETto’s Hand Craft
Orlando Rincon creates handmade dog and cat articulated figurines from recycled wood.
Henry Egghart Photography
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Henry Egghart specializes in landscape, cityscape, and nature photography, with an emphasis on local scenes in Alexandria, Fairfax County, and the Mid-Atlantic region.
KFRONT Designs
Architectural elements, travel, and nature inspire Kari Frontera’s photography. “My photography highlights the beauty that lies in the details of texture, pattern, and the small moments in time,” said Frontera.
Kush
Bassma Soliman creates handmade leather goods such as bags, wallets, and briefcases.
Lapsing Luddite
Eva Hartman’s photography focuses on unusual perspectives, including art inspired by adventure.
Lola Earnestine
Courtney Arnold creates one-of-a-kind needle-felted jewelry. “Every piece is a love letter to my late cousin, Earnestine Epps Locke, and the important and unique women, girls, and femmes in my life,” said Arnold.
Lumos Collective
Based in Del Ray, Jade Geary crafts reiki-infused crystal candles and ritual oils designed to transform spaces into sanctuaries of positive energy and enhance holistic well-being.
made by Knerq
Nicole Gauvin creates greeting cards and art pieces by elevating upcycled materials with the “iris paper folding” technique to form each piece.
Mother of Light Center Sewing School
The Del Ray-based Mother of Light Center gives back to our community in various ways, including food distribution, after-school programs for children, and sewing classes for women in need to build community and teach new skills. The Mother of Light Sewing School will have a wide variety of items, including bags, table runners, baby items, and more.
Norris Design Company
A digital illustrator and relief printmaker, TJ Norris’s work is a mix of modern and traditional techniques. Norris creates and plans his prints using a digital drawing tablet, transfers the artwork to a block, carves the design by hand, and then prints the design using a manual press.
Olivia Gravatt Photography
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When she’s not helping run her family’s businesses – two Del Ray favorites, The Dairy Godmother and Just Fine Donuts – you’ll find Olivia Gravatt behind the lens, specializing in nature and portrait photography.
Picturesque Images
Photography started as a hobby to relieve stress. Now, it’s a passion project for Morrya Jones, who specializes in travel and nature photography.
Sierra Bravo Art
Sierra Barnes is a cartoonist, illustrator, and resident artist with the Torpedo Factory Art Center, creating books, hand-printed zines, and prints/illustrations based on history and folklore.
3 Meat Heads 3D Printing
One of Art on the Avenue’s first artists to utilize 3D printing technology is 3 Meat Heads 3D Printing, launched by 9th- and 6th-grade brothers Patrick and Alexander Morse and their friend, James Riley. “We like to create neat toys and fidgets that we think people will like,” said Patrick.
Art on the Avenue takes place Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mount Vernon Avenue between Hume and Bellefonte Avenues. The event is free and open to all. Free trolley transportation will be provided from Braddock Road and Potomac Yard Metros. For more information, visit artontheavenue.org.
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