Join the community at an Art Festival Oct. 17
By James Albright, chair of the Mason District Arts Council
The second annual Mason District Art Festival hits Annandale on Saturday, Oct. 17. The signature event of the Mason District Arts Council, the festival will fill the ACCA Child Development Center parking lot at 7200 Columbia Pike from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Organized and run by community volunteers, the Art Festival will feature artist booths, a performance stage, art-making opportunities, and a great community feel. The Art Festival is free to the public and will take place rain or shine. Show up for our local artists!
Meet dozens of artists
Many artists from the first Mason District Art Festival last fall will return and will be joined by new participants. There will be a strong and varied contingent from the Lake Barcroft Art League, as well as a number of artists from the Craft Gallery of Artisans United.
Visitors can expect to find paintings, jewelry, ceramics, and much more. The list of artists and how to connect with them can be found on the Art Festival page on the Mason District Arts Council website.
[Be sure to check out the Annandale Today booth. We have new merch!]
Make your own art
Visitors will have a chance to create art, as well. Based on the response to last year’s art-making setup, the Art Festival features more opportunities for the public to get into the spirit. Visitors can participate in the following fun, art-making activities, each of which is inclusive and open to all ages:
- Build a creative reuse mosaic (led by the “Uncommon” Ursula Seckel)
- Make small art for free little art galleries (the Community Studio)
- Live community painting (John Hartt, muralist)
- A project by Community Art for Everyone
- Community quilt-making (former Supervisor Penny Gross)
Live performances
The Art Festival performance stage will feature a wide range of dynamic artists, with vocal, choral, and instrumental music, two dance groups, a theater performance, and live stand-up by Jon Yeager.
The stage acts start at 11 a.m. after opening remarks by the festival organizers. The stage is sponsored by the School of Rock/Springfield and the Lake Barcroft Art League.
Swap artist materials
A new activity at this year’s Art Festival is an artist materials exchange station.
Visitors and exhibiting artists can bring unused materials to the exchange table and swap them for items they might want or need in return. This is a totally free activity and a great way to recycle materials for other artists to use.
Supporting the arts in Mason District
The 2026 Art Festival is the result of more than a year’s planning by the Mason District Arts Council.
The council was formed in 2024 by a local group of artists and supporters as an all-volunteer effort aimed at increasing the role of culture in our community through the support of visual and performing artists by promoting community activities, social events, and arts-focused activities.
Our goal for the festival is to connect artists with patrons and to promote local artists and the sale of their works.
We believe in keeping the cost to artists as low as possible; thus, no commission is collected by the Mason District Arts Council on any artwork sold. While cultivating collectors and patrons of the arts, the festival also strives to make art accessible to all.
Parking for the festival is available at the United Baptist Church at 7100 Columbia Pike and on Daniels Avenue and other streets behind the Art Festival. Great local coffee from Beanetics Coffee Roasters will be available at the festival. Food trucks will be there, too.
Complete festival details, including a site map and a link to all vendors, participants, and sponsors, are available at masondistrictarts.org. Click on “festival information.” For general information about art happenings in Mason District, sign up at https://masondistrictarts.org/get-involved/.
Related story: Paintings celebrate Mason District