Public invited to dialogue on community featuring art by local youths

Art projects by youths displayed at a community dialogue session in May at Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center.

The public is invited to “Re-Imagining Community Through Art,” a dialogue inspired by artworks created by local youths on the topic: “What’s your vision for a better community.”

The session is Saturday, Oct. 21, 1-3 p.m., at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church. A free lunch will be provided. Childcare will be available for ages 5-12.

The event will feature a traveling exhibit of art created by students from Annandale, Stuart, Falls Church, and Woodson high schools. The youths have been exploring the meaning of community through art with professors and graduate students at George Mason University’s School of Art. Through their art projects, the youths explored this question: “What kind of world would they want to inherit?”

Participants at the event will be invited to participate in a group poetry-writing exercise on the theme: “What’s your vision for a better community?”

This is the second in a series of dialogue sessions on this topic hosted by the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services in partnership with the Mason Police District and the GMU School of Art.

The first dialogue session was held in May at the Dar Al-Hijra Islamic Center in Seven Corners. It’s not necessary to have attended that session in order to participate in the upcoming dialogue.

RSVP: Norma Lopez, Neighborhood and Community Services Department, [email protected].