Reston Town Center Celebrates eARTh Day With Tephra ICA Installation

RESTON, VA — Reston Town Center Association and Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art present an art-inspired celebration of eARTh Day on Saturday, with a full day of free programming that's open to the public.

“This aligns with RTCA’s forward lean in promoting impactful art experiences that both enrich and educate,” said RTCA Executive Director Robert Goudie, in a release.“We always welcome the chance to partner with Tephra ICA, a content leader in the DMV. With support from Reston Community Center, ArtsFairfax, George Mason University, and LOOK Dine-In Cinemas at Reston Town Center, we think we have something that will capture the imagination and bring forward the importance of this day in a compelling way.”

A special installation at Mercury Fountain Plaza by Arkansas-based artist Danielle Hatch will help to put "ART" in eArth Day. Presented by the Reston Community Center, the installation, which is entitled "All Is In Motion, Is Growing, Is You," features bold colors and shapes informed by native flowering plants of Northern Virginia. The installation takes its inspiration from the community building of Robert E. Simon, the founder of Reston.

“Art often serves as a lens to help us understand the world around us, and artists have the unique ability, through their work, to spark conversation around contemporary issues, including the earth, land, and environment,” said Jaynelle Hazard, executive director and curator of Tephra ICA. “This collaborative event with RTCA presents a special opportunity to celebrate reverence for the natural world and the impact that art and artists can have in shaping sustainability.”

Event Schedule

10 a.m. - Mercury Fountain Plaza: Opening Ceremony and Introduction of the Danielle Hatch Installation hosted by Robert Goudie, executive director RTCA, and Jaynelle Hazard, Executive Director and Curator Tephra ICA

• Poetry Reading by Prof. Heather Streckfus-Green
• Dignitary remarks
• Danielle Hatch installation, sponsored by Reston Community Center, with support from Tephra ICA, RTCA, and BXP.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.- Tephra ICA: Special Curator-led Tours of the Pressing Exhibition

• An environmentally themed installation by Rena Detrixhe and Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann
• The exhibition invites audiences to simultaneously revel in the beauty of the natural world while considering the entanglement of ecological and human histories.

1-5 p.m. - Reston Town Square Park: Artist Activations

• 1-1:15 p.m. - Additional poetry readings with GMU
• 1:15-1:45 p.m. - Meditative Sound Bath with Very Sad Lab
• 1:45-2:30 p.m. - Plant Repotting and Rehabilitation Workshop with Very Sad Lab
• 1-5 p.m. - Plant Matter Printmaking with Adjoa Burrowes
• 1-5 p.m. - Dried Floral Arrangement Workshop with The Watering Can
• Family fun in the park, including eARTh Day-inspired face painting and juggling, composting, and other activities

2-3:15 p.m. - Reston Town Square Park - eARTh Day Concert: GMU Prof. Victor Provost’s Steel Pan ensemble will present an environmentally themed concert.

5:30-7:30 p.m. - LOOK Dine-In Cinemas - Movie Screening: "Anthropocene: The Human Epoch" Featuring opening remarks from, and post-film Q&A with, Prof. Jeremy Campbell of GMU’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth Sponsored by and presented at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas at Reston Town Center. Free.