New To You, a unique women’s clothing store in the heart of Falls Church, is hosting an open house Thursday, July 29, from 4 until 8 p.m.

In addition to showcasing great, affordable clothing for the fall, New To You will also be showing jewelry by designer Debra Fabian.

In the windows of the store are some of owner Christina Novak’s favorite fashion icons painted by NTY’s very own Shelby Rolla.  The display features Twiggy, Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Mrs. Obama, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn.  In addition to great fashion, there will be some nibbles and a bit of bubbly.

New To You is located at 108 West Broad Street, right next to Brown’s Hardware.  For more information, check out www.newtoyou.net.

By GINA CACECI
Falls Church Times Staff

July 20, 2010

As part of Falls Church Arts’ Gallery Without Walls program, the latest art exhibit at City Hall (300 Park Avenue) features paintings by Kathleen Clarken Buschow, who is also City Clerk for “The Little City.”  Located in the ground floor corridor between the East and West Wings, Buschow’s paintings are a mix of landscapes and portraits and reflect her evolution as a painter.

The exhibit is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., through the summer.

The Gallery Without Walls program supports Falls Church Arts’ mission of promoting art and artists in the area.  It links FCA member artists and organizations; it’s a way for artists to get an opportunity to show their work and for businesses and organizations to support the arts. And our residents and visitors to “The Little City” enjoy the increased presence of the arts in daily life.  Other GWW locations in Falls Church include Argia’s Restaurant, Burke & Herbert Bank and Vantage Fitness.

For more information about the Gallery Without Walls program, see www.FallsChurchArts.org

Bring a fan along with your lawn chair and picnic dinner to this week’s Concert at Cherry Hill Park.  The concert by Doris Justis & Friends begins at 7 pm and the art exhibit, featuring jewelry created by Ellen Dempsey, will be on display starting at 6:30 pm.

Doris Justis & Friends will perform folk and acoustic music at the July 8 Summer Concert at Cherry Hill Park

New to the Falls Church summer concert series, Doris Justis has been a mainstay of the folk and acoustic music scene in the Washington, DC area for many years.  Her long career was recently celebrated by the World Folk Music Association. Doris has performed at The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland.  In addition to performing, Doris has also produced concerts, coffeehouses and showcases.

Accompanying Doris at Thursday’s concert will be Scott Morgan, a lifelong musician and luthier.  He has played all types of music with family and friends for many years. His roots in music and fine instrument building started at an early age, and he continues to build instruments and perform. He has shared the stage with many excellent musicians over the years including Curly Fox, John Hartford, Red Rector, John McCutcheon, Ralph Stanley, the New Grass Revival, and Grandpa Jones, to name a few.

The summer concerts are co-sponsored by the Falls Church Parks and Recreation Department and the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS).  Members of Falls Church Arts (FCA) present the art exhibits.  The ice cream sales during the concert benefit the Falls Church – Kokolopori Sister City Partnership.

If it looks like rain, call 703-248-5077 after 5 pm to find out if the concert will be held inside the Community Center.

Andrew Acosta and the New Old Time String Band will play a concert on Thursday, July 1 at Cherry Hill Park to kick off the holiday weekend

Start enjoying the holiday weekend early on Thursday, July 1 at Cherry Hill Park with a concert at 7 pm by Andrew Acosta and the New Old Time String Band and an art exhibit before and after under the Falls Church Arts canopy.  View the paintings and photographs by local artists, Mary O’Donnell and Henry Galluci as you listen to roots music.  See www.fallschurchva.gov for more details.

Continue your adventures in art and music on FIRSTfriday, July 2.  Most special events begin at 6 pm including: Deborah Conn’s untraditional portraits in a traditional medium, watercolor, at Stifel and Capra (260 W. Broad Street), more watercolor paintings by Bill Abel inside Art and Frame of Falls Church (111 Park Avenue) and lots more artists outside in the parking lot at Art-A-Lot featuring Michael Snell’s handmade books and journals and jewelry by Hazel Brutsche.  Also check out some cool classic cars at Art-A-A lot.  Or make your own art at Clay Café Studios (101 N. Maple Avenue).

Music and art -- inside and outside -- throughout Falls Church on Friday, July 2

If books are your thing, then meet local author Amy Brecount White who will be on hand to sign copies of her new novel “FORGET-HER-NOTS,” about the language of flowers that come magically to life.

More into music?  Then you’ll find what you like inside or outside on Friday!  Check out “The Sparksplug Band” at Art-A-Lot in the parking lot at 111 Park Avenue.  More music indoors at Ireland’s Four Provinces Restaurant (105 W. Broad Street) and the Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad Street).
For more detailed information about FIRSTfriday and special offers at restaurants and stores that day, see www.firstfridayoffallschurch.com

If your favorite art is more culinary, take in the Falls Church Farmers Market (in the parking lot at City Hall) Saturday morning from 8 until noon. 

While the Fourth of July is our nation’s birthday, Saturday, July 3 marks the fourth birthday bash for Stifel and Capra.  From 10 to 5 pm, celebrate with cake and balloons and specials on treasures and art.

The City of Falls Church Fireworks Display starts around 9:30 pm at George Mason High School on Sunday, July 4.  But if you get there early, you can continue your art-filled holiday weekend listening to the concert by the Ken Smith Band that starts at 7 pm.

So start celebrating early and make it a four-day festival of music and art – food and fireworks – throughout The Little City.

Falls Church Arts member, Cathy Kaye, will discuss the art of lampwork beadmaking at the Artists Roundtable meeting on Thursday, June 24, at 7 pm at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 S. Maple Avenue.  The talk is free and open to everyone.

"Dr Pepper" is an example of the glass beads made by Cathy Kaye

Cathy has been a glass beadmaker (also known as a lampworker) since 1996. After starting out stringing beads and making jewelry, Cathy changed her focus when, “at a bead show I saw a demonstration of lampworking and that was it . . . beads and FIRE, what could be better!”

Cathy’s current work centers on creating groups of beads to work in specific ”signature pieces” of jewelry. She also creates items like cheese knives and wine stoppers that can be used to bring beads to every aspect of daily life. “An unsuspected bit of whimsy. . . that’s what I think beadmaking is all about!”

See more lampwork art at the Artists' Roundtable discussion at ArtSpace Falls Church at 7 pm Thursday, June 24

Cathy has been featured in the coffee table book 1,000 Glass Beads and has had beads on display in the National Bead Museum, which was dismantled and moved to Arizona when the National’s stadium was built. Her work has also been featured in local stores and in many trunk shows.

For more information, see the FCA website at www.fallschurcharts.org

June 15, 2010    

Andrew Acosta & the New Old Time String Band will perform July 1

Another annual rite of summer kicks off June 17 at 7 pm in Cherry Hill Park: the 18^th Annual Summer Concert Series.  Sponsored by the Village Preservation and Improvement Society and the City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks division, there will be eight concerts this summer every Thursday through August 5.    

The first concert features the Falls Church Concert Band performing movie themes and an exhibit of photographic images by Cathy Summers.    

Cathy Summers' Photography will be on exhibit at the first Cherry Hill Concert of the summer

Subsequent weeks include local musical favorites Randy Barrett, Andrew Acosta, and Tom Principato, jazz musician Mike Thornton, folk artist Doris Justis, rocker Billy Coulter and last year’s crowd pleasing 80’s music specialist Judo Chop.    

Again this summer, Falls Church Arts is sponsoring an exhibit at each concert featuring local artists’ work in various media including paintings, jewelry and photography.  Details about the concert schedule can be found on the Village Society website www.vpis.org.   More information about the art-in-the-park at the Cherry Hill Concerts can be found at www.fallschurcharts.org    

June 17            Falls Church Concert Band (movie themes) | Cathy Summers, Photography    

June 24            Randy Barrett and the Barretones (bluegrass) | Mary Exline & Pyracantha, Paintings    

July 1               Andrew Acosta & New Old Time String Band ( roots) | Mary O’Donnell & Henry Gallucio, Paintings    

July 8              Doris Justis and Friends (folk and acoustic) | Ellen Dempsey, Jewelry    

July 15            Mike Thornton Quartet (jazz) | Al Krachman, Photography    

July 22            Tom Principato (rock and roll and blues) | Cheryl Bearss, Paintings    

July 29            Billy Coulter (rock) | Terry Dusicsko, Cut Paper, Jewelry & Picture Frames    

August 5         Judo Chop (80’s music) | Bev Rocco & Justine Spilman, Paintings & Photography

Falls Church Arts FCA invites everyone to a reception on Wednesday, June 16 at 7:30 pm to honor the contestants in the 2010 Kokolopori Student Art Contest.  Entrants will be recognized and their artwork will be displayed at the reception in the Falls Church Arts Gallery at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 S. Maple Avenue.

The Kokolopor Student Art Contest exhibit will be on display all summer at the Falls Church Arts Gallery @ ArtSpace

The theme of this year’s student art contest is “A Day in the Life of the Women of Kokolopori.”  The contest is part of the ongoing Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership that was launched in 2006.  The artwork will be on display at ArtSpace through the summer.

Lisa Neher, 2nd Place Prize Winner

Special to the Falls Church Times

More than 225 people visited the exhibit at the Community Center and cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award.

Selected works will be exhibited in Falls Church City Hall (G-level), Monday through Friday, June 1 through 11. City Hall is located at 300 Park Avenue, on the corner of Park Avenue and Little Falls Street. To see the show, enter through the East Wing entrance between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Art Show Organizer Barb Cram presents the People's Choice Award to Jackie Elwell

For more information about Falls Church Arts, see the website www.FallsChurchArts.org

Isabelle Babington Won 1st Place in the Plein Air Art Festival

May 30, 2010

You got ‘em, the Falls Church Times wants ‘em!  Snap a picture of your favorite scene from Memorial Day in the Little City, and send them to contact@fallschurchtimes.com.  We’ll run them all week, showcasing how Falls Church City celebrates the “unofficial” start of summer.

NOTE: Only photos with captions and the full name and contact information of the photographer will be posted. Please do not embed the photo in a document.

May 26, 2010

The headline is correct!  Falls Church Arts is sponsoring an exhibit of paintings of outdoor “Scenes in the City” and the art show will be held outdoors on City Hall grounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 29.   Judging of the artwork entered into the Plein Air Festival will take place during the day; the awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.

There will be a $250 cash prize awarded to “Best in Show” as determined by a panel of professional artists; ribbons will be given for second and third place.  There will also be a “People’s Choice” award, so come to the exhibit before 3 p.m. on Saturday and cast your vote.

For more information about Falls Church Arts and the Plein Air Festival, go to www.FallsChurchArts.org