The Power of the Arts to Communicate Shared Cultural Experiences

It has been a period of transition, growth, and change. I took on the role as the arts world was emerging from the pandemic, a period when ArtsFairfax provided critical funding that was essential to the arts ecosystem. During my three–year term, I led a leadership transition when our long-time President Linda Sullivan decided to retire after 14 years. Following a national search, we brought on Stuart Holt as the new President & Chief Executive Officer. Stuart hit the ground running and has made tremendous progress connecting with the Fairfax community and setting the organization up for aspirational growth.

There’s a constant push and pull with funding for the arts. Our budget is a combination of significant funds provided by Fairfax County with a private funding stream from individuals, corporate gifts, and special events, such as the ArtsFairfax Awards each October. ArtsFairfax works to maximize available funds to the community via Operating Support, Project Support, and Ticket & Participation Subsidy Grants. In Operating Support Grants alone, we have increased grant funding from $400,000 distributed to 44 organizations in 2023 to $590,000 for 58 recipients in 2025. 

That is one of our strategic goals. Over the past few years, we have increased grants awarded to organizations led by people of color, underrepresented groups, and women, while also reaching more parts of the County. One strategy has been to offer grant application translations on request while simplifying the process itself to make it more broadly accessible. By expanding our outreach, we hope to elevate the relevancy of the arts across the full breadth of Fairfax County’s 1.2 million residents. 

Many organizations perform in churches, school gymnasiums, community centers, and other spaces that are not necessarily ideal. Capital One Hall (completed by HGA in 2021) certainly has been a boon to the region with world-class performance facilities used by national touring shows and local arts programming. But there is still a huge need to address the continued shortage of venue options. In fact, ArtsFairfax just completed a Master Arts Plan for Facilities and we’re currently finalizing a Public Art Master Plan. Both plans are vital tools that can easily be used by County leaders in the planning and development process. 

There are so many! Of course, the arts bring beauty to our lives and provide unique opportunities for community building. The presence of arts venues and resources is a key aspect of the way we consider and measure our quality of life. And I think one of the benefits is the significant positive impact the arts have on the economy and job creation. The return on investment for arts funding is enormous. I often refer to research done by Americans for the Arts that found every dollar of Federal arts funding leverages $9 in private and public dollars. ArtsFairfax also conducted an Arts & Economic Prosperity Study for Fairfax County to identify economic benefits.  

I’ve gained a sense of empathy and insight into the economic and operational realities that my clients must address every day. Our job as architects is to position clients for success by planning and designing buildings that provide long-term value while supporting their missions. My role on the ArtsFairfax Board has increased my awareness of arts organizations’ approach to operational budgeting, strategic planning, and has helped me better identify and prioritize the essential functional needs of arts facilities.

Arts groups are probably some of the most resilient organizations I know. It was inspiring to see how effectively arts organizations innovated during the pandemic. In many cases, those innovations had staying power beyond the crisis by helping broaden the impact of the arts through online performances and educational programming. This resilience and creativity have really inspired my approach to programming, planning, and designing architecture.

Both of my kids are involved in the Young Actors Theatre (YAT) in our hometown of Reston, Virginia. They have been dedicated to this wonderful program since they were old enough to sign up. As Board Chair in 2022, I had the honor of presenting the founder and leader of YAT, Mark Brutsche, with the Arts Achievement Award, which was such a rewarding way for me to say thank you for the enormous contribution he has made to our family. I am grateful that I have been a recipient of the rich benefits of the arts as both a parent and community member . . . and hopefully a meaningful supporter of the arts as a community leader and architect.