The 29th annual Art on the Avenue returns to the streets of Del Ray on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voted by Virginia Living readers as the top arts event in Northern Virginia, Art on the Avenue is entirely volunteer-run, with support from the local business community. The event draws more than 50,000 people annually, and features over 350 artists, four stages of live music, free children’s crafts, international food, a pie baking contest, and more – plus some incredibly talented young artists. 

 

“One of Art on the Avenue’s major goals is to inspire young artists – during the festival we have a wide range of free kids’ crafts, activities, and artist demonstrations to make art accessible to all ages,” said Art on the Avenue founder Pat Miller. “We’re always thrilled to highlight young artists who take their love of art to the next level – it not only takes talent, but also a tremendous amount of work, planning, entrepreneurial spirit, and business savvy to be an exhibitor at any art show – especially one as popular as Art on the Avenue.”

 

Meet the young Alexandria artists who will be participating in this year’s Art on the Avenue:

 

One of Art on the Avenue’s first artists to utilize cutting-edge 3D printing technology is 3 Meat Heads 3D Printing, launched by 9th- and 6th-grade brothers Patrick and Alexander Morse and their friend, James Riley. Their small business started on the Saint Rita School playground – when showing off their 3D printed fidgets and dragons to friends, orders quickly started rolling in. “We like to create neat toys and fidgets that we think people will like,” said Patrick.

 

One of Art on the Avenue’s first student artists, Abigail Zadareky, is starting her senior year of high school, but is already celebrating her sixth Art on the Avenue as a featured artist. She does bold paintings of animals using acrylic on canvas, and also publishes notecards of her paintings. True to the Del Ray neighborhood, dogs are her specialty! “I find inspiration by looking at other artists works and learning from them. I love to sit and sketch at the Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Art in DC,” said Abby.

 

Noura Barka 

Noura Barka and Grace Barrett – best friends since third grade, who are now starting their freshman year of high school – are marking their fourth year participating in Art on the Avenue. A love for the arts runs strong in the Barrett family; Grace’s father, Andreas, is a painter, and will also be featured at Art on the Avenue. “We have always been surrounded by opportunities to express ourselves creatively and our families have always supported this interest,” said Noura. Find handmade pottery, crochet figurines, candles, jewelry holders, (and lots of free chocolates!) at their booth.

 

Born and raised in Del Ray, Lena and Marin Doerrer are a team of teenage sisters who create home goods inspired by their favorite authors. Find the perfect gift for your favorite book lover from their collection of hand-poured soy candles with dried flowers and herbs, soaps, custom-blended leaf teas, embroidered tea towels and backpacks, and more. “We love to ask questions like, ‘What kind of tea were Bilbo and Gandalf drinking?’ and go from there!” said Lena.

 

Art on the Avenue takes place on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mount Vernon Avenue between Hume and Bellefonte Avenues. The event is free and open to all. Free trolley transportation will be provided from Braddock Road and Potomac Yard Metros. For more information, visit www.artontheavenue.org.