Starting in 1991,^[1] the Greater Reston Arts Center began staging what is now ranked as one of the major outdoor fine arts festivals in the nation,^[2][3][4] and which grew both in critical reputation as well as attendance, with an estimated 30,000 visitors during the three-day festival.^[5] Between 1991 and 2021 the show was known as the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival,^[5][6] and the name was changed to the Tephra Fine Arts Festival following a similar name change of the festival's organizer,^[6][5] which changed from being the Greater Reston Arts Center to the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in 2021.^[7]

The festival usually showcases the works of about 200 juried artists from all over the United States,^[7] covering 16 categories^[8][9] spanning most of the visual arts genres such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, fiber arts, and glass, as well as high-end crafts such as clothing, jewelry, and furniture. The festival is usually staged in the month of May, with the exception of 2020, when the show was cancelled,^[10] and of 2021, when it was held during September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]

The artists are selected via a curated, juried process, where three jurors^[12] (which are different each year) review applications from all over the nation to finally select and invite about 200 artists.^[13] Selection to exhibit at the show has been described as "a major accomplishment for the artists."^[14] In addition to the visual artists, the organizers also stage musical^[15] and food events. Over the years, the festival has used many notable jurors, such as artists Willem de Looper,^[16] Mary Early,^[17] Chawky Frenn,^[18] Joseph Craig English,^[19] J. J. McCracken,^[20] and others, as well as museum directors such as Jack Rasmussen of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC,^[21] Gerald Ross, Director of Exhibitions and Curator at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, MD,^[22] Kenneth Trapp, Curator-in-Charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery,^[23] and blogger, critic and author F. Lennox Campello, and Leanne Mella, a founding member of the Film and Video program at the Whitney Museum of American Art.^[24]

The festival has been characterized by The Washington Post as "among the best art shows in the country",^[2] and has consistently ranked^[25] as "one of the top five" outdoor art shows in the United States.^[4][26][27] Over the years many notable artists have participated in the festival, including Sheila Giolitti,^[28] Joseph Craig English,^[29] and others.

Tephra Fine Arts Festival website

Photo Essay of the 2015 Festival