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Four honorees whose work spans philanthropy, public art and choral music will take center stage at the 2026 ArtsFairfax Awards this fall.
The awards will recognize McLean Project for the Arts supporter Bruce Berlage; Reston civic leaders Karen and Jim Cleveland; the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation; and singer, conductor and composer Thomas Beveridge.
ArtsFairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt said the recipients have strengthened the local arts scene through public service, leadership and the dedication of their time, talent and expertise.
McLean arts center namesake earns premier award
Berlage will receive the Jinx Hazel Award, ArtsFairfax’s highest honor, for his longstanding commitment to McLean Project for the Arts.
A U.S. Army veteran and managing partner of real estate firm Beck & Berlage, he supported the organization alongside his wife of 43 years, Donna Berlage, until her death in 2023.
A major contribution toward MPA’s new arts and education center in downtown McLean prompted the nonprofit to name the facility for him. The center opened April 30 at 6910 Fleetwood Road with multiple galleries, a ceramics studio, classrooms and a cafe.
The facility provides MPA with a larger, more centrally located home while supplementing its exhibition space at the McLean Community Center. ArtsFairfax described it as a transformative gathering place built with care and attention by its namesake.
Reston couple recognized for decades of leadership
Karen and Jim Cleveland will receive the Philanthropy Award for lifelong efforts to promote the arts as an essential part of civic engagement.
Their support has included extensive work with the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, where Jim was a founding director and served on the board for more than two decades. Karen is currently board chair of Public Art Reston.
Jim also helped oversee the first phase of Reston Town Center’s development in the early 1990s as president of the Reston Land Corporation. Karen previously led the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce as CEO and spearheaded the annual Best of Reston Awards for Community Service, presented with the nonprofit Cornerstones.
ArtsFairfax credited the couple’s leadership and generosity with helping Reston become a community where the arts and civic connections flourish while continuing founder Robert E. Simon’s vision.
Richmond Highway art initiative wins Innovation Award
The Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation will receive the Innovation Award for using public art to support revitalization along the Richmond Highway corridor.
The nonprofit economic development organization launched the “Faces of 1” series, placing 10 sculptures by artist Michael Alfano at publicly accessible locations throughout the corridor. When the installations’ one-year leases expire, local businesses can retain them.
Nepenthe Gallery at 7918 Fort Hunt Road in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center has sold miniature versions of the sculptures. Several pieces have also appeared in the American Horticultural Society’s gardens at River Farm.
SFDC Executive Director Evan Kaufman called the project a celebration of the people and stories shaping the community. He said the sculptures explore connection, transformation and identity while encouraging reflection on experiences shared along Richmond Highway.
The organization has also commissioned five murals and installed a Free Little Art Gallery at Mount Vernon Plaza in April.
Choral leader honored for sweeping musical career
Thomas Beveridge, founder and artistic director of the New Dominion Chorale, will receive the ArtsFairfax Achievement Award for his work as a singer, composer and conductor and for leading the professional choir he established in 1991.
Beveridge has created 700 compositions and arrangements. They include “ONCE: In Memoriam Martin Luther King, Jr.,” commissioned by the Choral Arts Society in 2023 for the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
His works also include “Yizkor Requiem,” which premiered in 1994 and was written in memory of his parents following his father’s death.
As a soloist, Beveridge has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress. His previous positions include director of choral activities at George Mason University and chorus master of the Washington National Opera. He has also guest-conducted the Washington Chamber Symphony’s “Messiah” sing-along at the Kennedy Center.
ArtsFairfax said Beveridge’s legacy includes welcoming new audiences, mentoring young musicians and expanding America’s body of choral music.
The awards will be presented during a reception and luncheon on Oct. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Reston, 1800 Presidents Street. The Reston Town Center hotel is hosting the event for a second consecutive year after the ceremony spent four years at Capital One Hall before 2025.
Proceeds support ArtsFairfax programs and services, including $820,000 in grants for local arts nonprofits, professional-development events, public-art projects, a job board and other artist resources.