If you have general questions about the Workhouse Arts Center or about specific exhibits, performances or special events, please contact Ava Spece, CEO of Workhouse Arts Center, at avaspece@workhousearts.org.
Promoting Love of Arts in Fairfax Schools
Connection Newspapers – October 2019
Enter at your own risk: all new Haunted Trail 2019 – BREAKOUT!
Fairfax County Times – October 2019
‘Carrie’ is Coming to the Workhouse Theater
Connection Newspapers – October 2019
New Thrills, New Chills in Lorton
Connection Newspapers – October 2019
Review: “Carrie, The Musical” at Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – October 2019
Workhouse Brewfest Returns to Lorton
Connection Newspapers – September 2019
Skills of a Clown
Connection Newspapers – September 2019
Fairfax County’s first permanent LOVE letters set up at Workhouse Arts Center
localdmv.com – August 2019
Painting the Sounds and Vibrance of Music
Connection Newspapers – August 2019
Public Outdoor Artwork on Display in Lorton
Connection Newspapers – July 2019
Workhouse Arts Center to Host Inaugural Mural Project and Festival
Northern Virginia Magazine – July 2019
Live painting, live music, alive you!
Fairfax County Times – July 2019
Legendary Puppeteer Bill Diamond helps bring ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ to life at the Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – June 2019
Northern Virginia Fourth of July Fireworks and Festivities
Inside Nova – June 2019
Musical Night with ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in Lorton
Connection Newspapers – May 2019
Review: ‘The Full Monty’ at Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – May 2019
Workhouse’s Award Winning Photo taken on the Ganges River
Potomac Local – April 2019
Review: ‘The Explorers Club’ at Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – March 2019
Expanded Dance Classes at the Workhouse Arts Center
Connection Newspapers – February 2019
The Workhouse Arts Center 2018 Gala Raised over $200,000 for the Arts
Viva Tysons – February 2019
Glitz and Glamour at the Workhouse Gala
Connection Newspapers – November 2018
Innovative Ideas Sought to Continue Making the Workhouse Arts Center a Vibrant Mixed Use Arts Campus
Fairfax County – November 2018
Celebrating 10 Years of Renovation at the Workhouse Arts Center
Fairfax County Television – September 2018
Next Reflex Dance Collective Now in Residence at the Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – September 2018
Workhouse Arts Center to celebrate 10th Anniversary with special events week
Covering the Corridor – August 2018
Forging Ahead: Bladesmithing troops, vets and caregivers a chance to heal
Stripes – August 2018
Workhouse Brewfest Returns
Connection Newspapers – July 2018
Celebrating Fourth in Lorton
Connection Newspapers – July 2018
Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ at the Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – May 2018
9 things I wish I’d known before visiting Fairfax County, VA
Matador Networks – April 2018
Quad renovation, trail system improvements under way at Workhouse Arts Center
Covering the Corridor – April 2018
Gleeful Look Back in Lorton to 1980s Musical Era
Connection Newspapers – April 2018
Cartoons unite the world: Illustrations by Jim Henson’s cartoonist on display at Workhouse Arts Center
Fairfax County Times – March 2018
Review: ‘Avenue Q’ at Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – March 2018
New Virginia museum will honor the sacrifices of suffragists
Lonely Planet Travel News – February 2018
Showcasing Major New Happening at Workhouse Arts Center
Connection Newspapers – February 2018
Workhouse Prison Museum
Atlas Obscura – January 2018
Dulles Chamber announces finalists for Annual Business Awards Luncheon – Ava Spece Finalist
Inside NOVA – December 2017
Visit a former prison of suffragists now turned into an arts center in Virginia
Los Angeles Times – November 2017
NoVA Arts and Cultural District dissolves boundaries
Northern Virginia Magazine – November 2017
Autumn Thrills and Chills at the Workhouse Arts Center
Connection Newspapers – September 2017
Review: ‘Cabaret’ at Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – September 2017
‘Cabaret’ at Workhouse Stage
Connection Newspapers – August 2017
Artist brings color, light to old Lorton prison guard towers
Potomac Local – August 2017
Honoring Suffragists in Lorton
Connection Newspapers – July 2017
Workhouse Arts Center Hosts Independence Day Celebration
Connection Newspapers – July 2017
New Arts and Cultural District Created for Workhouse Arts Center, Occoquan District
Fairfax County Government News – July 2017
Guard towers transformed into kaleidoscopes at Workhouse Arts Center
InsideNOVA – May 2017
Art and Peace: Soldier’s mindful activity displayed at local arts center
Belvoir Eagle – January 2017
Workhouse Brewfest tips a glass to local craft beers
InsideNOVA – August 2016
Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton hosts first Brewfest
Connection Newspapers – August 2016
VIDEO: Inaugural Workhouse Brewfest
Fairfax Channel 16 – August 2016
Lorton: Something Big Coming to the Workhouse
Connection Newspapers – July 2016
Lorton: Workhouse Gleams under Rockets’ Red Glare
Connection Newspapers – July 2016
In the Moment: An Interview with Workhouse Arts Center’s Ava Spece
DC Metro Theater Arts – June 2016
‘In it together’: Explore Service member experiences through art
Belvoir Eagle – March 2016
Local playwright brings the story of Virginia suffragists to life
Northern Virginia Magazine – March 2016
In the Moment: Inner Voices Lecture with Roach Brown
DC Metro Theater Arts – November 2015
In the Moment: Ava Spece Named President and CEO of the Workhouse Arts Center
DC Metro Theater Arts – September 2015
Nature photography on exhibit at Workhouse Arts Center
Washington Post – August 2015
The Surprising Second Lives of Prisons
CNN – August 2015
Fresh and Delicious Date Night at Workhouse Arts Center
Connection Newspapers – May 2015
Workhouse Center Helps Vets with Artistic Expression
Connection Newspapers – April 2015
Ten Things To Do Before Closing a Prison
Washington City Paper, March 2001
Place
52-acre campus
26 buildings, 11 of which have been renovated
65 artist studios
12 galleries
~1,000 parking spaces
Awesome People
10 full-time staff, 2 part-time
65 studio artists, 21 associate artists
150 seasonal instructors
150 volunteers
125,000 annual visitors and students
Incredible Programming
Visual Arts: ~100 exhibitions throughout the campus per year
Performing Arts: 300 performances per year (theater, dance, music, comedy)
Arts Education: 1,000 educational opportunities (classes, workshops)
Museum & History Program: Lucy Burns Museum with original exhibitions and lecture series
Powerful Partnerships
Regional Universities: Art Lab space for MFA students
Creative Forces: National Endowment for the Arts, Department of Defense, Americans for the ARts, Virginia Commission for the Arts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Lecture series held on campus
Fort Belvoir: Community sharing of arts facilities and programs
Charming Concepts: a beading studio specializing in jewelry handcrafted by aspiring artisans with intellectual and development disabilities.