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SJ248 • 2026

Commending the Tephra ICA Arts Festival.

Commending the Tephra ICA Arts Festival.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Boysko
Last action
2026-03-14
Official status
Passed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify any details about the People's Choice Award other than it being introduced at the 35th anniversary.

Commending the Tephra ICA Arts Festival

This bill commends the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art's annual arts festival for its 35th anniversary.

What This Bill Does

  • Commemorates the Tephra ICA Arts Festival on its 35th anniversary.
  • Recognizes the festival as a competitive, juried event that has become one of the best outdoor art festivals in the nation.
  • Honors Judith Forst for founding the festival and introduces a new People's Choice Award at the 35th anniversary.
  • Encourages the Clerk of the Senate to present a copy of this commendation to the Tephra Institute.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
  • Artists and visitors attending the festival

Terms To Know

Juried event
An event where experts choose who can participate.
Semiquincentennial
A celebration of a period of 350 years.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill does not provide any funding or change laws.
  • It only expresses the General Assembly's admiration for the festival.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-14 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ248ER)

  2. 2026-03-12 House

    Agreed to by House by voice vote

  3. 2026-03-11 House

    Received

  4. 2026-03-11 House

    Laid on Speaker's table

  5. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Agreed to by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  6. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Presented 26109355D

  7. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Laid on Clerk's Desk

Official Summary Text

Commending the Tephra ICA Arts Festival.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Commending the Tephra ICA Arts Festival.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 12, 2026
WHEREAS, in May 2026, the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, a nonprofit art gallery located in the Reston Town Center, will host the 35th annual Tephra ICA Arts Festival; and
WHEREAS, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival is a competitive, juried event that has grown over the years to become widely regarded as one of the best outdoor art festivals in the nation; and
WHEREAS, each year, thousands of patrons and art fans congregate at the Reston Town Center to admire the exceptional, one-of-a-kind works on display at the Tephra ICA Arts Festival; and
WHEREAS, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival was founded by intuitive painter Judith Forst, who will be honored at the 35th anniversary festival with the event's new People's Choice Award; and
WHEREAS, the 2026 Tephra ICA Arts Festival will place a special emphasis on American craft traditions in celebration of the semiquincentennial of the United States; and
WHEREAS, as a beloved institution of the Reston arts scene, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival has helped to make Reston a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Tephra ICA Arts Festival on the occasion of its 35th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the Tephra ICA Arts Festival's contributions to Reston and the Commonwealth.