FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NORTHERN VIRGINIA RESIDENTS AND GROUPS VOLUNTEER
TO MAKE SECOND ANNUAL MPAartfest A SUCCESS
Rain-or-Shine Event Set for Oct. 5 at McLean Central Park

McLean, Va. (08/25/2008)—

A volunteer army of Northern Virginians and local
community organizations have been clocking countless hours this year to ensure the
success of the second annual McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) MPAartfest this
fall.
More than 150 volunteers, including MPA Board members, business professionals,
seniors and soccer moms, have been working for months on the 2008 community
arts festival. The free, rain-or-shine event will take place Sunday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. at McLean Central Park located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue in McLean, Va.
More than 3,000 people attended MPAartfest last year.
“All of our volunteers are outstanding individuals who are dedicated to making the
visual and performing arts an integral part of life in McLean and the surrounding
communities,” said MPA Board Chair Suzie Bissell. “This year’s MPAartfest is
destined for success thanks to the unparalleled level of support and commitment of
our volunteers.”
Some of these individual volunteers who are working to ensure the success of the
event are:
Bill DuBose—A former lobbyist, DuBose today is a Certified Financial Planner®. He
and his wife, Janet, are raising two teenage boys. He is treasurer of MPA and
manages MPAartfest’s finances.
Sandy Fennell—Fennell is a hedge fund advisor who worked previously as a law
firm librarian. She is the coordinator of the MPAartfest Children’s ArtTent, which will
provide opportunities for budding young artists to learn about art and create their
own masterpiece.
Kitty Gonzalez—Gonzalez worked in merchandising, marketing and product
development for Saks Fifth Avenue, Steuben and Pergo before she found her true
calling as a volunteer when she moved with husband, Juan, to McLean in 1998.
When not having fun with her two children, ages 6 and 4, she chairs MPA's
marketing committee and works hard to make sure that every Northern Virginia
resident knows about MPAartfest.
Anjali Gupta—Gupta was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at
the University of Maryland Medical Center. She is actively involved in coordinating
fundraising and community outreach programs for her children’s schools. She is
responsible for overseeing MPAartfest’s layout in the park to the mini art galleries
and other featured attractions.
(more)
MPAartfest: A Volunteer Success
Page—2
Robin Walker—A children's craft designer for National Wildlife Federation, Walker loves to
teach her craft to children in her local community center. She enjoys taking graphic design
classes at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. She is an MPA Board member and Children's
ArtWalk coordinator for MPAartfest.
Sally Simms—The mother of three grown children, Sims found that she really missed putting
Band-Aids on her kids. She is an MPA Board member and will be MPAartfest’s First Aid Tent
coordinator. She currently is creating the most artistic bandages in the mid-Atlantic region.
Mollie Vardell—Vardell retired several years ago from a 26-year career in the commercial
interior design industry. She now enjoys oil painting and being a beach bum in Rehoboth Beach,
Del. She works on the MPAartfest Visual Art Committee.
In addition to the individual volunteers, several local community groups will be lending support
as well. Members of the New Dominion Women’s Club and the Rotary Club of McLean will be
volunteering at the Children’s ArtTent. Members of the Woman’s Club of McLean, Vinson Hall
and local Boy Scout troops will be volunteering at MPAartfest.
On Oct. 5, MPAartfest will transform McLean Central Park into a lively landscape of mini art
galleries showcasing and offering for sale the work of a diverse group of 40 juried artists. The
Children’s ArtWalk, an ArtTent and live entertainment throughout the day will make MPAartfest
a must-attend event for art lovers of all ages. In case of inclement weather the event will move
into the McLean Community Center adjacent to McLean Central Park.
MPAartfest will feature food and treats from local restaurants including Lebanese Taverna,
Morton’s The Steakhouse, Vinson Hall, Greenberry’s Coffee and Tea Company, Old Fashioned
Kettle Korn Man and Moorenko’s Ice Cream Café. Berry Artsy—the official ice cream of
MPAartfest and the creation of Moorenko’s—will be making a return engagement.
MPAartfest attendees can purchase paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography and
fine crafts that will appeal to all levels of collectors. Artists will keep 100 percent of art sales
proceeds. Donations from corporate sponsors, individual donors and a portion of the event’s
food proceeds benefit McLean Project for the Arts, helping to fund a multitude of high-quality art
exhibitions and educational programs at its galleries located in the McLean Community Center.

For more information about MPA exhibitions, visit the MPA Web site at www.mpaart.org and select “Exhibitions”, call (703) 790-1953, or send an e-mail to info@mpaart.org.

McLean Project for the Arts is a non-profit visual arts center founded in 1962 to exhibit the work of emerging and established regional artists. Designated as a museum partner by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, MPA’s mission is to bring the visual arts into the community by promoting public awareness and understanding of contemporary art. Additionally, in its Susan B. DuVal studio MPA offers instruction and education to the public by dedicated professional artists in partnership with the Corcoran College of Art + Design. MPA is permanently housed at the McLean Community Center. For more information please visit www.mpaart.org.

### For media inquiries: Alan Greilsamer, Communications Resources, LLC T: 703-760-7007 / E: agreilsamer@communications-resources.com