ArtsFairfax Awards Raise Over $175K, Linda Sullivan to Retire I

On Thursday, October 26, more than 350 community members, including elected officials, business leaders, patrons, and arts professionals, gathered at Capital One Hall for the 2023 ArtsFairfax Awards. The annual luncheon raised more than $175,000 in support of the nonprofit’s services to arts and culture organizations, artists, and programs throughout Fairfax.

ArtsFairfax Board Chair Scott Cryer opened the event commenting, “I feel incredibly fortunate to be raising my family in Fairfax County where we have access to wonderful arts opportunities presented by our honorees and the many arts organizations here today. I am delighted to be a part of the ArtsFairfax team, working to raise the visibility of the arts in Fairfax.”  

Chairman Jeffrey McKay of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors shared, “We often talk about how the arts help economic and community development, education, and quality of life. This year’s honorees epitomize the benefits of the arts throughout our lives. The arts are not just ‘nice to have’ – they are essential to human development, happiness, and enriched communications with one another.”

The awards ceremony also included a standing ovation for Linda Sullivan, who announced her retirement as ArtsFairfax President & CEO after 14 years in the executive role.

“I am very proud of my tenure at ArtsFairfax over the last 14 years. It has been a privilege to work with all the elected officials, community leaders, board members, and staff members as we met our strategic goals and grew both the organization and the strength of its services. Serving and supporting the arts in Fairfax County has been a labor of love and joy,” said Sullivan, who first joined the organization as a consultant in 2009 and was officially appointed President & CEO in early 2010. She will remain with the organization through the end of the calendar year.

To recognize Sullivan’s career achievements, Cryer was joined on stage by past ArtsFairfax Board Chairs Shelly Hazel and John Mason. Together, they recognized Sullivan’s successes, including her restructuring and rebranding the nonprofit as a service organization that doubled its budget and public funding for arts grants to nearly $800K annually; receiving national recognition as a recipient of five competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; expanding services to artists and arts organizations through growth in grants, promotion, and educational programs; developing new civic engagement opportunities, including the Capital One Hall Community Arts Partnership; and playing a key role in the completion of the County Master Arts Plan for Facilities and the continued development of a County Public Art Master Plan.

Says Cryer, “ArtsFairfax is a different and stronger organization than when Linda arrived. She has transformed the small nonprofit into the professional, service-driven civic agency we are today. We wish Linda well in retirement and know she will be a patron of the arts in Fairfax County for years to come.” 

Sullivan also established the ArtsFairfax Awards in 2012 as an annual celebration of the arts in Fairfax and the event has since become one of the County’s outstanding civic events to bring arts leaders, patrons, and elected officials together.

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