Reston Museum exhibition marks AKA chapter's 50 years

A free exhibition at the Reston Museum celebrates 50 years of community service by a local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

The show, "Celebrating 50 Years of Service," highlights the Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter's half-century of work across Fairfax County. It opened Sunday, Sept. 13, at the museum, 1639 Washington Plaza North, and runs through Oct. 12. The Reston Museum's exhibition page says the exhibition covers the chapter's history and decades of community impact. Admission is free.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, is the oldest Greek-letter organization founded by African American women. The Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter serves Fairfax County.

South Lakes STEAM Team readies 14th spillway art piece

South Lakes High School students are also in the spotlight at the Reston Museum this fall.

The school's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Team has designed its 14th annual temporary public art piece for the Lake Thoreau spillway, a drainage platform near Lake Anne. This year's design features a leaf and wisteria theme built from ripstop nylon petals and leaves, mounted on an existing steel frame structure.

The students chose the leaf concept over a competing mesh design, voting 69.2% in favor during their internal selection process, according to Reston Association Design Review Board records. The board reviewed the project at a March 17 work session and praised the students' creativity.

Marco Rando, STEAM Team advisor and art teacher at South Lakes High School, guides the program. Public Art Reston and the Reston Association sponsor the project, which puts students through the same design review process that professional artists follow when proposing public work in Reston. The project's budget runs $5,000 or more.

In a 2023 description of the program, Public Art Reston said the STEAM Team had been creating spillway installations for nine years, putting the tradition's start around 2014.