Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Lorton Workhouse Arts Center Names Sharon Mason Executive Director

The Board of Directors of the Lorton Arts Foundation today announced the appointment of Sharon Mason as Executive Director of the Workhouse Arts Center, citing Mason’s experience as an artist and business owner as factors for their selection.

The Workhouse Arts Center provides essential visual and performing arts studio and exhibition space as well as engaging arts education programs for people of all ages and artistic abilities. Set on 55 acres of land in what was once part of the DC Workhouse and Reformatory and is now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Workhouse provides a home for more than 100 of the regions finest professional and emerging artists as well as cooperative studios, performance and theatre venues, dedicated gallery space, and event facilities.

“Sharon Mason is the ideal individual to lead the Workhouse team,” said Board Chair John Ariail. “Not only is she an accomplished artist herself, but she has a keen sense of just how vital the arts can be to the economic development of this community.”

Ms. Mason is an award winning fine art photographic printmaker whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is a former co-owner of a fine art gallery in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia where she served as president and gallery director for six years. She has served on the Board of Governors for the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association, the International Artists Support Group, and the Advisory Panel for Grants for the Arts Council of Fairfax County. Ms. Mason holds a BA in Studio Art from Vermont College of Norwich University and Graduate Certification in Counseling from The Washington Theological Union. She has completed graduate studies in Arts Management, Philosophy, and Internships for Arts Organizations at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University. Ms. Mason’s advanced art studies include Infra-red Photography, Painting with Encaustic Wax, and the Creation and Publication of Art Books.

“I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to run the Workhouse Arts Center at this important junction,” said Mason. “In a time of economic uncertainty, the arts are a proven job creator as well as revenue generator in the community.”

For more information about the Workhouse Arts Center visit the website at www.workhousearts.org.