Janet Echelman Retrospective Opens Sept. 17 At Reston's Tephra ICA

SEO Headline: Janet Echelman Retrospective To Open At Tephra ICA In Reston This Fall

Meta Description (136 characters max): Tephra ICA in Reston will debut Janet Echelman's mid-career retrospective Sept. 17, featuring sculptures, paintings and more.

Social Headline: Janet Echelman Retrospective Opens Sept. 17 At Reston's Tephra ICA

Email Headline: Janet Echelman Show Coming To Reston's Tephra ICA

Renowned contemporary artist Janet Echelman will bring four decades of work to Reston this fall when Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art opens Radical Softness, a mid-career retrospective showcasing the evolution of her internationally recognized sculptures and artistic practice.

The exhibition opens to the public Sept. 17 at Tephra ICA in Reston Town Center and runs through Jan. 15, 2027. Admission is open during the gallery's regular hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. An artist talk featuring Echelman is scheduled for Sept. 16 at American University in Washington, D.C.

Four Decades Of Work On Display

According to Tephra ICA, Radical Softness will feature early drawings, paintings, mixed-media works, maquettes and full-scale net sculptures spanning Echelman's career. The exhibition traces her development from early explorations in drawing, painting and textile techniques to the large-scale netted sculptures that have become landmarks in cities around the world.

The Reston exhibition serves as the centerpiece of a regional initiative that also includes satellite installations at American University, Capital One Hall in Tysons and George Mason University's Buchanan Gallery.

Organizers say the exhibition explores the idea of softness as both a material and a philosophy. Echelman's sculptures are created using hand-splicing, braiding, knotting and looming techniques to produce flexible forms designed to respond to changing environmental conditions.

Her work also incorporates advanced technology through collaborations with aerospace engineers, computational designers and researchers at the MIT Media Lab. Those partnerships have led to software that allows some sculptures to respond in real time to environmental data such as wind, water and seismic activity.

The exhibition marks Echelman's return to the Washington region 10 years after her installation 1.8 Renwick was featured in the Renwick Gallery's 2015 exhibition WONDER.

Artist Known For Monumental Public Sculptures

Echelman is known internationally for creating monumental sculptures that span buildings and public spaces while combining traditional fishing-net knotting techniques with modern engineering and computational design.

Her permanent installations can be found in cities across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, including Boston, New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Vancouver, San Francisco and Porto, Portugal.

Founded more than 50 years ago, Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art is a nonprofit contemporary art museum located at 12001 Market St., Suite 103, in Reston Town Center. The organization presents year-round exhibitions and public programs featuring emerging and established artists.

More information about the exhibition is available at tephraica.org.

Also See ...

• ArtsFairfax Announces New Board Members, Executive Committee For FY27