The entire Hylton Center staff wish all of our Veterans and their families a Happy Veterans Day! We are grateful for your service and glad that you are part of our community. In November, we will Celebrate Veterans and the Arts through community workshops and concerts: Register for Community Workshops and Events | Hylton Performing Arts Center. In addition, the Veterans and the Arts Initiative has planned a robust spring 2026 full of programming as part of our continued commitment to welcoming our military-connected community members to participate in the arts. Please plan to join us and have a safe and happy holiday season!
In spring 2026 our popular Veterans Virtual Guitar Workshop Series (Level I, Level II) returns, providing new and experienced musicians alike with the opportunity to hone their strings skills. Registration for this workshop series is open now! Be sure to register early—spots fill up fast! And speaking of strings, if you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at the tiny musical marvel that is the ukulele, now is your chance with our Ukulele Workshops on May 5 and 7. Registration for this workshop opens March 1. Both the Virtual Guitar Workshop Series and Ukulele Workshops are led by guitar and ukulele instructor Glen McCarthy.
If visual art is more your jam, consider participating in a Gel Printed Journal Series (2/11, 2/18, 2/25), where you’ll learn gel printing techniques, binding, and mindful journaling practices. This workshop is taught by Valerie Acosta-Gonzalez, U.S. Air Force Veteran, artist, and assistant with the Veterans and the Arts Initiative. In the Empowered Legacy Workshop Series: Preserving Veteran Stories Through Artifacts (3/5, 3/12, 3/19), retired U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and professional archivist Tina Claflin will teach participants how to preserve a military service history using the collected artifacts of service. Next, learn how to capture the world around you in a one-day Smartphone Photography Workshop: Basic Landscape (3/26, 4/2, or 4/9), led by Thuy Senser, adjunct professor in George Mason University’s School of Art and Design.
On April 11, join us for a special performance by the American Festival Pops Orchestra: Celebrating America’s 250 Years. Enjoy a program with “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin and works by Copland, Sousa, and John Williams, while paying tribute to the Veterans who have defended this great nation for two and a half centuries.
Did you know the Veterans and the Arts Initiative also collaborates with Prince William Public Libraries to offer workshops in the community? Come out to Potomac Library for a Slow Stitch Collage Workshop (5/11) and explore mindful needlework. Join Emily Fasick, art educator and program assistant for the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, in crafting a meditative fabric collage that you can complete at home. Finally, continue your creative journey with a Dot Mandala Workshop (5/16) where artist and educator Hiral Joshi shares techniques for creating intricate, expressive mandala designs.
The above workshops and events are FREE to Veterans, Servicemembers, military family members, and military caregivers. Learn more about and register for spring 2026 Veterans and the Arts Initiative workshops.