Alexandria Beautification Commission

10/09/2026

🎨 More color, creativity, and community connection for Alexandria!

The City’s Public Art Program has introduced Alexandria’s first Mural Artist Roster, featuring 22 artists approved by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts in September 2026.

The roster brings together artists with a variety of styles, experience, and project budgets to support future murals in our neighborhoods, parks, city facilities, and public spaces. It will help simplify the City’s artist selection process and expand opportunities for muralists.

🌿 Why does this matter for beautification? Murals can transform everyday spaces into memorable places, celebrate community stories, and bring art into people’s daily lives. This roster is an exciting step toward more creative, welcoming public spaces across Alexandria.

Explore the roster, meet the artists, and imagine the possibilities:
https://www.alexandriava.gov/public-art/mural-artist-roster

10/09/2026

Muralist Patrick Kirwin is at it again in Alexandria. Kirwin recently started work painting a large new mural behind The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Alexandria's Arlandria neighborhood. The work will feature generations of builders in the city and was commissioned by Rust Construction, a...

10/07/2026

Meet the artists behind Ewald Park’s future public art! 🎨

Join us Thursday, October 8, for a reception with UrbanRock Design artists Jeanine Centuori and Russell Rock, selected to create public art for the newly designed Ewald Park on Duke Street.

Learn more about the project and share your feedback on the artwork’s development. Light refreshments will be provided.

📅 Thursday, October 8
🕡 6:30–8 p.m. | Reception
🎤 7 p.m. | Remarks
📍 Patrick Henry Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room C
4653 Taney Ave.

🔗 Learn more about the project and artists: alexandriava.gov/public-art/project/ewald-park-public-art

10/07/2026

🌿 From tangled invasives to a thriving native garden!

Congratulations to Jerome “Buddie” Ford Native Garden, a 2026 Alexandria Beautification Commission Community Beautification Award winner! 🏆

The transformation began in February 2021, when the Buddie Ford Nature Center approached Valerie LaTortue for help reclaiming a former native meadow. Invasive porcelain berry had engulfed the space, hiding pathways, steps, and desirable plants.

Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists got to work, with a dedicated group of six to eight volunteers returning week after week. They even held friendly contests to see who could pull the longest root! As community volunteers joined, the project grew from clearing invasives to designing a garden with a greater diversity of native plants.

“We did not choose the location,” the garden’s co-leads shared, but the volunteers “felt as if the location chose us.”

Today, the garden reflects the teamwork, creativity, and persistence of Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and community volunteers. Thank you to co-leads Valerie LaTortue and Fern Jaffe and the entire team for helping Alexandria’s natural beauty flourish! 💚

10/06/2026

Want to make your garden more beautiful and more beneficial to local wildlife?

Alexandria Beautification Commissioners recently shared tips with The Zebra on choosing native plants that support pollinators, birds, and a healthier local ecosystem.

🌿 Small space? You can still make a big impact.

Alexandria gardens don’t need to be large to support pollinators, reduce stormwater runoff, and add beauty to the neighborhood. The Alexandria Beautification Commission shares practical tips for using native plants in small yards, stoops, and planting strips — plus advice on replacing invasive plants like English ivy and nandina.

From butterfly w**d and purple coneflower to Virginia sweetspire and serviceberry, the right native plants can create a more sustainable garden while supporting Alexandria’s local wildlife. 🐝🦋🌱

See comments for story link.

10/05/2026

The Alexandria Beautification Commission is excited to announce the 2026 Beautification Award winners!

Selected from more than 40 nominations, this year’s honorees celebrate the creativity, care, and sustainable practices that help Alexandria shine.

🏡 Residential Beautification Awards
• 2305 Sibley Street
• 309 Cloverway Drive
• 515 North Paxton Street
• 116 South Iris Street
• 412 South Fairfax Street

🌻 Community Beautification Awards
• Jerome “Buddie” Ford Native Garden
• Van Dorn Plaza
• Honorable Mention: Dora Kelley Nature Park

🎨 Public Art Beautification Award
• Mural by Yulia Avgustinovich at Witter Place Apartments

Congratulations to all our honorees, and thank you for making Alexandria a more beautiful place to call home! 💚

This year begins a two-year geographic rotation, with half of the city considered in 2026 and the remaining half in 2027.

Learn more: https://www.alexandriava.gov/beautification

09/24/2026

🌳 Help plant 35 new canopy trees in Alexandria’s West End!

Join the Tree Stewards of Arlington and Alexandria, the Alexandria Beautification Commission, the City of Alexandria, and Scout Troop 129 for a community tree planting at Lynbrook Apartments.

📅 Saturday, October 17
🕤 9:30 a.m.
📍 5580 Ascot Court, at the corner of Beauregard Street and Sanger Avenue

The City of Alexandria will provide the trees, which have been carefully selected and sited by the Tree Stewards team. Volunteers will help create a greener, healthier, and more beautiful West End for years to come.

Learn more: https://treestewards.org/2026/07/24/tree-planting-in-alexandrias-west-end/

Come join us October 17th for the continuation of the Tree Stewards / Alexandria Beautification Commission / Alexandria City planting of canopy trees at the Morgan Properties Apartments in the West…

09/18/2026

09/15/2026

Fall is here! Leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping, and it’s a great time for a stream cleanup. Join the City of Alexandria staff at Historic Holmes Run this Sunday, September 20 and help clear litter and debris along the stream – learn how you can join the fun at alexandriava.gov/go/8656