This article originally appeared in The Fairfax County Times.

PHOTO COURTESY GMU

For the past forty years, Broadway Gallery, a family-owned business based out of northern Virginia, has been powered by the creativity and support of the local arts community and artists of the region. That’s why they’re proud to support organizations like George Mason University’s Art School and the programs they put on that aid the next generation of artists.

Each year, George Mason opens up the doors of its cutting-edge Art and Design Building to alumni, parents, and the public for a family-friendly event during its Homecoming week. The “Off the Wall” event will be held on February 22, 2020 from 2-5 p.m. at GMU’s school of Art and Design. You can go here to register early.

Off the Wall gives guests an opportunity to tour more than 15 studio spaces and interact with student and faculty artists with hands-on exhibits. The celebration will include a live DJ with delicious food and beverages and the opportunity to bid in a silent auction. To things off, four local breweries and one distillery will provide tastings for guests to enjoy.

This year’s event will have something for everyone. Interested in learning how to make an art print? You can learn at Off the Wall. Have you always wanted to know what it would feel like to star in your own movie? Well, now you can.

This year guests will also get a chance to check out the Narrative Machine, a collaboration between professors in the School of Art and the Volgenau School of Engineering. There will even be VR and AR demonstrations, student film screenings, and an interactive experience called Filmmaking with Your Smartphone.

What’s the best part? Proceeds support student scholarships and visiting artists in the George Mason University School of Art, Mason Game Design Program, and Film Program at Mason.

To purchase tickets, visit offthewall.gmu.edu

$30 regular/$20 Mason alumni, faculty and staff /$10 ages 14-18 /Free for children 13 and under