Meet new artists of Rappahannock County’s 21st Annual Fall Art Tour
By Heather Wicke
Three new artists are joining RAAC’s 21st Annual Fall Art Tour, and one artist is returning after a several-year hiatus, opening their studios to art enthusiasts and visitors alongside 23 established studios and seven galleries showcasing their art for the weekend.
The new artists, Summer Alexander, Grazyna Hagen and Mary Ann Sevick, and returning artist Jennifer Babock, share a common source of inspiration: the beauty of Rappahannock County and its creative community.
Read about their paths to the Fall Art Tour, then visit their studios and meet them on the tour weekend from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day.
SUMMER ANDERSON
Summer Alexander has deep Rappahannock roots. She grew up in a house her father built in the late 1970s and returned in spring 2021 with her husband, drawn back by the open spaces, mountains and silence she had missed.
That same year, Alexander began working with fiber. After acquiring her own loom in 2025, she began developing her hand-weaving practice, creating pieces that explore subtle shifts in pattern, color and texture. Using cotton, wool and alpaca yarns, she transforms those quiet changes into striking designs.
For her first tour, Alexander will showcase utilitarian pieces, including wool throws, scarves, shawls, hand towels and other small objects. Visitors also can see looms in various stages of warping and watch her demonstrate some of the processes behind the work.
GRAZYNA HAGEN
Grazyna Hagen came to the United States from communist Poland in 1975 to earn a master’s degree in architecture at Howard University. She went on to join the university’s faculty for seven years, advocating for architecture that represented “seamless harmony between buildings and their natural environment.”
Six years ago, she and her husband followed their children and grandchildren to Virginia. There, they discovered what Hagen calls “the awe-inspiring natural beauty of Rappahannock County” along with the ever-changing seasons, interesting people and fine art that have long inspired her.
Her own artistic journey took a new turn when fellow Rappahannock artist Tom Mullany became her teacher and mentor in oil painting. Today, her paintings reflect her continuing exploration of the landscape around her and the creative community she has embraced.
MARY ANN SEVICK
Mary Ann Sevick first experienced the joy of pottery in high school and was immediately “hooked.” But a career in science intervened, and it would be 40 years before she returned to the wheel.
Since 2017, Sevick has taken community pottery classes wherever she could find them. During the pandemic, as a medical professional, she rose at 4 a.m. to throw pots before work — a daily “meditation” that helped keep her centered. Anticipating retirement, she bought a home in Chester Gap in 2022 and soon began making pottery full time.
Sevick and her husband were drawn to Rappahannock by its beauty and a chance to be near their grandchildren. From their back porch, they watch the sun rise over Shenandoah National Park. When she’s not at the wheel, Sevick is likely in her vegetable garden.
JENNIFER BABCOCK
Jennifer Babock returns to the Tour after being away from Rappahannock for several years.
Jennifer lived most of her life in Alexandria, VA, where her family had a 2 acre urban farm with goats, chickens, ducks, and geese. Her father loved permaculture, and came to Rappahannock to meet with Miriam Harris, a long-time organic gardener, and became very connected to the County. When he later learned that she was selling part of her farm, he jumped at the chance and he and Jennifer’s mom built their dream house in Rappahannock. Jennifer and her husband purchased the house her parents built 6 years ago, where she now has her studio. She has been connected to Rappahannock for over 40 years.
Jennifer received her BFA from Brigham Young University in Utah in 1992. Recently, she has been spending time back in Utah with my former mentor and bonafide mad scientist, who makes his own paints and mediums, and who created a one-of-a-kind unofficial master’s program for Jennifer. With important ties to Virginia and Utah, she often goes between those two places in order to hone her painting skills, and cherishes the time spent in both.
These new and returning artists join an annual celebration that opens the doors to Rappahannock’s creative community, giving visitors a chance to explore studios, meet artists and discover work to admire or take home. Along the way, visitors will see the many ways the county’s landscape, community and rhythms of life inspire the people who create here.