in Honor of Jennifer Axner
Jennifer Axner was a beloved member of the Hyattsville community. She was not only deeply involved in the Hyattsville arts community, but she also contributed her incredible talent to several public art projects over the years. Her work can be seen on traffic boxes and buses throughout Prince George’s County, leaving a lasting mark on the community she loved.
Jennifer’s family donated her final artist honorarium to the Hyattsville CDC to use in a meaningful way that honored Jennifer. In partnership, we have established the Hyattsville Arts Festival Emerging Artist Tent, which will cover the participation costs for a juried new and emerging artist each year at the festival.
Jennifer’s loved ones wished to honor her by celebrating artists who are discovering their own love for making art. In founding the Hyattsville Figure Drawing Group in 2016, Jennifer created a welcoming space where participants of all levels could share in the joy of creating art.
Through this tent, her legacy will continue to inspire and support the next generation of artists.
This year, the Hyattsville Figure Drawing group will offer live drawing sessions throughout the day from 2 – 5pm. Please stop by the Emerging Artist Tent located near Pyramid Atlantic and take a seat, rest, and let yourself get immersed in drawing.
2026 Emerging Artist
Pratiksha Chimbalkar is an emerging contemporary artist and the founder of Reghaartha, a creative practice rooted in the idea that every line carries meaning. With a background in architecture and landscape architecture, her work is deeply influenced by nature, built environments, Indian culture, and the visual memories she carries from growing up in India. Years of working with structure, proportion, form, and detail have also shaped the way she approaches composition and linework in her art. Ink, in particular, has become an intimate medium through which she explores precision, intricacy, and the expressive possibilities of a single line.
Through Reghaartha, Pratiksha hopes to create work that feels both personal and familiar-bringing together nature, culture, memory, architecture, and contemporary expression.
Receiving the Emerging Artist Award is especially meaningful to her as she continues to develop and share her artistic voice with a wider community.