Georgetown Arts & Culture

The City of Georgetown Water Conservation Team would like to commission artists to design and paint rain barrels.

Application Deadline: Aug. 15

2024 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Beginning July 22, 2024, the City of Georgetown’s Water Conservation Team will invite artist proposals for the Painted Rain Barrel Project. These rain barrels will be placed around downtown Georgetown during the October arts events, then auctioned off to community members, with going to Water Conservation education and outreach efforts.

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all artists and student artists.

BUDGET: Artists will receive a $250 stipend upon return of completed rain barrel.

INSTALLATION DATE: Rain Barrel installations will be completed by Sept. 25, 2024.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com from July 22nd – August 15th, 2024: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

SELECTION: From the proposals submitted by the deadline, the City of Georgetown Water Conservation Team and Arts and Culture board will select 10 finalists from the total number of submissions. Artists will be notified on final selections by the Water Conservation Team by August 23rd, 2024.

APPLICATION FEE: None

Questions: Contact Contact Conservationservices@georgetown.org

The City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board now invites entries for the 2024-25 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour – a juried, year-long outdoor exhibition in Georgetown’s historic Downtown Cultural District. All sculptures selected for the 2024-2025 Sculpture Tour will receive a cash prize awarded by the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board, which includes (1) $2,000 First Prize, (1) $1,500 Second Prize, and up to (15) $1000 Honorable Mention awards. Judging will occur in October 2022, and checks will be mailed in November 2024. Prizes will be announced in October during an opening reception for the Georgetown Sculpture Tour! This year’s tour will include new locations at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center and the Summit! Please click here to view the full submission guidelines, project schedule, and other info: Call for Artist Entries_Georgetown Sculpture Tour Entries 2024-2025

The annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour is one of the first community public art projects of the Georgetown Arts and Culture Program.  The Sculpture Tour began in 2009 by Georgetown sculptor Dar Richardson of the Texas Society of Sculptors working with Georgetown Public Library Director Eric Lashley, and it was conceived as an invitational exhibit. Many thanks are due to Dar for his years of invaluable service on the City Arts & Culture Board and with the Sculpture Tour. After years of leading the Sculpture Tour, Dar asked the City to take the Sculpture Tour selection process over. Beginning with the 2017 Sculpture Tour, City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board members now review entries and make recommendations to City staff for each year’s selections.

Sculpture Tour applications will be accepted June 1 – August 1, 2024 for the 2024-2025 tour. Each sculptor may submit up to three sculptures for consideration. Please provide two or three photographs of each piece, showing different angles. The artist submission form will go live on June 1, 2024 and close at the end of the day on August 1, 2024.

For more information, please click here.

Sculpture Tour Entry Form

The City of Georgetown is hosting arts events in April for our visitors and resident art lovers.

Spring Art Stroll 2024

Mark your calendars for the Georgetown Spring Art Stroll in downtown from 4-8 p.m. April 18. The Art Stroll is an opportunity for patrons to engage in interactive arts experiences including artist demonstrations, performances, live music, and art shopping at Grace Plaza and at arts and culture facilities and arts-based businesses throughout the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District.

Start your stroll at any of the three check-in locations to pick up your Art Stroll badge. Then continue across the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District to visit and shop at the participating arts and culture venues and view Georgetown’s popular collection of public art murals and sculptures. Enjoy complimentary food and beverages exclusively for Art Stroll patrons with an Art Stroll badge.

Artists participating as booth exhibitors in Grace Plaza include acrylic paintings by Aaron Damon Porter; jewelry by Kathleen Lundy; encaustics by Virginia Headley Maserang, acrylic paintings by Lynn Kessel; and 2D/3D mixed media by Tish Daniel.

Find more information and about the Spring Art Stroll and the online map at arts.georgetown.org/georgetown-art-strolls.

Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon and Every Day is Earth Day Mural

The “Every Day is Earth Day” mural will be installed on the Georgetown Municipal Complex in time for Earth Day 2024 on April 22. This exciting mural aims to showcase artistic talent while promoting awareness of important themes related to watershed protection and water conservation. The mural artist selected is Sarah Blankenship for her design titled “Watershed.”

In keeping with the theme of April’s Earth Day, the Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon—scheduled for noon April 11 at the Georgetown Public Library—will feature a panel discussion of design and landscape design professionals on trends and strategies for water conservation in landscape and building design. The panel discussion will be followed by updates on arts and culture programs in Georgetown and the downtown Cultural District.

Find more information about the Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon at arts.georgetown.org/arts-and-culture-brown-bag-luncheons.

Georgetown Art Center exhibit and events

The April exhibit at the Georgetown Art Center, 816 S Main St., is “Beneath the Persimmon Tree,” a solo exhibition about poetry and process by Kelly Wagner Steinke. The opening reception will be from 4-6 p.m. March 23, with an artist talk at 2 p.m. March 24. The exhibit will be up for viewing through April 28. The Georgetown Art Center is managed by the City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Program.

More information about arts and culture in Georgetown is available at arts.georgetown.org and artcenter.georgetown.org.

The City of Georgetown invites artists to submit proposals for a mural project located on the Georgetown Municipal Complex building at 300-1 Industrial Ave., Georgetown, TX 78626. This exciting opportunity aims to showcase artistic talent while promoting awareness of important themes related to watershed protection and water conservation.

Application Deadline: February 15^th, 2024

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Beginning January 15^th, 2024, the City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board will invite artist entries for the design of a mural in celebration of Earth Day 2024. Artists are encouraged to explore a range of themes related to watershed protection and water conservation. Consider concepts such as the interconnectedness of water systems, the impact of human activities on local watersheds, the beauty of native flora and fauna, and innovative water conservation practices. The goal is to inspire viewers to appreciate and actively participate in efforts to protect our precious water resources. For more details and inspirational resources see the full submission guidelines: Full Submission Guidelines_Call for Artist Entries_Every Day is Earth Day Mural

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all professional artists over the age of 18.

BUDGET: An artist stipend of $8,000 will be paid to the artist selected to install the mural. The cost of materials and equipment necessary to install the mural will be covered up to $2,000 and reimbursed to the artist upon completion of the project. Any material and equipment costs exceeding this amount will require prior approval. The selected artist will be responsible for their own travel costs, housing, and personal liability insurance.

INSTALLATION DATE: Mural will be completed by April 19^th, 2024, in time for a dedication event on Earth Day April 22^nd, 2024.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com between January 15^th and February 15^th, 2024: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

SELECTION: From the entries submitted by the deadline, the Arts and Culture Board in collaboration with City of Georgetown Public Works and Water Conservation will award an artist commission for the mural design and installation.  Artists will be notified of the final selection by the late February 2024.

APPLICATION FEE: None

Questions: Contact Amanda Still at 512-930-8471 or Amanda.still@georgetown.org

Beginning in January 2024, the City’s arts and culture program is taking a more active role in the management of the Georgetown Art Center facility while continuing to partner with the nonprofit Georgetown Art Works and Cordovan Art School and expanding programming at the Art Center.

The new programming at the Georgetown Art Center will kick off in 2024 with PrintAustin’s Annual 5×5 Exhibition. The exhibit will be featured in the gallery at the Art Center Jan. 12– Feb. 11, 2024. The opening Artist Reception will be held from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 13 with an artist talk at 2 p.m. Jan. 14.

The Art Center will also host PrintAustin’s one-of-a-kind printmaking workshop on Jan. 20-21. Taught by printmaker Alfonso Huerta and in collaboration with Flatbed Press, this workshop will teach participants the fundamentals of large-format woodcuts. This workshop is in preparation for PrintAustin’s steamroller event that will be held Feb. 3 on the street outside the Georgetown Art Center and will be a collaboration with the City of Georgetown’s Public Works Department.

For more information and to register for the PrintAustin Workshop, visit https://artcenter.georgetown.org/workshops-and-masterclasses-at-the-gac.

January 2024 will also usher in the annual call for art exhibit proposals for the 2025 exhibit season at the Georgetown Art Center. All exhibits at the Art Center are curated by an exhibit committee comprised of local artists from throughout the community. Each year, the exhibit committee also selects a panel of curators, artists, gallery owners, and guest judges from across the state to review artist proposals and make recommendations to the exhibit committee. The call for proposals will be open from Jan. 1 to Feb. 29, 2024.

For more information and to submit proposals, visit https://artcenter.georgetown.org/call-for-exhibit-proposals.

The Art Center was established in 2013 to fulfill one of the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board’s strategic plan main goals. Since that time, the City’s arts and culture program has expanded into a robust program that has fulfilled many of the goals of the strategic plan, including getting a Cultural District designation by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The arts and culture program will facilitate expansion of Art Center programming, as well as continuing to foster relationships with arts and culture organizations and arts-based businesses within the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District.

For more information about the Art Center, visit artcenter.georgetown.org.

The City of Georgetown Arts and Culture Board has awarded Elizabeth Bonura the first prize award in the 2023-24 Sculpture Tour, a juried year-long outdoor exhibit in the historic Downtown Georgetown Cultural District. Bonura won for her piece Babywearing Family, a concrete sculpture with bronze metal coating that features a family of five with three young children inspired by the sculptor’s own family. The sculpture is located at the corner of Rock and Seventh streets, near Blue Corn Harvest.

Second prize went to Steve Southerland for Bending Sound, a 10’ guitar sculpted from steel, copper, and steel wire. This piece is located at the corner of Austin Avenue and Sixth Street, near the Monument Cafe.

The other sculptures accepted into the tour and awarded Honorable Mention include:

• Long Journey Home by Caroline Walker
• Joyful Journey Color Column by Laura Armstrong
• Cerebral Drama by Anthony St. James
• Fight or Flight by John Luke
• Monarch on the Grass by Pascale Pryor
• Spherical Embodiment by Scott Shubin
• Urban Flower by Anthony St. James
• Red Plant Form by Laura Sturtz
• Bird in Blue by Laura Sturtz
• Big Baby Bluebonnet by Mylinda Farr

Two sculptures from last year’s tour — Moment of Reflection by Dan Pogue and Whirlwind by Tim Glover — will remain for another year.

The board selected these 13 new sculptures from a total of 16 pieces submitted for consideration by 13 artists. All sculptures will remain on exhibit until October 2024.

For more information, including a map of the sculpture tour and images of the sculptures, visit arts.georgetown.org/art/sculpture-tour.