Georgetown Arts & Culture

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.