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.

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

Application Deadline: Aug. 31

2023 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Beginning Aug. 1, 2023, 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 $100 stipend. A $150 minimum bid will be placed on all barrels. All proceeds will be donated to conservation education efforts in local schools.

INSTALLATION DATE: Rain Barrel installations will be completed by Oct. 11, 2023.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com from Aug. 1 to 31, 2022: 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 September 13.

APPLICATION FEE: None

Questions: Contact Tiffany Diaz at tiffany.diaz@georgetown.org

Georgetown Arts and Culture Board awards grants for 2023 Round II

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board approved $14,944 in grants in July to local arts and culture organizations to help with funding local arts and culture programming that includes orchestra performances, theatre performances, and a cultural festival in Georgetown.

The funding is for events in Georgetown taking place between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Grant recipients include:

The next grant cycle will accept proposals Dec. 1-31, 2023, for events and programs occurring April 1-Sept. 30, 2024.

The Georgetown Arts and Culture grants help the Arts and Culture Board fulfill bylaw requirements, which include recognizing and encouraging groups and organizations that enrich Georgetown life by bringing cultural and artistic values and artifacts to the City. Members of the Arts and Culture Board believe a vibrant arts community and cultural offerings are good for the quality of life for residents, will attract visitors, and will assist Georgetown in becoming a nationally recognized arts destination by 2030. The grant program helps develop and strengthen our local arts community by contributing funding to arts and culture programming that enhances our local community.

Starting June 1 2023, the City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board will invite entries for the 2023-24 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour – a juried, year-long outdoor exhibition in Georgetown’s historic Downtown Cultural District. All sculptures selected for the 2023-2024 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 2022. Prizes will be announced at the Georgetown Autumn Art Stroll on Thursday, October 19 during an opening reception for the Georgetown Sculpture Tour! Please click here to view the full submission guidelines, project schedule, and other info: Call for Artist Entries_Georgetown Sculpture Tour Entries 2023-2024

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, 2023 for the 2023-2024 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, 2023 and close at the end of the day on August 1, 2023.

Sculpture Tour Entry Form

From the applications submitted by the deadline, the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board will select up to (15) 2023-24 Sculpture Tour pieces. All applicants will be notified of the board’s decisions in September.

“Whirlwind” by Tim Glover; 1st place award winner in 2022-2023 Georgetown Sculpture Tour

Sculptures will be installed by appointment the first week in October and remain on display until October 2024. Delivery is the artist’s responsibility; sculptures will be installed by City of Georgetown Parks and Recreation staff working with the artist.

All sculptures selected for the 2023-2024 Sculpture Tour will receive a cash prize awarded by the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board. Judging will occur in October 2023, and checks will be mailed in November 2023. Artists will be required to sign a Sculpture Tour contract, which includes a 25 percent commission to the City on any sculpture sold during the exhibit period.

“Armadillo Totem” by Marla Ripperda; 2nd place award winner in 2022-2023  City Sculpture Tour

Awards will include:
$2,000 First Prize (one will be awarded)
$1,500 Second Prize (one will be awarded)
$1,000 Honorable Mention (up to 13 will be awarded)

Artists will be required to sign a Sculpture Tour contract, which includes a 25 percent commission to the City on any sculpture sold during the exhibit.

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board maintains the Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural District designation and implements the Georgetown Arts and Culture Program. The Georgetown Arts and Culture Program enhances quality of life for residents and visitors of Georgetown by promoting community engagement, cultural participation, and cultural tourism through public art programming and arts and culture collaborations. The annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour program helps the Board fulfill the vision of becoming a nationally recognized arts destination by 2030.

If you have any questions about the application or the selection process, please call Amanda Still, Arts and Culture Coordinator, at 512-930-8471 or email amanda.still@georgetown.org.

Continue reading “Call for Artist Booth Exhibitors for 2023 South Main Arts Festival”

Mark your calendars for the Georgetown Spring Art Stroll in downtown from 4-8 p.m. April 20. 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. The evening will include an artist talk by the 175th anniversary mural artist and a dedication of the mural, as well as an artist reception for the new sculpture in the South Main Arts District.

For scheduled programming and detailed information, click here!

Start your Stroll at any of the (3) check-in locations to pick up your Stroll badge. Then continue your Stroll 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 complementary food and beverages exclusively for Art Stroll patrons with an Art Stroll badge, as well as discounted Art Stroll cocktails by Sweet Lemon Kitchen and Little Lemon at the Library!

Be sure to pick up your Art Stroll badge at designated check-in locations to participate. Click here for the online map: Spring Art Stroll Map 2023

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board approved $7,000 in grants in January to local arts and culture organizations to help with funding local arts and culture programming that includes music performance and history exhibitions in Georgetown.

The funding is for events in Georgetown taking place between April 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2023.

Grant recipients include:

The next grant cycle will accept proposals June 1-30, 2023, for events and programs occurring Oct. 1, 2023-March 31, 2024.

The Georgetown Arts and Culture grants help the Arts and Culture Board fulfill bylaw requirements, which include recognizing and encouraging groups and organizations that enrich Georgetown life by bringing cultural and artistic values and artifacts to the City. Members of the Arts and Culture Board believe a vibrant arts community and cultural offerings are good for the quality of life for residents, will attract visitors, and will assist Georgetown in becoming a nationally recognized arts destination by 2030. The grant program helps develop and strengthen our local arts community by contributing funding to arts and culture programming that enhances our local community.

The City Georgetown Arts and Culture Board has awarded Tim Glover the first prize award in the 2022-23 Sculpture Tour, a juried year-long outdoor exhibit in the historic Downtown Georgetown Cultural District. Glover won for his piece Whirlwind, a sculpture that features a bird and a horn toad perching atop an iconic Texas twister. The sculpture is located at the corner of Main and Ninth streets across from the Georgetown Art Center.

Second prize went to Marla Ripperda for Armadillo Totem, a sculpted, epoxy clay tower of armadillos balancing on a sphere. This piece is located at the Georgetown Public Library outside the Ninth Street entrance.

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

Alien Antenna by Rodney D. Butler
Bobo (Bwa Tribe) by Rodney D. Butler
Family by Elizabeth Bonura
Healing Community by Anthony St. James
Interconnected by Laura Armstrong
Luminance by Scott Shubin
Mantis by John Mark Luke
Maya by Reynaldo Alaniz
Moment of Reflection by Dan Pogue
Orb by Laura Sturtz
Tree of Life by John Mark Luke
Two Aztec Parrots by Reynaldo Alaniz

Waco Night Sky by Rollin Karg
Waco Tool by Rollin Karg

Click here for more information, including a map of the sculpture tour and images of the sculptures. To purchase a sculpture, please contact Amanda Still at arts@georgetown.org.

Pictured above from left to right: Whirlwind by Tim Glover; Armadillo Totem by Marla Ripperda (photo credit David Valdez).

Williamson County and the City of Georgetown would like to commission an artist to design and install a mural on a wall of the Williamson County Tax Office. Call opens November 15th, 2022. The community is invited to help paint the mural on March 10th and 11th, 2023.

Application Deadline: December 31st, 2022

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board invites artist entries for the design of a mural in celebration of the 175th anniversary of Williamson County and the City of Georgetown. The mural design should be an interpretation of the history of Williamson County and how the City of Georgetown, as the site for the anniversary mural, contributed to the development of the area that is Williamson County. Community members will be invited to help begin the mural painting process after the artist and final design are selected. For more details and historic resources see the full submission guidelines.

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

BUDGET: This project is a collaboration between Williamson County and the City of Georgetown. 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 3rd, 2023, with a community painting event held during Williamson County’s 175th Anniversary kick-off event March 10th – 11th. A mural dedication will be held at the Spring Art Stroll on April 20th, 2023.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com between November 15th and December 31st, 2022: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

FULL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND CONCEPT: Call for Artist Entries_175th Celebration Mural

SELECTION: From the entries submitted by the deadline, the Arts and Culture Board in collaboration with Williamson County will award an artist commission for the mural design and installation.  Artists will be notified of the final selection by the late January, 2023.

APPLICATION FEE: None

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