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

Call for Artist Entries: Interior Mural at the historic Post Office at 113 E 8th St, Georgetown, TX

CITY POST CHOPHOUSE invites artist design entries for a unique mural project at the historic Post Office located at 113 E. 8th St. in beautiful downtown Georgetown, Texas. The selected artist will design and install the mural on an interior plaster wall of the building in the original Postmaster’s office, now the City Post market.

CALL OPENS: August 15, 2022

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 16, 2022

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project is inspired by post office murals originally commissioned by the U.S. Government as part of the New Deal in the 1930s. While the post office in Georgetown was not one of the 69 Federal buildings in Texas to receive artist installations, City Post would like to pay homage to the roots of the building during this period in American history with an original mural that honors that legacy and enhances the present use of the building. The wall chosen for the mural provides an opportunity for the public to view the installation and learn more about this facet of history.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Each artist may submit up to three (3) unique designs for consideration. Please send submissions to: citypostchop@gmail.com

Be sure to include:

• Contact information
• Full Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address
• Concept statement for the proposed design
• Image(s) of the proposed design
• Artist may submit up to five (5) images to communicate their proposed design(s)
• Previous relevant experience with murals and/or other large-format art installations

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all professional artists over the age of 18 who live/work in Central Texas.

BUDGET: The artist selected to install the mural, will be paid an artist stipend of $3,500 which includes the cost of materials and equipment necessary to install the mural. The selected artist will be responsible for their own travel costs, housing, and personal liability insurance.

INSTALLATION DATE: The mural is expected to be completed by November 15, 2022.

APPLICATION: Applications will be accepted at citypostchop@gmail.com from August 15 – September 16, 2022. No application fee is required.

SELECTION: From the entries submitted by the deadline, the City Post selection committee – which includes a member of the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board – will create a short list of candidates with whom we will hold discussions. From that list, one artist will be awarded a commission for the mural design and installation.  Artists will be notified of the final selection by October 7, 2022.

QUESTIONS: Contact Administrative Manager Kristina Wagner Moore directly at kristina@citypostchop.house.

• NOTE: Applications/submissions should be sent to citypostchop@gmail.com

Click here for full submission guidelines: Call for Artist Entries_City Post Chophouse

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Program is now accepting applications for up to 27 artist booths at the South Main Arts District in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District during Georgetown’s inaugural South Main Arts Festival – a juried and curated artistic event in celebration of October Month of the Arts.

The deadline for submissions is August 7, 2022.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Beginning July 1, 2022, the City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board will invite artists to submit their applications for booth space during the South Main Arts Festival on October 22, 2022. The Festival will take place in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District’s new South Main Arts District from 10am-6:30pm and is an opportunity for patrons to purchase unique artwork from artists exhibiting in booths, engage in arts programming, and enjoy live music and performances throughout the event.

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

EVENT DATE: October 22, 2022.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com between July 1 and August 7, 2022: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

SELECTION: From the applications submitted by the deadline, the Events Subcommittee of the Arts and Culture Board will select up to 27 artists to recommend to the full Arts and Culture Board for acceptance. Artists will be notified of the final selection by August 17, 2022.

APPLICATION FEE: $35

BOOTH FEE: None

Please click here for guidelines: Full Submission Guidelines – Artist Booths for South Main Arts Festival 2022

Please click here to submit your portfolio.

For detailed information on South Main Arts Festival programming, click here.

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board awards grant twice a year for visual art, music, theatre, dance, literary, and cultural heritage events and programs taking place in Georgetown. The City of Georgetown Arts and Culture Board considers all applicants without attention to the following – which includes but is not limited to – race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Starting June 1, the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board will begin accepting applications for events and programs occurring in Georgetown between October 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023 as part of the 2022 Round II grant period. The deadline for submitting for this grant period is June 30, 2022.

Eligible requests: Nonprofit organizations, schools, and informal arts and culture organizations creating arts and culture programming or an event open to the public are eligible to apply. Eligible requests include equipment and supplies specific to the event or program that is occurring during the period of performance and necessary for the event/program to occur. Eligible applicants must be in good standing with a history of timely reporting and grant fulfillment requirements if previous Arts and Culture grants have been awarded.

Ineligible requests: Organizations that received funding in the 2022 Round I grant period are not eligible to apply for 2022 Round II. Additional ineligible requests include food/beverage expenses, start-up costs or general operating expenses, and capital improvements. Programming and events must be open to the public.

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.

For more information and to submit a proposal, please visit the grant page by clicking here.

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

Spring Art Stroll

Patrons are invited to come view and purchase art, enjoy live music, and engage in arts activities at various locations in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, April 21.

Arts activities will take place at locations including Grace Plaza, Grace Chapel with the Full Circle Speaker Series from 5-7pm, Georgetown Art Center, local arts businesses, Williamson Museum, Georgetown Public Library, and the Shotgun House Museum. Visitors are also invited for photo ops and face painting on Rock Street before joining the Mayor at 7:15pm for a dedication of Georgetown’s newest mural, “Traditions to the Future” by Mila Sketch.

Participants in the event will also be able to view and provide feedback on the new street mural and decorative crosswalk at the Georgetown Public Library while enjoying offerings from Southbound Sips and Scoops Ice Cream, as well a blockbuster art exhibition inside the Library.

Find detailed information about the Spring Art Stroll, click here.

Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon

 The quarterly Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon returns at noon April 14. Pack your lunch and join us at the Georgetown Public Library for a presentation by Lynn Osgood, executive director of Civic Arts. Her presentation “Arts Leading the Way in Community Development” breaks down the details of how to use the arts and public art in community development projects and other creative place-making initiatives. Updates from arts and culture stakeholders in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District will follow Osgood’s talk.

Find more information about the Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon, click here.

Photography by David Valdez

Continue reading “Improvements Made to the Shotgun House Museum”