Call for Artist Entries: Request for Proposals for Service Dog Themed Mural

The Arts and Culture Board for the City of Georgetown, TX is accepting mural proposals from artists with experience in the military and/or as first responders – past, present, active, or reserve duty. Call opens July 22nd, 2020.

Application Deadline: August 31st, 2020

 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The mural will be located in the Texas Cultural District encompassing downtown Georgetown. The Board is collaborating with the local pet supply business, Wag Heaven, to create a service-dog themed public art mural to honor our K-9 service heroes while commemorating the Georgetown Rotary Club’s Field of Honor®, as well as the first canine Purple Heart recipient, Nemo A534. Funding for this project comes in part from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the Healing Arts Program for Veterans and Military Service Members, with matching funds from the City of Georgetown and Wag Heaven.

ELIGIBILITY: This opportunity is open to all professional artists over the age of 18 having military and/or first responder experience – past, present, active or reserve duty. Artists having military/first responder experience may also form a collaboration with another experienced mural artist on this project.

BUDGET: An artist stipend of $4,000 will be paid to the artist selected to install the mural. The City of Georgetown will fund 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: Installation will begin the week of November 9, 2020. Volunteers from the community will be invited to help paint the mural during the first week of installation and will be coordinated by the City of Georgetown. The mural will be completed by December 31, 2020.

APPLY: Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com; no application fee required: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

SELECTION: The artist will be selected by the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board in September, with input from Wag Heaven, and will be notified by September 18th, 2020.

Please click here to view the full submission guidelines, project schedule, and other info: Call for Artist Entries_RFP_Wag Heaven Mural

2020-2021 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour – Call for Entries Now Open!

2020-2021 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour

Starting June 1, 2020, The City of Georgetown’s Arts and Culture Board invites entries for the 2020-2021 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour – a juried, year-long outdoor exhibition in Georgetown’s historic Downtown Cultural District. Please click here to view the full submission guidelines, project schedule, and other info: Call for Artist Entries_Georgetown Sculpture Tour Entries

The annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour is one of the first community public art projects of the Georgetown Arts and Culture Program.  The Sculpture Tour was begun 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, 2020 for the 2020-2021 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, 2020 and close at the end of the day on August 1, 2020.

Sculpture Tour Entry Form

From the applications submitted by the deadline, the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board will select up to 15 2020-21 Sculpture Tour pieces. All applicants will be notified of the board’s decisions in September.

“One Trick Pony” by Dan Pogue; 1st place award winner in 2019-2020 Georgetown Sculpture Tour

Sculptures will be installed by appointment in November 2020 and remain on display until October 2021. 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 2020-2021 Sculpture Tour will receive a cash prize awarded by the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board. Checks will be mailed in December.

“Remember When” by Anthony St. James; 2nd place award winner in 2019-2020  City Sculpture Tour

Awards will include:
$1,500 First Prize (one will be awarded)
$750 Second Prize (one will be awarded)
$500 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. Once installed, sculptures are covered for theft or damage by City insurance.

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.

City Hall Gallery Features Artwork by Devon Clarkson

The current exhibition at City Hall, is on exhibit from August 10 – September 31. The exhibit features recent work by Devon Clarkson, one of the mural artists for the Preserving History Mural and the artist selected for the Red Poppy Festival Poster 20th Anniversary Edition.

The Gallery Wall at City Hall will exhibit two local artists per year, an exhibition of Georgetown Independent School District Advanced Placement student artwork, and an exhibition of Southwestern University student artwork. The exhibitions are by invitation and are designed to align with current Georgetown Arts and Culture Programming. To be considered for an invitation by the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board, local artists may submit their resume and portfolio to arts@georgetown.org.

Call for Entry: TSOS Video Sculpture Exhibit on YouTube Channel

Opening summer 2020

Background: SculptFest 2020 in Round Rock and the annual TSOS summer sculpture at the Georgetown Public Library was canceled over Covid-19 public health restrictions.  These are the two largest annual TSOS events.

Response by TSOS: Videos for widest possible viewingA YouTube Sculpture Channel.

2020 TSOS Virtual Sculpture Exhibition Video – First Show Coming Soon!

For full guidelines and instructions, click here: TSOS Instructions to SetUp Web Page-R04

 Application Process – May 29, 2020 Deadline:

  • Send One email with Permission to Use Your Images that are on the TSOS website located at www.tsos.org
  • Option to submit other images with descriptions.
  • Send permission by email to: exhibit@tsos.org

✔      Give TSOS permission to use your images as a video show.

✔      Option to attach preferred images with descriptions to the email.

Selection Process:

  • Jury selection from TSOS members with images on TSOS Virtual Gallery.
  • All TSOS members with present dues paid can participate in the TSOS Virtual Gallery by submitting images, descriptions, and contact information.
  • Attached is a pdf containing instructions for creating and updating member web pages.

Future Exhibitions – solo and group:

  • Virtual Sculpture Exhibitions Videos – No Limit on Number of Shows

o   Possibly have a number of shows with new work by members

⮚      By subject or topic

⮚      By sculpture medium

⮚      Small group special interest exhibitions for TSOS member (i.e. mosaics)

  • Solo Sculpture Show by TSOS Members published on a YouTube Channel

o   Videos would be available to post on sculptors’ individual websites

o   Videos for sales via galleries, decorators, corporate art consultants, etc.

  • 50th TSOS Anniversary Show Coming in 2021.  TSOS was established in 1971.

For more Information Contact:

Matt Donner, Exhibitions Committee Chair

mattdonner.tsos@gmail.com

Call to Artists: RFQ for Recycled Street Sign Sculpture

Beginning March 15th, 2020, The Arts and Culture Board for the City of Georgetown, TX is accepting qualifications from artists for the commission of a recycled street sign sculpture in the Texas Cultural District encompassing downtown Georgetown. The Board is seeking artists with demonstrated experience in repurposing used materials – including de-commissioned street signs and traffic signs– into sculptural works of art.

Submission Deadline: April 15th, 2020

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

BUDGET: Up to three finalists will be selected by the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board to develop concept proposals for this project. The total project budget for the selected commission is $7,500. Each finalist will be paid a $500 stipend for his/her proposal. The selected artist will be paid $6,000 for the commissioned work. Artist will be responsible for their own travel costs, housing, fabrication equipment, and personal liability insurance.

INSTALLATION DATE: Installation will take place by September 15, 2020.

APPLY: Full submission guidelines can be found here: Call to Artists_RFQ_Street Sign Sculpture; Applications will be submitted through Submittable.com; no application fee required.

The submission form will open on March 15, 2020. Click on the following link to submit: https://artsgeorgetown.submittable.com/Submit

SELECTION: The artists selected by the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board to present a design proposal will be notified by April 24th, 2020.

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

Please click here to view the full submission guidelines, project schedule, and other info: Call to Artists_RFQ_Street Sign Sculpture

Welcome New Arts & Culture Board Members

The Georgetown Arts & Culture Board bade farewell to four fantastic board members at the February 2020 board meeting. The four board members who completed their two terms include Timothy Fleming, Linda Wilde, Carol Watson, and Laura Sewell. All four outgoing board members were instrumental in developing and expanding the Georgetown Public Art Program and brought such a varied breadth of knowledge, professionalism, and expertise to the board. They will be missed!

The four new members to join the Arts and Culture Board include Jessica Meurer Sobhani, Artist/Muralist and East View High School art instructor; Sonya Robinson, Senior Director of Foundation Relations at Southwestern University; Marissa Elena (Gomez) Palmer, Artist and Senior Risk and Compliance Analyst at HomeAway; Gaby Shultz, Artisan/Founder at Artisans’ Workbench.

Returning board members include Board Chair Jane Estes, Writer and Founder/General Manager at Lark & Owl Booksellers; Sharon Snuffer, Arts Patron and Collector; Susie Flatau, Artist and Vice President of Georgetown Art Works.

Pictured above from left to right with Utility Box Art, “Cloudy Day” by EVHS student Kayla Moore: outgoing board member Timothy Fleming, new board member Jessica Meurer Sobhani, artist Kayla Moore, returning board member Susie Flatau, outgoing board member Laura Sewell (bottom), returning board chair Jane Estes (top), outgoing board member Carol Watson, and outgoing board member Linda Wilde

Arts and Culture Grants Awarded in the 2020 Round One Cycle

At the January 2020 Board meeting, the City of Georgetown Arts & Culture Board approved $11,309 in grants to local nonprofit organizations and schools. The grants will help fund local arts and cultural events that include visual art, music, film, literature, and cultural dance and crafts programming in Georgetown.

The events and programs funded in this grant cycle include:

SU Native for the 16th Annual Southwestern University Spring Powwow – $2,000
Georgetown Art Works for Critters: Our Animal World – $1,900
Congregational Havurah Shalom for Anne Frank: Let Me Be Myself Exhibit – $2,000
Texas Bach Festival for 2020 Texas Bach Festival – $1,500
Georgetown Festival of the Arts for Star Spangled Banner – $2,409
GTX Film for 2020 Film Festival & Conference – $1,500

Funds are for events and programs taking place in Georgetown between April 2020 and September 2020.

“Greetings from Georgetown Texas”: Georgetown’s Newest Public Art Mural will be Located at Gus’s Drug

Georgetown’s very first public art mural to go through the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board’s new Commercial Mural Process has been approved by the City and will be implemented on the west wall of Gus’s Drug on University Ave.

Local artist Sarah Blankenship designed the mural and will coordinate with community volunteers to come out and help her paint the mural!

Ark Pharmacies is sponsoring the new public art mural on the side of its business, Gus’s Drug, in Georgetown.  Gus’s Drug has been a part Georgetown’s community since 1955, and the business owners would like an opportunity to continue to give back to the community by adding a mural on the side of the business at 702 E University Ave that highlights some of the great aspects about Georgetown.  This will remind locals that Gus’s is still a vibrant part of the business community, create visual interest to a currently blank wall and provide plenty of photo ops for locals and visitors.

“Greetings From Georgetown Texas” will be the primary lettering on the left side.  Within the letters in “Georgetown”, the following will be highlighted:

G – Lake Georgetown
E – Public Library
O – Blue Hole Park
R – Downtown Buildings
G – Field of Honor
E – Shotgun House
T – Palace Theatre
O – Southwestern University
W – GISD’s Hammerlun Center
N – Williamson County Courthouse

The right side of the building will be simpler, highlighting only poppies with the lettering “Red Poppy Capital”.  This is imagined to be a great photo opportunity site for families for many occasions and celebrations.

More information about opportunities for community engagement to help paint the mural is coming soon…

“Preserving History” Mural Dedication on February 15 During a Month of Celebrations and Educational Activities!

On Saturday, February 15, 2020, The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board and numerous members of the community celebrated the completed Preserving History Mural by Norma Clark and Devon Clarkson.

The celebration included a Mayoral welcome followed by statements from mural artists and GCCMA; program concluded inside City Hall with refreshments and a viewing of the mural video and slideshow.

Exhibiting Georgetown Art Center artist Chelsey Antoinette also had pieces represented at the celebration by GCCMA Heart of the Headwrap workshop attendees. The workshop was held earlier that morning at the Art Center, and Chesley was in attendance at the celebration to address the significance of her artwork.

The month of February featured collaborative events that included the dedication of the “Preserving History” mural.  Collaborative events and educational activities were also hosted by the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association, The Georgetown Art Center, and Lark & Owl Booksellers.  Please visit the arts calendar of events or click here for more information!

On Thursday, October 24th, 2019, the Arts and Culture Board hosted a community painting party for community members to come out and help paint portions of the mural.  It was a huge success in engaging the community to tell an important Georgetown story.

The “Preserving History” mural by Devon Clarkson and Norma Clark was awarded a grant by the Texas Commission on the Arts in September 2019 and began production at the back of City Hall in late October 2019. Because the mural  also forms a backdrop to the Historic African American Shotgun House, the Arts and Culture Board worked with the non-profit that operates the Shotgun House – Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association – to identify a theme that is important to the surrounding neighborhood and the constituents of the GCCMA. After reviewing several resources on the history of the neighborhood and meetings with GCCMA, a major theme that emerged was preserving history during a time of integration. While the major achievement of integration was the equality of access to services and educational opportunities to all groups of people in the community, another consideration was the importance of preserving history and culture during this period of major growth and change. When facilitating any growth and innovative changes within a community, such as the creation of public art murals and the construction of innovative programming spaces, it’s important to honor the culture and history of the area. The theme of integration can be applied to all scenarios that require a collaboration between different groups across generations and cultures: from integrating schools, to making way for rapid growth and development within a City, to the collaboration between artists of different levels of experience and styles.

Mary Smith Bailey was chosen as the subject of the “Preserving History” mural because she was an important local figure who helped steward many children in Georgetown through a period of historic growth and change. In 1953, Mary Bailey founded The West Side Kindergarten, the first preschool in the area to offer educational preschool services to non-white children. She believed that “preschool children benefit most from an educational environment that helps them develop self-confidence, the ability to get along with and help others, and the desire to learn. Today, hundreds of students and many changes later, the Mary Bailey [Head Start] Center continues to teach Georgetown children of all races the importance of learning”. (Histories of Pride, Thirteen Pioneers Who Shaped Georgetown’s African American Community)

Local portrait artist, Devon Clarkson, will paint the image of Mary Smith Bailey as the focal point of the mural. Devon’s experience includes local art exhibitions, as well as being the selected poster artist for the 20th Anniversary Red Poppy poster. Norma Clark, a local artist and graduate from Southwestern University, will create a montage of inspired abstract images that can be recognized as children and students participating in athletic and educational activities. Norma is an established professional artist whose experience includes numerous solo and group exhibitions across Central Texas. The collaboration of these two artists represents the integration of different artist styles to create something innovative and new while honoring and preserving culture and history.

Call for 2020 Round One Grant Proposals Now Open

The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board is now inviting grant proposals for art, music, theatre, dance, and cultural heritage events and programs taking place in Georgetown between April 2020 and September 2020.

Nonprofit organizations, schools, informal arts and culture organizations, and individual artists who are creating public art, arts and culture programming, or an event open to the public are eligible to apply. 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. Organizations that received grant funding in the previous grant cycle for events and programs occurring between October 2019 and March 2020 are not eligible to apply. Grants awarded last cycle averaged $1,000 per award.

The grant proposal form for events and programs occurring between April 2020 and September 2020 will be live at 12:01 am on December 1, 2019 and will close at 11:59 pm on December 31, 2019. Click here to go to the form:

Grant Proposal Form

For more information, please visit the grant page.