Arts advocates recognize that social service and basic needs funding are critical to a healthy community. The arts, they note, are also vital to a community’s well-being for the enrichment, historical legacy and understanding they contribute to the fabric of society. And the arts feed the soul.
The visual arts – encompassing painting, sculpture, photography and a host of creative genres for visual art experience – present an extraordinary opportunity for citizens of all socio-economic groups to learn, create and communicate through creating and appreciating art.
Representatives of local visual arts organizations identify two major areas as critical to maintaining and growing our visual arts sector: increasing awareness of the importance of art education and appreciation, and building stronger synergy between artists, museums, galleries, audiences, collectors and donors.
And they point to education as the key to exposing children, teens and adults to the power and value of visual art. Sadly, art education in many of our schools has been severely cut.
The Visual Arts Ecosystem
Arthouse at the Jones Center is the oldest visual arts organization in Austin and the oldest state-wide contemporary visual arts organization in Texas. It is dedicated to promoting the appreciation and growth of contemporary art and artists in Texas. Arthouse serves 25,000 people each year in Austin and offers our community’s only art education program that focuses exclusively on teenagers. Founded as the Texas Fine Arts Association in 1911, Arthouse has nurtured and launched numerous important cultural organizations, including the historic Elisabet Ney studio and Clara Driscoll’s Laguna Gloria estate. At its downtown location, Arthouse maintains a year-round schedule of exhibitions and programs offered free to the public. Through fiscally prudent management, Arthouse has remained debt-free, and is completing a capital campaign to triple its usable space.
Known for its pioneering spirit, embrace of artistic innovation, and commitment to Texas audiences and artists, Women & Their Work presents over 50 events a year in contemporary visual and performing art. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the gallery features on-going exhibitions of Texas women artists and brings artists of national stature to Texas audiences. Women & Their Work reaches over 19,000 people each year, provides an extensive education program for adults and underserved children, and has helped develop the careers of over 1,800 artists.
Austin Green Art produces public art programs based on engagement with environmental themes. Local artists create installations that challenge viewers to explore our environment through playful and thought-provoking exhibits. Mexic-Arte Museum is dedicated to cultural enrichment and education through the presentation and promotion of traditional and contemporary Mexican, Latino, and Latin American art and culture. The Texas Music Museum features exhibits of historical photos and artifacts complementing recordings and histories of Texas’ musical heritage.
The Austin Museum of Art offers two locations: AMOA-Downtown presents continually changing exhibitions and education programs featuring twentieth-century and contemporary art; AMOA-Laguna Gloria showcases the historic villa and is home to The Art School.
The University of Texas’ Blanton Museum of Art anchors Austin’s visual arts community with major exhibits and art education and appreciation programs. The Blanton’s April 2006 opening raised public awareness and interest in Austin’s many visual arts organizations.
Creating is Communicating
Young people learn about themselves and their world through creating art, often discovering new strengths and interests. Art offers opportunities for expression and communication as well as vocational choices that speak to the passion and creativity of the individual. In addition, creating art is therapeutic, giving people with disabilities or the abused a way to express their feelings and their dreams.
VSA Arts of Texas strives to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA offers educational school programs and statewide opportunities for emerging artists. Donations help pay for artist fees as well as education instruction.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Capital Area provides after-school and summer art programs and tours of museum exhibits for disadvantaged children. Funding provides for knowledgeable art teachers and professionals, as well as admission costs for museum tours. Easter Seals Central Texas strives to incorporate more collaborative programs between handicapped clients and arts organizations.
Individuals can support the visual arts in many ways: donate financially to local arts organizations; visit local arts exhibits, galleries and museums; purchase the works of local artists for your own personal enjoyment; volunteer to help with art appreciation and education programs.
Resources:
National Endowment for the Arts, “Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005,” June 2008.
Urban Institute, “Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretation and Indicators,” 2006.
For more information about the arts community in Central Texas CLICK HERE.
To find out more about Central Texas nonprofit arts organizations, check out the service providers LISTED HERE.
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