When you think about going out to enjoy some art, where do you go?
It’s easy to hop in the car and head to downtown Austin to find your taste of live music, colorful paintings and even a theater performance or two. But what about the spectacular art happening in your own backyard?
Spicewood is our neighbor to the southwest that just seems to be teeming with artists of all kinds. From guitar pickin’ musicians to blown glass artists to writers, it’s a very vibrant world in the Hill Country, and the Spicewood Arts Society has been working since 2000 to bring these works to the Lake Travis community.
The home of the arts in the Hill Country
Even before the Spicewood Arts Society was created, there was already a huge art scene in the area, it was just far-flung and disjointed, making it hard to enjoy an evening of it without personally knowing the artists. It wasn’t until a chance dinner party spurred the idea for what would eventually become the art-friendly non-profit.
Local artists Cindy Jackson, Dianne Frost-Silver and Madeleine Manigold all loved performing and visual arts, but wanted to see more of these events happening in Spicewood, their growing community. What began as a simple concert grew into an entire non-profit that seeks to inform, educate and connect artists of all kinds throughout the Hill Country.
The group has continued to grow over the years, adding new facets to their yearly calendar, like art treks out to artists’ studios and even the Arts Round-Up, a live music festival held in late October every year. And it wouldn’t be art in the heart of Texas without a guitar-twanging live performance (or 6) each year at the beautiful Spicewood Vineyards.
But the art outreach doesn’t stop there. Each year five $1,500 scholarships are offered to Spicewood and Lake Travis high school seniors who plan to continue their art education. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, making sure that generations of children and adolescents will be able to enjoy and make art, whatever their passion may be.
A grand opening this summer
Pretty soon there is going to be a new home for the Spicewood Arts Society, in the Shops of Spicewood JS Center, which you’ve probably driven by on your way out to nearby Krause Springs or downtown Fredericksburg.
The quaint stretch of stores is about to get a new look and a space for the SAS, making for a new meeting place and home for the group to keep connecting artists to their audiences.
If you would like to get involved and become a member of the SAS, there are many options for doing so. Just check their website for more details and for upcoming shows and a grand opening party later this summer.
See ya there!
Spicewood Arts Society
9807 Hwy. 71
Spicewood, TX
Post image via Creative Commons Karin Dalziel on Flickr
