ARTS Rings in 20th Anniversary With Holiday Shows

In December, local arts nonprofit, ARTS for Rural Texas, closed out the year with back-toback Holiday Shows, celebrating the creative people in the region. Both events were attended by artists, locals, and tourists alike.

The Holiday Show at the ARTS Gorman Gallery in Schulenburg was held this past Saturday, on New Year’s Eve, and was especially momentous, as it also signified the beginning of ARTS’ 20th Anniversary Campaign.

What started as a handful of artists teaching local children on pop-up tables on the patio outside Orsak’s in Fayetteville has evolved over the past twenty years into a multi-county endeavor that has provided free arts education classes and fine arts experiences for over 25,000 children and adults in our rural region.

While ARTS has certainly grown significantly during these past decades, it is far from finished. Over this next year, many positive changes will be implemented based on survey responses of staff, board, community members, and current and former ARTS students. It is with high hopes that, with the support of the larger regional community, many of the larger dreams will come true.

If you have not had a chance to experience the Holiday Shows, be sure to do so this week. This is the final week of the Holiday Show atARTS Ross Gallery in Fayetteville, with Jan. 7 being the official closing day. You will have a chance to see and shop the show at ARTS Gorman Gallery for another couple weeks, until it closes on Jan. 21 to make space for the ‘We Are ARTS’ 20th Anniversary Teacher and Staff Show.

ARTS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that, each year, provides free art after school programs and fine art assemblies to over 4,500 youth in the region. Funds from ARTS’ exhibitions support these great programs in our communities. For more information on events, call (979) 773-8668 or (979) 378-2113 or visit www.artsforruraltexas.org.