ProjectArt, a nonprofit art education organization in Wimberley, Texas, has opened ARTSPACE, a student-run gallery.
Established in 2020 by art educators, arts professionals and local parents, projectArt seeks to support art programs within the Wimberley Independent School District, support and partner with other local organizations, and exhibit youth art. In 2021, the nonprofit developed ProjectMentor, which pairs local middle and high school students with professional artists for a semester-long apprenticeship.
ARTSPACE in Wimberley, Texas
Last weekend, the organization opened ARTSPACE, a gallery that will present contemporary works by Texas artists while providing opportunities for high school and college students to learn about the business involved in running a gallery. Students will learn from professional mentors about topics including entrepreneurship, curation, gallery operations, and marketing.
The inaugural exhibition, House Party, was organized by Jules Buck Jones, Head Curator at projectArt Wimberly. In a press release, he stated, “For our opening exhibition, we wanted to put on a big show with a lot of artists and a welcoming feeling. We landed on the still life theme to deliver a ‘welcome to our new home’ type of atmosphere. These 16 artists all create imagery and objects that play with ideas of the home, the domestic, or the everyday, in a range of different media and styles, and all have ties to Central Texas.”
“House Party,” on view at ARTSPACE.
The exhibition features works by Lana Waldrep Appl, Ellen Berman, Joey Fauerso, Lauren Moya Ford, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Tamara Johnson, Drew Liverman, Michelle Marchesseault, Sarah Murphy, Bradley Petersen, Rebeca Proctor, Andy Rihn, Anthony Sonnenberg, Sarah Stellman, Dan Sutherland, and Michael Villarreal.
Beyond exhibiting shows, ARTSPACE will also host workshops, performances, after school art classes, summer camps, and will be home to projectMentor. Registration is currently open for pre-school, 1st through 2nd grade, and 6th through 12th grade fall workshops.
Jennifer Ober, a founding member of projectArt explained, “ARTSPACE gives us the space to reach more students more often. It allows us to expand already successful programs, such as projectMENTOR, and build on the momentum we’ve been gaining since launching projectART in 2019.”
Learn more about projectArt and ARTSPACE via the organization’s website.
