A Message from Luis Purón, Executive Director
Dear Members and Patrons of the Arts,
At the end of last year, we pondered how we were going to pull-off an aggressive program and fundraising plan in the midst of a pandemic. First, we reflected on lessons learned in 2020: remain nimble. We were fortunate to be able to adapt two events in November- the Silver Meltdown and the Film Festival. Both were extremely successful, and improved our financial bottom line while delivering on our mission.
Which brings me to the latest wheel we are reinventing. Mark your calendars for the Spring Art Fair to be held April 16-18. We have invited the many artists and artisans that were going to take part in last year’s Tour of Studios to host a three-day Art Fair at the gleaming Fulton Convention Center.
The premise is simple and it ties to our mission: helping artists. There will be 20 booths in 6,000 square feet of open space with a tall ceiling. Fulton recently acquired three air purifiers that will give us all more confidence in sharing indoor space. Will we require social distancing, mask wearing, and hand sanitizing during the event? Absolutely. With a government led vaccination program starting to take hold, more Texans will be inoculated by mid-April.
The weekend kicks-off Friday, April 16, with a patron and sponsor party. Guests will get a firsthand preview of the magnificent work created by our area’s finest artists in diverse mediums: ceramics, collage, glass, metal work, painting, photography, wood work, and more.
The event opens to the general public on Saturday and Sunday April 17 and 18. For your safety, we will limit the number of people inside the venue to 450 at any given time. During the Fair, visitors will get to shop in a leisurely fashion, visit the artist’s booths, and witness a select number of artist demonstrations to learn about a variety of materials, art mediums and techniques.
The Board of Directors, the staff and I look forward to welcoming you to the Spring Art Fair by the Bay our first tourism and economic development event of the 2021 season.
Stay tuned!
Luis Purón
Executive Director
2021 Participating Artists
Terry Baiamonte
Teenya Barnard
Lisa Baer Frederick
Michael Couvillion
Anita Diebel
Danya Heck
Stan Irvin
Diane Johnson
Kim Knifechief
Carol Koutnik
Janet Lee
Elsa Matthews
Genie Mysorski
Bonnie Lou Prouty
Jennifer Racette – Alison Julien Collection
Vivian Rood
Kelly Schaub
Eric Von Seibert
Barbara Sparkman
Wind Way Gallery