A Message from Luis Purón, Executive Director

Dear Members!

After opening our doors to the public December 10, 2022 we had a sensational December with an overflowing attendance that topped 4,000 visitors in just three weeks. Then January started off with a bang!  Over 3,000 people visited Birds in Art that month. 

 Here is a brief list of the new offerings since the beginning of the year:

• We hosted two concerts at The ROCC: Sarah Hickman and Johnsmith, both concerts were received with huge interest from locals and out-of-town guests alike.

• We hosted two adult culinary arts classes with local legend Chef Tony Legner demonstrating sauces and Dr. Romi Burks lecturing on chocolate with samples for tasting.

• We partnered with Aransas County Council on Aging for a very well attended Clay Expo Weekend.  It was a two-day event that raised substantial funds for the Meals on Wheels program.

• We hosted two Opening Receptions for two separate exhibitions, Birds in Art (on view through April 23) and Contemporary Clay by Winston Taylor from Arkansas.

• We partnered with PNC Bank and The Reserve at St. Charles Bay to promote the Grand Opening Festivities and Birds in Art.

• We grew our membership to 920 by hosting a membership drive for guests from the San Antonio area.

• We hosted 5 Young Chefs classes (Where Food Science Meets the Culinary Arts) at the AEP Foundation Kitchen.

• We hosted 4 paid rental events at The ROCC, including a book signing by author Diana Garcia.

• We held the Annual General Membership Meeting and 50 people attended to listen to my top 5 goals for 2023, and to learn about my annual address: the Financial State of the Art Center.

• We held a Board of Directors Retreat, led by our non-profit consultant, Jennifer Moriarty, who helped us address the substantial growth we have experienced in the past 60 days.

And then there were 13!  Since I arrived here May 14, 2015, we have grown the team from 5 to 13!  All of us are here to serve you and make sure you have amazing artful experiences in our small slice of the Third Coast.

Yours truly,
Luis Purón
Executive Director

Please enjoy the following video which “paints a picture” of Who We Are Today.