FIESTA ARTS FAIR, SAN ANTONIOApril 18-19Swschool.orgPhotography courtesy of Fiesta Arts Fair

Even people who don’t “do” Fiesta do the Fiesta Arts Fair — a true standout of the annual city-wide blowout — citing the incomparable grounds of the downtown Southwest School of Art a perfect backdrop for “one of the most respected arts fairs in the country,” says fair organizer Barbara Hill. The juried event puts artist hopefuls through a rigorous competition; less than 20 percent of applicants are accepted. National caliber paintings, jewelry, wearable art, photography, glass and ceram-ics are the stars here, but their creators are down to earth. “Pa-trons don’t merely walk by casually observing the work,” adds Hill. “They stop and chat with the artists and get to make a real connection. The artists love it, too.” So do kids — the family friendly fair is famous for its delightful children’s art garden, where budding artists make their own necklaces, med-als, crowns, sculpture, drawings and stained glass. Live music stage, delectable food and beverage stations, and the shopping is divine. Admission: $16 weekend pass, $10 daily adults, $5 daily children ages 5-12, free for children under 5 and accom-panied by adults.

FABULOUS n FINDS

SPRING INTO ART

By JULIE CATALANO

Along with Texas’ famous

wildflowers, springtime

means that art is in bloom.

From big cities to small

towns, art aficionados can

revisit familiar treasures

and discover brand new

ones. Here are just a few,

listed by date so you can

plan your travel calendar.

But don’t stop with these.

Art is bursting out all over.

TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

WOODLANDS ART FESTIVAL; DIANA

KERSEY POTTERY, FIESTA ARTS FAIR;

CHRIS ROBLESKI “PAINTED DESERT

TRADING POST” 24” X 16” NIGHT

PHOTOGRAPHY, ART CITY AUSTIN;

FRANK MCCARTHY (1924-2002)

“AFTER THE COUNCIL” 22” X 40” OIL,

FREDERICKSBURG ART AUCTION.

WOODLANDS WATERWAY ARTS FESTIVAL, THE WOODLANDSApril 10-12Woodlandsartfestival.comPhotography by Ted Washington

For one so young (about 40 years old) the Woodlands, a master-planned community in the Houston metro area, is making waves in the art world with its Waterway Arts Festival. The juried event was ranked by Greg Lawler’s Art Fair SourceBook as number one in Texas and number three in the nation for fine art sales in 2013. The festival’s $8.4 million economic im-pact is equally impressive. That said, it’s also a whole lot of fun, and few go home empty-hand-ed after enjoying the work of more than 200 national, regional and international fine artists.

RICHARD SCHMID “AUTUMN ROSES” 8”X12” OIL, FREDERICKSBURG ART AUCTION

This year’s tenth anniversary celebration holds a welcome surprise: “We listened to our patrons and artists and have expanded our festival to three days,” says festival director Jenny Wright. “It will allow us to add more performances, of-fer more special projects with our education and community outreach programs, and best of all, more time to shop!” Water cruisers and trolleys add to the festive atmosphere, along with superb food booths, live performances and five festival bars. Admission: $12 adults, $15 weekend pass. Children under 12 free.

ART CITY AUSTINApril 25-26Artallianceaustin.orgPhotography courtesy of Art City Austin

Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, Art City Austin shows no signs of slowing down. With its roots in a 1950 event known as Fiesta, the outdoor fair has gone through several itera-tions including Austin Fine Arts Festival and Fiesta at Laguna Gloria. “This was the festival of Austin in the 1960s,” says Asa Hursh, executive director. “Moving it downtown helped.” Must have, because the annual attendance now regularly draws 20,000 art lovers and buyers strolling from Cesar Chavez Street to the

FIESTA ARTS FAIR TOP LEFT: LORENA ANGULO BRACELET; BOTTOM LEFT: CLARE WATTERS INDIGO SCARVES

ART CITY AUSTIN TOP RIGHT: ANDY FLETCHER “IOWA STORM” 50” X 28” OIL;

MIDDLE RIGHT: CHRIS MADSEN “DISTRESSED ANGEL” 20” X 16” PHOTOGRAPHY;

BOTTOM RIGHT: ESTELLA FRANSBERGEN “SHE HAS SPOKEN TO YOU” 25” X 42” X 12” CLAY/RAKU FIRED

WITH ORGANIC MATTER

URBAN HOME AUSTIN – SAN ANTONIO 61urbanhomemagazine.com60 URBAN HOME AUSTIN – SAN ANTONIO urbanhomemagazine.com

Lady Bird Lake Trail and on to the very cool 2nd Street mixed use district. Presented by Art Alliance Austin, the family friendly juried art fair features nationally recognized artists in painting, photography, fiber, wood arts and more. This year ACA debuts the Austin Art Pavilion, a curated contemporary art area show-casing work by regional artists. ACA partner Black Fret, an Aus-tin nonprofit and huge supporter of local musicians, will have a music stage. The popular fair, says Hursh, “will continue to grow and evolve so we can stay around for the next 65 years.” Admis-sion: $10 Saturday, $8 Sunday, children 12 and under free.

FREDERICKSBURG ART AUCTIONMay 1-2Fredericksburgartauction.comPhotography courtesy of Fredericksburg Art Auction

A groundbreaking partnership between InSight Gallery in Fredericksburg and Astoria Fine Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo-ming, is shaping up to be the most anticipated art event in the Lone Star state. Believe it or not, “every Western art auction is elsewhere. Not one is in Texas,” says Meredith Plesko who with her husband David opened the acclaimed InSight Gallery in downtown Fredericksburg in 2009. The couple aims to fill that niche with the first annual Fredericksburg Art Auction featur-ing representational paintings and sculpture — landscape, wild-

life, sporting, still life and more — by some of the brightest lights in the art world. With Texas home to many of the nation’s biggest and best collections, Plesko sees the event as “a natural, and another opportunity to show how Freder-icksburg is really growing.” The weekend begins on Friday evening with a one-man show and re-ception with artist Mian Situ. Auction preview party follows with dancing, food and spirits. The auction begins Saturday afternoon to bid — in person, by telephone, absentee or online — on works by dozens of contemporary and histori-cally significant artists including John James Audubon, Frank McCarthy, G. Harvey, Win-slow Homer, David Shepherd, William Moy-ers, William Acheff, Z.S. Liang and many more. “I’m excited to see this in my hometown,” says Plesko. Admission: Friday, May 1, 5-7pm, One Man Show and artist reception with Mian Situ, Insight Gallery, free and open to the public. For registration information on the Friday auction preview party and the auction on May 2, go to fredericksburgartauction.com. vFREDERICKSBURG ART AUCTION TOP LEFT:

MARTIN GRELLE “APSALOOKE SENTINELS” 42 X

48 OIL; BOTTOM LEFT: G. HARVEY “BUNKHOUSE

LIGHTS” 24” X 36” OIL

HEART MORE ART?BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL, HOUSTON, MARCH 27-29, ARTCOLONYASSOCIATION.ORG

This longtime favorite kicks off the spring Texas art festival circuit with a one-of-a-kind

outdoor gallery. The juried show features 300 artists in exten-sive media, plus food, wine and live music in a 1.1-mile trail through beautiful Memorial Park, about five miles from down-town Houston. Admission fee.

DALLAS MUSIC DISTRICT FESTIVAL, MAY 16-17, DMDFEST.COM

New kid on the block DMD Fest makes its debut this year to celebrate Big D’s creative and musical roots on the Trinity Riv-er Greenbelt. Art installations, street performers, artisan craft market, food trucks and an eclectic musical lineup including Jonathan Tyler and Aaron Behrens highlight the first festival of its kind in downtown Dallas. Admission fee.

KERRVILLE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, MAY 23-24, KVARTFEST.COM

Picking up the reins after the official Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair ended in 2013, Hill Country favorite Kerrville start-ed a new Memorial Day tradition last year and they’re doing it again. The juried fine art show and sale is an outdoor, pet-friendly event in historic downtown featuring dozens of national artists. Free admission.

For more information on Texas festivals, visit Festivalnet.com.

62 URBAN HOME AUSTIN – SAN ANTONIO urbanhomemagazine.com