Before its critical acclaim, energetic entertainment lineups, infamous margarita sales and even Southlake Town Hall’s completion, Art in the Square debuted in 2000 with a promise to bring culture to the community while also supporting local charities.
The first year, Southlake Women’s Club’s two-and-a-half day festival raised $38,000 for 10 beneficiaries. Based on that success and support, the organization gave it another go the following year. The second time around, Art in the Square more than doubled their displaying artists and raised even more money, so they told themselves they had to do another year.
Now, as it aims to surpass $3 million in overall donations benefiting local charities, Art in the Square has grown into a magnet for both locals and tourists who want to embrace the event’s sense of community. It didn’t happen overnight, but over the past 20 years, Art in the Square provided Southlake with an event that put it on the map.
Starting With The Art
While Art in the Square carries the essence of a professional production, it came out of a casual conversation between a few Southlake Women’s Club members. The 2000 president Sherri Whitt and fellow member Robin Snyder were talking about fundraiser concepts and brought the idea of an art festival to the organization’s board, and the group of volunteers hit the ground running.
“Robin was an artist and had done fine art festivals in the past, so she really knew what we needed,” Sherri explains. “She laid down the plan, and we were very excited about it. We had no idea if it would succeed.”
To create the festival, they, of course, had to find the right curation of vendors. So Art in the Square artist committee chair Terri Messing started reaching out to artists who she thought would bring quality pieces to town. The first year, 43 artists came out to the festival. Thanks to the community’s overwhelming support of the event, these artists were able to successfully walk away from their Southlake experience.
“The community really got behind us,” Sherri says. “The artists that were there the first year did quite well.”
And based on how much they sold and the relationships that were built, even more artists wanted to be a part of the 2001 event.
“It was really all through word of mouth,” Terri says. “These people would travel around the country, do shows and talk about us. That just got us better and better artists.”
Because of the dramatic interest increase, Terri started jurying the artists starting the second year. She gathered a group of professional local artists to help score the submissions and see who would make a good fit for the festival.
In 2019 alone, Art in the Square received more than 700 artist applications, and they’ve received between 700 and 800 submission requests for the past several years. These applications do not just represent Texan professionals. Artists from nearly every state as well as Asia, Europe, Israel, Canada and Mexico put their hat in the ring. And it’s the diversity of submissions that make this event a nationally-ranked fine arts festival year after year.
“It’s extremely competitive,” Terri Messing explains.
Art in the Square also knows the value of the long-time artists who have set the bar for what locals should expect in the work displayed, so they are showcasing their 2019 Featured Artists with a new attraction, “Featured Artists Alley” on Main Street. All of the featured artists have been participants of Art in the Square for the last 15 to 20 years.
There are artists who come back every year, even a select group who has shown all 20 years, but Terri acknowledges the importance of creating a new show each go around. She estimates 40 percent of the artist pool each year is experiencing Art in the Square for the first time.
“We don’t want the same show. We want to have eye candy,” Terri explains. “You don’t have to like everything but we want everything to be interesting.”
Building Out The Weekend
To help support the artists, raise money for the selected beneficiaries and get more people excited about coming out to Art in the Square, Southlake Women’s Club knew the importance of building out the entire weekend.
So during the first year, the Southlake Women’s Club members and their husbands started flipping burgers for festival guests. They also sold soft drinks and candy that then went to the total proceeds. But the organization knew they wanted to do more.
What came to follow was a growing list of festival food vendors as well local restaurants who started to sell products to guests. Longtime Southlake locations, like Feedstore BBQ, jumped at the chance to be a part of the community celebration.
“We have been doing it a long time, and it was our first venture into doing a festival-style event,” Feedstore BBQ owner Mike Lafavers says. “It’s incredibly fun because it’s a feel-good event. They were really heavy into promoting local businesses at the time too.”
Art in the Square also started offering alcohol to guests who wanted something to quench their thirst while walking around the square.
“Each year just grew and we added a little bit along the way,” Sherri says.
Kids also got more as the festival started to grow. Kids Korner has always been a part of Art in the Square’s offerings, but the available attractions grew to help keep everyone entertained throughout the day. Now kids have a lot to get excited for with The Zone, which includes rock climbing and bungee jumping.
For the kids at heart, Art in the Square took the time to build out the live music entertainment program. While the first year did not have any headlining acts, the following Art in the Squares featured bigtime names like Steve Holy, Stoney LaRue and Jewel.
Giving Back With Art in the Square
Art in the Square was designed to be a fun weekend for all, but it also has seriously impacted the local community with its dedication to give back. Since 2000, 68 different charities have received more than $2.8 million in funding. In 2018, they were able to donate $200,000 alone. And it’s all thanks to a group of determined volunteers.
“We had no vision of how much money we could raise,” Sherri says. “I think it’s unbelievable for a group of women who are all volunteers to be able to put this together and go forward.”
This year, Art in the Square will benefit 31 organizations as well as fund scholarships for Carroll graduates thanks to the proceeds raised from sponsorships, vendor booth fees and food and drink sales. And in the 20th year, Southlake Women’s Club hopes to surpass the $3 million mark.
Raising that much money can’t be done in a few months. These women devote a majority of the year to ensuring each Art in the Square is more successful than the last.
“While our committee chair meetings start in September, the work never stops for planning the next Art in the Square,” sponsorship chair Carmen Evans says. “We bring our husbands, children, family and friends to help with this event. We work tirelessly together, and there is a bond that unites us every year through the weekend.”
Art in the Square encourages new talent through the Youth Art Gallery and Emerging Artists programs. Instead of just celebrating professionals’ creations, these women know they have to help create the next class of artists if they want to support the community.
Northeast Tarrant County high school students can apply for the Youth Art program, where they will be juried and a select group will be showcased in the Youth Art tent. Kids also have the chance to receive awards, sponsored by Roxann Taylor, for outstanding achievement.
And one student will receive the Lone Star Artist Award and have their work placed in the Texas State Capitol for one week. The winner will also have the chance to visit Austin, compliments of Kids Matter International, get a tour of the capitol with State Representative Giovanni Capriglione and see their work displayed to the public.
The women and volunteers behind Art in the Square have touched more lives than the ones that walk the streets each April. They have provided a stage for local talent, given back to meaningful charities and shown that a simple idea can truly have a ripple effect. While Art in the Square has been around for two decades, the same women are still leading the charge.
“Almost everyone who has chaired Art in the Square over the past 20 years is still around,” Terri says. “People love it. It is a community project. It is a village. But the people who are doing this love it. As a founder, I thought if there are that many people who love it as much as I do, then that’s amazing.”
They might have been unaware of their long term impact, and still may not know what Art in the Square’s future holds, but their drive to keep going has shaped what Southlake is known for.
“We never had plans for 20 years,” Sherri says. “It was always, ‘Let’s do another year and see how it goes.’ There’s always been someone who has said I want to chair this. It creates such adrenaline. After setting up and walking in the next morning, you look around and just say, ‘We are ready to rock and roll.’”
The 2019 Art in the Square will run from April 26 to 28. Whether this is your first year out or your 20th year supporting the cause, Art in the Square is something all of Southlake can be proud of.