Newly-formed Southtown The Arts District (STAD) will host an official launch party for its website this Second Saturday, March 12, among the galleries clustered in the South Flores/Lone Star area.
The grassroots membership organization and its website, www.sastad.com, aims to “organize, unify, market, build, connect and promote Southtown’s creative culture and business members under one brand,” according to a news release.
The free, family-friendly event will include 10 art exhibits, live music, food trucks, video projections, and much more from 7 -11 p.m. in the area surrounding the 1906 S. Flores building. For more event information, click here.
To be included on the map, as other promotional perks, Southtown members pay a fee ranging from $50-$500. Galleries and museums are not the only ones eligible for membership. Bars, restaurants, creative services, retailers, and even other nearby districts can sign up as “Friends.”
- Nonprofit/Education: $50
- Studio Artist: $75
- Small Business (up to five employees): $150
- Large Business (six or more employees): $300
- Friends: $500
This is the first time an umbrella arts and business organization has been formed to focus on the entire Southtown area.
“Sastad.com is about taking ownership of the sustainable community that’s been built over 30 years and promoting and unifying it under one brand,” stated Andy Benavides, owner of the 1906 studio.
Previous attempts by others to brand the Southtown area have failed to catch on.
“I think that in the current climate, our project could set a standard for how to build an arts district from the ground up (rather than) top to bottom,” Benavides told the Rivard Report.
The site has significant area coverage, and several galleries and businesses have already joined up:
- The South Flores/Lone Star area: Galleries like 3rd Space, 1906 Studio and Dock Space. Dorcol Distilling Company and Jimmy’s Pizza Company are notable businesses in the area
- Blue Star Arts Complex is a “Friend” of STAD
- Mockingbird Handprints Gallery and artist Paula Cox are member galleries.
- After school arts education organization Say Sí
- La Tuna Ice House
- King William – home to the First Friday art walk – has no member galleries at this time; however, Rosario’s and The Station Café are business members.
- Pig Liquors
- The sole Lavaca member so far is photographer Scott Martin
- The up-and-coming Roosevelt Avenue corridor is currently represented by Mercury Project, run by Antonia Richardson
- Other nearby members include Linda Pace Foundation and business member Alamo Architects.
The site launch will overlap with the Second Saturday art walk, a Contemporary Art Month event, and organizers promise that the STAD event will make this the biggest Second Saturday ever.
The free, family-friendly event includes 10 art exhibits, live music, food trucks, video projections, and much more. The event will take place in the area surrounding the 1906 S. Flores building, and runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more event information, click here.
*Top Image: Musicians perform on the patio of the 1906 S. Flores building during Second Saturday in 2015. Photo by Page Graham.
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