Elgin Art Walks Gain Momentum With More Than 90 Artists & Musicians Exhibiting
April 3, 2008
ELGIN, TEXAS — The artistic energy in downtown Elgin is alive and growing. The next Art Walk is scheduled for Saturday, April, 12th from 6pm until 9pm. It will feature sixty artists exhibiting in downtown businesses, gallery exhibits, and over thirty musicians playing in four different locations throughout the Historic Downtown District. Music is coordinated by Debbie Lundrigan of the Elgin Jam. Highlights include Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Western Swing, Big Band, Jazz and Classical Guitar. Musicians will be playing on street corners and inside several businesses, creating a one-of-a-kind Elgin Art Walk experience.
Galleries will be showcasing the work of local, regional, and national artists. Exhibitions include Kingfisher Fine Art & Music’s Spring Show featuring new work by Susan Kirchman and Neil Cronk; WW Treenware Folk Art Gallery & Studio will be featuring artists working in treen, watercolor, polymer clay, pottery, fused glass, mask making, and photography. At Enye Gallery, artists working in jewelry, oil, fiber art, beads, ceramics, oil and photography will be showcasing their work. Bremond House Gallery opens its Legends of Tanach Show, with artist Dan Grife working in acrylic & copper. An added feature to this show is Grife’s storytelling sessions at the gallery scheduled for 1pm, 3pm and 5pm Art Walk day. Bremond House is also hosting a book signing with author E. C. Gibson and his new murder/mystery novel, Nine Lords of the Night, during the Art Walk beginning at 6pm.
Local businesses or ‘other wall’ locations host many of the local and regional artists working in oil, watercolor, fused glass, beads, photography and origami. Hosting businesses include Blue Moon Auction and Mercantile, A Flower Connection, Stanberry & Associates Realtors, Elgin Depot Museum, Franklin Bank Community Room, Jeanette Shelby Realty, Elgin Outfitters, Main Street Optical, Back Forty Chiropractic, Nirvana Smoothies & Café, and Lickity Splits Ice Cream Parlor.
The Oncor Electric Delivery offices will host the first children’s art component to the Elgin Art Walk. Children’s face painting will be done by artist Kristen Rendulic and a Children’s Art Contest with the theme Texas Springtime, will be hosted by Susan Snelson and artist Ava Barker of the Elgin Arts Association, The children’s events will run from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.
Elgin Art Walks are scheduled on the second Saturday of the months of March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The Elgin Art Walk is in the Historic Downtown District and takes place in existing commercial galleries, non-profit arts spaces and what are called “other walls”; restaurants and retail stores. Art Walk exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information about exhibits and a detailed walking map, visit www.artinelgin.com/.
Salado Launches Re-Branding Campaign With an “Artfully Yours” Focus
April 2, 2008
SALADO, TEXAS — “Artfully Yours” is a regional re-branding campaign underwritten by the Village of Salado and the Salado Chamber of Commerce. This effort will begin a major shift in the community’s marketing efforts to leverage Salado’s arts identity to strengthen and expand its tourism reach. The “Artfully Yours” slogan grew out of a desire to develop a deeper, richer understanding of Salado’s cultural and natural resources which have long made it a favorite arts destination.
Salado has a large population of resident artists, galleries, one-of-a-kind specialty shops and restaurants, cultural festivals, and numerous bed & breakfast accommodations – all nestled into one of the most scenic areas of Texas. It has been a treasured arts destination for several decades. The brand repositioning campaign will broaden Salado’s definition of the arts to include all expressions of creativity; fine arts, literary arts, handmade crafts, cultural displays, performing arts and music. The campaign is a cohesive plan that incorporates an artistic theme into every visitor touch point.
“Collectively we can do more to promote interest in our community and businesses than we can do individually,” stated Larry Prellop, President of the Salado Chamber of Commerce. The “Artfully Yours” initiative has unprecedented public and private cooperation,” added Prellop.
Salado has hired Austin-area communications firm, Embella, Inc., to create momentum in the hearts and minds of travelers as they contemplate weekend getaways. “We chose Embella because of their history of energizing developing arts communities and their understanding of our local markets,” added Prellop. Embella plans an integrated marketing and public relations strategy consisting of media tours, feature stories, press releases, online marketing, advertising and events strategy, and collateral repackaging. Embella expects to ignite interest from the Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston markets – areas that range from forty-five minutes to three hours driving distance from Salado.
“Salado’s re-branding effort is aimed at leveraging its core strength as an arts destination with a refreshed, more relevant message for younger generations who may not be familiar with the brand,” stated David E. Warner, CEO of Embella. “What we’re undertaking is a significant change in how Salado views itself, how businesses interact, and how Salado’s originality and uniqueness is communicated… ultimately translating into a heightened experience for visitors and increased tourism revenue,” concluded Warner.
There is an emerging trend among small communities to embrace their cultural assets to attract tourism dollars, and for good reason. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, (as reported in The Historic/Cultural Traveler, 2003 Edition) eighty-one percent of the 146.4 million U.S. adults who took a trip of 50 miles or more away from home in the past year can be considered cultural and heritage tourists. These travelers spend more per visit: $623 vs. $457 and stay longer: 5.2 nights vs. 3.4 nights than other travelers.
About Embella
Embella is a full-service marketing and communications agency specializing in economic development through arts and cultural initiatives. Services include management consulting, research, marketing, publicity/public relations, promotions, advertising and Web site development. Embella’s client list is varied and includes Fortune 500 as well as small to mid size organizations. For more information about Embella, visit their web site at www.embella.com or call 866-505-3400.
About Salado
The Village of Salado is located in Central Texas approximately fifty miles north of Austin. The Village is a popular tourist destination due to its rich history, idyllic setting on the Salado Creek, and its growing arts and cultural community. Salado’s population of 3,944 is unique for a small rural town with 70% of its population having attended college and earning higher household incomes compared to the US average. Salado has been home to many esteemed individuals including authors, Liz Carpenter and A.C. Green, two Texas governors, Governor James E. Ferguson and Governor Miriam “Ma” Ferguson and numerous historical figures such as Sam Houston and General George Custer. For more information visit the Village of Salado Web site at www.salado.com; contact Debbie Charbonneau at 254-947-8634 – email saladotourism@vvm.com, or Suzi Epps at 254-947-5040 – email saladochamber@vvm.com.
