The Story of Artwalk Alpine

We began as a small grassroots organization in 1994 with a handful of artists and gallery owners wanting to have a collective open house to showcase our latest art creations. We called it “Gallery Night”. The first Gallery Night included six public and private gallery locations and one book store. The event was a complete success, well attended, and received praise from the community.  It began, and continues to be, the weekend before Thanksgiving each year. Now we call it “Artwalk”.

Since the first Gallery Night, we knew we had something special ~ something that the folks in Far West Texas were craving.  They wanted “culture” ~ a reason to socialize,  to get dressed up and visit with friends they had not seen in a while, as well as check out the art scene.  It was perfect timing.

In the beginning, we collected art donations from all the exhibiting artists and had an art silent auction to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. As our efforts toward that particular event were very successful, we extended our efforts to include funding an art scholarship at Sul Ross State University to which we continue to donate $1,000 annually. The art silent auction benefits operations of the Alpine Public Library and is their single largest fundraiser each year. Additionally, we have raised over $12,000 in the last two years through raffles, rummage sales, and auctions for our public and private schools’ art programs and scholarships.

For the 20th and 21st anniversaries of Artwalk Alpine in 2013 and 2014, respectively, we paid tribute to the spirited residents of the Big Bend Region with gifts of public art ~ downtown murals honoring our vibrant Hispanic heritage. The murals are based on traditional Mexican calendar images. They were designed and painted by muralist Stylle Read with volunteer assistance by area artists including Juliana Johnson, Carol Fairlie, Deborah Allison, and Pauline Hernandez.

We are an energetic organization that promotes the arts in rural West Texas. Through our efforts, we support and assist scholarship for the development of school art programs, and endorse community facilities which provide area-wide services.  Therefore, our friends and neighbors are more mindful of the “arts” that surround them in Alpine, a Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural District.