Art League brings something new to Dripping Springs

DRIPPING SPRINGS  — After learning that there was an interest in creating a local art community, Steve Friedman and his wife, Jennifer, decided to establish the Dripping Springs Art League last fall.

The couple formed the nonprofit in response to hearing the feedback from the community during an informal meeting in August 2023. They wanted to gauge what people wanted to see in a local art league, which ultimately became the organization’s mission: art, community and connection.

“They wanted to learn more about art, to be able to practice art, to have forums where there would be workshops and other events where they could work on their art. They wanted to do it together; many people were artists in their own home, they had met other artists and they just wanted to meet other people and socialize,” Steve, who is the president of the Dripping Springs Art League, said. “And finally, connection because a lot of the artists, in addition to connecting with other artists, really want to find opportunities to market their art, talk about their art, share it and sell their art. They want connections with local galleries and also just the general public who's interested in art.”

As a component of the connection aspect in the mission, Steve said that they believe it’s important that the league is an active member of the community. Therefore, they are working with the city, chamber and others to develop a community for art.

Bringing an art league to Dripping Springs is important as it offers something new to residents and visitors that was missing in the community, according to Steve, especially because neighboring cities like Wimberley and San Marcos have art leagues of their own.

“I think art, in general, just brings a lot of vibrancy to wherever you see art. I think it supports the people and the artists, but it also creates a more lively atmosphere here in Dripping. We think it's a really important opportunity for artists to grow their own craft, but also for the community to bring that art into public spaces,” he said.

Prior to the formation of the art league, Steve said that they collaborated with other galleries in Dripping Springs to do an art tour last May. The majority of attendees said that they were unaware that there were any art galleries in the area. Steve said that he hopes having an art league in Dripping Springs will allow for more opportunities for residents, and visitors, to support artists in the area.

“I think Dripping has a lot of wonderful things going for us and it could also be an art destination,” he said. “I think the community was just not aware that there was even art here for them to look at or to potentially buy. And so, I think there's opportunities for us to have that impact on the community here, as well.”

While he is not an artist himself, Steve said that he has seen the impact that art can have on different people.

“My wife is an artist; she started about five or six years ago. Our oldest daughter, Gwendolyn, she's now 29 and she has Down syndrome. They were working on different projects together and things that they could sell or auction off as part of our daughter's school fundraiser. Rather than ask for money, they decided they would create some art. This was really the beginning of my wife's art journey and over time, she's kind of grown her art into various different areas,” Steve said. “But I found that art touches all different parts of society. We have kids that love to do art, older people, seniors [and] people with special needs. I think it just acts as this kind of opportunity for people to connect with their more creative side and connect with each other. It’s a community bonding thing, which I think is so powerful.”

The Dripping Springs Art League is a member-based nonprofit organization. Individual membership is $35 and family (two adults plus kids under 18 years old) and business (two representatives) memberships are $65. Benefits for these 12-month memberships include: invitations to attend all programming events; eligibility to participate in gallery/home studio art tours; opportunities to volunteer on Dripping Springs Art League committees; and the option to have name listed in the member gallery on the website.

There are other membership levels, called Founding Circle, for people who want to give more toward the cause of establishing the league as the art hub in the community.

• The bronze membership ($100) includes all individual benefits in addition to having the option to have an expanded biography on the website’s member gallery, as well as being eligible to be featured as Dripping Springs Art League Artist of the Month.

• The silver membership ($250) includes all bronze benefits, plus recognition in newsletters and being eligible to submit up to two events per month to be reposted as an Instagram story on the art league’s page.

• The gold membership ($500) includes all silver benefits, plus being the designated sponsor for one of the league’s programming events and getting an invitation to the annual Gold and Platinum Member Reception.

• The platinum membership ($1,000) includes all gold benefits, plus recognition as an official Art Tour sponsor on the league’s website and printed materials.

The Dripping Springs Art League has several events coming up, including the following:

• Collaborative Art Mixer (open to members and non-members) from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 at Cordovan Art School

• Fiber Art Collective from 6-8 p.m. on April 11 at Fitzhugh Brewery (members pay $20; non-members pay $30)

• Poppy Plein Air from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 20 in the West Fitzhugh and McGregor Road area (address will be emailed after registration)

For more information about the Dripping Springs Art League, to learn how to become a member or register for events, visit www.artindripping.com.