The halls of the Victoria Mall transformed into a vibrant gallery and stage last Saturday, thanks to the latest version of the VTX Art and Music Walk. The event is a quarterly celebration proudly hosted by the Crossroads Art House.
Dozens of Victoria’s up-and-coming artists seized the opportunity to showcase their unique crafts, diverse art styles and individual pieces to an engaged community. More than just an exhibition, the event fostered a powerful connection, allowing creators and enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the thriving local art and music scene.
“The art walk has been really important to Victoria because it has made art more accessible to the average citizen. People going about their day can stop and see art,” Krysta Lyssy, paint and mixed media artist, said. “One of the really wonderful things about the art walk is the variety of artists involved. Claire and Joshua (Santellana) have done a wonderful job of recruiting a lot of different art styles. We have photographers, painters, pencil artists. We have so many different things for people to see.”
The VTX Art and Music Walk has hosted its quarterly demonstrations and showcases since June 2021, with festivities primarily downtown in the sizzling summer sun. But thanks to the efforts of the Santellana family, talented artists Saturday were able to enjoy the air-cooled Victoria Mall venue, much to the relief of many of its attendees.
“Art is important from an economic perspective because the art walk encourages people to come out into the community,” Lyssy said. “If you buy art from a local artist, the money you pay for that is going right back into your own community. We eat at the restaurants here, we shop in the stores here and we rent apartments in our city.”
Investing in the local economy, supporting local businesses and helping the dreams of neighbors and friends who create beauty and inspiration from scratch is only one part of the mission of the VTX Art and Music Walk. It’s also an opportunity to network, find unique commission pieces and to learn about opportunities to partake in the creativity.
“The art walk helps us because it lets people know that we’re here and that this is an option,” Kirstie Marquette of the Marquette School of Music said at her and her husband’s musical booth. “We’ll play a little piano game with them, and Casey will play something and tell them to play the black key. Somehow, it just works together.”
Casey Marquette has been playing piano for 24 years, cultivating his passion and commitment for teaching music theory and performance since graduating Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Marquette’s and Lyssey’s stories are all shining examples of how much the VTX Art and Music Walk benefits the local talent scene and cultivates some of the community’s best offerings of creativity to display to the general public, who may or may not see or hear the unique pieces on their own.
Crossroads Art House strives to continue the tradition of fostering a professional, welcoming and fun environment for people from all walks of life.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
