Lovers of all things art and those looking to find the perfect new statement piece for their home should mark their calendars for this fine art sale.
Held every fall at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, the 14th fine art sale will feature over 25 artists in a variety of mediums including mixed media watercolor, oil and acrylic artists, jewelers, potters, printmaking, stained glass, woodworkers and found art. The event, which first started as a way for congregation members to showcase their talents has quickly become a yearly staple featuring art from a variety of community artists, heARTfest committee member Carol Muegge says.
“The show started 13 years ago when our outreach committee looked at ways that we could do to bring people into our church,” Carol says. “We've always had a lot of cultural events with our music and choir, so we were looking for a new way to bring people together and then we discovered we had 18 artists within our congregation and we decided to put an art show together.”
Since its inception, the show has continued to grow and now hosts artists from around the area and also has applicants from the Houston and Austin areas, Carol says. This year, the two-day event will open with a free reception on Friday, Nov. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. and will continue with sales on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The church invites guests from all over the Brazos Valley to attend this free event.
“There is something for everyone at the show,” Carol says. “Artists have a variety of sizes and pricing when it comes to their work and attendees of the show can take something home they will treasure forever.”
This year’s event will also feature the new rebranded name, heARTfest, to better capture the spirit of the event and the annual celebration of creativity. The name change also comes with a new logo, which features a heart-shaped paint brush stroke, symbolizing the love and passion that goes into every work of art, Carol says.
“We believe that art is not just something you look at, but something that touches your heart and soul,” Carol says. “With this new logo, we hope that it will become a symbol for our church and the community.”
Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to tour the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church building, which features the 14 Stations of the Cross egg-shell mosaics by Dr. Jeff Terrel.
“Dr. Terrel got involved with creating different religious icons out of crushed egg shells,” Carol says. “All of the pieces are meticulously placed together to form whatever he is creating — and they are beautiful.”
The art show also features an online silent auction, which will feature pieces from each artist as well as other donations. The auction will launch the last week of October and will go through the end of the event; winners will not need to be in attendance to bid. This year, net proceeds will go to benefit Brenham GameChangers, which is an organization empowering students in Washington County by fostering growth and development in athletic, performing arts and scholastic activities.
“We wanted to reach out to the community with our silent auction earnings and Brenham GameChangers was something we were really excited about,” Carol says. “It is a great organization that helps empower Washington County students and offers practical life skill training like job interview prep and provides financial assistance for students who need uniforms for athletics or fine arts activities.”
For more information on heARTfest, visit their Facebook and Instagram at @heartfestbrenham.
