Have you ever wondered where the art on the library’s walls comes from? Most of us stop to admire a painting or photograph while we’re visiting, but few realize that the exhibits change almost every month—and that an entire community of artists and volunteers make those exhibits possible.
The largest of these rotating exhibits is Art Hop, the annual juried exhibition of Texas arts held in the library each October.
Art Hop is much more than a local exhibit. It is open to every Texas artist age 16 and older, attracting hundreds of submissions from Central Texas and across the state.
The planning for the event starts in April and the work on the exhibit proceeds at an increasingly mad rush that culminates on the last Sunday in September. Then the real work begins. During three intense days, volunteers receive every accepted artwork, verify it, catalog it, prepare labels, help install the artists’ work, and transform the library into one of the largest public art galleries in the region.
Art Hop is organized by Hill Country Arts Focus (HCAF), the volunteer-led local nonprofit that operated the Georgetown Art Center for a decade. With a small core group from HCAF and a few library adult-program staff helping when they can, keeping this exhibit going every year takes real effort—and real hands.
That’s why the Friends of the Library are helping spread the word. HCAF needs volunteers to keep Art Hop going, and we want our community to know just how much this exhibit means to the library and to Texas artists. If you’ve ever enjoyed the show, this is your chance to help make the next one happen—welcoming artists, receiving artwork, assisting with installation, and helping create an experience enjoyed by thousands of library visitors each October.
And what about the name Art Hop? Long before the library became its primary home, the exhibit was spread among downtown businesses. Visitors figuratively “hopped” from one location to another to see the entire show. Today the name remains as a reminder of the exhibit’s history and of the community partnerships that helped it grow.
Every October, library visitors enjoy the finished exhibit. What they don’t see are the months of planning and the volunteers who make it possible. Their work ensures that the library remains not only a place to discover books, but also one of the community’s most accessible galleries for Texas artists.
Interested in volunteering with Art Hop? Review and submit your information to support this robust effort.
