Community

S.M.A.R.T cultivates community with the immensely popular Second Saturday monthly artwalk, the annual A Day In Southtown event and through strong community partnerships.

Second Saturday Artwalk is a family friendly monthly event in

Southtown The Arts District's

Lone Star / Collins Garden neighborhoods.

Second Saturday Artwalk was founded by S.M.A.R.T. Executive Director Andy Benavides in 1996. The art walk has grown from serving 1,000 people to over 8,000 people annually. The S.M.A.R.T. facility contains 14 art studios each run by a professional artist. Each artist opens their space for the evening, creating a night full of art, music, food, fashion and community. This event is a monthly opportunity for resident artists to share and sell their work.

A Day In Southtown is Southtown's free annual celebration

of the creativity and community that seeds it's neighborhoods

For this day, S.M.A.R.T. proudly sponsors up to 30 art education workshops spread throughout the District. Learn more about the event here: #ADAYINSOUTHTOWN EVENT SCHEDULE

S.M.A.R.T. / The NRP Group partnership

In 2012 The NRP Group opened Cevallos Lofts. Part of The NRP Group's mission with Cevallos was to develop a community space that accomplished two things: (1) make local art accessible to their residents and (2) support the local art community. Every year since 2012, SMART organizes an annual art exhibition where local nonprofits and educational institutions are given an opportunity to exhibit in what is often their first public art experience. In partnership with The NRP Group, the reception is held every March during Contemporary Art Month. All works are for sale and the show runs for an entire year.

Current Exhibition:

Behind The Lens: Light of the Eastside

by: Light Catchers Society

March 2020 - February 2021

Jazmon Limón, 2019

Behind the Lens is a collection of work showcasing the individual strengths of 11 - 12 year old photographers representing the Eastside (Harvard Place / Eastlawn neighborhoods). Known together as the "Light Catchers Society", these eleven young artists provide excerpts from their visually-based storytelling in order to shift the narrative of their community.

full show description

Participating artists include

Cesia Martinez Cortéz • Jazmin Limón • Mayte Lara • Vicente López •

Martin Patino • Kimberly Rubio • Ricardo Vásquez • Israel Acosta Willis •

D'aviona King • Alejandro Vásquez • Nehemiah Welch