Art on the Bosque
Home to many Texas artists, Clifton embraces its center
Not every small town has an arts center the caliber of the Bosque Arts Center (BAC) in Clifton, recognized as one of the top 100 rural art centers in the nation. It’s here today because of Clifton artist and photogra- pher Joan Spieler and many dedicated art lovers and volunteers in the area. Spieler discovered back in the 1970s that art wasn’t being taught in any of the Bosque County schools, so she headed a campaign to bring art to all children in the county.
In 1981 the BAC, originally known as the Bosque County Conservatory of Fine Arts, opened at the loca- tion of the old Lutheran College that was established in 1896. Clifton College merged with Texas Lutheran College in Seguin in 1954. The Clifton College prop- erty was sold and used by a manufacturing company for many years. This administration building, built in 1923, is designated as a Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission, and the three-story building is the heart of the BAC.
It comes as no surprise that the community would embrace an arts center since so many Texas artists have called Bosque County home. The BAC isn’t afraid to do a little name dropping when it comes to mentioning past and present residents, such as cowboy artists James Boren, Melvin Warren, Martin Grelle and Bruce Greene, along with nationally recognized Tony Eubanks, George Hallmark, George Boutwell and more than 20 other working artists and sculptors.
REVITALIZATION Clifton, with a population of approximately 3,400, has restored and repurposed many of its historic structures to make space for the arts.
Today the Bosque Arts Center is alive with the visual arts, live theater, permanent and rotating photography exhibits, a culinary club, an art club, an artisan/pottery guild, a quilt guild, a civic music association and a myriad of classes, work- shops, concerts and seasonal offerings.
The Jones Gallery houses a collection of representational art with an emphasis on Western art. Each year the BAC Art Council conducts a nationally recognized juried art show over two weekends in September. This event kicks off with a preview, awards dinner and show. During the exhibit viewers are able to purchase paintings and sculptures entered in the show.
Throughout the year a variety of events, featuring different areas of the BAC, occur. Tin Building Theatre productions are offered several times during the year, providing dinner, matinee and evening performances. The Big Event on the second weekend in April, the major fundraiser for the BAC, features a Friday night concert and a Saturday evening dinner and auction. The Annual Quilt Show occurs in June and features a weekend of prize-winning quilts and vendor booths. The Texas Troubadour Songwriter Classic in October is a competition for songwriters featuring a celebrity judge, song- writer performances and awards. Painting and pottery workshops are held at various times during the year featuring opportunities for hands-on work with well-known artists and potters.
