Spotlight on the Georgetown Art Scene
photos courtesy of Amanda Still
After exploring the story of art in America in the usual places like Chicago and New York, filmmaker Christelle Bois decided to point her camera at a destination not typically known for its art – Texas. “I really want to discover those places that we usually disregard in terms of art.”
From painting to music, sculpture to murals, poetry to dance, pottery to storytelling, The Story of Art in America docuseries explores how art is, and always has been, an essential part of America’s social fabric. In the first two seasons, viewers followed along as Christelle traversed the west coast and southeast and interviewed talented artists from all walks of life. Last month, she visited a mix of 10 small towns and large cities across Texas: Dallas, Canyon, Odessa, Alpine, Sonora, Georgetown, Salado, Corsicana, Texarkana, and Dennison.
To ensure an interesting mix of on-screen characters, she asked Arts and Culture Program Manager Amanda Still to send her a broad but inclusive list of 10-20 artists. “I wanted all the community represented, some female and male artists, to showcase the most diversity—in terms of art and community—as possible.” Ann Evans, a reference librarian at the Georgetown library, will be the featured historian, and readers who tune in to season three of The Story of Art in America will be the first to see which Georgetown artists made the cut.
ART JOURNEY
Christelle’s filmmaking journey began when she realized she had an emotional need for creative expression. “Art, for me, was for very skilled, educated people. I thought art was definitely not for me,” she says. “It took me 40 years to realize I needed to express myself.”
She began her personal journey in 2018, displaying black and white cityscape photos from her globetrotting adventures at an art exhibit in New York. She was subsequently moved to discover the impact of art on others and took to the road to interview artists, art teachers, museum curators, and everyday Americans from New York to California. The resulting documentary, Americart 2019, was well received and inspired Christelle and her team to expand it into a docuseries.
The goal of The Story of Art in America, she says, is to demonstrate that art is accessible to everyone. “It’s not behind glass. It can touch everyone, and everyone can experience it.” She also hopes viewers will be inspired to not just talk about art, but also the people behind the art. “I want to feel the emotion and discover what it takes to be an artist — what art is in terms of humanity, not technicity.”
TUNE IN
Georgetown folks can catch their town on the big screen when season three of The Story of Art in America premiers on Amazon Prime in late 2023 or early next year. Visit the website to learn more about the docuseries.