Here in Austin, TX we find ourselves surrounded by powerful, creative, and visionary women of all ages. We live in a progressive city that encourages women to create and prosper. With a multitude of organizations, groups, collectives, and local businesses owned by Austin women, atxGALS definitely makes it on the list.
atxGALS is an Austin-based female artist group focused on “creating art events that not only highlight emerging local women artists but also give art spectators (from newbies to experts) a unique way to experience art, all while supporting organizations that align with women issues/rights and women empowerment”. Pretty dope if you ask us.
How did it all start we ask ourselves. Often the most unique and brilliant ideas are created in just an instant. atxGALS began with a simple conversation between a couple of artists friends. Co-founders Whitney Turetzky and Monica Ceniceros found themselves discussing art and exhibits during E.A.S.T of 2016. Just like that, BAM! the concept was born.
An all-women group art show.
Co-founder, Monica Ceniceros shares, “From years of doing E.A.S.T and other local shows, I felt like we could gather enough talented women artists for the show. I didn’t know what kind of response we’d get, but luckily, everyone was just as excited about the idea. And just like that, we had 13 badass women on board. In lieu of having a cheesy Valentine’s party on Valentine’s Day, we decided to plan around the date and call our event, The Galentine’s Show. Little did we know that Galentine’s would not be our first and only event”.
Each show highlights between 12-15 artists at various locations around the city. “We like to move around to keep things fresh, but that also means we have to adjust to the space which affects the number of artists we can accommodate”.
If you didn’t catch it, atxGALS is just one year old and have already produced 4 successful events thus far. “We are still learning and growing and I am proud of what we have accomplished so far”, says Ceniceros. The female powerhouse co-founders of atxGALS had some experience with event organizing, creating artwork, and marketing, but this was a new adventure for all of them. As many of us can vouche for, all things in life are a process and the atxGALS crew is learning as they go and doing a damn good job thus far.
Currently working with approximately 30 female artists and anticipating a surplus of growth in 2018, things are looking good for atxGALS.
We bet you’re thinking, “How do I get involved? Sign me up!” – Good news, there’s a process in place for selecting the artists for future events.
We like to bring in new talent to each show while still keeping a good percentage of returning artists. We encourage any local female artists interested in being part of our shows to submit their work to us for review at atxgals.org@gmail.com
We asked the founders of atxGALS to share their insight on the importance of community, women’s empowerment, and their experience working within this realm. They dropped some knowledge so continue reading to get your daily inspiration.
It’s no secret that women in business deserve more recognition, and it is no different in the art world. We knew we were passionate about what we were doing, but one thing we’ve learned from this experience is that women truly DO empower each other… there is a beautiful energy in the room when we’re working together, setting up for the shows, conversing and sharing ideas. We learn so much from each other. One of the biggest takeaways is being able to inspire one another. Working next to other creative, talented, strong women that understand you on that level is energizing. I believe we fuel each others’ creativity and gain more confidence around our art. It’s pure inspiration and motivation to keep creating and growing as an artist.
Keep creating. Keep collaborating. Keep lifting one another up. Keep Austin the dopest city on the planet. Keep empowering the women around you. Much love from the SprATX family and all the good vibes to atxGALS.
atxGALS Upcoming Event:
2nd Annual Galentine’s Show on February 16th, 2018