Virtual Class: Art Smart Art Appreciation
2021-01-25 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-01 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-08 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-15 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-22 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-03-01 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | TX
A weekly art appreciation class led by Veteran artist and curator Judith Estrada Garcia will be a fun look at contemporary artists and their work. Learn more about artists, art styles and the artists’ motivations. Get inspired to create your own masterpieces or to dive deeper into research on a specific artist. A fun weekly class to expand your knowledge. Each class ends with an optional art challenge based on the artist you learned about. This class is designed and Free for Veterans and their family members. Although all are welcome to attend. Please consider making a donation to support our Veteran programs. Registration required.
Cost
Free for Veterans and their family members. Donations encouraged for others.
Registration
Registration required. A Go To Meeting link will be sent to those who register. Click here to register
Questions?
Contact April Sullivan april@artsparktx.org

Virtual Class: All Rhythms Percussion 2
2021-01-26 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-02 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-09 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-16 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-02-23 18:30 - 19:30, 2021-03-02 18:30 - 19:30
This weekly virtual music enrichment class taught by Ian Fry utilizes percussion instruments will build on skills and exercises learned in our previous Percussion class*. From how to hold the sticks to beginning techniques such as rebounding, bouncing, buzzing, rolling, accenting and exercises starting with singles, doubles, triples, and more. Rudiments will continue to be learned and will involve various rolls, flams, and drags. We will focus on playing along with songs for a final concert at the last class. Play the drums, pots and pans, found objects, the table, or just your body. Open to beginners and anyone wanting to broaden your understanding and exposure to different styles of music from around the world. Feel free to invite all in your household to join you during the hour!
*If you did not attend the first Percussion class, a recording of the lessons will be sent to you.
This class is designed and Free for Veterans and their family members. Although all are welcome to attend. Please consider making a donation to support our Veteran program. Registration required.
Cost
Free for Veterans and their family members. Donations encouraged for others.
Registration
Registration required. A Zoom link will be sent to those who register. Click here to register
Questions?
Contact April Sullivan april@artsparktx.org

Community Conversations: Virtual Card-Making Party
2021-01-27 19:00 - 20:30
Mark your calendars and gather your card stock paper, markers, pencils, paint, stampers and ink, cut-out pictures from magazines, miscellaneous paper ephemera and get ready to be creative. There will be some creative prompt challenges (participation is optional), and we’ll take some time to show off our new creations.
This is all about hanging out and making fun art in a relaxed, conversational setting.
Meeting Link.

For Sale: Valentine’s Day Art Boxes
2021-02-01, 2021-02-08
A surprise visit from Cupid will create a magical day for you and your loved ones! Our Valentine’s Curated Art Box is crafted with love and full of delightful things, including Sweet Treats from Cupid himself! We have hand-selected artwork and curated the boxes ready for pickup or shipping out to you, or to your family and special friends.
There are wonderful surprises inside each box: Paintings, jewelry and other wearables, fragrant candles, bath bombs and more – the contents of each box are sure to please! Each box comes with a handmade Valentine card, which you can personalize with your own message—or we can write it for you!
Shop now.

Virtual Open Mic - The Lion & Pirate
2021-02-07 13:00 - 14:30
The Lion & Pirate in 2021 inclusive, open mic for writers, performers, and acoustic musicians invites you to join us Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 1pm. Sponsored by Art Spark Texas and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest. Organizers also include Malvern Books and the Coalition of Texans Disabilities.
Performers
click here to sign-up by noon February 6.
As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform! There will be 10 sign up slots. We ask that you sign up ahead of time. Any sign-ups after 10 will be held on a backup list .
Stay tuned to our Facebook Page for event updates and invite your friends too. You can tune in just to connect with your community and give us those “clap” reactions.
How to Join the Open Mic
Here is the link to join the Virtually Lion & Pirate Open Mic as a Performer or Guest.
Save this Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85323118334
Meeting ID: 853 2311 8334
Password: [REDACTED]
Questions? Please email Ms Boye: boye@artsparktx.org.
Thank you for donating and supporting Art Spark Texas Speaking Advocates Program and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest.

Community Conversations: Gene Rodgers
2021-02-10 19:00 - 20:00
Spend a spicy hour with raconteur, world traveler, motivational speaker, television host and lover of life, Gene Rodgers, on our Virtual Community Conversation. Bring your burning questions about how Gene does it all and hang on to your seats while he regales us with his adventures and witty repartee.
We are using GoToMeeting
Please click here to join from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (571) 317-3112
Access Code: 963-250-373
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts.
Questions?
Email Susan at outreach@artsparktx.org

Virtual Class: Elements Dance
2021-02-13 11:00 - 12:00
Notice new time!
In this class we will look back videos and images from the very beginning of Body Shift.
Think about what’s happening in the image here? What are you thinking? What happened before this image was taken and where will this dance go from here?
Classes meet every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 11am CT. Cost: $5-20 per class. Pay online here.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 842 7407 0780
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Art Spark Dance has been offering dance classes that are welcoming and accessible for all for over a decade. In our Elements class, we guide you through exercises that support your individual creative expression and for you to move in new and unique ways in a fun environment.
For more information, contact silva@artsparktx.org.
ID: People low, medium and high level. Dancers are extending their limbs to connect with other people around them.

Virtual Class: The Flutterbook Project
2021-02-18 11:00 - 12:00, 2021-02-25 11:00 - 12:00, 2021-03-04 11:00 - 12:00
Create your own Flutterbook! Join us for this weekly class filled with mindfulness exercises, inspirational poetry, and creating visual art based on nature and personal reflections. 11am-12pm. Each week you will add to your own handmade book as a record of your written and visual growth.
You watch a video and create the art on your own time. Then join others on a weekly video chat to share what you learned and created.
Art Supplies are needed for this class. Download the supply list and gather your own. Or buy from Art Spark Texas.
This class is designed and Free for Veterans and their family members. Although all adults are welcome to attend. Please consider making a donation to support our Veteran programs.
Cost
Free for Veterans and their family members. Donations encouraged for others. Supplies extra. Click here to purchase supplies.
Registration
Registration required. A Go To Meeting link will be sent to those who register. Click here to register.
Questions?
Contact April Sullivan april@artsparktx.org

Virtual Class: Be Present
2021-02-21 15:00 - 16:00, 2021-02-28 15:00 - 16:00, 2021-03-07 15:00 - 16:00
An Art and Mindfulness Series
Art Sparks Texas is inviting you to join “Be Present”, an Art and Mindfulness series each Sunday @3pm, Feb 21 – March 28 and April 11 – May 16.
Register through Eventbrite to receive the class Zoom link to attend.
Music, Poetry, and Movement
Register for Session 1: Feb 21 – Mar 28, 2021
Movement with Nancy Bain.
March 21 and 28.
This movement workshop will focus on relaxation, posture and explore Ideokinesis, a method of visualization that can lead to improvements in physical awareness and overall well-being. The class will follow an educational, rather than therapeutic, model and will aid participants in developing their power of thinking, intuition, and kinetic awareness rather than relying on the power of the teacher. Join us for a connecting experience. Join us via Zoom.
Classes do not meet on April 4, 2021
Visual Art and Mindfulness
Register for Session 2: Apr 11 – May 16, 2020
Flutter Book with Jerry Slayton
In this 6 week workshop, each participant will learn how to bind and design their own Flutter Book. A Flutter Book uses an accordion style method of folding and can be read like a regular book, but also displayed as a sculptural piece. Each project in the workshop will explore themes of winter through mindfulness exercises, inspirational poems, and creating visual art. Our book will hold each week’s artwork and serve as a record of our written and visual growth from April—May 2021. Join us via Zoom.

These classes are a fun and engaging way to expand your artistic skills, try new art forms, and learn more about mindfulness practice. This virtual class series has two sessions, the first explores music, poetry and movement, and the second session investigates bookmaking and visual Art.

Community Conversations: Glenn Towery
2021-02-24 19:00 - 20:00
Save the Date for our Community Conversation with Artist of the Month Glenn Towery!
More details coming soon. Read April’s blog about Glenn.

Voices in Verse: Virtual Writing Conference
2021-02-27 09:00 - 16:00
Voices in Verse is a Virtual Writing Conference designed for Veterans, but open to anyone interested in writing. Harness your voice and make 2021 the year of your creative metamorphosis. Art Spark Texas, in partnership with the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival, invites you to learn writing techniques from some of our most awarded Texas writers. View presenter bios here. We have the following talented writers leading hands-on virtual sessions:
Schedule
Voices in Verse 9:00 am – 4:00 pm CT

9:15-10:30 Nathan Brown presents Write It Out: Emotional Healing through Creative Journaling
An organized approach to mental and emotional healing from trauma, depression, or anger through the practice of “writing it out of your system” in a personal journal.
10:45-noon Edward Vidaurre presents Summoning Silence: Writing Through the Chaos by Finding Our Voice in the Ordinary Thing
We will write about what we take for granted, what we tend to brush past in our everyday hustle and bustle of life, we will drop the anchor to our beings and tune in to nature and our spirit, we will write the skeleton of future poems of self-healing and remembrance.
Noon-1pm Lunch break
1:00-2:15 Emmy Pérez presents Write It All Down First, Revise Later: Generative Writing Workshop
2:30-3:45 Andrea Vocab Sanderson presents When the rhythm bubbles up
3:45-4:00 Daniel García Ordaz presents What we learned / next steps

Registration
Register through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voices-in-verse-tickets-135553697759
This event will be presented on Zoom and tickets are donation based. Your donation helps support this and future programming. If a donation is a barrier for you to attend, use Promo Code FREE at checkout.
Questions?
For questions, please contact April Sullivan at april@artsparktx.org.
This event is sponsored in conjunction with the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival and El Zarape Press, and made possible, in part, by the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Enhanced Impact Quality of Life funding.

Virtual Class: Elements Dance
2021-02-27 11:00 - 12:00
Being together and creating together is in the core of our program as well as the title of this piece choreographed by Olivia O’Hare in 2018. This film was created by Ana Baer. This film has been selected to be featured in film festivals around the world, including a festival in Nicosia, Cypress.
We will have some of the cast join us and we will be guided through a movement exploration from the video.
Classes meet every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 11am CT. Cost: $5-20 per class. Pay online here.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meting ID: 842 7407 0780
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Art Spark Dance has been offering dance classes that are welcoming and accessible for all for over a decade. In our Elements class, we guide you through exercises that support your individual creative expression and for you to move in new and unique ways in a fun environment.

For more information, contact silva@artsparktx.org.
ID: Photo taken from above where people with and without disabilities have created a sculpture. Everyone’s gaze is up towards the camera. All the dancers are wearing clothes in different shades of blue and black.

The Newlywed Game
2021-03-02 17:00 - 18:00
Hosted by Speaking Advocates
This month the Speaking Advocates are launching a twice-monthly virtual Happy Hour for folks with disabilities to mingle, vent, laugh, chat, create, and more. As Valentine’s Day (came and went and we all got snowed in), we rescheduled The Newlywed Game featuring a few of our star couples! We hope you will join us Tuesday, March 2 at 5 PM for this fun inaugural event.
The Happy Hour is every first and third Tuesday of the month, from 5 to 6 PM CT with a rotating cast of hosts. Here are a few topics we look forward to: Journaling/Poetry with Eric Clow, Card-Making with Nicole Cortichiato, Mindfulness for Beginners with Ms. Boye. Be sure to join our Speaking Advocates email list for notifications and login information.
Meet the contestants on our blog.

Support Art Spark online programs and classes!
2021-03-04 18:00 - 2021-03-05 18:00
Get Ready to Amplify Art Spark Today! Amplify Austin 2021 ~ March 4-5, 2021.
During this year’s Amplify Austin, please help us attain our Dream of continuing these initiatives. We need your support! Join our campaign to help us reach our goal of $12K for our Online Programs and Classes. We need you to tell your friends and family members about the important work we do and ask them to join us in helping to make a difference. If you believe in the accessibility of the Arts for everyone, donate today! Meanwhile, enjoy this peek at what we have been doing: Art Spark Amplify video.

When you donate today during the early giving period, you can help us unlock up to $20K matching arts and culture funds from Tito’s Vodka!

Or get ready to give! Starting at 6:00 PM CST on March 4th, visit the Art Spark donation page on Amplify Austin and make a donation to us. You will have 24 hours to make your donation, and all giving will end at 6:00 PM CST on March 5th. All matching donations will still apply.

Questions? If you have any questions or would like more information, let us know. Contact Susan@artsparktx.org. Thank you in advance for your generosity to Art Spark Texas!

Virtual Open Mic - The Lion & Pirate
2021-03-06 19:00 - 20:30
The Lion & Pirate in 2021 inclusive, open mic for writers, performers and acoustic musicians invites you to join us Saturday, March 06, 2021 at 7pm. Sponsored by Art Spark Texas and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest. Organizers also include Malvern Books and the Coalition of Texans Disabilities.
Performers
click here to sign-up by midnight on the preceding day.
As always, we’re open to work in any genre: music, spoken word, improv, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose… Anything you can perform! There will be 10 sign up slots. We ask that you sign up ahead of time. Any sign-ups after 10 will be held on a backup list .
RSVP, invite friends, and stay tuned for event updates on our Facebook Page. You can tune in just to connect with your community and give us those “clap” reactions.
How to Join the Open Mic
Here is the link to join the Virtually Lion & Pirate Open Mic as a Performer or Guest.
Save this Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85323118334
Meeting ID: 853 2311 8334
Password: [REDACTED]
For more details and visit our Lion and Pirate Facebook page.
Questions? mail Ms. Boye or call 512-454-9912
if you need more information or help signing up.
This event will include live captioning. Please contact Art Spark in advance to request other accommodations.
Thank you for donating and supporting Art Spark Texas Speaking Advocates Program and the Pen 2 Paper Creative Writing Contest.
