With hopes to centralize art in Downtown Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend Artists (CBA) founder Lauretta Escobar said, "I would like Corpus to become the artist colony of Texas. I think we're small enough for such a thing to really make a difference in people's lives and yet large enough to attract tourists and keep them coming back."
Organizations that contribute to facilitating the endeavors of striving artists should receive more attention from the community since obtaining the resources to create art has always been an issue for beginning artists.
As result, monetary profit seems to be shaping the direction in which artists go and because intimidation can keep an artist from pursuing a career in the arts, the community should consider the benefits that can come from using art as a tourist attraction. CBA has hosted a number of shows and the group of artists is searching for ways to make the best of their abilities. The organization is a cluster of talented artists with various ambitions and Escobar has a mission to bring more recognition to the artists via multiple shows. She also wants the CBA to be a support system.
As scary as it is having no money to eat for weeks and spending too much of the money you do have on paintbrushes, easels and other supplies, the life of an artist is actually not that complicated, according to CBA artist Angela Schwangler.
"I'm doing it all the time anyway – might as well make a living out of it," Schwangler said. Corpus Christi should realize that local support is essential to a thriving arts community.
Because many with artistic intentions and dreams seem to be discouraged by the competitive nature of the art world, our community should pay more attention to what can come from providing support for local artists. We sometimes lose sight of the most obvious opportunities; let's not allow a generalized interpretation of art or apathy towards it lead the way to its demise here in Corpus.
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