Bayou City Art Festival Returns to Downtown Houston

The Art Colony Association, Inc. (ACA) will celebrate 48 years of fine art and giving back to local nonprofits as it spotlights 300 artists at this year’s Bayou City Art Festival. The weekend festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13, 2019, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in Downtown Houston. As one of the nation’s premier outdoor fine art events, they will provide patrons with the opportunity to personally meet artists, view original works, and purchase world class art. This year’s festival has selected eight local nonprofits that will benefit from a portion of the proceeds of the event.

“The Art Colony Association has a rich history of giving back to the community while producing an interactive art event with food and entertainment for all to enjoy,” said Roger Bare, Executive Director of ACA. “With the help of our partners, sponsors, artists and volunteers, we invite patrons to an art festival unlike any other, and to join us in raising funds for Houston-area nonprofits.”

Photo by Katya Horner

Celebrating decades since the founding of the Westheimer Art Festival, now known as Bayou City Art Festival, ACA has provided a venue for more than 20,000 artists to showcase their work to thousands of art lovers from all over the world. Every year, a new jury selects participating artists, some new and some returning. 

ACA has announced the featured artwork for Bayou City Art Festival Downtown 2019 – titled “The High Road” by this year’s featured artist Clifton Henri. He’s an award-winning photographer and visual artist whose work is rooted in identity, under representation and self-declaration. The featured artwork is a photograph that consists of two overlay images photographed by Henri in 2018 while in Accra, Ghana. The boy standing tall on top of the tire has made an adjustment in his perspective while seeing a different point of view. The yellow wall with depth and texture represents the environment, which Henri believes affects the individual’s upbringing. For the title, Henri was inspired by Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high” quote.

Photo by Katya Horner

Houston’s largest art festival will transform the streets of Downtown into artistic avenues bursting with colors and culture. Bayou City Art Festival will showcase the work of 300 artists from around the world, representing 19 different disciplines.

Online tickets are now available at www.artcolonyassociation.org. Tickets online are $12 for adults and $5 for children 6 – 12; children five and under are free. Also available online are two-day passes for $20 and family passes (two adults, two children tickets) for $30. Adult tickets at the gate are $15 cash; $16 credit card.