Spotlight on the Arts Gallery, located in The Woodlands Mall, will host an Open House Preview on August 29 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. for members of the community to view art created by various community service and educational organizations. The event is co-hosted by The Woodlands Mall and BAM! (Because Art Matters), which is the community and educational outreach arm of The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council, a non-profit organization that provides cultural enrichment through the arts.

The gallery, located adjacent to the Food Court on the second level of the mall, includes art created by Montgomery County Youth Services, Montgomery County Women's Center and Children's Safe Harbor. Three murals that will be on display for the next several months include one created by seniors from the Interfaith community of The Woodlands, another by youth from Tri-County Services and a third by ORWALL baseball and senior high art students from CISD and The John Cooper School.

"We are grateful for The Woodlands Mall to house the Spotlight on the Arts Gallery to give organizations an opportunity to shine with the artwork created by members of our community," said BAM! Co-Chair Brenda Gottlieb. "We have found that art is a valuable means for healing and positive growth."

The murals that will be on display were created under the direction of artist Vickie McMillan. The most recent mural, "Remember When," was created by 20 senior members of The Woodlands community and incorporates memories of by-gone days. The Tri-County mural is a floral motif created by youth with mental illness or developmental disabilities. The most recent mural, "The Art of Baseball" was created at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in conjunction with the Houston Symphony Orchestra performance. High school art students and baseball players created the baseball-themed work on stage during the symphony's live performance last April.  

"We are pleased that The Woodlands Mall can support cultural arts in our community by sponsoring a gallery to showcase the talents of a wide variety of local artists," said Noemi Cortez, Marketing Manager of The Woodlands Mall. For more information about BAM! log on to www.thewoodlandsartsfestival.com. 

PHOTO 1:  Seniors add their artistic flair and memories of by-gone days to the "Remember When" mural created in conjunction with Interfaith of The Woodlands. This is one of the murals that is on display at the Spotlight on the Arts Gallery, located on the second level of The Woodlands Mall. Art created by various community service and educational organizations through BAM! (Because Art Matters), the community and educational outreach arm of The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council, is on display to provide cultural enrichment through the arts.

PHOTO 2: "Remember When," created by 20 seniors from The Interfaith community of The Woodlands, is one of the murals that will be on display at an Open House Preview on August 29 that is being co-sponsored by The Woodlands Mall and BAM! (Because Art Matters), which is the community and educational outreach arm of The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council, a non-profit organization that provides cultural enrichment through the arts. For more information about BAM! log on to www.thewoodlandsartsfestival.com.