For those who have not gotten wind of it yet, the City of Boerne in the Texas Hill Country is making a concerted all-out effort to become an art destination. Don’t get me wrong, the impressive number of artists and craftspersons residing in the area have worked on this for many years. But there is currently a coalescing of critical mass, political will and business support that is going to up the ante significantly.

Boerne’s Second Saturday Art Walks are a huge draw for regional visitors. The Boerne Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has seriously bought into the notion of developing a haven for the Creative Industry. And there is a solid base of interested, high-net-worth individuals and families residing in the Boerne area providing local sustainability. The best part is that the effort is driven by good business sense.

As an example: In June 2003, eight artists came together to form the Carriage House Gallery of Artists. They were a diverse group, representing several different media and styles, who decided to equally share the space, expenses and work load in the form of a limited liability company partnership. Surprisingly, this group of relative strangers have made it all work. Although only three of those original artists remain with the gallery, the model for eight artists working together and sharing expenses, along with exhibiting high quality, diverse artwork, still creates a unique artistic environment.

Two years ago, the gallery moved to its current location at 110 Rosewood near the center of downtown Boerne. There was painting to be done, construction of wall space, and track lighting installation. Imagine eight artists choosing a new wall color… It was an interesting and time-consuming challenge. The result, however, is that six years after its inception, the artist-owned Carriage House Gallery offers visitors an unusual opportunity to view exceptional fine art, and to converse one-on-one with the partner and guest artists. The current Carriage House Gallery partners are: Angie Carney, Linda Chalberg, Don Darst, Pamela Gardner, Bonnie Mann, Teri McReynolds, Doug Roper and Charles Schubert.

Angie Carney, along with Boerne photographer Beth Coyle, are featured in The Found Image, the Carriage House Gallery FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA exhibit. In an effort to encourage emerging artists, the gallery has included the images of two young photographers, Sean Van Slycke and Tucker Muncy.

Beth Coyle, featured artist, The Found Image, Carriage House Gallery.

Angie Carney, featured artist, The Found Image, Carriage House Gallery.

Tucker Muncy, featured artist, The Found Image, Carriage House Gallery. Tucker is studying psychology at the San Antonio College.

Sean Van Slycke, featured artist, The Found Image, Carriage House Gallery. Sean is a junior at Champion High School, and he is donating a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of his images to a health care facility for indigents, and the Boys & Girls Club.

Linda Chalberg, one of the partners in the Carriage House Gallery of Artists, and one of the coordinators of the FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA exhibit at the gallery.

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA opening reception at the Carriage House Gallery.

A very diverse crowd of folks were in attendance at the opening reception.

Opening reception for The Found Image exhibit.

Sean Van Slycke showing images from his portfolio.

Artists Linda Chalberg and Angie Carney, Carriage House Gallery Partners.

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE USA at the Carriage House Gallery of Artists.