The Woodlands Arts Council announces a busy October

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Woodlands Arts Council is working overtime to ensure that autumn in the Township is filled with the beauty of art in different forms. Several projects, events, and deadlines have been announced. Below are just a sampling of what the council has on tap for the local arts scene.

Applications for The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival

Even though the event itself isn’t for another half-year, preproduction plans for The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival are already in full swing. The deadline for artist applications hits on Monday, October 12 – which is a federal holiday – for the festival, which brings 200 juried artists from across the country to The Woodlands Waterway and Town Green Park each year. If you are a talented artist – or know one – who you think should be part of this nationally recognized festival, visit www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/p/festival.

Exhibitions

Next week for only three days is your last chance to catch the council’s latest exhibition, Heart of Glass – Fire, Form & Family, brought to you by a literal family of glassblowers. Members of the Brown-Moore family explore the expressive possibilities of molten glass through form, investigate the intersections of science and art, and draw on themes of mental health and music, using glassmaking as both a grounding practice and a powerful means of expression. This exhibit closes October 8 at 4:00 p.m.

Less than a week later, Annette Palmer’s latest pop-up exhibition, Collected - The Final Pieces, will take center stage for two days only. October 13 - 15 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. each day, this exhibition brings together the final available paintings from a range of collections developed throughout Annette’s artistic practice. Offering a rare opportunity for acquisition, the presentation features the last remaining works from several distinct series – each marking a significant moment within the evolution of her work. Annette will be present throughout the exhibition.

Starting October and carrying us through the new year, the upcoming exhibition The Art of Belonging – A Juried Exhibition Celebrating Art, Connection & Creative Community shows the winning entries from the adult members of The Woodlands Art League and the Conroe Art League for this juried exhibition celebrating the important role art leagues play in bringing artists together.

Art & Exercise

Docent Sandra Huskey incites intrepid artists and art-lovers to join her on a literal arts exercise as she hosts The Woodlands Art Council's first-ever Running Art Tour, taking place Wednesday, October 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. This 5K (3.1-mile) docent-guided run combines fitness and art. Along the route, you’ll stop at select sculptures and installations in Hughes Landing and the Waterway, making this a unique experience on the move. This will be a casual, fun, social run, and no one will get left behind.

If running isn’t your speed and you are 65 or older, instead go for a leisurely, docent-led one-mile Art Walk at Hughes Landing on Wednesday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. Register for the run at www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/events/2026/art-in-motion and the walk at www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/events/2026/senior-65-art-walk.

Microgrant Deadline

The Council warns that there are only a few days left for art educators and nonprofit organizations to apply for up to two available microgrants, the The Dr. David Gottlieb Arts Education Microgrant open to all art educators and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Performing Arts Microgrant that is earmarked specifically for performing arts projects and applicants. Microgrants of $250–$5,000 support visual, performing, and literary arts projects throughout Montgomery County. Applications close on October 5, so act soon! Learn more and apply at www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/p/programs/microgrants.

Stay tuned to Woodlands Online for updates to the amazing arts scene in The Woodlands and surrounding areas.