Did you know that Corpus Christi is the birdiest city in the entire United States?  The winner of the designation is based on the number of species that are reported within a 48 hour period.  Corpus Christi wins this prize, with last year over 267 species of birds being sighted by birders from 30 different states!       It was no coincidence how we timed this exhibit - Spring is when birds migrate back to their original home where they nest early in the season. A large variety of birds can be expected to be seen from April to early May, one of the largest draws of the year!      The plethora of different landscapes Corpus Christi offers is what contributes to the draw for the birds.  The ocean, the wetlands, the dunes on the beach, and more all make up why so many species can be found here.  The Padre Island National Seashore in particular is a huge source for birds.  With more than 130,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands, dunes and sandy beaches, it also contains Bird Island Basin, home to Laguna Madre, the sixth-saltiest body of water on Earth.  This is considered by the National Audubon Society to be one of the most important bodies of water for birding in the world.  This designation is also celebrated with a festival called the Birdiest Festival in America that happens late April every year.       You can see why we chose this to be a subject of an exhibit.  Birds are often the subject of our artists work, but this exhibit allows us to focus solely on something that makes Corpus Christi special and unique - BIRDS!

SPRING FLING is one of our many open call shows that we offer throughout the year that allows our artists to have a specific subject matter in which to guide their creative juices and work.  We provide an ever-changing and rotating variety of these open call shows that are often relevant to the seasons, time of year, holidays, or sometimes they are entirely random.       Spring Fling celebrates a beautiful time of year and one that is often the center of inspiration for many artists.  The return of spring brings back life, color, nature, warmth and so much more.  This provides a multitude of opportunities in which an artist can capitalize on.  Everything from flowers, to the green grass to the return of wildlife and insects - there is something for every artist to draw inspiration from.       This exhibit will provide you the excitement and beauty for the start of spring and all the beauty it brings.  Be sure to stop by and see it for yourself!

Victor Summers and Lotus McElfish are a husband and wife team who have collaborated as SummerFish Studios for the past twenty years.      Lotus (@lotus_mcelfish) is a celebrated botanical artist with numerous awards, national shows, and international journals to her credit. In 2005 she received a grant to document the Endangered Plants of the Texas Hill Country which started her journey into botanical art. She has since produced scores of beautiful plant portraits of Texas wildflowers as well as those from her home state of Colorado. When recent events kept her at home instead of at art festivals, she decided to return to her mission of conservation. This show features the initial dozen of the twenty-five federally listed endangered plants of Texas, a project which keeps her busy visiting the various habitats where they are found or are being conserved.      Victor (@mostly_mesquite) transitioned from designing and building garden structures and furniture several years ago to return to his passion for woodworking when his mesquite covers for Lotus’s accordion books generated leftover wood which became chopsticks - and then wooden spoons and bowls and all manner of kitchen and home decor items, all from salvaged Texas native woods. Leftover wood from these items became stylized birds and fish, and when the pandemic shut down art shows, he turned to galleries to display his newfound passion for sculpture. His latest works included in this show harken back to the construction phase of his woodworking career.