Meet Stuart Wallace, founder of North Austin Creatives and visual artist in North Austin

Stuart Wallace grew up in Texas to a British mother and a Canadian father whose family emigrated from England and Scotland. Growing up, Stuart felt as though he was living in a British enclave. Feeling out of place drove him to move abroad after university. He studied abroad in Spain, and then moved to rural Nagasaki, urban China, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Tokyo, Panama, and Turkey. His 7 years abroad were transformative and his art expresses foreignness, identity, and place.

After Turkey, Stuart taught bilingual 5th grade in Austin Independent School District (AISD). That experience prompted him to pursue his art full-time at his home studio. Becoming a full-time artist in North Austin frustrated him due to a lack of consolidated information and opportunities. To serve his community and improve these conditions, he worked with Love North Austin to transform that organization into North Austin Creatives.

North Austin Creatives works to strengthen the arts in North Austin. They hold monthly formal and informal meetings which are fiscally sponsored by Austin Creative Alliance for easy tax-free donations, and are planning a pop-up event this year to highlight local talent. They started with 30 members and now count in the hundreds. Sharing information, making connections, partnering with local businesses and organizations, and developing an open-source Google Map of North Austin creative resources are just some of the activities they engage in to make North Austin a destination for the arts.

In November, Stuart became a father of a little girl. He is a stay-at-home dad and wants her to grow up in cool Austin without having to drive to East Austin or Downtown.

North Austin Creatives Spring Extravaganza

North Austin Creatives is proud to announce their inaugural Spring Extravaganza on March 26th, from 1 – 5pm at  a big empty piece of commercial real estate at The Linc on 6406 N IH35 Austin Suite 2850A, TX  78752. The event will feature artisans, musicians, and food vendors highlighting local talent from the North Austin area.  North Austin Creatives is a network of several hundred creatives and their supporters whose mission is to strengthen the arts in North Austin. North Austin Creatives include many dynamic fields such as visual art, live music, photography, and more. The group connects local businesses, community organizations, and schools with the arts for the economic and cultural gain of North Austin. Their monthly formal meetings and happy hours build relationships and help spread the word about North Austin’s emerging arts scene. North Austin Creatives is a fiscally sponsored project by Austin Creative Alliance under the umbrella of Love North Austin.

North Austin Creatives is a fiscally sponsored project of Austin Creative Alliance with a Community Initiatives grant of $3,000 from the City of Austin to put on this event, but more help from wonderful North Austin businesses and individuals are needed.  Generous donations from local businesses ensure the success and strengthen the culture and creative economy of North Austin. Donors will have their business name and logo on the donor board displayed at the event.  Tax-deductible donations can be completed online at Austin Creative Alliance’s donation page. Gift cards and/or prizes for our raffle, along with other cash or in-kind donations are greatly appreciated!

Long term goals for North Austin Creatives include:

• North Austin Creatives to feel community where they live.
• Support creatives by building connections in our area.
• Business districts where people can walk and enjoy arts.
• Local artists’ work and musicians in local businesses.
• North Austin economy to blossom artistically.
• Studio, rehearsal, and exhibition space.
• North Austin Studio Tour.
• More murals and public art.
• North Austin to become more beautiful and prosperous through the local development of artists, musicians, writers, dancers, actors, and anyone who wants more art in North Austin.

Attendance is FREE for the March 26th event. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at $5 donation per ticket.  Please come out and support the arts in North Austin!

If you are interested in a booth at this event, please fill out the form at the link, here. If interested in sponsorship opportunity, contact Stuart Wallace at [email protected] .

North Austin Creatives Board Members

Chair: Stuart Wallace | Vice-Chair: Angel Austin

Secretary: Tomas Fierro |Treasurer: Claire Simmons

Business Outreach & Marketing Chair: J Jolie Tan

Social Media Chair: Clarissa Cochran

Newsletter Chair: E.M. Adriana

Technology Chair: Amy Young