Southwest School of Art’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

Founded in 1965 and now designated as Texas’ first and only independent art college, the Southwest School of Art is set to celebrate a half century of “visual art education, artistic innovation, community evolution and historic preservation.” Complete with a commemorative T-shirt designed by Gary Sweeney (free for the first 50 guests) and “first 50” art giveaways, the weekend-long party takes over both SSA campuses with creative fun for all ages. After kicking off with a members-only preview (4-6pm Fri), Articopia rallies artists and artisans from the Alamo City and Austin for an “eclectic holiday shopping” experience filled with everything from clothing and jewelry to glassware and photography (6-8pm Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, Ursuline Campus). Designed to encourage young artists and “educate teens and families about arts programming,” the Downtown Teen Collective’s inaugural Teen Arts Fest connects the Navarro Campus with downtown neighbors Artpace (445 N. Main Ave.) and Central Library (600 Soledad St.) via musical performances, workshops and a juried exhibition (1-5pm Sat). And on Sunday, the school opens its studios for tours and demos led by faculty and students (1-5pm Sun) and unveils exhibitions showcasing works by ceramicist and longtime SSA educator Dennis Smith, Austin-based photographer Christa Blackwood and the winners of a Fotoseptiembre Instagram contest (1-3pm Sun).