Katy Lifestyles and Homes magazine Mar 2009: Cinco Ranch ART Party

Residents in Cinco Ranch and surrounding Katy neighborhoods came to Berry Hill at Villagio in Cinco Ranch to celebrate the arts and music —and support ARTreach, a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring the arts to people in need.

This was a festive after-hours event called Margaritas Today - Arts Tamale organized by Berry Hill and ARTreach to help share the arts with more people in Katy. ARTreach is specifically raising money to bring Arts-in-Education Programs to underserved schools in Katy and Fort Bend County.

left: Mary Kirk, Lisa Guidry and Angela Hines paint for a worthy cause. middle: Brian Gabbert, owner of BerryHill/Cinco Ranch; Christine Stilwell, ARTreach development director; Lisa Guidry, board president; Cheryl Krey, board treasurer; and Terri Bieber, executive director. right: Emma Allen of Cinco Ranch helps create a work of art.

the Berry Hill in Cinco Ranch you will see original murals on the walls and artwork created by Houston artist Ken Robertson, including a portrait of Frida Kalah. Berry Hill will be partnering with ARTreach to support numerous Katy community projects this year. ” Gabbort adds, “We love the idea of doing what we can to share the arts with everyone!”

ARTparties at Berry Hill in Cinco Ranch are held the third Friday of every month.

ARTreach is currently fundraising to help pay for a fifth-grade mural project at Mayde Creek Elementary.

“Mayde Creek Elementary applied for ARTreach assistance because the fifth- grade class wanted to create a mural as a gift to the school as their graduation project, ” says Assistant Principal Julia Noeldner. “Our school represents a 46.4 percent economically disadvantaged population. As a Title One school, we do not get many funds coming into our PTA. We are not sure how much our school PTA will be able to contribute, but with ARTreach ’s help we know we will get this mural project up and running.”

ARTreach is covering the costs of professional muralist Vickie McMillan from Katy. She is donating additional time and materials to the project, which include in-class workshops with all the participating fifth-grade students. The remaining cost for the special project is $1,060.

ARTreach is asking for donations to support this special project. Donations can be made online at www.artreachonline.org or by mailing a check to ARTreach, c/o Extreme Technologies Inc., Ste. 300, Houston, Texas 77079. l

ARTreach artists and guests created a collaborative work of art inspired by Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter who achieved great international popularity. She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico as well as by European influences that combined realism, symbolism and surrealism. The ARTreach painting was completed by the end of the evening thanks to many people contributing to its creation and signing the back of this colorful work of art. The 16-inch by 20-inch Frida Kahlo-inspired painting now hangs on the BerryHill premises to commemorate the event.

“Berry Hill as a corporation is very connected to the arts,” says Brian Gabbert, owner of Berry Hill/Cinco Ranch. “At