Woodlands Arts Council Finally Gets Its Own Headquarters and an Exciting New Exhibition Space
Howard Hughes Donates Office Furniture and These Art Advocates Behind The Waterway Arts Festival Are Set Up to Do Even More Good
BY Laura Landsbaum // 09.25.23The Woodlands Arts Council finally has a headquarters of its own. "Threads of Joy" is the current exhibit in the space at The Woodlands Arts Council's new space. With great natural light, some of the art is shown in windows.
For the first time since its inception almost 20 years ago, The Woodlands Arts Council now has a home that’s not the counter of executive director Jenny Carattini-Wright’s kitchen or a staff member’s home office. The Woodlands Arts Council secured a five year lease at 9450 Grogan’s Mill. The new space is tucked in a quiet area near Evergreen Park, very near Town Green Park, the site of the arts council’s Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival.
“We got the space in March,” Carattini-Wright tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “But you know, we had The Waterway Arts Festival. We just came in and made things work. And we really didn’t have any furniture. Howard Hughes donated some of our office furniture which was really generous of them.
“It’s our gathering space because when we do volunteer training — things like workshops — our mission is to educate. So this is where we get to have that opportunity.”
In addition to office and meeting space, the new facility also has a limited exhibition area. Currently being featured is the work of Woodlands fiber artist Ivy Jensen, whose exhibit is entitled “Threads of Joy.” The space serves only as a gallery. No artwork is for sale. Carattini-Wright notes that the exhibit space is open to members of The Woodlands community as well.
“So if somebody has a private collection they would like to share with the public, they could do that here,” she adds.

The Woodlands Arts Council held a soft opening in its new headquarters last week and Jensen attended.
“She was here and I thought she would sit the whole time. But she was up the whole time visiting with people,” Carattini-Wright says. “So excited. It was just such a thrill. Twelve years ago, I got to tour her home and I was blown away by not only her work, but all of her collections with other artists.”
The public grand opening The Woodlands Arts Council’s new space is set for Saturday, October 7th from 1 pm to 3 p.m. After that event, the exhibit space of the new Woodlands Arts Council’s headquarters will be open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 pm to 4 p.m.
Founded in 2005, the mission of The Woodlands Arts Council is to provide regional cultural and educational enrichment opportunities that encourage, support and promote the performing and visual arts. The primary goal is to create a strong and vital arts presence in The Woodlands. And The Woodlands’ art power is pretty unmatched. And world class.
This new space certainly will help grow the community’s artiness even more.
And save the date: The next The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is set for April 12 through April 14 in 2024.