Five things that deserve your generous support: Local arts organizations need your help with year-end donations – Arts

Because sometimes we want to give a gift to a friend or family member, and sometimes we want to help support a whole community of creative workers and energize the cultural goodness of the very place we live in. There’s no shortage of arts organizations that could use some cash (or even volunteers) in our booming city, of course, and here are five for your vacation.

Austin Film Society

Celebrating the local film industry and the film scene since 1985, Austin Film Society offers outstanding art projects with grants and support services, runs the AFS cinema which highlights so many premieres, classics and underexposed gems cinematic brilliance, and provides Austin Public, a tech space for our city’s diverse media creators to train and collaborate, providing more affordable access to filmmaking and careers. (ps Buy, gift or renew a membership until January 2 and get an AFS Cinema Concessions card, worth five free treats.) austinfilm.org

Light blue lapis

This touring aerial dance company has wowed local crowds since 2005, harnessed dancers suspended like daredevil terpsichore angels from the tops of bridges, buildings and power plant stacks. “Blue Lapis Light is committed to challenging physical limitations and inspiring audiences with a sense of wonder,” states their mission statement. And they do – through performances everywhere, outreach programs like Youth Taking Flight, and maintaining their 3,000 square foot studio used for company rehearsals, community classes, and rental of movement artists. bluelapislight.org

Texas Book Festival

The annual festival weekend is typically held around the State Capitol each fall, as has been the case for the past 26 years, although a pandemic sometimes requires a more virtual location. Yet each festival, hosted by more than 50 committee chairs and 1,000 other volunteers, features a range of presentations and panels from authors, book signings, cooking demonstrations, activities for kids of all ages and more. from exhibiting vendors from across the state and country. The TBF – which also runs several literary and literacy programs – is happy to shine the spotlight on Texan authors, but welcomes writers from all over the world, forging a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious book festivals. from the country. texasbookfestival.org

Austin Creative Alliance

Founded in 1975 as the Austin Circle of Theaters, it has now evolved (sort of like a philanthropic Pokémon of sorts) into a much more powerful and larger entity, ACA’s mission is to “advance, connect and advocate for Austin’s artistic, cultural and creative communities. strengthen and protect the character, quality of life and economic prosperity of our region. It does this by connecting artists from all disciplines to resources and a vast community network to support their work, and by fiscally sponsoring more than 400 cultural events each year, giving emerging and established artists and organizations access to the world. financing, insurance and expertise. austincreativealliance.org

Creative action

If you, too, believe that children are our future, this Austin force for good is your blueberry of hope. Creative Action uses the arts as a means to inspire creativity, unleash potential, and transform the lives of students of all ages, helping them develop skills for long-term academic, personal and professional success through education. high-quality, socially and culturally relevant programs run by professional teaching artists. Truth: If kids are doing well – as artists, as citizens, as thoughtful and expressive human beings – it’s often because of how we’ve helped them along the way. creativeaction.org