The 2,200-square-foot gallery in a historic building houses some 4,000 items by over 170 artists and artisans from around the world. Art Connections Gallery of La Grange, the largest and most eclectic collection of fine arts and artisan works in Texas.

The gallery is the only Texas location registered with Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow, says Art Connections owner and C.R.A.F.T. member Deborah Johnson.

“I think it’s important to raise awareness of the value of crafting, not only as a link to treasured past practices but also as a vehicle for expressing a local community’s unique identity in a way that attracts visitors and boosts business,” Johnson says.

“There is a trend in >the United States towards handmade manufacturing to replace the mass-produced items that we have come to be used to,” she says. “This trend recognizes that the person making the piece is embracing their human potential and making something creative that has a bit of their personal spark.