CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT
Cultural district harnesses the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. The Winnsboro Cultural Arts District goal is to provide a healthy environment for creative expression and you’ll find artistic influences in every corner of the district. Winnsboro is nestled equidistance from Dallas, Shreveport, and Texarkana among rolling hills, thick forests, and lake country among some of the top farming producers in the nation for poultry & hay crops. Residence and visitors alike express their attraction to Winnsboro’s sophistication paired with a tempered pace and solid country values. It’s this eclectic mixture that gives the Winnsboro Cultural Arts District a distinct feeling of home. In 2018 Winnsboro was inducted into the County Line Magazine “Best of” Hall of Fame for being nominated three consecutive years as the Best Downtown in the Upper East Side of Texas.
THE BOWERY STAGE
In 2015/16 The Bowery Stage at Winnsboro Center for the Arts presented sold out concerts by Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary), Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Michael Martin Murphey! This is an intimate 120 seat listening room with wonderful ambiance and the acoustics and sound system that make every concert a truly enjoyable experience. It has a growing reputation among musicians that make Winnsboro a stop on Texas tours that go to Dallas, Houston, Austin and Shreveport.
ART AND WINE FESTIVAL
Historic Winnsboro is transformed into an art and wine lover's Mecca. Downtown streets are closed to traffic and everyone is welcome to this free festival. Art ranges from traditional to abstract, painting to pottery, glass to silk - a feast for the eyes! A variety of award winning Texas Wineries showcase their fabulous wines. Art and Wine lovers from all over the State come to unwind with a quiet day in the country, enjoying the colorful autumn leaves and doing a little shopping.
The Texas Commission on the Arts selected the Winnsboro Cultural District to be included as one of the 2009 Designated Cultural Districts for the State of Texas. At the September 2, 2009 meeting, Commissioners selected Winnsboro and six other communities as the initial designated cultural districts for their Pilot Program. With a population of only 3,400 it was quite an honor to be the Rural Representative for the initial seven cities. There seems to be ‘something in the air’, and Winnsboro continues to attract the artistically gifted to its zip code. The Historic Downtown Cultural District continues to add visual, literary, and performing arts to the many shops and venues, with the Winnsboro Center for the Arts taking a lead as the “Heart of the Arts.”