BEAUMONT, Texas — Although Texas has started to slowly reopen, some facilities are still staying virtual for now.
A Southeast Texas art gallery is keeping the community engaged in a unique way in this era of social distancing.
COVID-19 caused many organizations and event venues to changes their routines for the public, but non-profits like The Art Studio found virtual, interactive ways to bring art to people's homes.
"People were showing off their books to us, and they said, 'This artist has done the art cover for us, and I've got a vampire/werewolf story, I've got a trilogy,'" assistant curator Michelle Cate said.
Cate described all the studio has to offer, including new exhibits. The Art Studio is currently hosting a virtual spooky book fair happening online until Friday, Oct. 16 featuring David Hooker, Linda Patillo, Steve Fitzner and Christopher Joubert.
"That was by Ms. Linda Patillo and that's what she does, and I knew some other locals that had self-published," she said. "We just started thinking, well how can we do a little virtual book fair and feature these authors that have spooky themes in their books in October."
The art community in Southeast Texas has been supportive of their decision to go virtual for now, Cate said.
Upcoming virtual events like the spooky book fair at the Art Studio can be found on their website at www.artstudio.org or their Facebook page at The Art Studio Inc.