The Garden and Arts Center
The Garden and Arts Center provides many events to the Lubbock community. The Center has a Japanese garden, outdoor and indoor venues for weddings or other various gatherings. The Center also exhibits photos, water colors, mixed media shows, clay, and 3-D art. The center is also part of the First Friday Art Trail, which is free to the public.
Paula Griffith, Center Director, warned to book in advance for an event.
“We book quickly,” Griffith said.
West Texas Photography Society has been working in association with the Gardening and Arts center for a number of years, according to Griffith. The Society is running a photo exhibit currently opened until April 29th, featuring over 100 entries.
Next month there will be another photography competition opened to everybody. The contest is being sponsored by the Parks and Rec Department of Lubbock. The catch is the photo must be of a park in Lubbock.
This week (April 16th – 22nd) the center is having “Earth Week” which gives children the opportunity to learn about their home planet and participate in fun activities, according to Griffith. The children can plant “can plants,” tie-dye, and participate in recycling events. Griffith said that Texas Tech students might be interested in the Arts and Crafts fair on the second Saturday of September.
According to Griffith, the center is the busiest 
during the summer.
“During the summer we do a lot of classes for kids,” said Griffith.
In the summer, classes are held for adults, in the evening, so kids do not interfere.
The center is also a “daycare of sorts in the summer.
“It’s a place where parents can drop off their kids all day if they want to,” Griffith said.
The City of Lubbock Parks and Recreation Department has operated and owned the Gardening and Arts Center since 1959. Griffith said the center is opened Monday thru Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. She said the center gets an average of 50,000 to 55,000 visitors a year.
To book an event or to learn more information, call the Gardening and Arts Center at (806) 767-3724 or go to the center’s web site listed in the above side bar.