What began as a small initiative 25 years ago has since grown into a three-day juried art show and festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, cementing Southlake’s place as an arts destination.

Through the lens of her lifelong love of music, Terri Messing saw a gap—while residents appreciated the arts, many weren’t willing to make the 30-minute drive to Dallas or Fort Worth to experience them. Determined to bring high-quality cultural events closer to home, Messing and a group of like-minded enthusiasts partnered with the Southlake Women’s Club to launch Art in the Square in 2000. 

Fort Worth and Dallas both have long-established and thriving arts and cultural landscapes. 

“A lot of people understand that communities that offer arts programs become premier, destination communities,” Messing says.

As Art in the Square celebrates its 25th anniversary in April, Messing, along with a group of arts leaders, continues with the important task of running the juried art selection process as well as an emerging artists program for up-and-coming regional artists and an interactive and educational Arts Alive program at the festival.

The success of Art in the Square convinced Messing and others that there was a need to expand the arts landscape beyond the three days of Arts in the Square every year.

St. Louis-based artist, Annie Flynn, captures the essence of summer with her oil paintings.

So in 2007, Messing and a group of arts supporters launched the nonprofit Apex Arts League to broaden arts programming year-round. Over time, the organization has brought a broader range and more frequent visual and performing arts to Southlake.

“We do two to three events a month between September and May, June,” says Messing, chair and co-founder of Apex Arts League. ”The organization has grown a lot, and we are fortunate to be able to bring a wide variety of arts to the area.”

Early on, Apex established agreements with the Fort Worth and Dallas symphony orchestras to present concerts in Southlake. Those relationships have continued through the years, and musicians from both orchestras perform at least once a year in Southlake.

“The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Concert is our biggest event of the year,” Messing says. “We usually have 2,000 to 3,000 people attend.”

Other performing arts programs on Apex’s roster include chamber music, classical guitar and piano, chamber ballet and cabaret theater performances. Another major annual event is the Apex Jazz Fest, which brings together student musicians from Carroll Senior High School and the University of North Texas’ renowned One O’Clock Jazz Ensemble for a family concert.

Apex also sponsors screenings of art films, which are presented free at the Southlake Public Library.

Most of Apex’s programs are presented at White’s Chapel Methodist Church, either in the main sanctuary or in a small intimate chapel at the church. Programs have also been held at The Marq, a Southlake event and activity center, which also includes an outdoor amphitheater. 

Besides the organization’s goal of providing high-quality arts programs close to home, Apex commits to affordable ticket prices. Tickets for most programs are $15 to $25 for adults with discounts for seniors and children.

“Nearly everything we take in goes to pay our performers,” Messing says. 

Operations funding comes mostly from the generosity of donors and the sale of memberships, which come with benefits such as ticket discounts, exclusive member events and reserved seating. As a nonprofit, Apex also engages in community outreach by donating unsold seats to charitable organizations to pass along to individuals and families so they can enjoy an arts event at no cost.

Although Messing has been chair of the organization since its inception, she credits its success to the hard work of the organization’s executive board and enthusiastic community arts supporters who serve as advisers and consultants.

Being involved with the management and promotion of the arts is a labor of love for Messing. A native of New Jersey, Messing’s musician mother had her take piano lessons as a child. In school, she played the flute but switched to the oboe so she could play the part of the duck in a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s beloved symphony, “Peter and the Wolf.”

After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, she worked as a registered musical therapist, creative arts manager, music educator and professional oboist. 

She moved to Southlake nearly 30 years ago with her husband, Mark Messing, a gynecologic oncologist, and their two children and became involved as a volunteer with Art in the Square and the Southlake Arts Council. Because of her love of music, she has continued to perform as an oboist with the Northeast Orchestra in Northeast Tarrant County and the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving.

Those who know and have volunteered alongside her are awed by her management abilities and dedication to growing the local arts landscape.

“Terri is incredible but she is very humble and doesn’t like to take credit for starting Apex but it was her vision to establish an arts organization in Northeast Tarrant County,” says Noreen Houston, who serves as membership chair for Apex. “She has this gift of being able to bring people together with diverse talents and skills and that is what has built Apex into such a successful organization.

Despite the organization’s longevity and its expanding repertoire of programming, Apex continues striving to expand its reach and draw even larger audiences.

“An important thing our programs do is help promote the arts across the Metroplex,” Houston says. “A lot of people will come and see the Fort Worth Symphony in Southlake and then discover they want to hear more so they will buy tickets and attend a concert in Fort Worth.”