The Washington Avenue Arts District -- which bills itself as "Texas' largest creative community" -- is under new management.

With founding director Susannah Mitchell headed to Denver, the non-profit organization Fresh Arts will now promote events at the district's sprawling studio compounds and common areas west of downtown.

Fresh Arts was already helping the district with grant writing and programming; and while its annual budget is a modest $650,000-$700,000, it has a full-time staff of four. Mitchell, however, toiled as a volunteer, working closely with the district's founders, real estate developers Jon Deal and Steve Gibson.

Mitchell sounded happy with the arrangement.

"I gave my notice five months ago," she said. "It's not the kind of job where you just give two weeks' notice. Marci, Jon and I all inherently knew it made a lot of sense, because there was a lot of overlap in what we were doing."

The district promotes monthly studio events hosted by the artists at Sawyer Yards that average 1,200 visitors. About 3,500 attended the recent Summer Series tours, and Fresh Arts' annual winter holiday art market each November draws about 5,000 people.

Fresh Arts' executive director Marci Dallas said her group's mission has always been about connecting artists with audiences. Its office has been a tenant in the compounds for about a decade.

"Warehouse buildings can be intimidating," Dallas said. "Lots of people would pop in, confused about what and who to see, and where." Fresh Arts secured the grant that made the summer tours possible, as a kind of "programmatic way-finding."

Fresh Arts also recently sponsored a professional development program through a grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance. It introduced 25 Houston artists, from multiple disciplines, to each other as well as six mentors. Dallas said the participants will stage an exhibition in November at the Silos at Sawyer Yards.

She sees opportunities for the Washington Avenue Arts District to help other areas of the city develop organizations that fit their needs. "People want to see art in their neighborhoods, and cultural districts have the potential to do that," she said.

Mitchell may be living in Denver, but she said she'll still be a presence, heavily involved with pushing the nascent Site Gallery at the Silos "out of the nest."