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Inspired Minds Art Gallery
Featuring Local Artists

Inspired Minds Art Center is proud to promote the amazing artists who live all around us.  The award-winning Inspired Minds Art Gallery, located just off the main lobby entrance, displays and sells artwork created exclusively by local artists - from paintings and sculptures to weavings, paper creations and more!

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Gallery Hours
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DESIREE STEELE
BACKROADS AND BACKPORCHES:
HEALING THROUGH PHOTOS


SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 14

Opening Reception
September 22, 6pm-8pm
Free
All ages welcome

A South Austinite who now resides in Buda, Desiree Steele has over three decades of experience behind the camera and is an accomplished nature and portrait photographer. Her art explores themes of healing, faith, and home.

 

Desiree sees beauty everywhere. To her, it’s never a matter of conventional standards but rather an appreciation of the wonder and grace that exists in all of God’s creations and the people and places that are often ignored.

 

The collection, Backroads and Backporches: Healing Through Photos, is the culmination of decades of technique meeting with a hard-fought healing journey. As Desiree would put it, sometimes life knocks you on your ass. For her, the past seven years have seen her grieve the loss of many family members, including her beloved grandmother, who had been a rock for her growing up. Around the time of her grandmother’s passing, wounds surrounding early childhood experiences with sexual assault surfaced. A skin cancer diagnosis, a botched breast reduction, and compounding grief kicked Desiree around more still. But during her lowest moments, her faith was always there for her. And through her artistic practice and the help of others, she’s found the healing power of openness, community, and, critically — nature. Desiree’s photos help focus and calm her when anxiety attacks come on.

 

Until she manages to get a tree in the middle of every home, her collection aims to bring that healing power to as many people as possible, especially those who lack access to be out in nature themselves.

 

If you’re friends with her kids, you might know her as Momma Steele. If you’ve been on her back porch, you’ll likely have tried some of her home cooking, which you’ll see is every bit as colorful as she is. If you are a person who exists in this world, she’ll invite you to slow down, take a less-traveled road, and see the beauty in yourself and all around you.

 

Learn more about Desiree Steele:

 

Instagram: @Backroadsandbackporches

Website: www.desireesteele.photography

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BUDA PLEIN AIR COMPETITION ART EXHIBIT

OCTOBER 20 - NOVEMBER 4

Opening Reception
OCTOBER 20, 6pm-8pm
Free
All ages welcome

The Buda Arts Festival was created with the purpose of responsibly bringing the community together through art in a mindful, healing, and celebratory way. It's a spectacular 5-day festival in Downtown Buda filled with live art, live music, art markets, community art activities, and artist social events. The festival culminates in a plein air art competition!

 

The Buda Plein Air Competition Art Exhibit features juried, award-winning artwork created during the 2023 Buda Arts Festival.

 

Please join us for the opening reception of the Buda Plein Air Competition Art Exhibit! Enjoy light refreshments, meet the artists, and view and collect over 75 pieces of original artwork created live at the 2023 Buda Arts Festival!

2023 Plein Air Winners

1st Place

Shea Daniel-Youngblood - “Brian's Idea”

2nd Place

Larisa Anaya - “Summer Rain”

3rd Place

Celeste Perez Smith - “Dancing Silhouettes”

Honorable Mentions

Katie Lydecker

Tom Afflerbach

Ben Ortiz

Theresa Vincent

Theresa Vincent

Gena Destri

Jim Street

Jim Street

Mike Clark

Shea Daniel-Youngblood

Renee Barnes

 

2023 Quick Draw Winners

1st Place

Shea Daniel-Youngblood - “Park on Main Street”

2nd Place

Tom Afflerbach - “Over/Under”

3rd Place

Sean Allen - “Gallery in Motion”

Honorable Mention:

Joy Bliss

Lori Sons

Larisa Anaya

Plein Air Exhibiting Artists

Sean Allen

Tom Afflerbach

Larisa Anaya

Izzy Anderson

Renee Barnes

Judi Beauford

Joy Bliss

Kelly Bonsall

Mari Boren

April Bramwell

Diana Bravo-Gonzalez

Tammy Brown

Mike Clark

Debbie Conyers

Jenn Cronin

Shea Daniel-Youngblood

Frank Gabriel

Amie Gonser

Kim Hoerster

Katie Holland

Kay Hughes

Abbi Kaiser

Gena Keffer

Erin Kowalik

Katie Lydecker

Lisette McClung

Garrett Middaugh

Andrea Nelson

Benjamin Ortiz

Ivette Rivera-Ortiz

Sarah Pierce

Moon Reece

Cindy Schiffgens

Celeste Smith

Jim Street

Theresa Vincent

Baron Wilson

Concrete

2023 SEASON
INSPIRED MINDS GALLERY EXHIBITS

FACULTY & STAFF ART EXHIBIT
January 14 - February 18

EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE
February 24 - April 8


ART QUILTING EXHIBIT
April 14 - May 27

4TH ANNUAL IMAC STUDENT ART SHOW
June 3 - June 17


AMSTER INTERNATIONAL FINE ART COLLECTION
FLASH SALE
June 24 - July 15


GENA DESTRI - BUDA ART BRAWL CHAMPION'S GALLERY SHOW
July 21 - August 12

MICHAEL CLARK - BUDA ART BRAWL CHAMBERS SHOW

July 21 - August 12

DARRELL KURTEN

August 18 - September 8

BUDA ARTS FESTIVAL FINE ART SHOW
September 16

DESIREE STEELE

September 22 - October 14

BUDA PLEIN AIR COMPETITION ART EXHIBIT
October 20 - November 3

HOLIDAY BAZAAR
November 17 - December 23

AMSTER
INTERNATIONAL
FINE ART COLLECTION

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"Art is the root; life is the flower."
- James Roose-Evans

Click here to learn more about:

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"My hope/goal is that our art collection be donated to aid in the furtherance of quality art involvement to enrich the lives of the future"
- Susan Amster

To support arts education and contribute to arts enrichment for years to come, Susan and Stephanie Amster have donated their personal collection of over 150 valuable artworks acquired over the past 65 years that have been created by artists from around the globe. In the spring of '22, the sale of this artwork seeded the brand new non-profit, Tandem Arts Partnership, which provided access to the arts for our underserved communities.

 

The proceeds from sales funded arts education programs for the community through Tandem Arts Partnership non-profit.

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