The Road to Del Rio…and Beyond
(Backdrop: In September, America and the rest of the world had its full attention on the border towns of Del Rio and Acuña. Approximately 15 thousand migrants, mainly Haitians, were fleeing poverty and desperation in search of an American Dream. They ended up in an encampment under the Acuña—Del Rio International Bridge on the U.S. side. For more than a week, the bridge was closed to the residents of these two towns, creating disruptions and uncertainties, not to mention lost commerce. In the end, about 5000 migrants made it through to U.S. border processing, some 2,000 were expelled to Haiti, and nearly 8,000 slipped back into Mexico. The bridge fully opened September 27.)
The Imagine Art--Del Rio Connection
Last year, Richie Acuña, (a former Imagine Art and AmeriCorps Member, and native of Del Rio) invited Imagine Art to exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery in Del Rio, October 1-30. He acted on behalf of the Del Rio Council of the Arts at the Firehouse. With the coordinated help of the Exhibits Team (David Carrales, Madison Bennett, Vic Martinez), 23 Imagine Art artists were represented in works of watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels, or mixed media in a show called Drawing Parallels.
(Shown below is the art ready for transport, and Richie all loaded up for Del Rio.)
There is no lack of creativity at Imagine Art, and artists welcomed the opportunity to share their art with Del Rio residents. Just click this link to see all 23 artists’ work: imagineart.net
Rick Hernandez led a delegation to the border for the opening of Drawing Parallels. The art ambassadors from Imagine Art included AmeriCorps artists-in-residence Vanessa Curiel and Jonathan Baker. The show was well received; even the mayor showed up. Years ago while working at Texas Commission on the Arts, Rick established lasting relationships with the Del Rio art community.
Meanwhile … Back in Austin, John Molina Leads an Acrylic Pour
IA artists remain hard at work, learning new skills and techniques from each other and their teachers. This will help in their job readiness. At Imagine Art’s new headquarters behind St. Luke United Methodist Church on West Lynn in Austin, creativity bursts all around. The latest was an artist led activity organized by artist-in-residence Danni Bailey where John Molina showed everyone how to do an acrylic pour on canvas. What fun the artists had! The photos tell it all.
Imagine Art artists are able to produce non-traditional art. But IA painters are also trained in the fundamentals of color, composition, value, form, brushwork, and perspective. Below (left) are examples of Shon Parker’s latest colorful pieces. AmeriCorps artist-in-residence Laura Williams helps John Molina (right) assemble a mixed media piece.
And Beyond . . .
There’s never a dull moment at Imagine Art, including the satellites at Harmony, ARC, and (soon to come on board) Conely-Guerrero Senior Center. The artists collaborate with the other artists and their teachers. Serious artwork gets done with community support. Imagine Art continues to embrace the creative spirit, helping move their clients closer towards job readiness and successful lives in art.
