— Events —

Save the Dates in 2019!

October 29, 2018
From the Git-Go, art became an important element for the building and for the City. Art is everywhere in the building and the "Peoples' Gallery" really just means the inside of the building. Typically each local artist selected for the year's show submits a few works. Thanks to the work of Toni Cook and Lynn Myers, we will be able to display our complete Texas Bold Beauty exhibition of photographs. This is the first time a thematically unified exhibition of size has gone into the building and the curator is really excited to see it come together. And the exhibit will be up for a full year! We're aiming at 20 photographs and we have some concerns about timing. We need the digital images completed by the end of October and this means we have to accelerate our model recruitment. We'll need to prioritize speed over quality but we are doing multiple venues and you can replace one shot with a newer one. The reception is in late February and it draws 1,000 people including the mayor who speaks. Click the link to see a one minute time lapse video of the Gallery. And if you're in Austin, City Hall is open to the public.

Dates for the TEXAS BOLD BEAUTY PROJECT GALLERY OPENINGS

A year-long photography exhibit featuring beautiful Texas women, with courage, drive, passion and with disabilities that don’t hold them back. Twenty original images captured by talented Texas photographers tell the story of these wonderful women.
WIMBERLEY
Friday – Sunday, Jan 11-13
Opening Reception, Jan 12, 4-8PM
(Gallery Hours:  Fri: 1pm-4pm preview, Sat: 10am – 8pm, Sun: Noon-4pm)
Messina Inn
1000 Cypress Creek Lane, Wimberley

SAN MARCOS
Jan 12 – Feb 15
Open Weekdays 6am – 10pm; Saturdays 10am – 8pm
Opening Reception Jan 18 5-7pm
The Walkers’ Gallery
San Marcos Activity Center
501 East Hopkins, San Marcos

AUSTIN
Feb 5 – December 31
Opening Reception Feb 22 6-9PM
Receptions Monthly on Last Fridays 6-9PM
The People’s Gallery – 2nd Floor
Austin City Hall
301 West 2nd Street, Austin

AUSTIN
Apr 5 – May 1
Opening Reception Apr 5 5-7PM
Old Bakery Emporium- 2nd Floor Gallery
1006 Congress Avenue, Austin
Other Texas locations to be announced…

HOSTED BY THE WIMBERLEY VALLEY ART LEAGUE
with contributions from Thomas Printworks, Austin Bob and Zeina Cook, Wimberley For more details: texasboldbeauty.com and on Facebook… Read the rest

— Events —

First Event: January 11 – 13

October 10, 2018
Tina in Paint

The Texas Bold Beauty Project was born in the culturally rich community of Wimberley, Texas. It is only fitting that the opening exhibition will also take place in Wimberley.

Messina Inn will host this two-day event in its main building lobby. The project celebrates a group of incredible women who have not let disabilities, limitations, nor health challenges overpower their strengths and spirit.… Read the rest

— Events —

Favor for the Texas Bold Beauty Project

October 1, 2018
Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott

The Texas Bold Beauty Project is the latest installation of a visual arts exhibition which began in Miami, Florida, in 2006. That original exhibition focused on several incredible women affected by various disabilities and health challenges. It defied stereotypical concepts of “beautiful” and required the public to admire the true beauty found in each model as seen through the lenses of professional photographers.… Read the rest

— Welcome —

The Texas Bold Beauty Project

September 21, 2018

The Texas Bold Beauty Project is a celebration.

Through the creative eyes of award-winning photographers, this project celebrates women who define beauty to include their abilities to boldly defy life’s challenges…
challenges which may shape their daily lifestyles, but which can’t override the strength and courage of each project model. That is the real definition of beauty!… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Barbara Ramirez

December 23, 2018
Barbara Ramirez, Bold Beauty Project Texas Model

I’m Barbie! I am 30 years old.  When I was fourteen, I was in a car accident resulting in a complete spinal cord injury at T4/T3 level.  My life changed in a matter of seconds.  Doctors said I would never walk again.  My love of sports and dreams of becoming a professional soccer player vanished.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Sarah Leigh Davis

December 22, 2018
Sarah Davis, model for the Bold Beauty Project Texas. Photographer: George Krause

 Sarah Davis is a 28-year-old artist who is able to capture beauty from within and bring it to life through her drawings and paintings.  When she was two-years-old, Sarah and her family were in a propane explosion.  Sarah had been thrown, knocked unconscious, and buried in the debris.  It took firefighters two hours to find her, and, as a result of the accident, Sarah suffers from organic brain damage.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Paige Lambert

December 20, 2018
Thank YOU

Growing up, I didn’t think certain things were possible because of my difference, until I saw someone like me showing me how to do it and what it looked like.  Now, I get to show other women what it’s like to embrace their differences, their uniqueness.  I get to show women that your identity is not based on how you look, what you do, or how successful you are.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Out Stories: Heather McArthur

December 19, 2018
Heather McArthur, model for the Bold Beauty Project Texas

 I feel that I have embraced the concept of Bold Beauty by not automatically accepting the first impression people give of me.  I was very lucky as a child to be naturally outgoing and smart.  So I think it surprised people when I wanted to be physically independent as well.  I had my first surgery before I was three-years-old and had 17 in total by the time I was 21.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Mary Abigail Kiely

December 18, 2018
Mary Abagail Kiel, model for the Bold Beauty Project Texas

My name is Mary Abigail “Bundle of Joy”, “Healed of God” Kiely.  My Dad named me when he and my Mom brought me home from the hospital.  I was 22 months old.  You see, before God brought Dad and Mom to me, I didn’t have a home.  The doctors told Dad and Mom I would not live to my second birthday, to take me home and love me. … Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Cristina White-Jones

December 4, 2018
Tina in Paint

Cristina White-Jones (Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis) writes:
“I’m a full-time artist and private art teacher. My mother ran a gallery, so I grew up with artisans and their work. I’ve always felt the need to create.

“When I was 11 years old, I fell and broke my right hip. It started out as slipped capital femoral epiphysis with avascular necrosis.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Deb Lewin

December 1, 2018
Deb Lewin, Model for Bold Beauty Project Texas

Deb Lewin, Model for Bold Beauty Project Texas

“Born and raised in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, I also lived in Israel and South Africa, representing two countries in field hockey and squash. Political changes in Africa left me without a country. After ten stressful years, I became an American citizen, working as a videographer, paramedic, ropes challenge course instructor and Master Neuro-Linguistic Programmer.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Oda Lisa Roberts

November 26, 2018
Oda Lisa Roberts, model for the Bold Beauty Project Texas

Oda Lisa Roberts’ statement about the Bold Beauty Project Texas:

“The Texas Bold Beauty Project is a wondrous thing by redefining the conception of disability. My hope is to assuage the poor perception of blindness by expounding upon the following meanings. For me, “bold” equals having the courage to be fully functioning within a visual scene.… Read the rest

— model stories —

Our Stories: Tanya Winters

November 12, 2018
Tanya Winters enjoys pushing the boundaries of art and disability through her work with VSA Texas, a statewide inclusive arts organization. She quickly moved from a scared young woman who read poetry with her back to the audience to a striking dancer who loves to perform. Tanya became a certified DanceAbility instructor in 2011 and spends her free time teaching, choreographing and performing.

Tanya Winters is a passionate 42-year-old woman living with Cerebral Palsy. She has a firecracker personality and a big heart. After earning a degree in Social Work, Tanya moved from Chicago to Austin where she discovered her inner disability advocate. Since then, she has built a solid career in disability advocacy, within which she encourages other people with disabilities to get involved in their community and speak out for what they believe in.… Read the rest