Participants

Dara Atkinson grew up in coastal Texas in the 80s. The downtown cultural district of San Antonio is where she breached her love of art at SAC Ceramics studio in a historic 1901 Koehler Estate Carriage House. Sculpture and three-dimensional design guided her studies to the fine arts program at the University of Texas Arlington, majoring in glass. Honing in on all the techniques of the amazing material through glassblowing, fusing, neon, and casting. During those years, she worked closely on a select team under her mentor, David Keens, producing several large public arts projects. She also spent an intensive workshop one summer at the Penland School of Craft in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Dara has shown her sculptures in many group exhibitions and juried shows throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her work is derived from her life experiences and the deep emotions of perception. She continued on those life experiences by raising a family in South Texas on the coast where she grew up. Every day is a new inspiration.

Hello! My name is Anahi. I’m currently pursuing a BFA is sculpture at the University of Houston and this will be my first art walk. 

“I’m a freshman studying Fine Arts, with a love for oil painting and charcoal drawing. I’ve been drawn to art since I was a small child, and that creative pull has never faded. Creating isn’t just something I do, but something that I need.”

My name is Minh-Tam Le (pronounced MIN-tham) and I was born and raised here in Victoria. I am currently attending Victoria College to earn my associates degree and pursuing a studio arts degree where I hope to transfer to an out-of-state art college after graduation. I like to learn and explore traditional, digital, and 3-dimensional art mediums whenever I can, so I could build a strong art portfolio to submit for future college applications. I would also like to build a strong artistic career in the art industry and create an online platform showcasing my artworks!

Native Texas artist Julie Marie Marsh lives and works in Moravia, Texas at Arrow Rock Studios. She began her artistic journey working extensively in blown and fused glass while developing her skills as a metalsmith.
After earning her Master of Fine Arts from University of Texas at Arlington, Julie joined the university’s Art and Art History Department as a faculty member. There, she taught a wide range of courses in art, glass, and design. In 2011, she published Fluid Occurrence, a book about her work exploring glass and metal sculpture.
Julie later spent years immersed in the vast desert landscapes of Northern Arizona, where she created glass, metal, and mixed media work while teaching metal workshops in her studio and elementary art classes. During her time in Arizona, she also learned leatherworking, which she has since incorporated into her metal practice.
After returning to Texas, Julie continued to expand her artistic exploration. Her work spans from traditional jewelry to boundary-pushing glass sculpture, incorporating a diverse range of materials and techniques. Inspired by nature’s expansive landscapes, her work reflects both experimentation and reverence. As she explains,
“My artwork is an investigation of material possibility inspired by nature’s reverence.”

I am a retired wife,  mother, and grandmother who has called Victoria home since my days in elementary school. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, as well as  cooking, gardening, sewing, and traveling. My creative talent comes from my mother and materiál grandmother who taught me to sew and crochet as a young girl.
Several years ago I started collecting old, torn, or faded tshirts from friends and family. I washed them, cut them into strips and hand sewed them together, then crocheted  them into rugs so now they are no longer useless. When deciding what to do with my rugs, I thought of Kim Pickens and the Humility Project. The Humility Project seeks to assist those who are forgotten to homelessness. Donations to this project helps with the basic needs of those who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness so they can receive dignity and respect.
Kim is knows and approves that donations from my “Respect Rugs” will go to the Humility Project.