Arts Council of Brazos Valley Hosting
“Heroes of COVID” Art Exhibit
Information Courtesy of The Arts Council of Brazos Valley
The Arts Council of Brazos Valley will be hosting a community art show as their newest exhibit, Heroes of COVID. The exhibit will feature art from Houston native Kristie Nelson and Bryan-College Station native, Amanda Dominguez. Heroes of COVID will be on display from June 22 to August 22 in The Arts Council’s gallery lobby located at 4180 Highway 6 South in College Station.
Kristie Nelson is an artist from Houston, Texas, who graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelors in Studio Arts and a minor in Art History. She also taught art at Waller High School for five years before deciding to stay home with her little ones. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and her family and friends on the front lines were affected, Kristie felt a need to do something to show her support for what they were experiencing and risking.
Kristie explores the details of the eyes of her subjects by using colored pencils. She then ventures out into using pastel sticks along with heavy-bodied acrylic paint. She also mixes media in every piece depending on the feelings she is presented with during the artistic process.
“In addition to honoring a variety of front-line workers (not only healthcare professionals), my work is an examination of what COVID-19 patients see during their most frightening moments. It is an examination of the care and comfort that can transfer from one person’s eyes to another,” Kristie comments.
As a kid, Amanda Dominguez was in her own world most of the time. She rarely completed assignments due to her excessive doodling. Amanda enrolled with Bessey Miller, one of Friendswood’s fine art teachers and spent the next 10 years studying pastels under Miller. Amanda participated in Livestock shows and Rodeo events during her school-age years and would go on to study Animal Science at Texas A&M University. When she and her husband moved to Hondo, Texas, Amanda found that she loved helping people in rural areas and decided to go to nursing school at the University of Texas – Health Science Center at San Antonio. Due to being a busy mother and nurse, painting has taken a back seat in Dominguez’s life. However, with the constant encouragement from her husband and support from her friends and family, she is working on her art even more. “Art is supposed to be simple and uncomplicated. What I have found is that art should tell stories in the simplest ways – through bright colors and simple compositions,” Amanda states.
About The Arts Council – For 50 years The Arts Council has served the community with one driving mission: to make the arts accessible to all residents and visitors of the Brazos Valley through funding, promotion, advocacy, professional development and partnership building programs. The Arts Council is focused on providing leadership by maintaining and strengthening an arts and culture–friendly community, making the quality of life in the Brazos Valley the best that the state has to offer.
The Arts Council of Brazos Valley, a non-profit organization, was chartered in 1970 by a group of visionary local arts patrons with the purpose of establishing a leadership role in organizing local arts advocacy efforts and fostering a true community for the arts. Fifty years later, The Arts Council has grown to serve the 5,000 square mile Brazos Valley region and, since 2008, has provided over $4.5 million dollars in direct funding support to arts organizations throughout the Brazos Valley. Governed by a board of community leaders, The Arts Council continues to faithfully serve as the lead advocate for all arts, culture and heritage efforts in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties by providing innovative and impactful artistic opportunities to residents and visitors of the region. The Arts Council is dedicated to ensuring that the arts remain a vital part of the Brazos Valley landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit ACBV.org