This was our second visit to The Grace Museum Abilene TX. Our first time there was a little over two years ago at Christmastime.

Untitled mosaic 1950, by Michael Frary (1918-2005)

The Grace Museum Abilene TX

The Grace is located smack dab in the heart of historic Abilene’s downtown area. Today it is a local and regional hub for arts, culture and community. But it did not begin as a museum.

Museum’s origins

The Museum’s Mission Revival style architecture was originally built as a hotel. In 1909, Colonel E.L. Beckham built, what is now home to The Grace Museum, as the Hotel Grace, named for his daughter.

The Grace today

Today The Grace is a beautifully restored building that has eight gallery spaces spanning three floors. Here they showcase world class art by historic and contemporary American artists with Texas connections, along with works from the Museum’s permanent collections.

Remembering our previous visit

Even though we had visited The Grace Museum before during one of Abilene’s 2nd Thursday ArtWalks, the second time around was a whole new experience! This time we were with friends which made our stroll through the museum so much more enjoyable. We got to share memories that the permanent exhibit of vintage living rooms and kitchens evoked. And since our friend Sandee and I share the love of fashion and sewing, we discussed the intricate details of the beautiful clothes of a long gone era.

Abilene area high school student art exhibit

But it was a new exhibit that truly took our breath away. This was an extraordinary display of art from area high school art students. All I can say is WOW!!! Not only are these kids unbelievably talented artists, but they’re incredible at relating the story of their artwork.

This fabulous group of teen aged artists whose work was on display ate The Grace Museum Abilene TX were truly gifted in both areas of expertise. I hope you have enjoy seeing some of this exhibit here!

Jenna Herrera

The Inescapable Dance, mixed media by Jenna Herrera, Cooper High School

“The idea behind my artwork is the Circle of Life and how it feels when one dances around death. In this piece, I show different perspectives of life present in blooming leaves. Out of the dozens of biological paradoxes I researched, I chose these organisms to represent the threat of death. In creating this piece I decided to use markers that showcase pastel colors and brighter tones and can blend colors smoothly, creating a cool atmosphere contrasting with the warmer-toned skeleton. While designing this piece, I learned the Datura flower (in the skull’s eye) is lethal to consume yet attracts moths for pollination and that the Cordyceps Militaris (the Scarlet Caterpillar Club fungi, bottom left) only produces spores after killing its moth larvae host underground. I wanted to emphasize the idea of death by having the skeleton be the most significant focus, while new beginnings are often seen as small opportunities.” – Jenna Herrera This was the Best of Show Award winner!

Nevalea Seals

Bella, mixed media art by Nevalea Seals, ATEMS School

“I created a portrait piece pf my friend Isabella using a contrast of dark computer colors and vibrant greenery. I used computer parts, wires, plastic flowers and leaves, and a picture of her to create this. First, I assembled the computer with the photo as the computer screen. I glued the greenery to look like it was growing out of the computer, and then I outlined the photo with wires that were Isabella’s favorite colors. Bella and I can’t often hang out in person outside of school, so we play games together on our computers to stay connected. Our relationship has grown through doing this, and she’s become one of my closest friends and supporters. I used the growing flowers in my piece to symbolize this growth. My artistic goals include improving my anatomy skills and accuracy with drawing faces, so I used her face in my work. I feel this artwork accurately represents how I view my friend, and it came out how I imagined.” – Nevalea Seals

Zoe Vann

Are We Almost There?, mixed media by Zoe Vann. Abilene HS

“The purpose behind making my art is to show others how activities and responsibilities affect us both positively and negatively. In my piece, Are We Almost There?, I utilize emphasis and unity to convey the emotions expressed by my character l lost in all her work, responsibilities, and activities. To create this piece, I took a reference photo of myself with a pile of homework on my face, then I sketched and drew my face with colored pencil. I keep all of the papers I’ve ever completed in school, so I decided to implement them into my work to add a sense of depth. As an artist, my goal is to learn how to tackle challenges calmly and collectively while becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable. This piece helped me grow as an artist because it taught me how to work with styles and subjects I tend to avoid. Moreover, it taught me how to be grateful in all circumstances because though I was in the thick of all challenging period, I came out with a stronger mentality and outlook on life.” – Zoe Vann

Krishna Boon

Starved, mixed media by Krishna Boon, Cooper HS

“The Khmer Rouge was the most destructive time in Cambodian history, and I wanted to illustrate its lasting effects on the people of Cambodia. The figure is part skeleton with dried fruit scattered throughout to symbolize starvation as well as emptiness for the people left after the mass genocide. The dried fruits pass through the ribs, giving a feeling of emptiness. The arms passing beyond the canvas illustrate the aguish and hope to break away, wanting to be free from the torment. The color of the skin is dull with blues, greens, and pinks, showing that they’re still alive with this starvation.” – Krishna Boon

Ireland Cox

Disclosure, paint markers and pen by Ireland Cox, ATEMS School

“This piece is crucial because it represents my relationship with my mother. I lost her mentally over ten years ago to an illness and never truly got to know her. I used a series of paint markers and a pen to paint over a canvas given to me by my mother. My goal for this piece is to help others feel like they are not alone in grief and losing someone they care for. I wanted this piece to feel very emotional, mainly so I could better explain my grief through feelings and memories. I want everyone who sees this work to have their interpretation and feelings regarding it. I hope seeing my work will allow other to feel as if they are not alone because none of us are alone; we are only lonely.” – Ireland Cox

Sinful Spirits, paint markers and pen, by Ireland Cox

“This art piece focuses on the idea of marriage and the baggage that can come when people are forced into a relationship due to ideas of peer pressure, money, race, sex, or appeal. I envisioned this piece’s goal to bring awareness to the internal conflict caused by others’ opinions of one’s relationship. I hope this piece can achieve the goal through my vibrant color scheme and pleasing art style.” – Ireland Cox

Ryann Liu

Sisterhood À La Carte, watercolor, pen glue and paper by Ryann Liu, Abilene HS

“Within my family, there is always so much thought put into preparing and presenting food. My entire life, I have experienced how essential meals are in shaping my family’s relationships and the extent to which the simplistic scene of a shared meal can reveal the intimacy of a bond. Through my artwork, I wanted to portray the development of my sister’s and my relationship’s through a menu-like composition that incorporates food-related elements to represent the importance of shared meals. The utilization of text surrounding the scene provides further emphasis on the piece’s intention. The menu inside depicts a candid scene of my sister and me sharing a meal, along with various colors that translate our acceptance of each other.” – Ryann Liu

A Shared Treat, acrylic paint by Ryann Liu, Abilene HS

“In my investigation, I have been examining how the act of sharing a meal with another person can be representative of communion, revealing the intimacy and closeness of a bond. Through my art, I wanted to display specific scenes of shared meals or food that represent close relationships within family, as well as the importance of food towards the greater stability of familial connections. My piece depicts my father and sister sharing a snow cone. I wanted to display the beauty of its simplicity along with the love shared between them. The flowers surrounding them represent the blooming connection occurring from their moment of intimacy. I utilized a wide variety of colors to create a positive tone closely associated with the pleasures of eating, along with the resulting happiness from sharing that pleasure with someone close to you.” – Ryann Liu   This piece won 1st Place

Aaliyah Mikaele-Hamilton

Hear to Heart, acrylic paint and pen on wood panels by Aaliyah Mikaele-Hamilton, Abilene HS

“My artwork is about the different aspects of the bond and sacrifices a mother goes through trying to protect and connect with her child. Motherhood can be stressful, but through small events, stress can strengthen the relationship between mother and child. In my piece, I want to show how the son has heart problems, and the mother sees that and sacrifices her own heart to save her son. These pieces are shown in a row and close together like the mother and son bond.” – Aaliyah Mikaele-Hamiliton    Merit Award winner.

Simple Days, acrylic paint by Aaliyah Mikaele-Hamilton, Abilene HS

“My artwork is about the bond and sacrifices a mother goes through trying to protect and connect with her child. My artwork shows different aspects of the bond between a mother and child. I wanted to show how being a mother can be stressful and show the bonding of a mother and child through small events. In my piece, I used acrylic paint, showing a mother doing her daughter’s hair while the daughter is doing the baby doll’s hair. I want to show how little moments, like the child mimicking the mom, strengthen their bond. I want people to see how mothers can impact their children through teaching and small, everyday moments.” – Aaliyah Mikaele-Hamilton

Jacie Shipley

movement is art, mixed media by Jacie Shipley, Abilene HS

“Through experimentation and multiple processes, I want to utilize movement in my art in many ways. There are many types of movement, whether literal or moving your eyes across the page. I incorporated these movements in my art and discovered and utilized diverse methods to create my pieces. In this piece, I integrated the art of dance into my sculpture to portray physical movement. I used specific colors and shapes, such as black and gold and the circular base, to emphasize and employ diverse elements and principles. With this theme in mind, I make pieces with different variations of materials and processes while still maintaining and utilizing movement throughout my art.” – Jacie Shipley

Alaya Quinones

Pearl, mixed media by Alaya Quinones, Cooper HS

“How can I explore different facets of my personality through the characters I’ve created? I used Pearl to represent my happiness when I was accepted into college. I chose her as a subject for this piece because she is my most bubbly character, and I thought she would fit perfectly with this piece. I wanted to give her bright colors to indicate a happy and excited feeling further. In the background, I used watercolor to create a splash of yellow to emphasize my excitement. The shapes glued in the middle of the piece are my abstract interpretation of the schools logo.” – Alaya Quinones

Maleah Hudson

Scrutiny, digital media by Maleah Hudson, Cooper HS

“This piece is part of a 2D design portfolio that explores how Generalized Anxiety Disorder and ADHD have affected my life. In this piece, I explored my struggle with making eye contact due to anxiety. Through composition and symbolism, this piece aims to capture the intricate layers of emotions, fears, and uncertainties that can hinder genuine connection. The blurred effect on the eyes symbolizes the fractured sense of self and scattered thoughts that anxiety can induce. In the background, a series of eyes are depicted, staring directly at the viewer. The eyes represent the collective gaze of society, which can feel overwhelming and judgmental.” – Maleah Hudson   Special Award winner.

Isabella Robinson

Mélange, watercolor and charcoal by Isabella Robinson, ATEMS School

“Mélange is a watercolor & charcoal artwork across four different pieces. I chose various papers for this project, first because I wanted to experiment with watercolor on multiple paper types and second because I wanted it to feel like a collage. The piece represents the beauty of adoption and illustrates my love for my family, even though we don’t look alike. The variety in the paper use and the colors and texture implemented symbolize my family as l’m an adoptee born in Guatemala and raised in the US. Additionally, the elements serve as a gentle nod to traditional Guatemalan textiles. I featured hands as a symbol of familial connections; I took a reference photo of my parents holding hands to add a personal connection to the piece. The title Mélange means a mixture or medley; even though a family may have various colors and cultural backgrounds, I wanted to create an artwork to commemorate how much I love them.” – Isabella Robinson   Second Place winner.

Gabriella Trujillo

Blinded, mixed media by Gabriella Trujillo, Abilene HS

“My pieces reflect my emotions while waiting for a chance encounter: patience, uncertain hope, and disappointment. Some are a cautionary tale about the disadvantages of waiting; others tell us to live life to the fullest and never wait for a chance. This piece heavily utilizes emphasis as an expanding darkness, a placeholder for the disappointment in the girl’s mind. This focal point symbolizes the attention that the girl has on her chance encounter, as it takes away focus from her, coercing the viewer to experience the dominance of waiting for a chance encounter as she does. Instead of focusing on her portrait, the audience typically notices the blackened line, similar to the way she capitalizes on her chance encounter instead of living to her life’s fullest. The collection is a metamorphosis; my ideas began simple, then they developed stories and changed as l actualized them to a canvas.” – Gabriella Trujillo   Honorable Mention

Mackenzie Baker

Balance Between Nature, photography by Mackenzie Baker, Abilene HS

“I picked up this little friend because they are said to be good luck. I love the details in the picture and the look that the shadow has on my skin. I was happy to see that the texture of my skin was in focus as it was such an in-the-moment shot. The rhythms created by the white shirt, the curve of my thumb, and the inside of my hand give it a large sweeping motion, yet the ladybug sits poised to take another step. Amazingly, such a small thing can bring joy to people.” – Mackenzie Baker

How could I resist sharing one with a Ladybug in it?