Introducing Paula Calderon

Introducing Paula Calderon

Visionary and creative artist born in Colombia, South America. Her bachelor’s degree in industrial design and over 20 years of experience as a professional ballet dancer have given her the tools to become an entrepreneur in costume and stage design and production, with notable recognition in the performing arts industry in her hometown Medellin. Her sensitivity to illustration and dance at a young age shaped her career. Ballet became such a powerful passion that she managed to find a perfect synergy between design and dance, serving as artistic director and creative manager at one of the most recognized dance studios...

Introducing Hillary

Introducing Hillary

Hillary is a musician of versatile influence with fluidity in songwriting, performing, and music production. Her focus begins with writing illuminating lyrics that serve as a pathway for her sonic landscape—balancing the vibrations of sound with the resonance of language. Her approach to music involves a search for whimsy and quirk. Although a longtime resident of New York City, she is from southwest Louisiana. Her musical practice is as storied as her musical past, she has been guided by years of experimentation in jazz, zydeco, folk, musical theater, opera, chamber choir, improvisation, and popular music. In cycling through different genres, Hillary’s appreciation...

Introducing James Wilson

Introducing James Wilson

James Wilson is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, who discovered his passion for photography shortly after graduating from high school. Well known for his vibrant, yet classic portraiture, he excels in forging connections with his clients, enabling them to embrace the moment of being transformed into works of art.. Growing up in a church environment, James believes that all life was and is created by God, and he sees it as his duty to capture the essence of this creation in its most flattering light. After studying cameras and lighting for the first 3 years of his journey, he learned...

Introducing Ciel Dafford

Introducing Ciel Dafford

Ciel Dafford is a Wiccan Priestess, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Reiki Master-Teacher, boasting over 20 years of spiritual guidance and 12 years of healing touch expertise. Her influence extends across diverse faith communities in Chicago, the UK, and France, promoting unity and understanding. Ciel’s massage therapy practice reflects her profound understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection, offering clients a rejuvenating and transformative experience. Beyond her therapeutic skills, Ciel is distinguished by her boundless creativity and passion for the arts. In her role as a priestess, she artfully integrates myth and folklore into rituals, creating enchanting sacred spaces for healing and empowerment....

Introducing Callie Istre

Introducing Callie Istre

Callie Istre is an artist and jewelry maker from Lafayette, La. Her main focus is in creating paintings that can also be classified as sculptures.  Callie is a graduate of Louisiana State University and has recently begun her delve into the professional art community. Her art centers around the woman experience and aims to connect to her feminine audience. Callie takes inspiration from everywhere, but her time studying abroad in Ireland helped to solidify her love for art and helped her branch out into sculptural work. She is on the BARE WALLS art roster, and is always searching for new...

Introducing Brian Schneider

Introducing Brian Schneider

Brian Schneider is a lighting designer and licensed electrician based in Lafayette,Louisiana. A New York City native, Brian now integrates Louisiana culture and point of viewinto his designs. He collaborates with groups such as Opera Louisiane, Basin Dance Collective, Turner Fischer Center for Opera at LSU, and Haymarket Opera in Chicago. When away from the theater, Brian designs and builds custom lamps, andlighting installations. His work has been shown at the Acadiana Center for theArts, the Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans and the Hilliard Museum of Art.Brian uses light as his personal language, blurring the lines between a professionand a...

Introducing Roz LeCompte

Introducing Roz LeCompte

Roz LeCompte is a self-taught artist from South Louisiana. She has cycled through many mediums and styles since her public visual art debut in the late 1990’s. She feels most comfortable in the abstract space relentlessly exploring the idea of how chaos and order contrast one another using colors and shapes. This sometimes boundary-less dance produces an underlying current present in all her works. She has recently participated in group exhibitions at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Basin Arts Gallery, Acadiana Center for the Arts, and the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana, and has been featured in...

Introducing Annabeth Mejia

Introducing Annabeth Mejia

Annabeth Mejia is an emerging photographer from Monroe, LA. She graduated as the outstanding graduate for the college of the arts at ULL in 2023 with a BFA in Visual Arts: Photography. Exploring topics not comfortably talked about in the American south is what she has focused on for the last few years. Opening conversations about how our environment affects us and how we see ourselves and others due to it. She wants to create beautiful and appealing images while also letting the viewers take the time to open their perspective.  https://annabethmejia.myportfolio.com/home https://www.instagram.com/numbwhale/ Who makes up your art circle? Just...

Introducing Bach Prados

Introducing Bach Prados

Bach Prados was born in Opelousas, LA, and grew up there. He is a graduate ofNorthwestern State University with a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Photography.He has explored a wide variety of arts media including painting, drawing, sculpture, 3D wallpieces, digital imaging, and webpage design. He is currently working with photography and,occasionally, documentary film. Most recently, he is hand-crafting frames from reclaimedwood as an alternative to conventional framing for his photography. His work hangs in anumber of private collections throughout the Acadiana area. Bach has lived and worked in South Louisiana and Maryland. As a member of...

Introducing Kelsey Billiot

Introducing Kelsey Billiot

Kelsey Billiot has been teaching in classrooms around Lafayette Parish with the PACE program since 2015. As a teaching artist, she crafts creative movement lessons that include arts integration, social emotional learning skills, and curriculum connections. Her art is expressed through Space Lafayette, an artisan dance company that creates original works involving site specific choreography.  She created Breathe & Move in the Fall of 2019, as a response to the growing ask for movement and wellness in classrooms. Breathe & Move is the collection of these ideas over her movement and teaching career that gives movement outlets to express emotion,...