Welcome to the blog of VSA Texas!

Hello all!

Welcome to the new blog of VSA Texas! My name is Austin Hughes, and I’m the newest addition to the VSA staff here in Austin, Texas. 

Through this blog, we’ll be sharing more with you all about the goings-on here: who we are as a staff, special projects and activities here at VSA Texas, and some information about other interesting arts events around town and beyond!  We hope to be your one-stop destination for all the information you’ll need to be a part of our diverse yet inclusive community. 

I’ll start with who I am!  I come to Austin from Boston, MA where I recently graduated with a degree in Psychology from Boston College.  As a Boston native born and raised, this has been my first experience with Texas, and I have loved every minute! I had my first breakfast taco last week, and let me tell you- it was life changing.  As VSA Texas’ intern, I help out with the camps and internships and assist with the management of our social media. I also occasionally provide comic relief to our hardworking staff.

Celia Hughes, Executive Director of VSA Texas, has been a huge part of my transition to Austin!  Despite being the rock of VSA Texas and overseeing all of our programs and events, she has been a tireless tour guide and taken it upon herself to show me the ropes of this new city. However, on our recent trip to El Paso for the “Arts Alive!” conference, I was able to show Celia something new: the selfie! See below for evidence.

Can you believe this was her first selfie?

The other staff members that make up the backbone of VSA Texas are April Sullivan, Eric Clow, and Lynn Johnson.  April is our fearless (and patient) Artworks Director.  April is perpetually cool, calm and collected, which are all characteristics that serve her well while she helps run VSA Texas’ summer camps and internships! 

Eric, having come to VSA Texas originally as a volunteer at our summer camp, felt unable to leave this magical place and has stuck around as the Project Coordinator of the Opening Minds, Opening Doors program.  Eric also assists with the comic relief and has been rumored to provide handheld fans to anyone that needs some relief from the humid Texan weather.

Last, but certainly not least, Lynn works as the manager of Community Relations and Outreach Services, and importantly keeps the rest of the staff in line.  She also has the best coffee in town, so if you’re ever in the building I would stop by and see if a fresh pot is brewing!

Well thanks for checking out our blog! I hope you enjoyed this short introduction to the staff at VSA Texas.  We’ll all be contributing our thoughts and updates here, so check back in weekly for more updates, information, and interesting happenings over here at VSA Texas!