Until his death on February 1, 2013, Bert Long, Jr. was one of the brightest lights in the Houston arts community. In recognition of his support of local artists, HMAAC has dedicated a gallery in Bert’s name to allow the museum to annually exhibit the work of four artists working in the greater Houston area. By creating this platform, HMAAC will give our community the opportunity to experience the best and most compelling of Houston’s visual artists.
Christia Leday's Artist Statement
I was born and raised in Opelousas, Louisiana. About a year after graduating from college, I moved to Texas to begin my career as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant. After some time I began to travel in my spare time. I’ve always enjoyed viewing pictures, but it was through traveling that I really fell in love with photography. It wasn't until after a trip to Puerto Rico in 2014, however, that I decided to purchase a camera. My world changed with that one decision. Initially, I took pictures of anything old, abandoned, or rusted. In my eyes, this was beauty. Simultaneously, my lens to how I saw life and the world began to focus in. I then began to relate this to the world and how we sometimes need to adjust our own lens to see the beauty in others through love.
Through the encouragement of friends, I created a blog to showcase my photography. Soon however, I began to include my thoughts with each picture. Most of my writings were then of a spiritual nature, but have since grown to include my thoughts on world issues that move me. These writings have since become an important element of my work. I don’t think my photography would have the same meaning without the writings.
While I am inspired through life experiences and the people I encounter, most of my inspiration comes from the gift giver of all gifts, God. I want my art to be purposeful and inspirational, therefore I believe the key to my photography is being present within the moment.
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