Our Mission
To support both local artists and the community by joining the two together to inspire a dialogue of creativity, passion, fine art, and a celebration of culture.
Our Story
Austin just keeps growing, and while people from all over the world are drawn to its unique and magnetic allure, many people seek a slower pace than what Austin can offer but still wish to enjoy the amenities, culture, and weirdness of the big city. So, they move just south to the beautiful, small towns of Hays County and the Texas Hill Country and create a need and demand for a cultural centre and local facilities to promote artistic expression, support creative problem-solving, facilitate collaboration, and enhance the quality of life of the community. At the same time, the Hays County area is rich with artists of diverse mediums who also seek a sense of community, along with affordable studio space and business opportunities, support, and resources to make a living as artists.
Sinead and Susan were determined to find solutions to these community needs. After a lot of research, input and support from the local general and artist communities, and many cups of coffee, they came up with a grand idea - create an art center! Inspired Minds Art Center was established with the purpose of connecting the community by:
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Providing high quality, multi-media art instruction for all ages taught by local artists and artisans and
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Incubating artists and artisans by providing studio workspace, business and marketing support, hosting pop-up markets, and providing events and gallery space for the display and sale of local artwork.
Enter Buda! Just south of Austin, Buda is a quiet, family-centered, bedroom community also in the midst of a population boom and striving to maintain its small-town feel while cultivating its identity. With a long history of supporting small local businesses and artists, Buda is a prime location for nurturing the arts and illuminating the importance of culture and community.
And now, Inspired Minds Art Center is creatively serving Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, New Braunfels, South Austin, and the surrounding areas.
Susan Guerra
Susan is a rarity...a Native Austinite! Born and raised in the Zilker neighborhood before it was cool (and expensive!), she met and married her husband, Juan, in Austin. The family moved to Buda in 2006 and then to a couple of acres just outside of Kyle in 2015. Susan has long desired to use her talents, Mechanical Engineering Degree from UT Austin, and a teaching certificate in Special Education to run her own business, but between raising 4 kids, wrangling chickens and teaching preschool, the right time and opportunity just hadn't come along...until now. She is a collector of random facts and a lifelong learner. Susan has always loved fiber arts such as crochet & knitting and has recently begun spinning wool into yarn! She has a particular interest in homesteading skills such as canning, gardening, chicken and bee keeping, and loves living just outside the city to have room to practice them.
Sinéad Whiteside
Sinéad Whiteside, self proclaimed dynamo, is always up to something interesting! Inspired Minds is an evolution born of a childhood spent creating art, a Bachelor of Arts from UT Austin, and a Masters of Education from Texas State University. When she moved to Buda in 2014 with her husband, Michael, and 3 young children, she found a diverse community on the brink of major growth and changes and a large population of extremely talented artists. She decided that the only natural thing to do is to inspire art education and support local artists by connecting the community with the treasure trove of artists within it.
