What began as a quiet wish from a Breckenridge Village resident has blossomed into a vibrant celebration of creativity, resilience, and community — all conveyed through the transformative power of art.
Thanks to a collaboration between Breckenridge Village of Tyler (BVT) — a residential community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities — and Southside Bank, residents are taking center stage at the bank’s Gallery 113. Now through Sept. 5, the gallery will showcase work from 27 BVT artists.
“Anytime there’s a chance for us to spotlight somebody with a specific talent that we can spotlight in our art gallery at Gallery 113, we would be happy to see how we can partner alongside them or others in the community and help make their dream come true as well,” said Steven Campbell, Director of Corporate Relations and Communications for Southside Bank. “We’re just really proud to come alongside them and play a small part in spotlighting them. This is a great opportunity for Bubba and his friends at Breckenridge, and we’re just glad to be a part of it.”
This will be the third year of the partnership.
“Southside Bank has been such a strong partner for Breckenridge Village for many, many years, and they have a beautiful gallery upstairs at their downtown bank,” said Cassi Velasco, Vice President of Public Relations at Breckenridge Village. “They do this really cool thing where they kind of rotate through community art displays, and they will have Breckenridge to be one of those community art displays for a long time.”
This year’s featured highlight is the debut of Bubba’s Art Gallery — a deeply personal dream of BVT resident Bubba N., whose artistic journey began nearly four decades ago.
“This year we wanted to do something special, something different,” Velasco said. “One of our initiatives this year has been to turn dreamers into doers.”
To bring that vision to life, BVT invited both residents and day program participants to share their goals, dreams, and creative aspirations. An open call went out for submissions — including drawings, paintings, poems, and more.
“My office is full of art right now,” Velasco said. “Anything you could think of, we have it.”
The collection includes a range of mediums, from pastels and oils to 3D collages and jeweled artwork.
“Bubba had expressed to us that it was his dream to have an art gallery,” Velasco said. “He’s lived here for a long time, and he’s always made art for all of us.”
Known for hand-drawing cards and leaving heartfelt notes for staff, Bubba often uses pencils and paper to express himself, so the idea of a gallery wasn’t a surprise to the BVT staff.
“The gallery will honor him and his stories, and you get to read a little bit about each of the pieces,” Velasco said. “A lot of them have experiences of where he’s been, so that’s where he takes a lot of his art from.”
Drawing from memory, Bubba said he likes to draw with colored pencils, and his favorite pieces are the ones of old houses and one of a shrimp boat. “I started drawing in 1986, and ever since then, I’ve dreamed of having my own art gallery,” he said in a press release.
Bubba said it takes him three days to complete a piece. He has anywhere between “five to 50,” and wants people to come see all of his pieces.
“They’re all really good,” he said. “…I like drawing tulips and flowers.”
Supporting the artists behind the scenes was longtime volunteer Judy Dumas, who has dedicated 20 years to nurturing creativity at BVT.
“She has done such an incredible job of nurturing people who, maybe it wasn’t their first instinct to make art, and just really encouraging them,” Velasco said. “She also took those who were already passionate about art and giving them more skills and more time to work on their hobby. So it was a good mix.”
A faith-based nonprofit, BVT is dedicated to helping adults with mild to moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities grow in every aspect of life — spiritually, physically and socially. The organization offers both residential and day enrichment programs tailored to individual goals.
“Our main goal is to help each person grow in whatever capacity that looks like, whatever capacity they want to grow,” Velasco said. “So if they want to grow towards working in the community or towards living here at Breckenridge or living somewhere even more independent, or perhaps growth is coming to the program one day a week, we want to provide them every opportunity.”
The roots of Breckenridge Village trace back to Jean Breckenridge, whose personal mission to care for her son, Jimmy — who had Down syndrome — led to the facility’s founding. Following the loss of her husband and oldest son within months of each other, Jean was driven to create a place where Jimmy, and others like him, could thrive.
“She wasn’t satisfied with the options that were out there,” Velasco said. “After her son and husband passed away, she was on a mission. She said ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen to my son when I’m gone.’”
Jean donated 78 acres of land, and with strong support from the community, Breckenridge Village officially opened its doors in April 1998. Since then, the campus has expanded to include facilities such as the Robert M. Rogers Chapel and the Douglas R. Mehling II Center.
“We believe that the Lord’s hand was really in that… He brought about the right people at the right time to take this land that she gifted and to create this place,” Velasco said.
Today, BVT provides comprehensive residential services including room and board, on-site medical support, and daily living assistance — from meal prep and laundry to personal hygiene and cleaning. Independent living opportunities are also available for those developing life skills toward greater self-sufficiency.
For non-residents, the day program offers a wide range of enrichment activities, such as bowling, candle making, arts and crafts, and more.
“I think the art gallery is an incredible way to just celebrate what makes us unique in the way that we see and perceive the world,” Velasco said. “We know that adults with developmental disabilities may see the world differently than we do, and that’s something to celebrate and to push to the forefront as something beautiful. So, the art gives us an outlet for that. It’s also just really fun to do.”
Located at 113 W. Ferguson Street in downtown Tyler, Southside Bank’s gallery is free and open to the public during regular business hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 5 p.m. on Fridays.
“We at Southside Bank believe that we are a community bank,” Campbell said. “This is what a true community bank looks like, coming alongside our community partners, seeing what needs they have and how we can assist in fulfilling those needs. We believe that we are a good steward of resources… and want to see how we can support the community in their times of need. We’re just proud to support Breckenridge and their mission.”