Donna Provencher, from Bourne, Texas is a professional writer and journalist, an actor and director, and an avid advocate for disability awareness and inclusion in the arts. She makes a habit of casting talented neurodivergent individuals with autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in production leadership roles in her plays, as well as recommending cast members to other central Texas theater productions.

As an autistic artist, Donna has learned to turn difference into discipline. The traits often described clinically — deep focus, heightened pattern recognition, an intolerance for artifice, a strong internal sense of fairness — have also made her a sharper director, a clearer communicator, and a more reliable collaborator. Like many professionals with disabilities, part of her work has always been

invisible: learning how to translate between different communication styles, managing sensory and social demands and continuing to lead and produce at a high level in spaces that are not always designed with neurodivergent people in mind. That experience has not made her fragile. It has made her precise.

She also brings her personal experience to her works as a journalist. Since 2017, she has worked in various content creation and editorial roles at the San Antonio Business Journal, San Antonio Express News, and Kerrville Daily Times, to name just a few. Most recently her social media postings offer a wealth of information regarding inclusion and an individual’s civil rights.

Donna seems to be unstoppable in her drive to create a better world for all people. For her indomitable spirit, creative drive, inclusive attitude, and selfless commitment to helping others who are coming up behind her, Donna Provencher is the 2026 Haven Street-Allen Artist of the Year.

Pebbles Wadsworth has let her own artistic voice take center stage. She came to Texas in 1993 to be the Director of UT Performing Arts Center. And for 15 years, she pursued her vision of developing and nurturing young creative minds, while fostering and expanding the creative hub of Austin to reflect its energy and passion for the arts .

Upon retirement, or her re-focusing as she prefers to call it, she first moved to Smithville, where she and her husband purchased a Victorian House and moved it to their ranch. With this “Art Cottage,” they invited world-class artists to perform and interact with the local community, and helped to launch what is now a driving artistic force in Smithville.

Now, in her home in Central Texas, she is devoting her time to creating pet portraits. Working in soft pastels on archival paper, she creates luminous portraits of people’s beloved pets — capturing not just a likeness, but each pet’s unique spirit. However, what amplifies

her work is the mission woven into every commission. Every portrait she completes helps fund veterinary care for pets whose families cannot afford treatment — from emergency interventions to basic medical attention that can mean the difference between life and loss.

She has transformed her studio practice into an act of compassion, ensuring families in need that their beloved animals receive the care they deserve.

What a life indeed! For her humanity, remarkable drive, generosity, and grace, Pebbles Wadsworth is the recipient of the 2026 Gloria Bond Creative Aging award.

Glenn Towrey has never encountered a challenge that couldn’t be overcome. When he learned that his fellow veterans were taking their own lives at an alarming number, he knew he had to do something. So he started the Veteran Suicide Prevention Channel, where veterans could sign on to hopefully experience their own peace, and find healing through the arts.

An actor and filmmaker at heart and a painter of clocks for fun, Glenn has lived a full creative life. Upon his return from Vietnam, he carried his share of the burdens of that conflict and sought solace through his art. Painting clocks helped him find his way home.

In 2019, he had a dream to create the Austin Veteran Arts Festival, AVAFEST; building upon his work with the Veterans Suicide Prevention Channel and dedicated to supporting a veteran’s transition through engagement in visual art, theater, dance, music, filmmaking, and comedy. Much beyond a celebration of Veterans and their creative spirit as well as their strong sense of mission, the

festival promotes mental well-being, fosters connectivity, tolerance, and love, and aims to alleviate emotional struggles within the personal, and larger veteran community.

A decorated Vietnam combat veteran turned artist and filmmaker, Glenn exemplifies resilience and a lifelong commitment to service. His influence as an artist and leader has created lasting change, modeling the power of the arts to unite, uplift, and transform. His legacy is one of continuing the mission through compassionate leadership and positive human impact – qualities that make Glenn Towrey the recipient of the 2026 Creative Veteran Service Award.

The Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award is given to an artist who displays passion and commitment to showcasing the creative vision of people with disabilities through the wide and ever-expanding spectrum of today’s media, and honors the life of Lynn Marie Johnson, a strong advocate for a strong advocate for the representation of artists with disabilities in the media arts.

Penny LeLeux learned filmmaking on the fly. As an actor, director, and creative leader, ten years ago she looked around and seeing an opportunity, she began a new adventure in the art of filmmaking by entering a 48-hour festival competition.

First, she wrote a screenplay. Then, with the help of a small production company, she wrote and directed her first short film. Since then, she has gone on to win numerous awards for her writing, directing, producing, and acting.

But that just wasn’t enough sizzle for Penny, so she founded a nonprofit organization, Barefoot on the Bayou Film Group, to promote filmmaking in Orange County and Southeast Texas, or as she would say, “promoting filmmaking in the land of cowboys and cajuns”.

In 2019, Penny and the Barefoot on the Bayou group founded the Texas Film Belt Project, a signature competition and showcase of short-films shot within 50 miles of Interstate 10 (stretching from Orange to El Paso), plus a “fringe” category for films shot along interstate highway I-10 outside of Texas. The goal of the Texas Film Belt Project is to eventually have Interstate 10 designated as THE Texas Film Belt.

For her impact on the film community in Orange and across the state, and for her tenacious spirit and delightful humor through it all, Penny LeLeux is the recipient of the 2026 Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts award.

The SPARK Award is given to an artist with a disability who embodies the infectious and innovative spirit of Art Spark Texas. Small but mighty, a spark – when nurtured and cared for – can fuel great things. A young, Mexican-American painter and printmaker, Rachel Salcido creates incredibly rich and textured work that reflects their culture and their home on the border in El Paso. They demonstrate how art can be a form of expression and exploration of culture, identity, and expression, while also serving as a tool of resistance and power. Rachel brings a combination of artistic talent, knowledge of art history, and personal experience to their work, which explores the concept around liminality; the state of being on a threshold, existing between one stage of life, space, or identity and the next.

In their own words:

“As a queer, disabled Mexican-American, my work is rooted in the exploration of intersectional identity through the context of gender expression, disability, and tradition. I enjoy working with mark-making as a way to open conversations about labor, which parallels and embodies the labor associated with navigating physically and socially inaccessible spaces.

The Director’s Commendation is a discretionary award honoring an artist whose work shines a light on the inclusive vision of Art Spark Texas. Jonah Dillon is a young painter living with muscular dystrophy. His paint brush are the wheels of his wheelchair, driving over puddles of paint, usually supplied by his artist assistant. It all started with catsup and then moved on to other liquids, just to see how far they would squirt and the patterns they would make. Liquid paint was soon to follow. He may not be able to see what is happening under the wheels of his chair but he knows what colors he is working with, and the direction his wheels are going when he crisscrosses the canvas.

He explains his process like this:

“The main thing that has influenced my creative process is living with muscular dystrophy. The progression of my disease is what led to the way I create my artwork now…The idea started small: I’d been recording videos of running my wheels over things, just to see what happened. One day I wondered what would happen with paint instead. My first attempt was 10 dollars of tempera paint on cheap paper — just to see if

the idea would even work. It did, and I’ve been creating this way ever since.

For his creative spirit and unique, free-form painting style that invites people to see different things, without a prescribed image or outcome, Jonah Dillon is the recipient of the 2026 Directors Commendation award.

Thirty years of Art Spark Texas. Wow, time really does fly.

I’ve been trying to think of a word that would describe how I feel about Art Spark, and the only word I can think of is hallelujah. Now, that’s not because I’m a religious person. It’s because it’s the only word I can think of that can hold 14 years of experiences.

I’ve been thinking about, you know, is there one moment, one event at Art Spark that I participated in that means more than the others? And I gotta say, I can’t think of just one, because they were all really important.

Because I chased Celia Hughes down at an advocacy conference and begged her to publish my book of poetry, I was able to get involved with Actual Lives. And because I was able to read my poetry during my very first performance with my back to the audience, I was able to really become a better writer and a better performer, of course. I promise you, I did eventually turn around and really enjoy being on the stage.

But, I mean, that first book of poetry after Actual Lives, I mean, paled in comparison to some of the other things I wrote. One of the greatest pieces I think I’ve ever wrote was called “Dancing Queen.” And in “Dancing Queen,” I told everybody about my dream of becoming a dancer. And little did I know that that would actually come true thanks to Art Spark.

Because through Art Spark, I then got to meet Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks. AndI started dancing with her and loved it so much and realized that I could be a dancer, I then started taking classes at Austin Community College and really loved that so much that that led to actually traveling to Florianópolis, Brazil, where I was able to study with Alito Alessi, who created DanceAbility. And I learned even more about dance and enjoyed it even more. I mean, I can’t tell you what dance means to me. And it was just really awesome to be able to have these experiences and to live this dream.

Art Spark has helped me meet some of the greatest artists. I’ve gotten to work with some of the greatest teachers. I feel so well rounded as an artist. Basically everything that I’ve wanted to express as an artist, I’ve been able to do thanks to Art Spark.

Let’s see, I’ve also been able—I’ve met some of my best friends thanks to Art Spark. I mean, friends that I can really say are more like my family. You know, two that come to mind that are still very important to me are Susie Angel and Juan Muñoz. I’ve had friends with disabilities before, but my friendship with these two, I mean, there are no words. I’m speechless when I think about Susie Angel because I love her so much, and being friends with Susie and Juan really enriches my life. I mean, I can’t tell you what they mean to me.

I can say, thanks to Art Spark, I mean, I guess you could call me a model. I don’t really like to think of myself that way, but I’ve gotten to work with the best photographers, travel to some of the best places. I mean, Albuquerque, New Mexico, working on Together and Apart was really, really an important experience for me. But, I mean, some of the pictures from that performance are just so beautiful, and it’s really because of the photographers that took them.

Because of Art Spark, I really feel like an advocate. It really deepened my understanding of advocacy. It helped me speak up for myself more because I had a place to do that and to feel safe.

Because of Art Spark, I’ve become a better public speaker—a speaker in general, hell, a trainer. I mean, I’ve got to tell you that my experiences with Actual Lives really helped me in a job that I have with Texas Advocates. In this job, I was training people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Because of my experiences with Actual Lives, I was able to actually come up with a training toolkit called Get the Power, and it was all role-playing based. So you didn’t have to read a book or do any kind of PowerPoint presentations. It was all based on role-playing.

For example, when we were talking about our dreams and speaking up for ourselves, I would put everybody in a circle and we made our own dreamcatcher. I had several exercises like this, but it’s important because other—like I said, other people with intellectual and developmental disabilities could actually do this training, all because you really didn’t have to read. And I couldn’t have done that without Art Spark.

So I think of all the things that I am, that I can say I am. You know, I’m a dancer. I’m a writer. I’m an advocate. I’m an awesome public speaker. I’m a model.

You know, I’ve been putting this recording off because I’ve just been trying to think of every way that Art Spark has really helped and supported me. And I think ultimately what they helped me do was they gave me permission to take risks and space to express myself. Those are the two things that I would say ultimately Art Spark helped me do.

So when I think about, you know, is there any advice or anything I would tell somebody getting involved with Art Spark the first time? And I would have to say, you know, I would say get ready. You know, get ready. Hold on, you know, because it’s going to be a ride. Your life is going to change. You’re going to laugh a lot. You’re going to have a lot of emotions. You’re going to meet a lot of friends. You’re going to do a lot of things you never thought you could do. You know, so just get ready.

Well, Art Spark, you know, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to all those people that I’ve worked with that have helped me throughout the years and supported me throughout the years. And I look forward to another 30 years.

So happy birthday, Art Spark. I’m ready for another 30. Let’s go.

Sometimes I have a block when I can’t paint. But right now, I am making more art than ever. I love transforming everyday materials into beautiful and functional art. I paint light switch covers, decoupage old trays that I get from thrift stores, and fold origami containers. My greatest passion is showing other people how to make origami boxes. There is something profoundly soothing in the folding. It allows my hands and my mind to find peace. It is a quiet joy that I love to share.  [photo of these boxes are somewhere i just saw – maybe square or our market place] 

What makes Art Spark so special is that their programs create space for artists with any kind of disability to create, produce, learn, and grow. I saw that art shows by people who are dealing with mental illness were restricted to hospital or clinic settings. We are  hidden away. I founded the annual San Antonio exhibition, ‘Expressions,’ to showcase the work of artists with mental illness in a gallery where their work is proudly on display. Art Spark helped me make my dream a reality.

I still treasure the piece I created in my first Art Spark ‘Artworks: Dream Big’ workshop. That day opened my creativity. In fact, I was so inspired I entered my first show at a San Antonio gallery, and they asked me to stay. I began selling my work at First Friday events and connecting with a wider audience who appreciate what I do.  The annual ‘Expressions’ exhibition – now celebrating its 19th year – is a direct result of that experience.

Art Spark Texas is connection. No games. I can just let my creativity go. Do what I want, with no limits. We are a good match because Art Spark understands me and supports my own artistic journey.”

Postscript: We are very sad to report the passing of a dear friend and Art Spark artist Susan Beattie. She was our 2019 Director’s Commendation awardee for her leadership in San Antonio, where she founded Expressions, an annual art exhibit in honor of Mental Illness Awareness. We will miss her smiling face and cheerful, can do attitude. Rest with the angels Susan.

After eight years of art outreach to grade schools for Art Spark Texas, Jan Meeks remembers breakthrough moments that brought home her mission as a teaching artist. “One of my favorites … was at [Austin’s] Zavala Elementary School kindergarten class,” she says. “We were working on a giant mural laid out in the hallway.” 

Throughout the term, Jan had been collecting the small art projects the kids had been making. These were going on the mural. “I had an idea of making snow,” she says. “The kids used squirt bottles of glue to cover the mural. Then we took bricks of styrofoam and rubbed them together, and all the little pieces of styrofoam came down and stuck to the glue.”

One small boy with Downs Syndrome stood in the “snowstorm.” “It was flying everywhere and he threw his head back, opened his arms, closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue like he was catching flakes. It made it all worthwhile to see him. I knew then I was [knocking] down boundaries.

“Art Spark programs are life-changing for everyone,” Jan says. “What I was doing is not only teaching the kids, but teaching the teachers how to use art — and that is probably the toughest part. Kids are a blank slate; they’re easy to teach. It’s the teachers and getting them to realize that there is not a right and wrong. You may want it to look one way, but it’s going to come out looking totally different. And that’s OK.

“There was an Arts Spark arts book that we could pull out for curriculum and ideas,” she says. She continues handing out Art Spark Texas materials whenever somebody asks for resources.

Jan says her Art Spark experience also benefited herself. “I began to value myself a bit more by putting into action what I am truly capable of. It just hit home,” she says. “Working with people with disabilities or kids in general, I realized that what I was doing was more powerful than I ever thought, because not everyone can do it. By doing so with Art Spark, it kind of reinforced what I was already doing and it gave me more self-confidence that I was doing things right, that everything that I thought was for me, was beneficial to somebody else.

“I would work with Art Spark Texas again in a heartbeat.”

It’s nearly impossible to sum up Eric Clow’s contributions to Art Spark Texas in a few hundred words, but going over it all, a strong theme emerges: As much as he’s helped others, they’ve also helped him in equal measure. Beginning in 2012 when he came in to talk to kids about radio with KOOP radio programmer Thor Armbruster (2022 Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award winner), Eric seemed to touch ever wider groups of people by taking on one role after another. During the radio camp,  he met Celia Hughes, and in short order was running a music camp, figuring out how to use software like GarageBand by also teaching it to disabled kids. 

“It was just a very powerful experience of learning, and when you give back as you teach and help other people to realize their art, there’s not many better feelings in the world really,” Eric says. “It’s such a powerful and just moving experience.”

By summer 2013 Eric started four years of co-creating and co-teaching the Opening Minds Opening Doors program alongside Chris Strickling, coordinating showcases, conferences and new programs across Texas. For five years, he co-hosted the Lion and Pirate open mics at the old Malvern Books, improving his music chops by writing and performing a new song every month. He also helped lead the ATXgo! project, building an online accessibility guide to Austin’s performance venues and museums, and arranging in-person visits to over 70 park facilities in the area and surrounding counties. The database includes contact info and listings for over 900 parks. And there are many other projects he participated in as well.

“You look at any community that Art Spark Texas has created and … the aim of all of them [is] showing you what disabled people are capable of,” Eric says.

“Arts Spark is still very, very dear to me,” he says. “Now I’m on the outside just continuing to support the mission any way I can because I think it’s making the arts accessible for everyone, [which] is such an important purpose.”

These days, as a writer, birder, birding coordinator and podcaster, Eric uses the many skills he honed at Art Spark Texas.

“I feel like those are the main ways [it has benefited me] — and, of course, in meeting and introducing me to my wife, [writer Nicole Corticchiato,]” Eric says. “That was kind of life-changing too.” Nicole was project facilitator for OMOD. The two have been married for six years.