Community Calendar

The Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest 2026 invites Texans of all ages to reflect on their mental health and share what it means to them through creative expression.

Hosted by the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, this statewide contest is open to all Texas residents—from elementary students to adults. Participants are invited to respond to the theme “What Does Mental Health Mean to You?” through traditional art, digital art, photography, or writing.

Mental health is shaped by personal experiences, culture, and community. By encouraging creative reflection, the contest creates space for people to tell their stories, explore emotional well-being, and contribute to broader conversations about mental health across Texas. Submissions may address topics such as stress, healing, resilience, relationships, or everyday moments that influence mental well-being.

Selected works may be featured in virtual and in-person galleries, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and public dialogue.

Eligibility: Open to all Texas residents, youth and adults
Submission period: January 15 – March 31, 2026
Learn more: https://www.tiemh.org/artscontest/

Opening Reception for Eric O'Connell's Pinhole Photography Exhibit is on March 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The show opens March 22, 2026 through May 27, 2026, and presents creative pinhole portraits of San Antonio Artist immersed in their artform.

The opening exhibit of Eric O’Connell’s pinhole photography invites viewers into a living moment where time, movement, and memory converge. Through long exposures that compress minutes into a single frame, O’Connell reveals portraits that are both sharp and softly obscured, capturing not just a subject’s image but the interaction, motion, and atmosphere surrounding them.

Ghostly blurs, shifting shadows, and layered spaces create a sense of transparency and connection, allowing creativity, place, and presence to merge into one unified view. This exhibit asks audiences to slow down and consider the fleeting, often overlooked relationships between time, the artist, and the world they inhabit.

The Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest 2026 invites Texans of all ages to reflect on their mental health and share what it means to them through creative expression.

Hosted by the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, this statewide contest is open to all Texas residents—from elementary students to adults. Participants are invited to respond to the theme “What Does Mental Health Mean to You?” through traditional art, digital art, photography, or writing.

Mental health is shaped by personal experiences, culture, and community. By encouraging creative reflection, the contest creates space for people to tell their stories, explore emotional well-being, and contribute to broader conversations about mental health across Texas. Submissions may address topics such as stress, healing, resilience, relationships, or everyday moments that influence mental well-being.

Selected works may be featured in virtual and in-person galleries, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and public dialogue.

Eligibility: Open to all Texas residents, youth and adults
Submission period: January 15 – March 31, 2026
Learn more: https://www.tiemh.org/artscontest/

Opening Reception for Eric O'Connell's Pinhole Photography Exhibit is on March 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The show opens March 22, 2026 through May 27, 2026, and presents creative pinhole portraits of San Antonio Artist immersed in their artform.

The opening exhibit of Eric O’Connell’s pinhole photography invites viewers into a living moment where time, movement, and memory converge. Through long exposures that compress minutes into a single frame, O’Connell reveals portraits that are both sharp and softly obscured, capturing not just a subject’s image but the interaction, motion, and atmosphere surrounding them.

Ghostly blurs, shifting shadows, and layered spaces create a sense of transparency and connection, allowing creativity, place, and presence to merge into one unified view. This exhibit asks audiences to slow down and consider the fleeting, often overlooked relationships between time, the artist, and the world they inhabit.

The Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest 2026 invites Texans of all ages to reflect on their mental health and share what it means to them through creative expression.

Hosted by the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, this statewide contest is open to all Texas residents—from elementary students to adults. Participants are invited to respond to the theme “What Does Mental Health Mean to You?” through traditional art, digital art, photography, or writing.

Mental health is shaped by personal experiences, culture, and community. By encouraging creative reflection, the contest creates space for people to tell their stories, explore emotional well-being, and contribute to broader conversations about mental health across Texas. Submissions may address topics such as stress, healing, resilience, relationships, or everyday moments that influence mental well-being.

Selected works may be featured in virtual and in-person galleries, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and public dialogue.

Eligibility: Open to all Texas residents, youth and adults
Submission period: January 15 – March 31, 2026
Learn more: https://www.tiemh.org/artscontest/

Opening Reception for Eric O'Connell's Pinhole Photography Exhibit is on March 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The show opens March 22, 2026 through May 27, 2026, and presents creative pinhole portraits of San Antonio Artist immersed in their artform.

The opening exhibit of Eric O’Connell’s pinhole photography invites viewers into a living moment where time, movement, and memory converge. Through long exposures that compress minutes into a single frame, O’Connell reveals portraits that are both sharp and softly obscured, capturing not just a subject’s image but the interaction, motion, and atmosphere surrounding them.

Ghostly blurs, shifting shadows, and layered spaces create a sense of transparency and connection, allowing creativity, place, and presence to merge into one unified view. This exhibit asks audiences to slow down and consider the fleeting, often overlooked relationships between time, the artist, and the world they inhabit.

The Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest 2026 invites Texans of all ages to reflect on their mental health and share what it means to them through creative expression.

Hosted by the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, this statewide contest is open to all Texas residents—from elementary students to adults. Participants are invited to respond to the theme “What Does Mental Health Mean to You?” through traditional art, digital art, photography, or writing.

Mental health is shaped by personal experiences, culture, and community. By encouraging creative reflection, the contest creates space for people to tell their stories, explore emotional well-being, and contribute to broader conversations about mental health across Texas. Submissions may address topics such as stress, healing, resilience, relationships, or everyday moments that influence mental well-being.

Selected works may be featured in virtual and in-person galleries, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and public dialogue.

Eligibility: Open to all Texas residents, youth and adults
Submission period: January 15 – March 31, 2026
Learn more: https://www.tiemh.org/artscontest/

Opening Reception for Eric O'Connell's Pinhole Photography Exhibit is on March 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The show opens March 22, 2026 through May 27, 2026, and presents creative pinhole portraits of San Antonio Artist immersed in their artform.

The opening exhibit of Eric O’Connell’s pinhole photography invites viewers into a living moment where time, movement, and memory converge. Through long exposures that compress minutes into a single frame, O’Connell reveals portraits that are both sharp and softly obscured, capturing not just a subject’s image but the interaction, motion, and atmosphere surrounding them.

Ghostly blurs, shifting shadows, and layered spaces create a sense of transparency and connection, allowing creativity, place, and presence to merge into one unified view. This exhibit asks audiences to slow down and consider the fleeting, often overlooked relationships between time, the artist, and the world they inhabit.

The Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest 2026 invites Texans of all ages to reflect on their mental health and share what it means to them through creative expression.

Hosted by the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, this statewide contest is open to all Texas residents—from elementary students to adults. Participants are invited to respond to the theme “What Does Mental Health Mean to You?” through traditional art, digital art, photography, or writing.

Mental health is shaped by personal experiences, culture, and community. By encouraging creative reflection, the contest creates space for people to tell their stories, explore emotional well-being, and contribute to broader conversations about mental health across Texas. Submissions may address topics such as stress, healing, resilience, relationships, or everyday moments that influence mental well-being.

Selected works may be featured in virtual and in-person galleries, offering opportunities for learning, connection, and public dialogue.

Eligibility: Open to all Texas residents, youth and adults
Submission period: January 15 – March 31, 2026
Learn more: https://www.tiemh.org/artscontest/

Opening Reception for Eric O'Connell's Pinhole Photography Exhibit is on March 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM. The show opens March 22, 2026 through May 27, 2026, and presents creative pinhole portraits of San Antonio Artist immersed in their artform.

The opening exhibit of Eric O’Connell’s pinhole photography invites viewers into a living moment where time, movement, and memory converge. Through long exposures that compress minutes into a single frame, O’Connell reveals portraits that are both sharp and softly obscured, capturing not just a subject’s image but the interaction, motion, and atmosphere surrounding them.

Ghostly blurs, shifting shadows, and layered spaces create a sense of transparency and connection, allowing creativity, place, and presence to merge into one unified view. This exhibit asks audiences to slow down and consider the fleeting, often overlooked relationships between time, the artist, and the world they inhabit.