North Austin Voices: Artwork by Antonia Ruppert is an art exhibit at North Austin Branch from January 20 - March 30 featuring portraits of Austin community members by Austin native Antonia Ruppert.
Ruppert's artwork springs from a series of roundtables entitled "Voices of North Austin: Changes Over Time," which took place at the North Austin Branch in July 2022. Over six weeks, long-term residents of Austin and North Austin came together to share stories, perspectives and memories from their time in neighborhood.
Ruppert and branch staff also participated in two workshops that gave community members an opportunity to reflect on their love and connection to Austin. Ruppert drew from these conversations to create portraits that capture the neighborhood's powerful legacy of resilience, aspiration and joy in the face of systemic racism.
Of her work on this project, Ruppert writes, "Redlining, immobilization of people, food deserts and discrimination are just words until you pair it to someone’s life. The artwork that you are seeing celebrates the life of people, the resilience of individuals and the ability for hope to reign." She complements her acrylic portraits with collage, integrating the speakers' words into the image and preserving these voices for generations to come. Ruppert's paintings will also be accompanied by the work of local calligrapher Mary E. Griffin.
A reception will be held February 17 from 1 pm to 4 pm.
