What is Butterfly Artist Collective?
It All Started with a Name
My late husband, Harry, is the inspiration behind the name. Harry was a physician at a cancer hospital in Houston for 25 years. Unfortunately, the depth of his understanding of the disease did not help him when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. After battling cancer for 8 years, we knew the time to cross the veil was near. I asked him if he was afraid, and he said, “No, I believe in transformation. Take the butterfly; it does a complete metamorphosis, from egg, larva, pupa, and then to an adult butterfly. I am going to be the human equivalent of a butterfly.”
That changed my perspective irrevocably. I now try and see every person not as they are now, but as the Butterfly that they will transform into. When I moved to Durango, CO a few years ago, I was looking to make friends with fellow artists and met Jaci Crawford, who had a similar vision of uplifting the artist community. From there, Butterfly Artist Collective was born.
— Velinda Gibbs, Founder
Velinda Gibbs, Founder
Harry & Velinda Gibbs
Become a member of Butterfly Artist Collective
Meeting Times:
During May - August, we meet once a month for Happy Hour at 11th Street Station from 5-7pm.
From September - April, we meet on the Second Sunday of each month at 3pm. The location changes each month, so stay tuned on our instagram for meeting announcements!
Membership is free and the benefits are:
Build and strengthen contacts to help sell your art or your art services and open doors to new opportunities.
Find fresh ideas & inspiration through networking with other artists and discovering new ways to think about your own artwork.
Advance your career through connecting with a community that advocates you and your work. BAC will help build your visibility as an artist or arts professional and your peers will become your promoters.
Learn tricks of the trade by attending our meetings and listening to our featured speakers, who are various local artists and arts professionals.
Share knowledge with a wide network of artists and arts professionals. Whether you need more guidance on marketing, pricing artwork, how to submit artwork to a gallery, or how to install artwork, Butterfly Artist Collective is made up of many experienced minds and diverse creatives ready to openly share knowledge and support artists of all skill levels.
Join a group like our new figure drawing group, our upcoming critique groups, or start your own sketch circle or collaborative effort! The sky is the limit, and we will help support whatever networking endeavor you have in mind, either through marketing and promotion, through procuring locations for your new group or exhibition and more.
Pool resources and take advantage of our soon to be installed Free Art Supply Library. Have too many watercolors and don’t want to donate them to another artist? Or want to test out a new medium without purchasing a whole new set of supplies? Our Free Art Supply Library will be setup by 2023. Location and details TBA!