Save the Date - Commonwealth Convention - June 14-16, 2023 - Dodge City, KS - Click Here to Register

Yashua Batista-Milk

Hi, I’m Yashua Batista-Milk. Currently, I am a Texas Tech student. I originally come from the capital of Texas: Austin, where I was born and raised. I am going to Texas Tech for a Bachelor of fine arts in graphic design to put my passion for art into action through a career in the digital art field

Through the internship, I hope to learn the skills needed to not just interact with communities but to learn from them to create a piece that stays true to those who live there. The internship that I am working on is a partnership between the Talkington School of Art and Ogallala Commons.

The internship looks to explore the water systems that affect our West Texas communities and how we can learn and revitalize the towns by looking at the systems that sustain them. I’m working with Avery Bonnet and Carol Fluckiger to create an exhibition at the Lubbock garden arts center to explore the topic of revitalizing our communities by revitalizing our water sources to create a West Texas that is not only better for the next generation but also for our environment.

The retreat at Talon Point served not just as an introduction but as a guide to the open plains of West Texas. Since for most of my life I have lived in the city my tours of Nazareth, Turkey, and Tulia, among other towns have proved to be an experience unlike any I have had in Austin. The retreat at Talon Point taught me not just the 12 key assets, but how to find them inside each different community.