At the end of February, Daniel Celaya opened a new art gallery dedicated to outsider art in Huntsville.
Be Free Gallery
Be Free Art Gallery, an initiative of Mr. Celaya’s Imerj Art & Advocacy Projects, has transformed a former Greyhound Station at 1000 12th Street into an art space. The gallery will feature incarcerated and formerly imprisoned artists as well as other “outsiders who’ve spun struggle into something fierce.”
Mr. Celaya is a San Angelo native who holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Administration and Management from Angelo State University and is currently pursuing a BA in Humanities and Humanistic Studies at Sam Houston State University. Mr. Celaya was incarcerated for 17 years, and during that time, art was a necessary outlet.
Mr. Celaya told Glasstire, “I started this project back in 2014 with the help of my mother and aunt. I’ve been a street artist my entire life, but creating art took on a whole new meaning for me once I was placed in solitary confinement. It saved my life and gave me something to look forward to every day.”
In 2014, Mr. Celaya and his aunt, Alma Rios, co-founded Darkwood Art Gallery, which is based in San Angelo. The artist noted that, in the early years, his mother and aunt would sell his artwork alongside that of other incarcerated people via social media and in Dallas. The work they were doing was recognized by Richard Miles, founder of Miles of Freedom, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals, families, and communities impacted by incarceration.
As Mr. Celaya and his family’s network grew, they were introduced to Murray Smither, the Dallas-based artist, gallerist, and art dealer who was originally from Huntsville and had worked with incarcerated artists throughout his career. Mr. Celaya said, “The late Murray Smither helped my mother and aunt curate and judge our shows. He helped me deal art from a solitary confinement cell for the next decade.”
Daniel Ceyala at Be Free Gallery
On the Imerj website, Mr. Celaya states, “This project is about us helping people redirect their misdirected energy, it is about helping people divulge their purpose in life, this is about social evolution and constant improvement. Art knows no barriers, boundaries, or prejudices. Art can be created across seas, oceans, and even in confinement. Art is created by the minds of those who have experienced emotions brought upon by the agonies and ecstasies of life. Art brings people from all walks of life together. Art makes us feel. Art makes us exist.”
Be Free Gallery opening reception, February 2025.
Be Free Gallery is supported through the efforts of outsider artists Damaris Barocio, Madeline Reynolds, and Justin Ivey, who volunteer their time to make the project possible. The inaugural exhibition will be on view for two to three months, and the gallery is open by appointment, though Mr. Celaya is there most days after 2 p.m.
Learn more about the gallery via its website.
