Arts and Humanities General Student Life

MSU Texas student focused on bringing community voices into art

Reanna Gonzalez
11 May 2026
4 min read

Surrounded by art that felt “exclusive and elite,” Hailey Padilha set out to create work that reflects the honest realities of her community — a mission now on display at Fain Fine Arts’ Student Showcase.

The reception for the Student Showcase will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 15 at the Juanita Harvey Art Gallery in the Fain Fine Arts building.

Growing up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Padilha said it was the Priddy Scholarship that brought her to Midwestern State University, but it was the cohesion of community voices that kept her here.

Her Brazilian parents encouraged her love of art, even helping her discover her favorite artist, Cildo Meireles. Because they hadn’t attended college, she found a sense of belonging at MSU Texas, where many students are first-generation.

Padilha was surrounded by art growing up, but she didn’t feel it was reflective of the people that made up the community. As a result, she began creating work that reflected the honest, beautiful, and ugly parts of the communities she lived in.

Padilha feels that the MSU Texas art department is often underrated because of its size, compared to other schools. What set it apart for her were excellent professors, a beautiful and accommodating building, and an inspiring scenic campus.

She expressed her immense gratitude for the faculty, who she said have fully supported her.

“I would describe my voice as an artist as just one perspective,” Padilha said. “I feel like, as an artist, that encourages people to look closer into, not only what the art’s about, but also their own perspectives.”

Padilha added that, as a whole, the faculty in the art department has a broad range of artistic voices and encourages students to do the same, illustrating the sense of community in art that she was looking for. She noted Dr. Ann Leimer, in particular, as having been an influential and encouraging mentor.

While Padilha is highlighted as a graduating student in the Student, she won’t officially graduate until Fall 2026, as she will be doing student teaching next semester. In addition to creating art that emphasizes community voices, she is also pursuing the art teaching route to allow her to provide a platform

Hailey Student Showcase — Hailey Padilha with her exhibit at the Harvey Art Gallery. (Dylan Gandy/MSU Texas)

for students to find their voices in art. She also has a minor in nonprofit management to allow her to continue to create avenues for community voices through art.

Padilha is a bit sad to see her time with the MSU art department end, but she feels prepared for what’s next. Her biggest goal as a teacher is to teach students to think for themselves, find their own voice, and see the value in art and creativity, in all fields, not just the obvious ones.

“In any kind of art making, you use creativity in so many different ways. You could be a scientist and use a creative approach to solve a problem. It’s a very transferable skill,” Padilha said.

Padilha said her collection in the Student Showcase differs from her previous exhibits because it symbolizes her journey as a student and reflects the impact of those around her.

She’s already received positive feedback on her work since the exhibition opened in April and is looking forward to the reception Friday, where she hopes to witness visitors’ reactions and discuss her work with them. Padilha’s primary medium is printmaking, but her exhibit appeals to more than just sight, with some works featuring accompanying audio delivered through vintage rotary phones.

“I feel incredibly grateful. All of the audio was cataloged and arranged by groups that are directly connected to those events and people, so it almost feels like I’m introducing people to them through my work,” Padilha said.

After graduation, Padilha hopes to attend a couple of residencies to work on her craft. After that, she plans to pursue her master's degree in printmaking. Teaching art will likely be a part of that, but she also believes that art itself can be a tool for teaching and wants to remain dedicated to her craft.

“I want to bring community voices back into art making,” Padilha said. “More than anything, I’d like to be a reference for someone else’s self-discovery.”