Young Audiences of Northeast Texas Names 2025 ICON Award Winner
by Tasha Prescott
Executive Director of Young Audiences, Arts for Learning Northeast Texas
Each spring at the Arts in Education Awards ceremony, Young Audiences, Arts for Learning of Northeast Texas (YANETX) honors and celebrates visionaries who shape our future through the power of the arts. Since 1997, this event has championed fine arts educators as the heroes they are, recognizing their dedication to inspiring creativity and igniting imagination across Northeast Texas classrooms. In addition to honoring teachers, this year YANETX will recognize their second ICON Award recipient. This honor is reserved for an extraordinary leader whose contributions go beyond classrooms but inspire change across the community. The ICON Award celebrates individuals who champion the arts with both vision and advocacy. They stand as a beacon for the transformative power of arts in society and uplift the community through artistic practices.
Young Audiences of Northeast Texas is proud to present the 2025 ICON Award to Dr. Sasha Vukelja, honoring her remarkable journey of resilience and artistry. Dr. Vukelja has woven a life story as profound as her accomplishments, escaping war-torn Yugoslavia with her mother at eleven years old, she has pursued her dream of becoming a physician and has since transformed countless lives through her career in medicine, her love for humanity, and her passion for the arts.
Growing up, young Sasha was surrounded by creativity and art which served as an extension of her family’s identity. Avid art collectors, her grandfather focused on work from Italian artists and sculptors while her mother, a painter herself, sought out works from unknown Dutch artists. Over the years, her family amassed an impressive collection of art that totaled between 700-800 pieces. Sasha’s mother believed that art was more than just a hobby but offered a wealth of thoughtful reflections on the human experience, meant to be shared. Many pieces of their collection and individual works have been given away over the years. Through this process the book A Life Lived in Color was created, serving as a catalog of this work and a testament to the life experiences and emotions each piece embodies.
As a young adult, Sasha achieved her dream of becoming a medical doctor. Now known as Dr. V, she spent her career serving as a renowned oncologist, guided by her mother’s belief that “medicine is art.” She realized that alongside physical healing, art could help the mind and spirit during chemotherapy. Dr. V began bringing her mother’s artwork into the space, filling it with beauty and hope. Patients were inspired to create their own art through various mediums as classical music filled the room. The space eventually evolved into what was known as the “Chemo Gallery,” where personal stories and shared healing took place, a sanctuary of creativity and hope. Through this, Dr. V realized that “medicine is art” AND “art is medicine” both serving a mutual purpose, to heal.
Now a published author, she is embracing being “rewired, not retired” and putting her focus on “art as medicine” as she makes a positive impact in her community. Reflecting on her journey to America as a political refugee from Yugoslavia, she remembers her own hardships and feels a calling to support others facing homelessness. Having partnered with UT Tyler and other local organizations, Dr. V is able to provide medical, dental, and nutrition services to those on Tyler’s streets, especially under the Gentry Parkway bridge. Her commitment to these individuals goes beyond that, seeing this environment as a home to many, she chose to make it beautiful and clean. With her husband, Dr. Larry Anderson, and colleague Dace Kidd, together they transformed the Gentry Parkway underpass with murals featuring landmarks and “I love you” painted in multiple languages, creating a welcoming environment of support and love. “It’s important for them to feel like they are cared for,” she emphasizes.
Not having access to formal art training as a child, her mother encouraged her to explore sculpture independently. Through self-guided practice, she began making remarkable bronze sculptures. Some of her pieces have been donated to UNICEF and Oxfam, where they were auctioned off to support meaningful causes, while others can be seen around our city. Now, recognizing the power of arts education, Dr. V volunteers her time at Caldwell Arts Academy, giving back by assisting in arts classes and inspiring young students.
In a world often driven by the hustle of daily life, art stands as a vibrant reminder of our shared humanity, and Dr. V has dedicated her life to sharing this message. Making remarkable contributions through art, Dr. V truly embodies what it means to be our ICON winner. Inspired by former patients’ claim that they were not simply “surviving but THRIVING,” Dr. V has embraced the mantra “Live. Live! Don’t just exist,” a message that she ends her book Seeds, A Memoir with.
You can join in celebrating and honoring Dr. Sasha Vukelja at the 2025 Arts in Education Awards to be held at Willow Brook Country Club on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025, at 7 PM. Reservations can be made at Arts4allkids.com.
Visit Arts4allkids.com to learn more about the work of Young Audiences or to make a donation.