TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
above Haas with her high school art teacher, Nicole Brisco, whose encouragement and mentorship helped spark Haas’s journey as a speed painter. left Haas performes a halftime speed painting for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets in August 2024, captivating a crowd of 21,000 fans.
an extremely rare amoeba that infected her brain, and she passed away. At Kayla’s funeral, the youth pastor, Matt Reynolds, shared that her parents had recently found her testimony and wanted him to share it with everyone. Haas was shocked and touched to hear that Kayla’s testimony echoed her encouragement of finding purpose through pain. Even now, years later, Haas has continued to share Kayla’s testimony as part of her story. “When I heard God say He was going to do amazing things with her life, I envisioned Kayla at the podium sharing her testimony, not me. But God has continued to use her story to do amazing things, and I’ve seen hundreds of people saved through it,” Haas shared. That experience was ultimately what prompted Haas to start her nonprofit, Unbound Ministries, where she works with at-risk girls to help them become more confident and to reframe their
gong, I’d better find a place to stop the painting and flip it over before they could hit the gong. I ended up finishing my painting in 42 seconds and the judges were standing up and freaking out because they loved it. It was a wild ride, and my career just took off from there,” Haas recalled. Each performance is more than a chance to show her artistic skill. It is also an opportunity to inspire. Whether on an international stage or in a small-town church, she carries her faith and her Texarkana roots everywhere she goes. “I felt very supported growing up in Texarkana, and I think people there want to help you get started and on the right track. We have people who have become professional baseball players, even models, and I think back to when I started saying that I wanted to go to art school. In some places, I might have been laughed at, but I didn’t get that in Texarkana,” Haas said. “I felt very supported. People were willing to show me
life stories. She works with each girl to create a “Life Resumé,” which includes a professional portrait and a resumé highlighting their strengths and resilience. Haas has spoken at women’s events and conferences and even had her own show at Silver Dollar City. In addition, she has performed as halftime entertainment for everything from NASCAR to basketball, and everywhere from Texas to France. But her most notable performance was her participation in the very first season of the remake of The Gong Show , which she won. “I knew that if I heard any murmurs of the crowd for the judges to bang the
how to get there, as long as I was willing to work hard.” Now, after dazzling audiences across the world, Haas is bringing her gift home. On Saturday, November 8, she will stand before her own community at the Festival of Trees Gala benefiting Fearfully and Wonderfully Made at the Texarkana Arkansas Convention Center, paintbrush in hand, ready to create once again. For Haas, the performance is more than art. It is gratitude for the place that raised her, a celebration of faith, and a reminder that every story and every stroke has the power to inspire.
Visit Jessica Haas’ Facebook page by scanning here.
70
LIFE & STYLE
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs