MEDIA CONTACT:

Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions, RCA                          Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

(361) 729-5519 / elena@rockportartcenter.com                    (361) 729-5519 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com

ARTISTS BRING DIVERSE WORKS TO ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Drawn to Clay: Birds of Rockport and El Cariño Nunca Olvida both kick off in July

ROCKPORT, Texas (July 14, 2023) —Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) is hosting two new shows beginning in July:  Drawn to Clay: Birds of Rockport, July 21–Sept. 24, featuring ceramic sculptures by Debra Kay Chronister, and El Cariño Nunca Olvida (Love Never Forgets), July 28–Sept. 17, showcasing the unique works of printmaker Jacqueline Negreros.

Both exhibitions will be on display and available for collection at the downtown Rockport Center for the Arts galleries. A public reception with Jacqueline Negreros will be held Friday, Aug. 4, from 5–7 p.m., while the Debra Kay Chronister reception will be held Thursday, Sept. 14, from 4–6 p.m., to coincide with the Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration honoring the annual hummingbird migration though the Rockport-Fulton area.

Featured in the RCA Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery, Drawn to Clay: Birds of Rockport showcases raku-fired Royal Terns, White Ibis, Wood Storks and Osprey perched on raku-fired pilings. The work was made specifically to fit the Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery.

“Debra Chronister really celebrates both the process of raku and the nature of birds in this new body of work,” said Elena Rodriguez, curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “Chronister gives the birds a lot of personality and character in their facial expressions and poses.”

A resident of Victoria, Texas, Chronister has earned multiple degrees including a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University where she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Secondary Art Education and Studio Art in 1985, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993. Currently an associate professor of art at Victoria College, Chronister has appeared in and written articles for various publications, is an annual lecturer and presenter for the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts, and has designed and fabricated awards for various festivals and competitions. She has participated in dozens of group and solo exhibitions throughout Texas including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | The Glassell School; The Contemporary at Blue Star, San Antonio https://www.loc8nearme.com/texas/san-antonio/contemporary-at-blue-star/7564714/; St. Edward’s University, Austin; and Texas Clay Arts Association, San Angelo; as well as the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans.

In addition to her love of art in all its forms, Chronister also is a certified yoga instructor who has hosted a special “Yoga for Potters” workshop for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts yearly conference since 2009.

“I am a ceramics teaching, animal training, yoga instructing, horse riding, bow-hunting, wilderness loving, chicken-wrangling, hemp-wearing, ukulele playing, ecstatic dancing, story-teller,” said Chronister. “I am especially appreciative of film, which combines all aspects of art-making into one grand experience.”

Jacqueline Negreros’ solo show El Cariño Nunca Olvida (Love Never Forgets), will be hosted in RCA’s McKelvey Gallery featuring a collection of her colorful and unique prints. Drawing upon her parents’ experiences as immigrants to highlight themes of tradition, immigration, and assimilation conveyed through memories shared by the artist and her family, she uses food as a metaphorical device to probe cultural attitudes of authenticity and otherness through ingredients that remain traditional and those that have grown with her.

“I am interested in seeking wonder and curiosity within the seemingly mundane,” said Negreros. “The forms in my work are inspired by observations of my environment. Whether watching miso paste dissolve in boiling water, grains of rice puff, or taillights disappear into the distance, these personal vignettes instill within me the desire to suspend their form through creative practice. I am fascinated by texture found in natural and man-made objects. Textures that evoke stress are the ones I am captivated by and find the most endearing.” 

The South Texas-based Negreros earned a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2022, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from The University of Texas at Austin in 2013. She exhibits regionally and nationally and was awarded a scholarship in 2019 to study monoprint at the Glassell Studio School in Houston. She is an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she teaches foundations, printmaking, and art appreciation.

“Jacqueline Negreros pushes the limits of material narrative, taking the commonplace and elevating it to Art,” said Rodriguez. “Her work is both personal and universal, recasting everyday objects as cultural icons.”

For more information on Rockport Center for the Arts, visit rockportartcenter.com follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Rockport Center for the Arts and The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC)

The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, including a 4,400-square-foot ballroom and culinary arts kitchen (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. Hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 729-5519. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

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