MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

MAKING ENDS MEET TAKES ON NEW MEANING AT ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Exhibition features unique metalsmithing creations of sculptor Tara Conley

ROCKPORT, Texas (May 24, 2024) — “Making Ends Meet,” featuring a unique collection of creative shapes and wall-mounted bronze phrases by multi-media sculptor Tara Conley, opens May 28 at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA).

Creating outdoor public art and exhibits nationally and internationally, Conley demonstrates a command of materials including bronze, steel, stainless steel, fiber and fiberglass, and her study of metalsmithing and jewelry is evident in the mindful design and precise execution of her pieces at any scale. “Making Ends Meet” features sculptures that rise from the ground, hang from the ceiling and extend from the wall, including selections from her more than 1,200 cast bronze phrases in curvilinear script, whose shadows on the wall seem like an echo of the voice once heard.

Conley’s work will be on view in the Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery and available for collection May 28–August 11, including select pieces in the RCA gift shop. A public artist reception which is free and open to the public will be held Saturday, June 8, from 5–7 p.m. The reception also will coincide with the monthly Austin Street Art Walk a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport.

“Tara Conley's sculptures on view in Making Ends Meet, evoke a sense of connection,” said Catey Arnold, The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions for RCA. “Employing light, line, and shadow, weaving together elements of tradition and innovation, her upcoming exhibition promises to be a mesmerizing journey for all visitors to RCA.”

Originally from New York State and a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts in Metalsmithing and Jewelry, the Houston-based Conley possesses an extraordinary knack for creating organic, yet original, shapes from man-made materials, bringing a delightful sense of humor and wonder to the mix.

Over the past two decades, her work has been included in dozens of group and solo exhibitions in galleries and art centers from New York to Seattle, including numerous shows in Texas, and can be found in many prestigious private and public collections across the U.S. including the Houston location of multi-national construction and development company Skanska AB of Sweden, and The Helis Foundation of New Orleans. 

Conley has created several public commissioned works, including an indoor steel and glass lobby sculpture, thirty-three cast bronze phrases, and a 15-foot stainless steel outdoor sculpture for the City of Houston (Houston Police Department South Gessner Patrol Station); a courtyard sculptural installation with artist Joe Barrington for Texas Tech University in Lubbock (Rawls College of Business); and multiple commissions in New Orleans, including her first public art piece, Bronze Bunny (2008), for Lafayette Square.

The artist and her work have been featured in numerous articles and documentaries as well as “Texas Artists Today,” by Catherine Anspon and “Touching Fiber Arts” by Carol Ikard and Jacque Smith for the Texas Museum of Fiber Arts.

For more information on "Making Ends Meet,” 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. The 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) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Austin Street Art Walk

Austin Street Art Walk is a collective effort of the Rockport Center for the Arts and Moon Over Water Gallery in partnership with Rockport galleries, restaurants, and businesses located along Austin Street in the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Scheduled the second Saturday of each month, April through December, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Art Walk is a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring an ever-changing mix of participants and art mediums such as paintings, ceramics, jewelry, photography, textiles, as well as live music, artist demonstrations, food and more. Follow us on Facebook for more information.

###