FROM COILS OF CLAY TO COLORFUL CREATIONS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

FROM COILS OF CLAY TO COLORFUL CREATIONS

Ceramics by artist Ariana Heinzman one of three January 2024 shows at Rockport Center of the Arts

ROCKPORT, Texas (Jan. 3, 2023) — “Stack.Loop.Shift,” featuring a unique collection of ceramic sculptures, wall works and functional objects by artist Ariana Heinzman, will kick off the New Year at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), joining fellow artists, sculptor Greg Reuter and photographer Ansen Seale, as the first RCA exhibitions of 2024.

Heinzman’s work will be on view and available for collection Jan. 9–Feb. 11, 2024, in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery, with a public artist reception Saturday, Jan. 13, from 5–7 p.m. to officially launch the show. Admission is free and open to the public. 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.

Heinzman creates quickly and intuitively, keeping her hand in her work, a direct process that captures the urgency and joy of making and acknowledges the agency of the materials. The raw clay retains memory and reacts to Heinzman’s touch. Forms are coil-built and smoothed by hand with each layer in turn defining the path of the next. Pigmented slip is applied in layers with brushes in gestural strokes forming bold lines and patterns. Form and surface are used to build illusion. There is a contrast between the naked clay body — soft and imperfect — and the bold, graphic finishing adornments. 

“The joy from which the artist creates is evident,” said Catey Arnold, RCA exhibitions curator. “Heinzman’s vibrant vessels and whimsical sculptures are truly a sight to behold. We are delighted to present ‘Stack. Loop. Shift.’”

Representing the dueling desires of succumbing to nature and controlling it, Heinzman’s work embraces the utilitarian nature of pottery while also comparing it to forms in nature and the body. Various art movements and genres have influenced and developed her process, including traditional folk art and craft, specifically Pennsylvanian German Fraktur, as well as the graphic arts and intersections of craft and fine art throughout history, most notably William Morris.

Born in Cincinnati, Heinzman lives and works on Vashon Island located in Puget Sound near Seattle. Receiving her BFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2013, Heinzman has exhibited at the Vashon Center for the Arts and Pottery Northwest and has work included in the Seattle University Collection. She has been featured in The Seattle Times, as a noted Emerging Artist in Ceramics Monthly Magazine, and published in Pottery Making Illustrated. She is currently represented by J. Rinehart Gallery in Seattle.

For more information on "Stack.Loop.Shift,” 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.–7 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.

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EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY AT ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY AT ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

“Make the Dog Bark” to feature Greg Reuter sculptures; artist to host sculpture class

to benefit the acquisition of a new permanent sculpture.

ROCKPORT, Texas (Dec. 18, 2023) — In his new exhibition, "Make the Dog Bark,” sculptor Greg Reuter invites viewers to explore their emotions through his many hand-sculpted iron, aluminum, bronze, and ceramic depictions of man’s best friend.  

Featured in the Jeanie and Bill Wyatt Gallery at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), "Make the Dog Bark” will be on display and available for collection Jan. 12–March 17, 2024. A public reception with Reuter will be held on Saturday, January 13, from 5–7 p.m. to officially celebrate the show. Admission is free and open to the public. 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.

“Inspired by my own pets and the iconic look of a particular stray dog I saw while traveling in Mexico, I often use the image of a dog as an accessible entry point to bring viewers into deeper explorations of complex emotions,” said Reuter. “In recent years I have juxtaposed birds and dogs in my work to explore the relationship between the wild and the domestic. While birds represent the wild and enigmatic side of nature in my work, dogs reflect the unambiguous qualities of love and loyalty.”

Reuter will also lead a “Make the Dog Bark” Sculpture Class at RCA on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, from 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Reuter will demonstrate hand-building techniques, helping students as they work on their own clay dog sculptures, as well as the process of gilding a bisk-fired piece with copper leaf. Held in the visual arts and education building at 204 S. Austin Street, the class is $100 for RCA Members and $150 for non-members with online registration available at rockportartcenter.com.

Proceeds from the workshop and exhibition sales will be added to funds already being raised for RCA’s acquisition of a new permanent Reuter sculpture. Once acquired, the 7 ft tall x 11 ft long x 4 ft wide bronze dog sculpture will be placed in the Patricia Bennett Moore Sculpture Garden.

“Over the past five decades, Greg Reuter has been tantalizing audiences across the globe with witty and thought-provoking ceramic and metal sculptures that depict a lifelong fascination with flora and fauna,” said Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “For his second solo exhibition at Rockport Center for the Arts, he celebrates man’s best friend, specifically a street dog he saw while traveling in Mexico named Espinazo (Backbone). A huge dog lover, Reuter has created different representations of the domestic animal for many years, in different sizes, and using various materials — including cast iron fabricated in molds at iron pours. This fascination has led to a new sculpture project for the new facility that will become a celebrated feature in the Sculpture Garden. We hope the entire community will help Make the Dog Bark at Rockport Center for the Arts.”

While living in South Texas, Reuter has created and collaborated on several public art pieces, including five for the city of Corpus Christi and two for TAMU-CC. For his first public art commission in Corpus Christi in 1988, he collaborated with ceramic artist William Wilhelmi to create a mosaic tile floor in the city hall rotunda. In 2006, he collaborated with the Ken King Foundry in Houston to produce the bronze The Year in Sand, commissioned by the Harte Research Institute at TAMU-CC.

Reuter received his BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts, earned an MFA in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Hawaii, and in 1978 joined the faculty of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) teaching ceramics and sculpture. After retiring from teaching in 2018, he established a full-time studio practice. Reuter has lectured throughout the U.S. as well as Mexico, Germany, and Japan; his work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be found in numerous private and public art collections. In 2015 Greg traveled to Tokyo and showed his work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. During two stints at the Atelier Haus Hilmsen, Greg created sculptures which were exhibited in the Monchskirche Museum in Salzwedel, Germany in August 2017. He continues to pursue projects and make work that allows him to express his vision and share messages of conservation, loyalty, and love with his community.

For more information on the exhibition "Make the Dog Bark,” 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.

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CHANGING SOUTH TEXAS LANDSCAPES AND SEASCAPES FOCUS OF NEW EXHIBIT

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

CHANGING SOUTH TEXAS LANDSCAPES AND SEASCAPES FOCUS OF NEW EXHIBIT

Work of acclaimed artist Ansen Seale kicks off New Year at Rockport Center for the Arts

ROCKPORT, Texas (Dec. 1, 2023) — In his new exhibition, "Rising Tide, Shifting Sand: A Chronicle of Change in Texas,” artist Ansen Seale showcases images of landscapes and seascapes in a way that sets him apart from his peers.

Known for crafting his own cameras and other inventions, Seale used his distinctive slit-scan digital camera to capture and create scenes by swapping the horizontal dimension of the photo for the dimension of time, revealing a hidden reality and challenging conventional perceptions of the world.

Featured in the H-E-B Gallery at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), "Rising Tide, Shifting Sand: A Chronicle of Change in Texas” will be on view and available for collection Jan. 12–March 10, 2024. A public reception with Seale will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 5–7 p.m. to officially launch the show. Admission is free and open to the public. 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.

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Seale grew up in an old farmhouse surrounded by an orange orchard, a natural playground where he developed a great appreciation for nature. Although he does not consider himself a “nature photographer” in the traditional sense, as an artist, he is drawn more and more to natural subjects.

“My work is about the nature of reality as expressed through our partners of the plants and animals we share our home with,” said Seale. “I hope to give the viewer a sense that they are connected in a real way to the world around them, including gravity, tides, and all the life forms in South Texas. A sense of wonder is our best defense against fearfulness as our beloved landscape changes around us.”

Showcasing Seale's distinctive photographic vision and immersing viewers in the natural beauty and essence of South Texas, the show invites guests into a world where the boundaries between observer and environment dissolve, including a standout larger-than-life 14 ft. X 36 ft. mural. Also adding to the experience is a 13-foot pendulum-powered "moon clock" strategically placed in the center of the gallery, echoing the rhythmic dance of the tides and serving as a metaphor for the constant ebb and flow of life.

“Ansen Seale’s work is enthralling. His images defy space and time and although they are still, there is movement in them,” said Luis Purón, executive director, Rockport Center for the Arts. “For this exhibition, he delves deep into nature and the changes we are experiencing in the South Texas environs. No one is doing photography in this complex and innovative way.”

Seale received his BA from Trinity University in San Antonio where he is now based. His time-based works of photographic and sculptural art have garnered international acclaim and have been exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries around the world. His work is included in the permanent collections of esteemed institutions such as the San Antonio Museum of Art; The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas, Austin; The Museum of Contemporary Art in Salta, Argentina; and the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He has appeared in a variety of publications and received numerous awards including Artist of the Year by the San Antonio Art League and Museum in 2020, where he was honored with a retrospective exhibition, chronicling a 40-year career in photography.

For more information on the "Rising Tide, Shifting Sand: A Chronicle of Change in Texas,” 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.

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ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS’ MEMBER ARTISTS TAKE CENTER STAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS’ MEMBER ARTISTS TAKE CENTER STAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Annual all-members exhibition marks one-year anniversary of new RCA campus;

City of Rockport celebrates the new facility and its role as economic driver of the local economy

ROCKPORT, Texas (Nov. 10, 2023) — The new Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) opened on Dec. 10, 2022, with the Big Wave! Annual All-Members Exhibition as the new facility’s first show. One year later, the annual all-members show is set to once again kick off the holiday season.

Running November 24, 2023, through January 7, 2024, the Big Wave! Annual All-Members Exhibition will feature works from nearly 200 of RCA’s talented member artists, along with Merit Artist, showcasing three juried member artists from last year’s Big Wave! exhibition.

Spanning the H-E-B, Mendez Family, and Jeanie and Bill Wyatt galleries, Big Wave! will include more than 200 original works, such as paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and pottery. This year’s Merit Artist exhibition will be displayed in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery with works by Al Kline, Emily McCauley, and the late Joyce Combs, selected by 2022 Big Wave jurors, sculptor Greg Reuter and RCA board members Lucy Nye and Kelly Schaub. 

This year’s Big Wave! guest juror will be Michelle Smythe, executive director of K-Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi, who will have the honor of selecting the three participants for next year’s Merit Artist show. The artists will be announced at a special reception on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 5–7 p.m., which is free and open to the public, and features work available for purchase from both exhibitions. The reception will be part of the final Austin Street Art Walk of the year, a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport.

“The annual all-member show is a favorite for many as it highlights an incredible variety of art from our family of amazing artists and provides an opportunity for an elite group to stand out as merit artists the following year,” said Luis Purón, executive director of RCA. “We are so pleased to have Michelle Smythe serve as our guest juror this year.  She will no doubt have a difficult time selecting only three artists to receive top honors as participants in next year’s Merit Artist show.”

In RCA’s first year of operation on its new 1.2-acre campus in downtown Rockport, the facility has seen major growth: membership has tripled to 1,200; gallery and gift shop sales have doubled; and the number of visitors has also tripled with 6,000 guests over the summer months alone, compared to 1,000 on average in years prior.

In recognition of RCA’s stellar first year, The City of Rockport has proclaimed Dec. 9, 2023, as “I Love Rockport Center for the Arts Day” citing RCA’s 1969 start and the positive impact it has had on the City of Rockport, the 2022 completion of the $12.5 million 1.2-acre campus without incurring debt, and the impact the project has as a driver of the local economy.

“We have had a phenomenal first year,” said Purón. “We are so proud of these beautiful facilities and the impact they are having on our community, bolstering Rockport’s position as an artist colony, increasing revenues to other businesses in our community through increased tourism, and providing yet another cultural element to this part of the Coastal Bend.”

For more information on the Big Wave! Annual All-Members Exhibition and Merit Artist, 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.

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TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2023 ROCKPORT FILM FESTIVAL

 MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2023 ROCKPORT FILM FESTIVAL

Festival features 42 U.S. and foreign films, including 24 Texas entries to date

ROCKPORT, Texas (October 13, 2023) — Always international in scope, but local in flavor, the 17th Annual Rockport Film Festival, presented by Salemi’s Ace Hardware, celebrates the power of storytelling in cinema with some of the best independent filmmaking from Texas and around the world.

A joint venture of Rockport Center for the Arts and the Rotary Club of Rockport, tickets are now available for the Nov. 9–12 festival, featuring special events and 42 independent films entered thus far — 38 from the U.S., 24 of which are from Texas, and 4 international. All screenings are held at The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC), located at 106 S. Austin Street on the Rockport Center for the Arts campus in downtown Rockport.

The annual cinematic event draws more than 1,600 attendees each year to the Rockport community, known for its mix of art and environment, allowing patrons to enjoy films rarely seen elsewhere without having to wait in long lines or traveling to multiple theater venues. Endorsed by the Texas Film Commission, the Texas Commission on the Arts, Aransas County, and the City of Rockport, the Festival appeals to a local, regional, and statewide audience of filmmakers and enthusiasts during a time that is generally off-season for tourism.

"We are so excited to be hosting the Rockport Film Festival in its new home: The ROCC,” said Elena Rodriguez, managing director for the Rockport Film Festival. “This space is in the heart of downtown Rockport and features state-of-the-art audio and visual capabilities. In such a venue, the Rockport Film Festival can grow and be the best it can be.”

The Rockport Film Festival kicks off Thursday, Nov. 9, with the Red Carpet Party held at The ROCC. Considered the premiere social event of the fall season and limited to 240 guests, the ticketed event features cocktails and food, catered by Paradise Key Bar & Grill, beginning at 6 p.m. The evening’s entertainment includes live music with the SteelWater Band in the Patricia Bennett Moore Sculpture Garden, and a special screening of the documentary Runaway Radio (2023), reflecting upon a time when radio entertained, informed, and dictated what was cool through theater of the mind.

In the 1970s Houston's 101 KLOL played a big role in the lives of many Texans, starting as a progressive rock station where DJs played whatever they wanted, and evolving into one of many Album Oriented Rock (AOR) stations across the U.S. where on-air personalities were sometimes bigger than the music itself. Directed by Mike McGuff and produced by Jeffrey Brown, Runaway Radio includes acclaimed musicians such as Lyle Lovett, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Melissa Etheridge and Sammy Hagar along with top radio DJs from across the country reflecting on how the medium changed their lives and the lives of devoted listeners, and how changes and pressures from Washington, the music industry and Silicon Valley led to the demise of KLOL and much of the format in the 2000s.

The Festival continues Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with film screenings at The ROCC. Five of the films will be full-length features; there will also be four short film blocks, each around 90 minutes in length, consisting of six to eight short films. All films are independently produced outside of the Hollywood studio system, meaning they are privately financed projects that tend to be smaller in scale and budget. This year’s categories are documentary feature, fiction feature, documentary short, fiction short, animated short, and student film.

The weekend also features an awards ceremony and brunch, hosted by the Rotary Club of Rockport, which will be held Sunday at The ROCC preceding the final screenings, with all Sunday events free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Festival also gives back to the community by funding many free and low-cost programs of the Rotary Club and Rockport Center for the Arts, including humanitarian aid, youth education and scholarships, and free and low-cost Arts and cultural programming.

Tickets for all events are now available online, including a limited number of Red Carpet Party tickets for $100, and a limited number of VIP Passes for $125 providing entry to all events and priority seating for screenings. Single-day tickets for screenings are $10 per day. Festival goers can take advantage of a specially priced block rate at Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Rockport, the official hotel of the Rockport Film Festival, available through the festival website. Rooms are limited and must be booked by Nov. 1.

For tickets and more information, including a complete schedule, go to RockportFilmFestival.com.

2023 ROCKPORT FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS

HEADLINING SPONSOR: Salemi’s Ace Hardware

PRODUCER LEVEL: The Rockport Group at Morgan Stanley; Bay Window of Rockport, Key Allegro Real Estate Company, GSM Insurors, Paradise Key Dockside Bar & Grill; Karen Mella, Realtor;  Maddie Legner with Spears & Co. Real Estate

DIRECTOR LEVEL: Baker Law; Charter Bank; Moon Over Water Gallery; Angela Allen Ruddock CFP®, JD Debler, Windway Gallery

OFFICIAL HOTEL: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Rockport

MEDIA PARTNER: Victoria Radio Works

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: Aransas County; City of Rockport; Texas Commission on the Arts; Texas Film Commission; The Office of Governor Greg Abbott

About the Rockport Film Festival

The Rockport Film Festival is a collaboration between the Rockport Rotary Club and Rockport Center for the Arts. All proceeds from the event benefit Rockport Center for the Arts programming and local, regional, and international humanitarian and service projects supported by the Rotary Club of Rockport. The Rockport Film Festival receives government support from the City of Rockport, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and Aransas County. For more information, to purchase tickets and a complete screening schedule, please visit www.RockportFilmFestival.com.

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ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST MCKAY OTTO

 MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

 ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST MCKAY OTTO

Ever Legacies Ever exhibition incorporates the illusion of movement and light 

ROCKPORT, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) — Ever Legacies Ever, showcasing the mindbending painting and sculpture creations of Wimberley, Texas-based artist McKay Otto, is coming to Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) Oct. 6–Nov. 19 in the H-E-B Gallery.

An artist reception with Otto will be held Friday, Oct. 13, from 5–7 p.m. RCA will also host an artist talk, on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 1:30 p.m., where Otto will be joined by Catherine Anspon, arts and features executive editor at PaperCity Magazine, to discuss his work and process. Both events will be held in the H-E-B Gallery and are free and open to the public.

Known for his ethereal paintings that evoke lightboxes, Otto continues to investigate blending painting and sculpture processes using various acrylic materials, which led him to create a multi-dimensional translucent canvas that moves beyond the traditional flat two-dimensional surface with the illusion of movement and light.

“I explore the nature of perception and the way that non-physical reflections of light can be transformed into immersive experiences for the viewer,” said Otto. “Always fascinated by the uncertainty of human perception, and the duplicitous nature of vision, which can be both revealing and deceitful, I create paintings that delve into this duality. Upon first read, they are austere, geometric abstractions. After further observation, however, the paintings begin to vibrate: light and color become evident and the surface reveals that there are numerous layers beneath. The paintings dissipate into sensuous fields of immaterial color that seem to push space in and out.”

The Ever Legacies Ever exhibition includes both the geometric works Otto is known for and a series of photo-like depictions of deceased, iconic South Texans including politician Frances “Sissy” Farenthold (Corpus Christi), artist Betty Mobley (Corpus Christi), artist Estelle Stair (Rockport), sculptor Jesús Bautista Moroles (Rockport), artist and philanthropist Ann Harithas (Houston), rancher Robert Hewitt (Victoria), artist Madeline O’Connor (Victoria), rancher Missi Thomas (Cuero), and philanthropist Jeanie Wyatt (San Antonio).

In a recent essay on Otto’s Legacies series, renowned art historian and author Susie Kalil notes the presence of light inhabiting the paintings much as we experience light in a lucid dream.

“Otto aims to commemorate and capture the spiritual energy of the dynamic individuals who helped shape the South Texas region,” wrote Kalil. “Poised at the edge of a vastness that lies beyond our limited power to comprehend, we may feel vulnerable, anxious and just a little afraid. Yet Otto asks us to trust, let go and give ourselves to the dark. The spectral presences emanate from these ethereal environments, hovering before our eyes, unanchored by visual formulations of scale, distance and direction. They come and go into the light and darkness. Their faces are suspended in layers of transparent acrylic, disappearing and reappearing in space as we approach the paintings. The overall effect is of souls passing between dimensions, gradually fading into the ether.

“Some faces fill the smaller works as if peering through windows or portals; others appear larger than life, relating as body-to-body.  The dramatic portraits of these courageous risk-takers are illuminated presences —  they are less on the wall than they are in the room with us.”

Growing up in Fort Bend County just outside of Houston, Otto earned his B.A. in business from The University of Texas in 1970 at the urging of his father and became successful in real estate, but eventually followed his true passion for art, receiving scholarships to attend Houston’s Glassell School of Arts in the 1990s. Now living and working in the Texas Hill Country outside of Austin and in Santa Fe, N.M., he continues to investigate painting and sculpture processes using various acrylic materials.

Over the years, Otto’s work has been included in group museum exhibitions, as well as numerous solo exhibitions in galleries and art centers. In 2022 he was named Innovative Artist of the Year at The Delaplaine Art Center in Frederick, Md., and has works in current exhibitions at both The Irving Art Center, Irving Texas, and Artspace 111 in Fort Worth. Otto has been selected for a second year as one of the artists featured at the Houston Art Alliance’s annual “Add on Art Gala” to be held Oct. 20, 2023.

His work can be found in important private and corporate collections across the U.S. and has been well documented in numerous books including “Texas Artists Today,” by Catherine Anspon and “Texas Abstract” by Michael Paglia and Jim Edwards, with many of his exhibitions being cataloged and reviewed in various art publications such as “Art in America.”

Ever Legacies Ever is free and open to the public. For general information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Susie Kalil

Susie Kalil is the author of Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary—Paintings and Works on Paper and The Color of Being/El Color del Ser: Dorothy Hood, 1918–2000. She is a former Core Fellow at the Glassell School of Art in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she also resides.

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.

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TWO UNIQUE EXHIBITIONS COMING TO ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS To Put it Bluntly and Let There Be Flight opening late September

 MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager                  

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

ROCKPORT, Texas (Sept. 6, 2023) —Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) is hosting two new shows beginning in September: To Put it Bluntly, Sept. 22–Nov. 12, featuring the creative box collages by Mary Jenewein, and Let There Be Flight, Sept. 29–Nov. 17, showcasing the lifelike bird sculptures of Spencer Tinkham.

Both exhibitions will be on display and available for collection at the downtown Rockport Center for the Arts galleries. A public reception with Mary Jenewein will be held Friday, Sept. 22, from 5–7 p.m., while an artist talk with Spencer Tinkham will be held Friday, Sept. 29, at 1:30 p.m. with a reception that evening from 5–7 p.m. Leading up to his exhibition opening, Tinkham also will host a Sept. 26 lecture for RCA members; a Sept. 27 Whooping Crane soap sculpting class with commentary from Dr. Liz Smith, Coastal Bend research scientist, conservation planner, and Whooping Crane expert; and a Sept. 28 macro sculpting class on carving and painting a feather. Space is limited for all events and those interested should sign up through the RCA website, www.rockportartcenter.com.

To Put it Bluntly is scheduled for the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery featuring Mary Jenewein’s unique boxes, or cages as she refers to them, each making a statement by depicting an event or facet of life.

“The beauty of Mary Jenewein’s shadowboxes veils the sincere and sobering scenes they depict,” said Elena Rodriguez, former curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “Jenewein uses symbols and allegory to describe injustices that she has seen and experienced in her own personal life.”

“Every artist has something stuck in her craw; she coughs and coughs and sometimes it comes out,” said Jenewein. “I want my art to hit people in the head with a baseball bat. If this is activism, this is what I do.”

Born in Franklin, Tennessee, in 1933 to an Asian father and Caucasian mother, and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Jenewein recalls growing up in the segregated South, surrounded by bigotry, racism, and cruelty. Aware of the unfairness of things early on, she later drew from these experiences to create her art.

“When I was little, my mom and I made peepshows of shoe boxes, magazine cutouts, colored cellophane and a light hanging above. We looked through a hole cut in the side and saw a tiny world. That world became my world and I was at the mercy of the owners of that place. Through all these years of making art, painting, sculpting, collaging, and anything else I could try, I have made boxes. The box gave me the form to hold my content. It is small, confined, claustrophobic.”

Jenewein graduated in 1955 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a B.A. in Political Science. She moved to Houston in 1965 and later took art classes at the University of Houston from 1983-85. She has showcased her work in dozens of group and solo exhibitions through the years and has been featured in numerous publications.

With most sculptures made from found and nature-based materials, Let There Be Flight will be featured in the Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery showcasing several lifelike contemporary wildlife sculptures and four incredibly detailed feather macro sculptures of Spencer Tinkham. 

“Almost like specimens in a science museum, Spencer Tinkham’s macro sculptures are studies and methodical,” said Rodriguez. “But there is nothing ‘wooden’ about these objects, under Tinkham’s chisel, bird feathers come to life, as whimsical and vivacious as the personalities of the avian from which they come.”

As a child, nothing enthralled Tinkham more than large flocks of hungry waterfowl wintering behind his home in Norfolk, Va. He first discovered his carving and sculpting talents after receiving a pocketknife from his grandfather at the age of 8, creating lasting mementos of his fleeting waterfowl encounters. Completely self-taught with no formal training, by the time he graduated high school, Tinkham was a two-time winner of the Danzer Frazer Youth Decorative Wildfowl World Championship.

“I first started carving and sculpting things I could find around the house, like bars of soap and wood scraps,” said Tinkham. “I then moved on to life-sized duck decoys to lure waterfowl closer so I could critique my work next to wild birds. To this day, so much of my inspiration often stems from sightings while searching for my materials.”  

­­­­­The award-winning Tinkham received his B.S. in Economics in 2015 from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and has since appeared in several solo exhibitions as well as inclusion four years in the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum Birds in Art juried exhibition, with his 2022 entry, “Colaptes auratus” (Northern Flicker), subsequently being acquired for the museum collection. In 2022 he participated in Atrium Artists in Residence with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, was a 2023 finalist for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year, and is an Associate Member of the National Sculpture Society. His work is collected and exhibited internationally, including the Dollar Tree, Inc. corporate art collection.

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. 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.

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Rockport Center for the Arts Announces Search for The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions

 MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager                  

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

Rockport Center for the Arts Announces Search for The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions

A challenging yet rewarding opportunity awaits the right individual with vision, drive and a passion for visual arts programming.

Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), a vibrant and prestigious multi-disciplinary arts organization celebrates 54 years of operation in 2023. Poised for growth, the organization has just opened a brand-new campus in the heart of Downtown Rockport that features state-of-the-art education, exhibition, as well as new culinary arts, performing arts and conference space. The project will transform downtown while significantly increasing operations for the Center, particularly with the addition of a venue center that will be the home for new RCA cultural arts programming as well as available to rent to the public. In preparation for dynamic growth, the organization seeks a creative, energetic, and inspired individual to join the staff team and lead visual arts programming.

Position Announcement: August 7, 2023
Title: The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions Reports To: Deputy Director
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Status: Full-time
Timeline: Open until Filled

Position Purpose:

The Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions (BFCE) leads the work of the exhibition pillar of Rockport Center for the Arts. The BFCE is responsible for designing and implementing innovative exhibitions in partnership with the Exhibition Committee to further the mission and strategic vision of RCA. The exhibition schedule includes managing all aspects of programming for three curated gallery spaces as well as managing the member’s gallery and gift shop which highlight work by member artists. Additionally, the BFCE serves as the chairman of the annual Rockport Fim Festival, playing an essential role in curating the film schedule and works with RCA’s Education Director to design annual resident artist programs.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the Deputy Director, the responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following tasks:

• Work closely with the Deputy Director and RCA Exhibition Committee to plan and execute a strategic, well-balanced schedule for curated exhibitions that maintains RCA’s reputation for high quality artistic programming.

• Serve as primary staff representative to the RCA Exhibition Committee.

• Design and Implement Requests for Proposals and Calls for Artists for juried shows.

• Prepare, administer, and monitor exhibition contracts including arrangements for artist travel for

  installation, gallery talks and exhibition receptions.

• Lead the exhibition design for all exhibitions, coordinating delivery schedules of all exhibitions and

participating in receipt of works as well as the installation of exhibitions with support of a preparator.

• Participate in the design and placement of marketing materials including ads, posters, eblasts, website content and social media channels to promote visual arts programming.

• Lead the planning and implementation of and attend all gallery talks and exhibition receptions.

• Manage artists for Rockport Art Festival, including facilitating the application and jury process and

  coordinating artists’ festival experience.

• Work in collaboration with RCA Education Director on the design and implementation of visiting artist

  programming including Penny Redmon and Artist in Residence series.

• Supervise contractors, interns and volunteers that will help in execution of all visual arts programs.

• Serve as registrar for the permanent collection.

• Participate in annual budgeting for Visual Arts programming by preparing budgets and schedules for

  exhibitions, Rockport Film Festival and visiting artist programs.

• Cultivate community partnerships, especially with member artists, local businesses and government,

  statewide arts organizations, and philanthropic communities.

• Attend all exhibit openings and RCA signature events including Rockport Art Festival, Spring Art Fair,

  Rockport Film Festival and the Silver Meltdown Jewelry Show and Sale.

• Assist with signature events and projects as identified and requested by Executive and/or Deputy

  Director.

  The ideal candidate will also be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities

• Develop and manage all budgets, expenditures and data related to visual arts programs.

• Assist the Development committee in identifying and cultivating program underwriters and sponsors.

• Write Grants and assist with funding appeals for visual arts programs.

• Actively participate in promoting and marketing programs, including creation and dispersal of promotional materials both in print and online.

  Other Duties

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from an accredited university required, MFA preferred, in addition to 5 years of experience in the field of visual art, experience working in an art center, visual arts organization, and/or commercial art gallery.

• Teamwork, interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop good relationships with internal and external contacts and to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies including people from diverse socio- economic and ethnic backgrounds required

• This position requires excellent curatorial skills, public speaking skills, writing skills and graphic design skills

• Highly organized, self-starter, detail orientation required including proven organizational skills, with strong ability to set priorities, manage multiple projects, work independently, demonstrate initiative and perform under pressure.

• Computer literacy with proficiency in Microsoft Office required.

• Proficiency in website management, graphic design, and video creation preferred.

• Demonstrated enthusiasm and passion for the arts required.

Working conditions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

• Regular workweek schedule is Monday through Friday with periodic evenings and weekends, particularly tied to exhibition openings and signature events.

  Physical requirements

  • Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use their hands and arms to handle, reach, or feel; and talk and hear.

  • The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.

  • The employee must regularly lift and/or move items weighing up to 50 pounds.

  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral

    vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

    Compensation:

    Full-time position. Competitive salary based on experience. Benefits include paid time off and employee health insurance provided and covered at 100% with option to add Vision and Dental coverage at employee’s expense. Employer will provide professional development opportunities. Employment is at will with a six- month evaluation/introductory period.

    To Apply:

    For more information about Rockport Center for the Arts, please visit www.rockportartcenter.com. No phone calls, please.

    To apply please submit a letter of interest, a resume, three professional references (no personal references), and salary requirements to karen@rockportartcenter.com.

    Rockport Center for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

TEXANS FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES LUIS PURÓN TO ITS BOARD

 MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager                  

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

TEXANS FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES LUIS PURÓN TO ITS BOARD,

STRENGTHENING ARTS FUNDING ADVOCACY IN THE COASTAL BEND

ROCKPORT, Texas (Aug. 7, 2023) — Texans for the Arts (TFA), the highly effective non-partisan statewide arts advocacy organization, today announced the addition of Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) Executive Director Luis Purón to its esteemed board. With a mission to champion an unwavering public commitment to the arts, TFA remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting policies and developing resources for the arts and culture industries. As the organization continues to grow, Purón brings a wealth of expertise and passion to further enrich the arts landscape in Rockport.

"Luis’s commitment to our mission, coupled with his various areas of expertise will most certainly strengthen our collective voice and advocacy efforts in the years ahead," said Christopher Kiley, associate director of Texans for the Arts.

In its pursuit of advancing the arts in Texas, TFA is attentive to new legislation and emerging statewide concerns. Ready to make advocacy decisions collaboratively with its members and partners, TFA recognizes the invaluable role of citizen voices in shaping legislative decisions. Advocacy empowers communities to convey the importance of arts funding, ensuring a brighter future for the cultural fabric of our state.

“I am honored to be selected for this prestigious board position with Texans for the Arts,” said Purón. “As the executive director for Rockport Center for the Arts, I understand the importance of art in a community and look forward to working with TFA as we work to advocate for and promote the Arts throughout Texas.”

Purón embodies a deep commitment to enriching the arts and cultural heritage of Texas. Through his dedication and experience, he is poised to play a pivotal role in driving Texans for the Arts mission forward.

“One of the most critical roles in organizational health and strength is that of Board service,” said Ann S. Graham, Executive Director of Texans for the Arts. “This year's slate of Directors joining our current Board possess a collective passion for the arts matched with a determination to ensure our field has the vital resources we need to continue to thrive. We are thrilled that they have chosen to invest their time and energy with us. Welcome aboard!”

Purón has served as executive director for Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) since 2015, working to elevate the organization to new levels of prominence and recognition in the United States. Under his leadership, RCA has developed new art education activities, programs for the visual, culinary, and performing arts, as well as new festivals and events, which have boosted cultural tourism and economic development of Rockport, Texas, recognized as one of the top ten artist colonies in the country. One of the most notable accomplishments of Purón’s tenure has been the development and opening of the new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts campus following the destruction of the previous building during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The new RCA is the first multi-disciplinary arts organization in the Coastal Bend region of the State of Texas, featuring a 14,000-square-foot visual arts and education building, an 8,000-square-foot conference center, and a 16,000-square-foot sculpture garden. Since its inauguration in December 2022, RCA tourism visitation has tripled, and revenue has doubled.

Texans for the Arts remains committed to fostering deeper connections between the arts community and elected officials. As the organization celebrates its new board members, it looks to the future with optimism, embracing the transformative power of advocacy to shape a more vibrant and culturally enriched Texas.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Luis Purón photo credit: Pamela Keyman Fulcher

About Texans for the Arts and Texans for the Arts Foundation

Texans for the Arts and Texans for the Arts Foundation are committed to increasing public funding for the arts through the legislative process, engaging arts administrators, and building a broad constituency of citizen advocates. For more information about Texans for the Arts and the upcoming leadership transition, please visit: Texans for the Arts: http://www.texansforthearts.com

Texans for the Arts (TFA) is a highly effective, non-partisan, statewide nonprofit 501(c)(4) arts advocacy organization that organizes advocacy efforts in order to protect and increase public funding for the arts at the state, national and local levels and provides coordinated information about legislative activity related to arts issues. Texans for the Arts’ legislative agenda advocates for the development and implementation of public policy that supports a strong and vibrant arts and cultural industry. 

Texans For the Arts Foundation (TFAF) is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides professional development and advocacy education for both arts administrators and committed arts’ supporters to build a broad constituency of citizen advocates.

Together, Texans for the Arts Foundation and Texans for the Arts bring together voices of arts leaders, board members from arts organizations, and committed supporters from across the state to amplify the collective voice for increasing public funding for the arts. 

We see a world where all Texans champion the arts as essential to our lives.

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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ROCC FOYER NAMED IN HONOR OF ESTELLE STAIR

MEDIA CONTACT:

Luis Purón, Executive Director                                              

(570) 702-4032 / luis@rockportartcenter.com                      

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

NEW HONOR FOR ROCKPORT’S GRAND DAME OF THE ART COMMUNITY

$100,000 donation made to Rockport Center for the Arts in honor of Estelle Stair

ROCKPORT, Texas (Aug. 2, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced it had received an anonymous gift of $100,000 to name the foyer of The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC) after Estelle Stair, one of the founding members of the Rockport Art Association (RAA) in 1967, which later became Rockport Center for the Arts.

 “We are so pleased to receive such a generous donation to further the Arts in the Coastal Bend and are more than happy to honor Estelle Stair, known as the Grand Dame of Rockport’s Art Community and the Matriarch of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.,” said Luis Purón, RCA executive director.

 Stair (pronounced “star”) came to Rockport in 1962 from Luling, Texas, where she and her husband Neal had operated a general store. An avid artist and art teacher known for her landscape paintings based on Rockport’s coast, she worked for and studied under Simon Michael, who founded the Simon Michael School of Fine Art in Rockport in the 1940s. In 1978, Stair purchased the Sorensen Building located at 406 S. Austin St., a well-known Rockport landmark thanks to its unique architecture and historical value, opening the Estelle Stair Gallery, which she operated until her death in 1988 at the age of 77.

Estelle Stair Gallery continued through 2019 under the tutelage of other family members, including Stair’s sister, Jimmie Bouldin, who left the gallery to her daughter Lisa Baer Frederick and her husband John Paul in 1996. Following renovations in 1996 and more extensive restoration beginning in 2004, the gallery received a Texas Historical Commission designation in 2008 and reopened in 2011.

 The Rockport Art Association operated out of the Estelle Stair Gallery from 1978–1984, and again in 2020. RAA regularly brought artists together, featuring art classes, shows and other events, all of which helped spark the renovation of downtown Rockport with as many as 17 galleries along Austin Street at one time and transforming it into the important business corridor it is today.

 In 2016, RCA invested in land on Austin Street as part of a strategic direction not only for the organization but for the community. Economic development played a large part in the determination for this investment and the leadership at the time felt strongly that RCA needed to be in the downtown area, close to other art galleries and spaces.  

 “It is no coincidence that the choice Estelle Stair made in the 1970s to invest in real estate in downtown Rockport to form an art gallery is the choice RCA made four decades later,” said Purón. “Estelle was a woman ahead of her time.”

Stair enjoyed encouraging artists and was always full of enthusiasm for them. In 2007, RCA hosted a posthumous retrospective exhibition featuring her work along with Michael Frary’s. RCA was her passion, a point she proved by assuming the organization’s debt when it was struggling financially. 

 On her deathbed, Stair penned a memoir recording her thoughts about the Rockport art community and the future direction of the RCA, which remains a relevant guide.

“It seems unreal that the original paper still exists, and I can hold it between my fingertips as she did over 25 years ago,” said Purón. “In times of doubt, I turn to Estelle’s memoir which is written in a conversational and evocative style. To this day, much of our success is inspired by her foresight, including Rockport Art Festival, one of our most successful annual events, which she specifically addressed: ‘These are a few of the things to consider when planning a long-lasting 4th of July Art Festival, keeping in mind these are the reasons we are rated the best show in this part of Texas. Don’t change the dates.’ She was right — and we never will. Estelle’s passion and wisdom live on as a beating heart for the Rockport Center for the Arts.”

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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Quinn Antonio Briceño Artist in Residence Exhibition

MEDIA CONTACT:

Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions, RCA                          

(361) 729-5519 |  elena@rockportartcenter.com   

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

SIN ESTADO SLATED FOR ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Artist Quinn Antonio Briceño also named Rockport Center for the Arts 2023 Artist-in-Residence

ROCKPORT, Texas (Aug. 1, 2023) — In his current body of work, Sin Estado, or “stateless,” Nicaraguan-American artist Quinn Antonio Briceño explores the blending of Americana with Latinx through paintings and collages.

 Featured in the H-E-B Gallery, the new exhibition will be viewable and available for collection Aug. 11–Oct. 1 at  Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA). A public reception with Briceño will be held Aug. 18, from 5–7 p.m. at RCA to officially launch the show, which is free and open to the public.

 “Growing up in two countries separated by thousands of miles and by differences in language and culture, I have always felt that I had to choose to fully embrace one and discard the other,” said Briceño. “By reflecting both worlds and creating a new space, those who feel they must discard a part of themselves can belong by trading isolation for acceptance, inclusion, appreciation, and empowerment.”

 A St. Louis resident, Briceño has also been selected as the RCA Artist-in-Residence for 2023, working from a temporary studio during his seven-week-long stay in Rockport. While in residence, he will lead workshops for RCA members and at Rockport-Fulton High School, and participate in studio tours, meeting with patrons and discussing his artistic process and vision. Since 2012, RCA has invited one artist each year to take part in the program, a unique undertaking made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor.

“Briceño’s collages and paintings are so full of life and energy,” said Elena Rodriguez, curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “I am excited to see how he will translate the South Texas experience in his work.”

In addition to painting, Briceño remains very invested in the traditions of collage, allowing him to combine society’s scraps of discarded material with his own personal history to create a new environment, one that celebrates who he is, and by extension, his subjects.

“My work examines both my struggle with identity and shows how I came to be the person I am today. Yo soy Nicaragüense. Yo soy Estadounidense. It is my own personal histories and experiences that are the ingredients that create the guisado that is my artwork, and by focusing on those who are marginalized and forgotten, I hopefully create for them another seat at the table.”

Briceño graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2017 from the San Francisco Art Institute, and a Master of Fine Arts in 2022 from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art. He won the Ann Metzger National Biennial in 2019, was a finalist for the AXA Art Prize in 2021, and has been featured in numerous national and regional publications including All the Art, Friend of the Artist, New American Paintings, St. Louis Magazine, and Design St. Louis.  

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

About The Artist-in-Residence Program

 The Artist-in-Residence program is a cultural and humanities benefit to the communities of Rockport and Fulton.  It brings fresh perspectives and art forms from other parts of the country. One of the goals of the program is to allow artists to enjoy and utilize time and space away from their typical environment, practice, and obligations, and to provide them a venue for presentation, production, reflection, and research.  Artists who have participated in the program are William Tersteeg (2022–Pennsylvania), Jeff Horton (2021–Arkansas), Evelyn Contreras (2020–California), Tyler Vouros (2019–Massachusetts), Rabecca Signoriello (2018–Pennsylvania), Ellen Heck (2016–North Carolina), Bob Lockhart (2015–Kentucky), Diane Pike (2014–North Carolina), the team of Judith Selby and Richard Lang (2013–California) and Ewoud de Groot (2012–Holland).

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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PATSY LINDAMOOD NAMED 2024 ROCKPORT ART FESTIVAL MASTER ARTIST

MEDIA CONTACT:

Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions, RCA                         

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

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

 PATSY LINDAMOOD NAMED 2024 ROCKPORT ART FESTIVAL MASTER ARTIST

Banking executive makes time to also be a full-time practicing artist

ROCKPORT, Texas (July 21, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced artist Patsy Lindamood as the 2024 Rockport Art Festival Master Artist.

Known for her realistic watercolor pencil, graphite and soft pastel works, Lindamood is the 32nd artist to be honored as Master Artist, a tradition that began in 1993 with Harold Phenix. As Master Artist, she will host a solo show June–July of 2024 in RCA’s H-E-B Gallery coinciding with Art Fest and will also provide an original piece to the annual Art Auction Gala which kicks off the festival weekend.

Since its inaugural event in 1969, the Rockport Art Festival has grown to become one of the most respected, and longest-running juried art festivals in the United States. Held each year on the July Fourth holiday weekend, the event features art by more than 120 artists including painting, jewelry, ceramics, woodwork, glass and more.

Lindamood has achieved signature status in the Society of Animal Artists, Artists for Conservation, and the International Guild of Realism with her wildlife work.

“We’re so excited to honor Patsy Lindamood as our 2024 Master Artist,” said Elena Rodriguez, exhibitions curator for Rockport Center for the Arts. “As a regular participant in Rockport Art Fest and Birds in Art, her work really speaks to the heart of what makes Rockport special. Her artwork reflects immense talent and sincere love of the region.”

A late starter as an artist, Lindamood decided in 2004 to become a professional, which she continues to pursue along with her career as a CFO/CTO/CISO for a credit union. In addition to her day job, she typically spends  30 to 40 or more hours a week in her Huntsville, Texas, studio creating new work, on her computer vetting and composing her photographic reference, or engaged in the business of promoting and supporting her art. 

Often asked how a professional mathematician of sorts, responsible for implementing and supporting technology can also possess such a strong passion to create art, Lindamood said she never really tried to understand the dichotomy between the demands of her day job and the skills and creativity required to be an artist. Eventually, however, her own need to understand that dichotomy led her to explore how mathematical concepts such as symmetry, linear perspective, and the Fibonacci sequence, are foundational in the highly representational artwork she creates.   

Never previously drawn to painting landscapes, Lindamood has recently been developing a series of Texas panoramas featuring grain silos, grain elevators and disintegrating homesteads, vistas comprised of a broad range of values, populated with subjects that are consummate examples of strong lines and shapes. 

“For years, my subject matter was principally wildlife and human portraiture,” said Lindamood. “But a couple of years ago on one of my birding expeditions, other elements of the local Texas environment overran my focus on the avian population of the area.  

“When the visual language is reduced to just lines, shapes, and values, the underlying story becomes more poignant, more arresting. Absent the romance of color, working in shades of grey is like telling a short story rather than writing a novel.” 

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.

Rockport Art Festival Master Artists, 1993–present

1993 Harold Phenix †; 1994 Steve Russell (Founding member of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.); 1995 Al Barnes †; 1996 Herb Booth †; 1997 Jesus Moroles †; 1998 Evelyn Atkinson; 1999 Ricardo Rivera †; 2000 Kay Barnebey; 2001 Jim Offeman; 2002 Flint Reed; 2003 Anita Diebel; 2004 Thom Evans †; 2005 Carol Koutnik; 2006 Hal McCaskill; 2007 Nanci Barnes; 2008 Teresa Justice; 2009 Lisa Baer Frederick; 2010 Shirley Hughes Blackman; 2011 Betty Shamel; 2012 Bruce Bitter; 2013 Bonnie Lou Prouty; 2014 Pamela Fulcher; 2015 Chance Yarbrough; 2016 Joey Blazek; 2017 Barb Robinson; 2018 Debbie Stevens; 2019 Angalee DeForest; 2020 V… Vaughan; 2021 Robin Hazard; 2022 Jeffrey Neel McDaniel; 2023 Kent Ullberg (†Deceased)

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2024 Master Artist, Patsy Lindamood

AEP Foundation Awards $100,000 To Improve Culinary Arts Facility

MEDIA CONTACT:                    

Vanessa Ormsby,

RCA Communications Manager                 

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

AEP Foundation Awards $100,000 To Improve Culinary Arts Facility at Rockport Center for the Arts
Updated kitchen and new equipment will continue to be the home of Center’s Young Chefs: Where Food Science Meets the Culinary Arts program that promotes healthy food choices through education

Rockport, TX., July 20, 2023 – The Rockport Center for the Arts announced today it received a $100,000 grant from the American Electric Power Foundation (AEP Foundation) to improve its culinary arts kitchen and purchase new equipment. The updated kitchen will remain the home of free nutritional education and programming through its Young Chefs: Where Food Science Meets the Culinary Arts program.

The AEP Foundation approved the $100,000 grant upon the recommendation of AEP Texas.

“Serving the youth of Aransas County is at the very top of our mission. We are grateful for the generous gift from the American Electric Power Foundation, that has made culinary arts programming, that we imagined when the building was being built, a reality,” Luis Purón, Executive Director, Rockport Center for the Arts, said. “The AEP Foundation Culinary Arts Kitchen plays host to Young Chefs, serving the children of Rockport from underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds. This Summer we also hosted the Young Chefs Summer Camp. Having a fully equipped state of the art kitchen has made these programs possible.”

Young Chefs: Where Food Science Meets the Culinary Arts is a free culinary arts program that empowers local, disadvantaged youth and their families to make healthy food choices through hands-on, nutritional instruction with fresh, locally sourced, economical ingredients. Subjects covered include food science, healthy eating, food in culture, and the culinary arts.

Updating the facility to host Young Chefs: Where Food Science Meets the Culinary Arts aligns with the AEP Foundation’s core giving guidelines of helping to provide basic human services in the areas of hunger to assure that people have the necessities to build successful lives; and enriching the overall vitality of the community to improve the environment and people’s lives.

About The American Electric Power Foundation

The American Electric Power Foundation is funded by American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) and its operating subsidiaries. The Foundation provides a permanent, ongoing resource for charitable initiatives involving higher dollar values and multi-year commitments in the communities served by AEP and initiatives outside of AEP’s 11- state service area. The Foundation focuses on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math; by meeting basic needs for emergency shelter, affordable housing, and the elimination of hunger; and championing social justice. Other Foundation support may be offered to protect the environment, promote healthcare and safety, and enrich life through art, music, and cultural heritage.

About AEP Texas
AEP Texas serves over one million electric meters in the deregulated Texas retail electric marketplace. As an energy delivery (wires) company, AEP Texas delivers electricity safely and reliably to homes, businesses, and industry across its nearly 100,000 square mile service territory in south and west Texas. AEP Texas also builds new power lines, restores service following outages, and reads the meters via advanced meter technology for retail electric providers (REPs) throughout its service territory. The company also connects or disconnects service upon the orders of the REPs. Connect with AEP Texas at AEPTexas.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @aeptexas.

Shown from left to right, Larry Beavers, President of the Board of Directors, Rockport Center for the Arts; Vee Strauss, Regional External Affairs Manager, AEP Texas; Patrick King, External Affairs Manager, AEP Texas; Luis Purٕón, Executive Director, Rockport Center for the Arts; Mayor Tim Jayroe, City of Rockport; Judith Talavera, President and COO, AEP Texas; and Judge Ray Garza, Aransas County.

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

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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NEW KENT ULLBERG ACQUISITION

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES NEW KENT ULLBERG ACQUISITION

Renowned sculptor’s “Kingfisher” to be installed in Rockport Center for the Arts’ Sculpture Garden

ROCKPORT, Texas (June 26, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced it is acquiring another work by internationally recognized wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg.

Made possible through a generous contribution of an anonymous donor, the Kingfisher (2012) bronze will become the 22nd sculpture in RCA’s permanent collection. Standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, Kingfisher is featured in the current Ullberg exhibition at RCA, “Feathers and Flippers,” presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which runs through August 6.

Number 2 in a series of 9, Kingfisher will be installed in August in the 16,000-square-foot Patricia Bennett Moore Sculpture Garden located on the 1.2-acre RCA campus. It will be the 10th piece from the permanent collection placed in the garden, which also includes Merry Time Romance (2022), by Ullberg, along with Man’s Best Friend (1999), Michael Atkinson; Moonscape (2014), Lighthouse Fountain (2002), and Interlocking (1985), Jesús Moroles; Uccelli (Birds of St. Francis) (1972), Charles Umlauf; Walking White Flower (2011), James Surls; The Inevitable Question, The Lure of Simple Inclinations, and The False Shadow of Transformation (2016), Danville Chadbourne; and Days (2009), Mark Williamson.

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

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 general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.

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Rockport Center for the Arts Rebuilt with No Debt

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager                         

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

 

ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS REBUILT WITH NO DEBT

All funding provided via grants and Imagine Capital Campaign

ROCKPORT, Texas (June 16, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) announced it is now officially debt free, successfully closing out a $5 million grant it received from the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help build the new RCA facility following the destruction of the original building by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.

 The entire cost of the new $12.5 million RCA campus was covered by the $5 million EDA grant announced in March 2019 along with more than $7.5 million raised from 800 private donors through the RCA Imagine Capital Campaign launched in March 2018. The new 1.2-acre RCA campus officially opened in December 2022, complete with a 14,000-square-foot, two-story arts and education building and an 8,000-square-foot conference center built to withstand the next 100-year storm, as well as a 16,000-square-foot sculpture garden.

  “The EDA grant allowed for the expansion of our facilities and programs and to build more resilient structures, which were desperately needed,” said Luis Puron, executive director of Rockport Center for the Arts. “The closing of the EDA grant culminates a long-range recovery plan for RCA that started in 2018 with the launch of the Imagine Capital Campaign; we are so pleased that we were able to successfully complete the project without encumbering debt.”

Rockport Center for the Arts is one of many post-Harvey success stories having never canceled an exhibit, a program, or an event despite the devastating loss of its previous facility, re-opening its doors in a temporary facility on December 2, 2017, just 99 days after the storm. The new RCA now serves as an anchor for downtown economic revitalization, drawing tourism and event business to the community.

For general information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Rockport Center for the Arts

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 general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.

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Kent Ullberg Named 2023 Rockport Art Festival Master Artist

MEDIA CONTACT:

Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions, RCA

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

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

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

 RENOWNED WILDLIFE SCULPTOR KENT ULLBERG

NAMED 2023 ROCKPORT ART FESTIVAL MASTER ARTIST

 Feathers and Flippers solo show and Rockport Roots Master Artist exhibition open in June;

Rockport Art Festival July 1–2

ROCKPORT, Texas (May 22, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced acclaimed wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg as the 31st Rockport Art Festival Master Artist, a tradition that began in 1993 with Harold Phenix.

Now in its 55th year, the Rockport Art Festival has grown to become one of the most respected, and longest-running juried art festivals in the United States. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2, with the kick-off Art Auction Gala Friday, June 30. Although the long-standing Poster Artist designation was re-branded this year as Master Artist, the tradition of the honoree being featured in a solo show and donating an original work of art for the auction remains.

As this year’s Master Artist, Ullberg’s solo show, Feathers and Flippers, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, will be hosted June 16–Aug. 6 in RCA’s H-E-B Gallery featuring more than 20 of his works, including large and small, and relief sculptures. Past Master Artists will have a group show, Rockport Roots, in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery June 9–July 23.

In addition to an Ullberg piece being included in the auction, RCA also is producing limited edition folios available for purchase, featuring six of Ullberg’s drawings spanning his entire art career, the earliest made when he was 12.

“Long before a sculpture is cast and installed for the public, Ullberg creates hundreds of observational and preparatory drawings,” said Elena Rodriguez, exhibitions curator for Rockport Center for the Arts. “One of my personal favorites is a sketch of iguanas in the Galapagos. Drawn in charcoal with gestural marks, it is clear Ullberg isn’t just capturing what he sees but understanding how the form functions in space. It’s a two-dimensional rendering with enough information to easily be translated into a three-dimensional form.”

A members-only reception with Ullberg and past Master Artists will take place Friday, June 16, from 5­–7 p.m., in the H-E-B Gallery, where RCA will unveil Ullberg’s donated piece that will be auctioned off as the final lot on June 30.

A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of the world's foremost wildlife sculptors. He studied at the Swedish University College of Art in Stockholm and worked at museums in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Africa and Denver, Colorado. After living in Botswana, Africa, for seven years, he made his home permanently in the United States on Padre Island, near Corpus Christi, while also maintaining a studio in Loveland, Colorado.

The award-winning artist has installed more than 100 public sculptures in the U.S. and internationally, 21 of them on display in the Coastal Bend, including three already owned by RCA as part of their permanent collection: Merry Time Romance, his most recent, is an 8-foot bronze featuring a pair of seahorses, prominently displayed in the RCA Sculpture Garden, Preening Heron, a 5-foot-tall abstracted bird, and Rites of Spring, his famed monumental 13-foot tall bronze sculpture of two whooping cranes, which was the genesis of the original RCA sculpture garden on Aransas Bay.

Ullberg is a member of numerous art organizations and has been honored with many prestigious awards. In 1990 his peers elected him a Full Academician (NA), thus making him the first wildlife artist since John James Audubon to receive one of the greatest tributes in American art. A selection of his memberships includes the National Sculpture Society; the American Society of Marine Art; the Allied Artists of America; Nature in Art, Sandhurst, UK; and the National Academy of Western Art in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which awarded him the Prix de West, the foremost recognition in Western Art. In 2010 he received the Briscoe Legacy Award and in 2016, the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Animal Artists.  Then in 2017, the Carl Millesgarden Museum, Stockholm, Sweden, hosted a retrospective show with 42 Ullberg sculptures.

Best known for his monumental works executed for museums and municipalities across the globe, in Sept. 2019 he installed a 21-foot monument “Wings of Hope, Hands of Healing, “at the Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio, Texas, dedicated to all physicians and medical personal of the institute. His Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and his Omaha, Nebraska, installations are the largest bronze wildlife compositions ever done, the latter spanning several city blocks. Both earned him the coveted Henry Hering Medal Award from the National Sculpture Society, NYC. His most recent monumental installation is "Snow-Mastodon," a life-size bronze Mastodon placed outside the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

“I’ve been part of the Rockport Art Community for more than 40 years, having had many exhibits there with artist friends,” said Ullberg. “At the time, the Art Center was a small, modest wooden house that was destroyed during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.  We thought that was the end of the Rockport art scene but now we have an awesome 2-city block Art Center with facilities for many art forms, including performing, visual and culinary art. There are four beautiful art exhibit galleries on two levels. I’m very proud to be selected to have a solo show in my favorite gallery, the H-E-B Gallery, curated by Elena Rodriguez, opening June 16, 2023.” 

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

Rockport Art Festival Master Artists, 1993–present

1993 Harold Phenix †; 1994 Steve Russell (Founding member of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.); 1995 Al Barnes †; 1996 Herb Booth †; 1997 Jesus Moroles †; 1998 Evelyn Atkinson; 1999 Ricardo Rivera †; 2000 Kay Barnebey; 2001 Jim Offeman; 2002 Flint Reed; 2003 Anita Diebel; 2004 Thom Evans †; 2005 Carol Koutnik; 2006 Hal McCaskill; 2007 Nanci Barnes; 2008 Teresa Justice; 2009 Lisa Baer Frederick; 2010 Shirley Hughes Blackman; 2011 Betty Shamel; 2012 Bruce Bitter; 2013 Bonnie Lou Prouty; 2014 Pamela Fulcher; 2015 Chance Yarbrough; 2016 Joey Blazek; 2017 Barb Robinson; 2018 Debbie Stevens; 2019 Angalee DeForest; 2020 V… Vaughan; 2021 Robin Hazard; 2022 Jeffrey Neel McDaniel; 2023 Kent Ullberg. Legend †: Deceased

The Last Man Standing

MEDIA CONTACT:                  

 Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications  Manager

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

ROCKPORT MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY TO SHOWCASE SCULPTURE HONORING WWII VETERANS

Annual Veterans Memorial Park event to include dedication of newly installed bronze work

ROCKPORT, Texas (May 19, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced this year’s Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park will include the dedication of The Last Man Standing, a life-sized bronze sculpture honoring WWII veterans by artist Andy Sacksteder.

Made possible by RCA and the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Last Man Standing depicts an aged WWII veteran standing as tall and proud as his stooped frame allows, saluting the flag with his wheelchair just behind him. The statue was installed on May 11 at Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to Rockport Harbor, prominently displayed near the park entrance. The Memorial Day ceremony will be held on May 29 at a time yet to be announced.

“We are pleased to partner with the Aransas County Navigation District to bring The Last Man Standing to Veterans Park,” said Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “It’s a beautiful, moving piece and a heartfelt tribute by the artist in exactly the right location in our community. We are honored to bring it to Rockport for all to enjoy.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, of the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II, just over 167,000 were still alive in 2022 with that number falling by an average of 180 each day. Sacksteder, the son of a WW II Navy vet, was inspired by his father’s harrowing tales of war to create the bronze tribute to the last generation of soldiers and nation builders.

“Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their nineties and older,” said Sacksteder, “and as they pass on, the memories of World War II — its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs — disappear. I wanted to capture their experience, reflect the glories and horrors of war in the veteran’s wise etched face while conveying the great pride and love of country through a hand raised in a timeless salute.”

Cast in bronze, the veteran, standing around 6 feet tall, and the wheelchair weigh approximately 300 pounds combined. The sculpture is part of RCA’s permanent collection and is number 3 in an open edition of 15.

After graduating from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in landscape horticulture, Sacksteder’s artistic flair for landscape design quickly earned him a solid reputation as a master at his craft, but it wasn’t until 2008 at the age of 52 that he decided to pursue his true passion to become a sculptor. With encouragement and guidance from a local sculptor who handed him his first chunk of clay, Sacksteder began his self-taught artistic journey by creating busts from photographs of his children, magazines and works of art, all while studying countless books and CDs on portrait sculpture and human anatomy. His natural artistic talent combined with a keen eye for detail and amazing ability to capture a person’s likeness has allowed him to create life-like three-dimensional works of art from one-dimensional images.

Since beginning his successful new career, the award-winning sculptor has been commissioned to create numerous works for public display and private collections alike, including First and Ten depicting legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes for a business in Columbus, Ohio, and Young Ernest Hemingway for Petoskey, Mich., where the famous writer spent his childhood summers.

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

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 general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.

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World Collage Day

MEDIA CONTACT:

Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions, RCA              

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

 Vanessa Ormsby, Communications Manager, RCA

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

 ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS CELEBRATES WORLD COLLAGE DAY

Community-wide effort of collage-themed events and activities to be featured during Austin Street Art Walk

ROCKPORT, Texas (April 25, 2023) — May 13 is World Collage Day, an annual, international celebration of collage, one of the most popular and pervasive forms of art, including in Rockport where a variety of exhibitions, events and workshops are planned.

Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) will host a special collage exhibition in its Mendez Family Gallery on the main level, May 5–June 8, featuring works created by RCA member artists, including award-winning collage artist Kelly Schaub.

A Rockport resident and RCA board member, Schaub has self-published several collections of collage, has been featured in multiple publications, curated international collage exhibits, and launched Collage-Lab.com in 2020, an online resource for collage artists. Schaub will share her perspective on the art in History of Collage and Survey of Collage, a two-part lecture series, May 4 and 11, 6–7:30 p.m. in RCA’s June Ainsworth Studio.

“I love the accessibility of collage. No drawing or painting skills are necessary, and materials can be sourced from junk mail, old books, and recycled magazines’” said Schaub. “World Collage Day is an opportunity to share this approachable art form with everyone in our community. I’m really excited to expand everyone’s knowledge and appreciation of collage through the activities planned in Rockport celebrating World Collage Day. There’s something for everyone, and collage will be the star of the show during May’s Austin Street Art Walk. I invite everyone to grab their scissors and glue stick, explore and learn.”

Schaub and other collage artists will also share their expertise in a series of hands-on RCA workshops in May:

·         Playing with Paper/All Things Collage with Kelly Schaub (May 6 / 10 a.m.–3 p.m.) tips and tricks to produce outstanding mixed media collages

·         Collage with Bonnie Prouty (May 9 / 1–4 p.m.) painting and collage techniques on canvas

·         Little Art Books: Mixed Media Exploration with Lyn Belisle (May 13 / 1–4 p.m.) collage techniques and bookmaking to create personal journals

Coinciding with World Collage Day is the monthly Austin Street Art Walk, a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring art galleries, art spaces and other businesses located along Austin Street in the Rockport Cultural Arts District. The 10 a.m.–6 p.m. event will also include a number of collage-themed activities for the public to take part in including the RCA Free Family Saturday activity, a project for kids to complete with their families available 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and a Community Collage project hosted by Moon Over Water Gallery. Collage-themed exhibits will also be on display at The Gallery @ Anita Diebel Studio, the Aransas County Library and more. A complete list of special activities and exhibits can be found at www.local-glue.com.

Sign-ups for all collage-themed RCA workshops and lectures are first-come, first-served, online at rockportartcenter.com/classes-workshops with a direct registration link under each. RCA Member pricing ranges from $20–­$75, with slightly higher fees for non-members. RCA memberships may be purchased online starting at $50 a year for an individual, with special student pricing, family and other membership levels also available.

 For general information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Rockport Center for the Arts

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 general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.

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.

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Lynne Ruf

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

 CONTRAST AS THE MUSE DEBUTS AT ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Exhibition featuring Lynne Ruf runs April 14–June 4; artist reception scheduled for April 21

ROCKPORT, Texas (April 4, 2023) — Contrast as the Muse, showcasing the paintings of artist Lynne Ruf, will be featured at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), April 14–June 4, in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery located in the upper level.

Describing herself as a visual author, Ruf sees each painting as a vignette/novelette using repeated but very different iconography, hoping to convey to viewers a commonality and a shared past in the work, regardless of their own personal journey.

“Ruf combines pattern and form in a way that reminds me of the Symbolists and French Realists,” said Elena Rodriguez, exhibitions curator for Rockport Center for the Arts. “The iconography in her work is simultaneously personal and archetypal; she creates her own language and folklore in the repeated imagery in her paintings.”

The general public will have the opportunity to meet Ruf as she discusses her work and unique process in a gallery talk on Friday, April 21, at 12:30 p.m. followed by a members-only reception from 5–7 p.m. the same day. Both events will be held in the McKelvey Gallery.

A Rockport resident now for decades, the Kansas-born Ruf has many female artists in her family, including her paternal grandmother, who studied art in Kentucky before traveling by wagon to Kansas where her new farmhouse was full of paintings depicting Greek and Roman history, as well as her mother, who studied at Kansas University and made a living drawing highly detailed department store fashion ads in the 1930s. 

Ruf began her own formal training at age 7 with Wilma Wethington's School of Art, a no-nonsense instructor who taught Ruf the basics that would earn her praise from future educators. She studied Art and Architecture at Kansas State University, later worked on a painting major through the Kansas City Art Institute and Wichita State University, and received a B.A. in Art from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.

Her paintings have been exhibited in Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas over the years, including Estelle Stair Gallery, St. Charles Art Gallery, and Wind Way Gallery, and most recently The Gallery at Anita Diebel's Studio and Coast Modern, all located in Rockport.

Creating this body of work challenged Ruf’s understanding of her artistic process and personal mythology. Initially, the title, Contrast as the Muse, referred to the diversity in color palette and materials, as well as the application technique used. In every painting, Ruf uses acrylic paint, paper collage, and every kind of mark maker available, applying glazes and scrubbing them into the painting and washing them down giving them a fabric-like quality, creating a visual and textural contrast from the effect of this layered technique against a more solid application of paint.

“As I began to create the full body of work, the meaning of Contrast changed for me,” said Ruf. “I was worried the various repeated imagery and compositions in my work were all too different to form a cohesive show. I was surprised to learn that while each painting is unique, they were all actually connected through their meaning.”

Ruf has often painted a trio of women in turbans, never really knowing if they felt more biblical or tribal, but there were always three and always abstracted. In her piece titled The Gathering, she added a fourth figure, seated in front of the three. Contemplating the finished painting, Ruf realized she was the seated woman and the three others were the younger generation or her family in disguise, a statement on strong matriarchal inheritance.

“Other frequent motifs in my work are trees and people. I feel a strong connection to the landscapes where I’ve lived-whether it’s Rockport’s bent oaks or Kansas’ farmland. I chose specific places to be my home, my soulmates, and that connects me to a greater human story. Both the women and the trees in my paintings are explorations of my ancestry, both familial and universal, connected by a shallow root system of history and humanity.

Contrast as the Muse is free and open to the public. For general information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.

About Rockport Center for the Arts

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 general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.

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