ArtHouston Magazine issue #14

{ NFT }

{ DANCE SALAD }

{ M.C. EISCHER }

{ MERET OPPENHEIM }

{ ADOPT A MONUMENT }

artH O U S T O N V I S U A L A RT S , C U LT U R E , R E V I E W S

ISSUE 14

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3

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If you just keep your head down and just try and do your thing, sometimes magic happens.

– Gavin Rossdale

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he first issue of ArtHouston hit the city in 2015. It has been a whopping 7 years we have been in operation. In those 7 years, a lot had changed - I released a monograph, I built my new home and art studio, I became a grandfather x3, my son started college, my youngest daughter graduated from UT and moved out, COVID-19 struck our world - lots had changed.

But one thing that stayed present and consistent was my passion to keep this magazine alive - and so it has. If I have learned one thing over these years, which seems to be extremely important, particularly in the period we are living in of overf lowing uncertainty, is to keep your head down and work.

In my case, working means creating this magazine, from its editorial content to its layout design. I do it all because I want to, because I love it. However, I have to admit, the praise and positive feedback I receive refuels my passion and energy to keep going, to keep my head down and work.

Thank you all for your support and I sincerely hope you enjoy our 14th issue.

Yours faithfully, John Bernhard

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CONTENTS

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NFT

PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3

Morgan Cronin 18

NEWS BITS 6

Dance Salad Meghan Hendley Lopez

BOOK REVIEWS 10 COUPS DE CŒUR 12

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Virtual Realities Sabrina Bernhard 28

GALLERY LISTINGS 62

Meret Openheim at the Menil Arthur Demicheli

REVIEWS 68

* FA LO N M I H A L I C 74

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The Pearl Amanda Andrade 34

* A M A N DA PA S CA L I 76

Adopt a Monument Arthur Demicheli

COLOPHON 79

* Fresh Arts’ interviews

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Driven by Community Meghan Hendley Lopez 44

Pam Francis Matt Ross 50

Limitless Arthur Demicheli 52

Deborah Colton Gallery John Bernhard 58

ON THE COVER: Meret Oppenheim, Quick, Quick, the Most Beautiful Vowel is Voiding (Husch-husch, der schönste Vokal entleert sich), 1934.

Oil on canvas, 17 x 25 in. Bürgi Collection, Bern. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Pro Litteris, Zurich Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition, at the Menil Collections debut on March 25, and will be on view through September 18, 2022. More details on page 28.

The Art of Unfolding Greatness Karine Parker, Nathalie Muratet, Christian Perkins 66

Fred Baldwin John Bernhard 70

Why Cutting the Genre...

William Hanhausen

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news bits

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PORTRAITS TOUR

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The exhibition Collection Close-up: Bruce Davidson’s Photographs highlights Davidson’s sustained engagement with social and political concerns with works from the museum’s permanent collection.

The exhibition comprises a selection of the American photographer’s most consequential series made between 1956 and 1995, primarily drawn from an anonymous gift to the museum of approximately 350 of Davidson’s photographs, which have never before been on view at the Menil. Seeking a shared humanity, Davidson’s photographs offer an intimate perspective of his subjects and their communities, from circus performers to Welsh miners to New York City neighborhoods. Rebecca Rabinow, director of the Menil Collection, said: “The Menil is honored to present some 60 photographs by Bruce Davidson in this timely and thought-provoking exhibition. A leading figure in the history of documentary photography, Davidson’s work focuses on the many challenges faced by American and European multiracial, multiethnic societies that promise liberty yet struggle to achieve racial and economic equity and justice.”

Molly Everett, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art, said: “With this exhibition, we have the incredible opportunity to consider Davidson’s powerful practice thanks to a recent anonymous gift that builds on the Menil’s strong holdings of civil rights-era photographs Davidson’s work is representative of how photography has, and continues to be, a crucial medium for social engagement.”

The Menil’s presentation begins with work from one of Davidson’s earliest series, Brooklyn Gang, 1959. The work received international acclaim, and the artist subsequently was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to document “Youth in America.” For this project, Davidson joined the Freedom Riders, college-age activists who confronted racial segregation in the American South. Davidson was profoundly impacted by the violent resistance the group encountered, as well as by the glaring inequity in the communities they visited. “Riding on that bus with the Freedom Riders,” recalled the photographer, “I became sensitized, and the exposure developed my perception.”

According to John Lewis, one of the leaders of the Freedom Riders who later became a United States Congressman, “Bruce’s courageous photographs helped to educate and sensitize individuals beyond our southern borders. They shone a national spotlight on the signs, symbols, and scars of racial segregation.” On view until May 29, 2022.

Bruce Davidson, Selma March, Alabama, 1965. Gelatin silver print, 12 5/8 × 18 3/4 in.

The Menil Collection, Houston, Anonymous gift. © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos Left: Textile Fragment Depicting Male Figure, Plants, and Monkeys, ca. 1400. Chimú, Peru. Photo by James Craven.

Right: Pierre Verger, Untitled, Fiesta de la Virgen, Copacabana, Bolivia), 1939-45. © Fundação Pierre Verger

From the moment of their unveiling at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in February 2018, the official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama became iconic. Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama have inspired unprecedented responses from the public and come to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston on the final stop of their national tour.

On view from April 3 through May 30, 2022.

Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald

BRUCE DAVIDSON’S PHOTOGRAPHS The Menil Collection

TRUE NORTH 2022

Sculpture – Heights Boulevard True North has announced the eight Texas artists chosen for its 2022 sculpture project arriving in March on the esplanade of Heights Boulevard: ELIZABETH AKAMATSU, Nacogdoches, ART FAIRCHILD, Dallas, RACHEL GARDNER, Houston, GUADALUPE HERNANDEZ, Houston SUGURU HIRAIDE, Wichita Falls, WILL LARSON, Austin, ISRAEL MCCLOUD, Houston, JIM ROBERTSON, Trinity.

On view from March to December 2022.

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PAINT THE STREET The Institute for Spirituality and Health

Lone Star Flight Museum

A Street Art Festival in Downtown Houston

The Triumph of Heroic WASP

The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center (The Institute) is the new charity beneficiary of Via Colori® Houston, a time-honored street painting festival taking place April 2nd and 3rd, 2022. The event will be held at POST, Houston’s newest cultural epicenter. The historic Barbara Jordan Post Office is located in downtown Houston at 401 Franklin St. The purpose of this free, family-friendly event is to raise awareness and funds to support The Institute and its education, platforms, and programs at the intersection of spirituality and health. This time-honored street painting festival will again bring together hundreds of student, amateur, and profes-

sional artists to create beautiful chalk masterpieces while also celebrating Houston’s diversity.

This event will also feature live music, a children’s creative area, and expansive hospitality options for a weekend of artistic expression and community connection.

“The Institute is pleased to be the new beneficiary charity of Via Colori® Houston. We look forward to hosting its inaugural, two-day creative arts and cultural event. This event will draw thousands of families, artists, vendors, volunteers and festival-goers for a weekend of creativity and inspiration. Via Colori® Houston is an outdoor event celebrating the act of spontaneous, temporary works with a charter to foster commu-

FLY GIRLS

Fly Girls of WWII tells the inspirational stories of the American women known to history as WASPs, (Women Airforce Service Pilots) who answered the call to service during the World War II. More than 25,000 women applied for the experimental flight training program, only 1,830 were accepted.

In this exhibition, visitors will hear the stories of these pioneering pilots and the triumph and perseverance of these

heroic pilots. Visitors will see original WASP World War II uniforms, military artifacts, and learn how these courageous women changed the face of our military.

Exhibition on view through July 10, 2022.

nity connection and resilience,” commented by Leah Adams, vice president of engagement at The Institute.

The festival welcomes chalk artists of every skill level - from

those steeped in all things art to the curious at heart to family art projects and company team building. For more information on Via Colori® Houston , visit www.viacolorihouston.org.

Texas-based artist, Liz Painter created this image at the 2021 Kerrville Chalk Festival. Photo by Mackenzie Wade

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ART GIFT

BUILDING REOPENS

AWARD FOR ARTS LEADERSHIP

Woodlands Art League

The Chinati Foundation

City of Houston

Last January, an anonymous local art patron donated a piece of artwork from one of the most recognized names in the contemporary art world, Joan Miró (1893-1983), to the Woodlands Art League (WAL).

The donated untitled piece was painted in 1949. Miró, was a Spanish artist who worked with Picasso in the 1920s, and was part of the Surrealist group of that era.

“This is an extraordinary gift which will inspire people in many ways. We are very grateful to have this unique, original painting at our studio,” said Sara Saravo, President of WAL. “We hope this gift will encourage others to follow the example of this generous donor...” she said.

Tom La Rock, VP Studio, Classes & Workshops for the WAL went on to say, “Our plans are to display the painting at the WAL studio.

We hope to use it to raise funds to further expand our organization and serve the art community in the greater Woodlands area.”

WAL studio, classroom and gallery space are located in the Epic Creative Co-op.

To learn more visit: ww.woodlandsartleague.org.

The John Chamberlain Building at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa will reopen, after a comprehensive 12-month-long restoration of the 23,000-squarefoot space. The project also includes conservation of the 23 largescale John Chamberlain sculptures permanently on display within, which comprise the largest permanent installation of Chamberlain’s works in the world. Chinati will celebrate the reopening with a special day-long event on April 30, 2022. Admission to the John Chamberlain Building will be free to visitors on that day and for the remainder of 2022.

“Almost four decades in the desert have taken their toll on the Chamberlain Building. The restoration work preserves and strengthens this landmark so that it may continue to be a central destination in Marfa,” says Jenny Moore, director, Chinati Foundation.

“The improvements to the Chamberlain Building, along with the rest of Chinati’s art, architecture, and land, ensure that we continue to serve as a beacon of creativity and inspiration for decades to come.”

In partnership with The United States Conference of Mayors, Americans for the Arts presented the Local Arts Leadership Award to Mayor Sylvester Turner during a ceremony at the USCM 90th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. For over 20 years, Americans for the Arts has recognized elected officials at various levels of government with their Public Leadership in the Arts Awards.

The prestigious award celebrates Mayor Turner’s advocation for the city’s rich and diverse cultural character, and his outstanding and consistent support for the arts in Houston, with particular emphasis during Hurricane Harvey and the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the help of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA), the mayor engages Houston’s thriving creative community based on leadership that values art and artmaking as foundational to the wellbeing of individuals and neighborhoods.

“My heart is full of gratitude for this incredible award,” said Mayor Turner. “I am honored and humbled to be recognized for my tireless support of the arts in Houston. Art helps define a city and we are working to keep Houston a global creative city.”

Mayor Turner’s leadership approach of working collaboratively has been a hallmark of his time in office. His vision has resulted in the development and improvement of programs like Artist INC in Houston with Fresh Arts, the Poet Laureate Program for the City, and the addition of two Cultural Districts totaling to seven in the City recognized by the State of Texas.

Mayor Turner, who in his second four-year term in office, made a commitment early on to the advancements outlined in Houston’s Arts and Cultural Plan, and increased engagement and collaborative work between MOCA and local arts agency Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) that resulted in the redesign of the City’s grants system to ensure a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.

“Mayor Turner is not a ‘business as usual’ leader. Throughout his terms, he has been focused on promoting the arts and ensuring diversity and equity,” said , MOCA Director Necole Irvin. “Mayor Turner is a strong leader who continues to show his dedication to the expansive arts and cultural landscape of Houston, his value of the centrality of the arts, and his genuine love of the arts. The MOCA team congratulates you on this welldeserved recognition.”

Joan Miró, Untitled.

Photo courtesy of Vic Cherubini

Chamberlain Builing under construction. Photos by Sarah Vasquez

Pictured from left: Tom Cochran, USCM CEO, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Burnsville, MN. Photo courtesy of MOCA.

NOTHING GOES TO WASTE Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Nothing Goes to Waste showcases a survey of artists who find exciting ways to reuse and repurpose materials, scraps, and castoffs through ingenuity. Highlighting works created from discarded materials like ceramic shards, cut paper, and marble remnants, the exhibition explores how salvaged material can inspire creativity and provoke curiosity about the impact various industrial and artistic processes have on the ecology of the planet.

In response to the increased production rate of single-use items, particularly following the onset of the pandemic, Calder Kamin creates colorful and entertaining creatures from recycled materials like plastic bags and cutlery. Inspired by nature’s adaptability, Kamin draws on the resourcefulness of the Earth’s biodiversity, calling upon individuals to curtail their consumption habits and make use of what they have.

In the face of stifling realities such as the pandemic, many artists like Leigh Suggs, Calder Kamin, Jeff Forster, and Chase Travaille, have shifted their studio practices and enlisted community support, using reclaimed materials from their networks in meaningful ways.

While it is common knowledge that many industries yield a high volume of material waste, the amount of energy and resources expended in the production of art is less openly discussed. However, artists like ceramicist Jeff Forster are taking a closer look at the sustainability of their own practices.

As an educator, Forster has developed an awareness of how much waste is produced in a single semester of his ceramic art classes. In order to conserve resources in his own work, he collects and incorporates leftover clays, slips, and glazes into abstract sculptures.

HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall comments, “Now, more than ever, we need to reevaluate how materials are collected and utilized in order to ensure the health and longevity of our planet. Nothing Goes to Waste celebrates the fun, generative, and restorative benefits of sustainability through craft practices, and we’re excited to showcase this group of artists, who contribute to the legacy of reuse in the history of craft.”

On view: January 29–May 7, 2022 at the Main Gallery.

NEWS BITS 9

From top: Calder Kamin, Plastic Planet Stag, 2018. Plastic bags, steel, foam, wood, glass eyes. Photo by Philip Rogers. Courtesy of the artist.

Jeff Forster, Glaze Tectonics—Fissures, 2021. Ceramic and Glassell Studio glaze waste. 13.5 x 17 x 4.5 inches. Photo by the artist. Courtesy of the artist.

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book reviews

Kara Walker: A Black Hole Is Everything a Star Longs to Be

Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars

This book offers an extraordinary selection of drawings, sketches and texts from Kara Walker’s archive since the 1990s. It’s all here — Trump, Obama, the plantation, sexual demand and degradation, all the American phantasmagoria of her famous silhouette works and monumental installations; but also clippings, notecards, dream diaries, the artist wrangling with the fetters of prominence and racial expectations.

JRP Editions, 2021

The long-awaited memoir of a trailblazer and role model who is telling her story for the first time.

Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission.

She was entrusted by NASA to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.

Arcade, 2021

KARA WALKER

Comic Book Women

PEYTON BRUNET & BLAIR DAVIS

This book offers a feminist history of the golden age of comics, revising our understanding of how numerous genres emerged and upending narratives of how male auteurs built their careers. This revisionist history reclaims the forgotten work done by women in the comics industry and reinserts female creators and characters into the canon of comics history.

University of Texas Press, 2022

COL. EILEEN M. COLLINS & JONATHAN H. WARD

Three Women Artists

AMY VON LINTEL & BONNIE ROOS

Offering a fresh perspective on the influence of the American southwest— and particularly West Texas—on the New York art world of the 1950s, Three Women Artists: Expanding Abstract Expressionism in the American West aims to establish the significance of itinerant teaching and western travel as a strategic choice for women artists associated with traditional centers of artistic authority and population in the eastern United States. The book is focused on three artists: Elaine de Kooning, Jeanne Reynal, and Louise Nevelson. In their travels to and work in the High Plains, they were inspired to innovate their abstract styles and introduce new critical dialogues through their work.

Texas A&M University Press, 2022

The Story of the RockportFulton Art Colony KAY KRONKE BETZ & VICKIE MOON MERCHANT

The book chronicle how this small Texas town, whose economy was based on fishing, shrimping, and tourism, became a major regional center for the visual arts. Generously illustrated throughout, it’s a visual and narrative treat for art lovers, conservationists, and historians alike.

Texas A&M University Press, 2022

One Thing Well: 22 Years of Installation Art RAINEY KNUDSON

This book offers an in-depth history of a pioneering installation-art space.

Long before it became commonplace, Rice Gallery was one of a handful of spaces in the US devoted to commissioning site-specific installation art.

Rice University Gallery, 2021

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coups de cœur

ARTIST

D a r S c h a f e r , D e v i l s D e n / L i t t l e R o u n d To p – i n G e t t y s b u r g , 3 6 ” x 4 8 ” i n .

Dar Schafer “I feel like we have a tendency to romanticize wars, so I wanted to paint the series as abstract with some realism. I wanted to ground the paintings with existing landmarks at each battlefield. We’ve all seen the magnificent Civil War paintings in museums, so I felt that painting them as abstracts would more emulate the fierceness of war. I wanted people to look at the paintings and really feel the emotion - deep down. I decided to paint the soldiers as abstract so when you look upon them, you could put a face on it - Fathers, Brothers, Uncles.

Friends, young and old - blindly fighting each other.” www.dartheartist.com

ARTIST

Benji Stiles Born in New Orleans, Robert Benjamin Stiles (Benji) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who lives and works in Houston’s historic 1st Ward Arts district. His work ranges from non-representational painting using a diversity of marks and contemporary color theory, to conceptual assemblage using historical relics and found objects. www.gcontemporaryart.com

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ARTIST

Alexandra Nechita From a very young age, Alexandra Nechita has been hailed as a true artistic force.

Born in Romania, Alexandra immigrated to the United States at one and a half years old. She began drawing as a toddler, and at the age of seven held her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. Her talent was instantly recognized and art critics and the media alike began telling the world about this rare child prodigy, a “Petit Picasso,” a master of line, color and a visual language of her own. www.offthewallgallery.com

ARTIST

Terry Hagiwara “What attracts me most to Raku is the wet-black surface of the burnished Raku pieces without glaze. Because of Raku firing temperature, it is not as shiny black as on the Southwest Pueblo potteries. This black surface is my black canvas I enjoy drawing. Left unglazed, the black canvas leaves crisp black lines and areas that are hard to realize with glaze. Next is the crackled glaze surface. I love crackled celadon and other crackled glazes on high fired stonewares.” www.serranogallery.com

nf t L I K E O R N O N F T S H E R E

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I T T A R E T O S T A Y

by MORGAN CRONIN

Photogarphy and collage by John Bernhard

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NFTs are here to stay.

We’ve seen this trend play out before with the .com boom and the emergence of social media. NFTs very easily fall into the same pattern in which reluctance is eventually met with mass adoption; and the attention they are receiving is only proof of their staying power. The rise of cryptocurrency and the blockchain has led to the emergence of a new type of asset, the digital asset, and NFTs are the vessel to capitalize on this new concept of currency.

M e e t N y l a H a y e s , the 13-year-old creator behind the Long Neckie Collection. Hayes is a digital artist who is best known for her diverse depictions of women with elongated necks, inspired by her favorite dinosaur, the Brontosaurus. She has sold more than $4 million in digital currency and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Hayes was recently announced as the first Artist-In-Residence for TIME Magazine’s TIMEPieces, which is an opportunity to provide artists with the essentials needed to advance their career through NFTs. TIME’s website describes the initiative as “an important first step in TIME’s Web3 community strategy, enabling us to bring together artists, collectors and fans in a collaborative manner with the goal of building utility and community value over the long-term.”

N F T s a r e h e r e t o s t a y because they can easily be fractionalized into smaller units. This fractionalizing gives way to liquidity and makes NFTs a lucrative way to trade digital assets over traditional assets because of their ability to be sold across various exchanges, as opposed to traditional assets that can only be traded on the exchange in which they were issued. NFTs are the first-edition trading cards that can be divided into smaller units that generate revenue each time that they are sold or traded.

Art Blocks, the physical embodiment of a Marfa gallery dedicated to showcasing NFTs, launched at the end 2020, and has generated more than $100 million in digital art sales. Erick Calderon, the man behind Art Blocks, described his newly minted wealth as a “revolution” and a “movement” for The New Yorker. “We want to celebrate the intersection

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Whether it’s Long Neckies, CryptoPunks, or Bored Apes, NFTs and digital art are quickly becoming the preferred medium for creators to escape the “starving artist” lifestyle. Like any financial venture, profits are not without risks. The blockchain is the Wild West, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate. Stay vigilant, and do your research, because N F T s a r e h e r e t o s t a y .

Photography by John Bernhard

of art and technology in a town that’s served as a home for innovation,” Calderon says.

Calderon caught exposure to the NFT world after stumbling upon a reddit thread with Matt Hall and John Watkinson, the founders of Larva Labs. In the thread, Hall and Watkinson were encouraging people to claim assets from their new project, CryptoPunks. Because the tokens were free at the time, Calderon went ahead and claimed a few CryptoPunks for a mere $35 in transactions fees. “As a generative artist, I thought CryptoPunks were a brilliant example of generative art,” Calderon says in an interview with ARTnews. “Somebody wrote an algorithm that within a 24-by-24-pixel image was able to create 10,000 unique characters with a story.” From this purchase, Calderon couldn’t believe he had amassed multimillions in digital assets.

In 2018, Calderon began imagining ideas for his own platform to mint generative NFT art. To begin, he started selling CryptoPunks to pay developers to help him create his idea, and eventually called the project Art Blocks. On the Art Blocks platform, a generative artist can upload an algorithm and then sell the iterations as NFTs. Upon minting, the blockchain will preserve a record of the algorithm and the specific way it runs to create a one-of-a-kind piece. This represents provenance for a generative work of art, while also recording the process itself to code.

This past December, New York art dealer Todd Kramer tweeted a desperate plea stating, “I been hacked. All my apes gone. This just sold please help me.” It seems thieves had hacked Kramer’s digital wallet, stealing 15 pieces of digital art, including several from the notorious Bored Ape Yacht Club Collection, worth an estimated $2.2 million.

Kramer went on to delete the tweet, only to see it later minted as an NFT and listed on the OpenSea marketplace.

Kramer was later able to recoup a number of his stolen assets, with the help of some experts, but his story is a cautionary tale.

According to Artnet.com, “We are experiencing a revolution similar to that of the 1990s, when the internet transformed the world. Now, the future of the internet at large depends on how we build robust protocols for value exchange on top of blockchain technology. NFTs—or nonfungible tokens—have opened up a new world for digital natives to create, transact in, and build a sustainable ecosystem of art and creativity.”

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by MEGHAN HENDLEY LOPEZ

Reaching Creatively Beyond the Sea A Treasure of Transatlantic Talent Brought to Houston

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Members of Laboration Art Company (France) performing Anna. Choreography by Laura Arend. Photo courtesy of the company.

Previous spread: Members of Semperoper Ballett Dresden (Germany) performing The Four Seasons. Choreography by David Dawson. Photo by Ian Whalen.

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companies is one of Nancy Henderek’s greatest claims to fame as Festival Artistic Director of Dance Salad Houston. With an infinity for dance, an eye for elegance in execution, and an ear for the color in music, Nancy has been able to draw upon her own experiences in dance here and abroad to present this festival year after year. One could say that her first discovery of dance and the joy that followed has been the underlining path for this thoughtful artistic legacy.

“I lived outside of Washington D.C. and my mother took me to ballet classes because I was jumping around so much. She decided that my energy needed to be pointed and I loved dancing all over the place, even at that age so she signed me up for classes and would take me there once a week…” says Nancy. “I kept taking those classes all my life which allowed dance to become a natural part of what I was doing. In addition to taking me to classes, my mother was very intuitive. She had a barrel for my sister and I and she put all of these old clothes in and dresses that she no longer needed or wanted. We would use these as costumes for making up plays and dances, dressing up as different things. I even pulled in neighborhood children for our productions. It made me gravitate towards theater and dance for years after.”

In Houston, Nancy was teaching dance classes when her husband was offered a job in Brussels. Across the pond they went to start a new European chapter of their lives: with two children now enrolled at the International School of Brussels in their new country, Nancy wished to stay active creatively and found herself wanting to use her skills and experiences. She offered to teach at the school and they loved the idea, even building her a studio to use right on the campus. Bringing in her new connections made through her own classes she was taking in Brussels, Nancy was able to bring other instructors to the school to assist her as well along with producing shows just as she had done as a child.

Also while in Europe, Nancy was able to venture out and revel in the world of dance within Brussels. “One of the biggest things that helped me was that I met the major dance writer in Brussels for the English language magazine “The Bulletin” and she and I became very good friends.

For four years, she would call me up and say “do you want to see this group that’s passing through?”. It would always be a wonderful company and a delightful evening. She would introduce me to all the directors and I saw so many pieces of European Dance and companies coming through CASTING THE NET FOR THE BEST DANCE

the city. It was a literal education for me that allowed for me to know what was happening in international dance...it was a great opportunity to help my background in terms of what I have been accomplishing with Dance Salad.”

The idea of a festival actually took root in Europe, with the first three Dance Salads happening in Brussels.

After returning to Houston, it was a natural flow to bring in a myriad of masterful companies that she had seen or worked with to the stage at Cullen Theater - Wortham Center. Nancy has been the matriarch of each season of Dance Salad, always directed with poise, grace, vibrancy, and joy. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary of the visual majesty of this festival, this year promises to be a stellar roster of internationally renowned dancers, choreographers, live musicians, and dance companies.

Nancy holds an innate ability to find and showcase the beautiful and interesting choreography that speaks to the imaginativeness of movement within each step with physical cues carefully attached to each note. Oftentimes, she works with the choreographers to lift various movements of their work and to curate them for the Houston stage.

Another vital aspect of Dance Salad is the inclusion of live musicians on stage with the dancers for some of the works, adding to the expression of experience for the dancers and the audience members.

With companies such as Hofesh Shechter Company, London, UK bringing Grand Finale (curated version for Dance Salad Festival), live music is a vital portion of the dance itself with the score actually composed by Hofesh Shechter, the choreographer himself. Each night this piece is presented, the way the instruments swell or how they are striked with accents ripple into the way each movement is made. This synchronicity of sound and sight, existing in the present moment on stage at Cullen Theater - Wortham Center, is one of the defining treasures of Dance Salad Festival.

The Royal Danish Ballet’s Kammerballetten (Denmark) also features live musicians on stage for its piece Oenothera choreographed by Tobias Praetorius, set to music by the beloved Franz Schubert. Other companies to be featured include Semperoper Ballett Dresden (Germany), Royal Ballet of Flanders (Belgium), and Laboration Art Company (France).

Audiences can also look forward to viewing the Dunia Dance Theatre, who has made their mark with their dance performance and film presentation of Making Men choreographed

by Harold George and filmed by Antoine Panier set to combined original African and classical Western music scores.

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“ I HAVE PATIENTLY WAITED THREE YEARS TO PRESENT THESE PIECES AND I GREATLY LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THEM WITH HOUSTON IN APRIL.

”

“I am very affected by the music that is chosen and how the choreographers choose the music in the terms of what I am seeing. What makes me want to invite a piece from a company is how it makes me feel. I have to feel what they are doing. I have to love the music and I really have to love the choreography and how it is brought out by each of the dancers...the love of each makes me want to share it with audiences in Houston. If I really enjoy it and the piece has meaning, I assume it will also move another person. Of course we all have different likes but I use my initial reaction and feeling for the piece as a major consideration on why it should be featured in Dance Salad. I have patiently waited three years to present these pieces and I greatly look forward to sharing them with Houston in April.”

From top: Members of Royal Danish Ballet’s Kammerballetten (Copenhagen, Denmark) performing Oenothera. Choreography by Tobias Praetorius. Photo by Tom McKenzie.

Member of Royal Ballet of Flanders (Belgium) performing Jack.

Choreography by Drew Jacoby. Photo by Foteini Christofilopoulou.

Members of Dunia Dance Theater (Belgium/Zimbabwe) performing Making Men. Choreography by Harold George.

Photo by Antoine Panier.

Members of Hofesh Shechter Company (London, UK) performing Grand Finale. Choreography by Hofesh Shechter.

Photo by Rahi Rezvani.

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The Art of M.C. Escher

r a Realities A major retrospective of over 300 works on paper and more than 100 of the artist’s carved wood blocks, constructed objects and working tools

BY SABRINA BERNHARD

showcases the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of works by M.C. Escher ever held, from the collection of Michael S. Sachs, who gathered works over 50 years and acquired ninety percent of the Escher estate in 1980.

Maurits Cornelis Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972), popularly referred to as M.C. Escher, is known internationally for his self-described “mental images,” which connect to mathematics and various branches of science. Considered a “one-man art movement,” he remained outside of the art establishment. Escher was heralded in the psychedelic THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

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Opposite page: M.C. Escher, Hand with Reflecting Sphere, January 1935, lithograph.

Below: M.C. Escher, Relativity, July 1953, lithograph. All photos from the collection of Michael S. Sachs © The M.C. Escher Company B.V., Baarn, The Netherlands / Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ARTHOUSTON 26

From left: M.C. Escher, Reptiles, March 1943, lithograph.

M.C. Escher, Drawing Hands, January 1948, lithograph.

Opposite page: M.C. Escher, Bond of Union, April 1956, lithograph. All photos from the collection of Michael S. Sachs © The M.C. Escher Company B.V., Baarn, The Netherlands / Used by permission. All rights reserved.

era of the 1960s and 1970s and is treasured today for his mind-bending works.

“The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is pleased to present this broad selection of works by M.C. Escher, drawn from the most extensive Escher collection in the world,” said Gary Tinterow, Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “Escher is an artist who defies characterization. His singular, sometimes unsettling works, with their orchestration of multi-dimensional alternate realities, have rightfully become icons of the 20th century.”

Over his 50-year artistic career, Escher’s imagery evolved from realistic observations of the world around him to inventions from his own imagination that explored the relationships between art and science, order and disorder, and logic and irrationality. Escher once commented: “You have to retain a sense of wonder, that’s what it’s all about.”

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Escher was preoccupied with the Italian landscape and the architecture of Italian cities. It was during this period that he began experimenting with perspective in his work. The patterned, color tiles from Moorish architecture he saw in Spain in 1922 and 1936 were transformed in Escher’s hands from geometrical symmetries to identifiable human figures, angels, and other creatures, such as insects, birds, fish,

and reptiles. In Sky and Water I (1938), Escher’s use of metamorphosis evolves fish into birds, and vice versa, in a seamlessly interlocking, seemingly infinite, pattern.

Space that evolves from two- to three-dimensions is also an important theme for the artist. In Reptiles (1943), a salamander escapes the paper it is drawn upon, then re-enters the sheet on the other side. In Hand with Reflecting Sphere (1935) and Magic Mirror (1946), the effect of the globe and mirror reflections creates two co-existing worlds in time and place. Included in this exhibition will be the neverending tessellating cycle Metamorphosis III (1939–68), Escher’s largest print, more than 22 feet in length and accompanied by its 31 woodblocks.

“By spanning Escher’s entire career, this extraordinary exhibition explores Escher’s detailed thought process. It reveals, in a way, the magic behind the final prints, with the inclusion of preparatory drawings and progressive printing proofs as evidence of his working process. His meticulous manner extends to printing all of his woodcuts by hand with the back of a spoon, instead of a press,” said Dena M, Woodall, Curator, Prints and Drawings, MFAH. Virtual Realities: The Art of M.C. Escher from the Michael S. Sachs Collection exhibition is on view through September 5, 2022.

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“ You have to retain a sense of wonder, that’s what it’s all about. ”

- M. C. Escher

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ME RE T OPPEN H E I M

The Menil Collection is the first U.S. venue of this major transatlantic retrospective of Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim.

BY ARTHUR DEMICHELI

Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition, is the first major transatlantic retrospective of the Swiss artist, and the first in the U.S. in more than twenty-five years. The exhibition encompasses the work Oppenheim created throughout her five-decade career. Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition will be on view at the Menil from March 25–September 18, 2022, after closing at the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland in February. Following its U.S. debut in Houston, the exhibition will travel to The Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA) in October.

Over the course of fifty years, Meret Oppenheim (1913– 1985) produced witty, unconventional bodies of work that remain largely unknown in the U.S. From uncanny object constructions, geometric abstractions, and painted narratives to jewelry designs, public sculpture, and poetry, her diverse oeuvre is united by the singularity and force of her creative vision. Oppenheim’s thematic interests

were equally diverse, ranging from the natural world and mythology to gender and selfhood. Her practice defies neat categorizations of style, medium, and historical movement. “Nobody will give you freedom,” she stated in 1975, “you have to take it.”

Rebecca Rabinow, Director of the Menil Collection, said, “Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition is the result of a particularly close partnership between the Kunstmuseum Bern, MoMA, and the Menil. As a museum with a strong collection of Surrealist art, the Menil is proud to host the American debut of this important retrospective of Oppenheim’s wide-ranging and expansive career.”

Natalie Dupêcher, Associate Curator of Modern Art at the Menil Collection, said, “It has been a thrill to dive into Oppenheim’s boldly imaginative work, and to do so alongside the Menil’s curatorial partners in Bern and in New York. With this career-spanning retrospective, which

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Meret Oppenheim, Under the Raincloud (Unter der Regenwolke), 1961–64.

Oil, gouache, molded substance (Rugosit), and fiberboard (Pavatex) on wood, 39 1/4 x 28 1/4 in.

Hermann und Margrit Rupf Foundation.

Kunstmuseum Bern. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Pro Litteris, Zurich

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“Nobody will give you freedom, you have to take it.”

– Meret Oppenheim

brings many artworks to the U.S. for the first time, we look forward to introducing a new generation of art lovers and museum goers to this artist.”

The exhibition is organized chronologically, with particular attention paid to key chapters in Oppenheim’s career: her formative years in Paris during the 1930s and return to Switzerland before World War II; her subsequent reengagement with Surrealist ideas and development of a new visual vocabulary alongside postwar art movements such as Nouveau Réalisme and Pop; and the last two decades of her life, in which her longstanding interests in nature, abstraction, and enchantment combined to forge a novel new style.

Arriving in Paris in 1932, the artist gained international fame in 1936, at only 23 years of age, with Object, a fur-lined teacup, spoon, and saucer. The first gallery brings together works from this period, including The Night, Its Volume and What Endangers It (La nuit, son volume et ce qui lui est dangereux), 1934, from the Menil’s permanent collection. This section also highlights the artist’s object making, with captivating works such as Ma gouvernante – My Nurse – Mein Kindermädchen, 1936/1967, consisting of a pair of white heels trussed together on a silver platter, and Fur Gloves with Wooden Fingers (Pelzhandschuhe), 1936.

After her early contact with the Surrealists in France, Oppenheim returned to her native Switzerland. She enrolled in courses on painting technique and restoration at Basel’s School of Design (Allgemeine Gewerbeschule), and created a number of fantastical narrative paintings in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In one, Daphne and Apollo (Daphne und

Apollo), 1943, Oppenheim depicted two figures transforming into trees, offering her own take on the Greek myth.

In the mid-1950s, after a period of diminished productivity, Oppenheim returned to intensive art-making. She rented a studio in Bern, where she continued to innovate new approaches and engaged with numerous postwar movements.

Standing over five feet tall, The Green Spectator (Der grüne Zuschauer), 1959, is a significant sculpture from this moment. Oppenheim had drawn preparatory sketches for this work in Paris as a young artist, envisioning its eventual form. More than two decades later, she was finally able to realize the project in three dimensions.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the artist began to combine her career-long exploration of the natural world and enchantment. In the early 1960s, she developed a group of idiosyncratic sculptures and abstract paintings dedicated to the theme of clouds. Later that decade and into the 1970s, she made large-scale paintings like The Secret of Vegetation (Das Geheimnis der Vegetation), 1972, and innovative assemblage constructions, including the birdlike Hm-hm, 1969.

The exhibition concludes with works dating to the last years of Oppenheim’s life. In New Stars (Neue Sterne), 1977-82, one of the largest paintings of her career, an evening sky served as the inspiration for an explosive scene of hard-edge, geometric abstraction. The last gallery includes a group of twelve drawings from 1983, collectively titled My Exhibition, in which the artist imagined a retrospective of her life’s work, creating miniature sketches of the more than 200 works she selected for inclusion.

31

From left: Meret Oppenheim, The Secret of Vegetation (Das Geheimnis der Vegetation), 1972. Oil on canvas, 6 ft. 4 1/4 in. x 38 3/16 in. Hermann und Margrit Rupf Foundation. Kunstmuseum Bern. Meret Oppenheim, The Green Spectator (Der grüne Zuschauer), 1959. Oil on limewood with copper sheet, 65 3/8 x 19 5/16 x 5 15/16 in. Kunstmuseum Bern. All photos © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Pro Litteris, Zurich Opposite page from left: Meret Oppenheim, Fur Gloves with Wooden Fingers (Pelzhandschuhe), 1936. Fur, wood, and nail polish, 2 x 8 1/4 x 3 7/8 in. Ursula Hauser Collection, Switzerland. Meret Oppenheim, New Stars (Neue Sterne), 1977–82. Oil on canvas, 6 ft. 8 11/16 x 8 ft. 1 13/16 in. Kunstmuseum Bern. Meret Oppenheim Bequest. Meret Oppenheim, Ma gouvernante – My Nurse – Mein Kindermädchen, 1936/1967. Metal plate, shoes, string, and paper, 5 1/2 x 13 x 8 1/4 in.

Moderna Museet, Stockholm. All photos © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Pro Litteris, Zurich

ARTHOUSTON 32

THE PEARL

BY AMANDA ANDRADE

Director Courtney Gardner Brings Fresh Energy to North Houston Museum

Title wall with Director Courtney Gardner and Jereann Chaney.

Above top: Installation view of Jane Jones’ exhibition.

Opposite page: Jane Jones, Circle of Light, (detail) 24”x24” in., oil on canvas. All photos courtesy of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts.

COURTNEY GARDNER WAS RECENTLY appointed Director of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts in North Houston. Originally from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Courtney moved to Houston specifically to work at the Pearl Fincher Museum.

With a strong background in development, Courtney brings a wealth of experience in non-profit work to her new position.

She previously served as Executive Director at Virginia’s Peninsula Fine Arts Center, where she oversaw the accreditation process of the museum with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) – the very same goal Houston’s own Pearl Fincher Museum has set. Courtney’s breadth and depth of experience working in museums has allowed her to bring about remarkable changes and growth in the museum in just one year.

The Pearl Fincher Museum of Arts opened in 2008 with the explicit aim to provide access to first-class works of art and offer art-related public programming to Houstonians. 2022 marks fifteen years since the initial groundbreaking. After several challenging years overcoming damages from Hurricane Harvey and Covid-19 lockdowns,

FEATURE 33

the museum has re-opened and is readier than ever to welcome Houstonians to the Fine Arts.

The Pearl Fincher Museum is housed in a former country library in North Houston, many miles away from the city’s museum district. This distance offers the museum the opportunity to provide access to outstanding Fine Art that the community might not otherwise see. To ensure all Houstonians are able to visit, admission is free.

The museum also has digital programming and content available on their website (www.pearlmfa.org) for those who are not able to make it into the physical viewing space. These virtual exhibitions have been hugely successful, with digital visitor counts surpassing even those in-person. In an interview, Courtney emphasised that the museum is open for anybody who might have an interest and seeks to instil a passion for art in every Houstonian.

It is a community resource.

One of the most unique aspects of the museum is its non-collecting practice. Rather than maintain a permanent body of works, the museum welcomes traveling exhibitions, loans from other art institutions and the generosity of private collectors. Founded on the community center ethos, the Pearl Fincher reaches past the traditional work of a museum and actively seeks to enlighten, educate and entertain. Courtney credits the incredible generosity of the local community with the museum’s ongoing success. Over three thousand donors have given to the museum to date.

Local patrons and collections have stepped up and continuously demonstrated commitment to supporting the arts.

Since arriving in Houston, Courtney has already implemented changes at the museum. She has greatly expanded the museum’s community outreach. Courtney brought about a new program called Arts for Healing, aimed at veterans. The Arts for Healing Project provides

art workshops to veterans and first responders in the hopes of facilitating creative wellness. The free classes work to rebuild physical and emotional skills through the power of art. As Director, Courtney has also extended the community outreach to serve the needs of some of Houston’s youngest art lovers, pre-schoolers. With the Art Start project, the museum has worked with the Barbara Bush Branch Library to ensure children under the age of five are learning about art. The weekly sessions include story time and an interactive art-related activity. They have been immensely popular. Courtney will continue to extend the museum’s community outreach to all Houstonians, young and old.

The fresh energy Courtney has brough to the museum is reflected in its ambitious exhibition schedule. Courtney invites all Houstonians to make their way to the museum to see the spring exhibition Cultivating The Dutch Tradition In The 21st Century Jane Jones’ Hyperrealist Floral Paintings.

This show features twenty-five gorgeous floral paintings produced by artist Jane Jones from 2012 through 2021.

Jane’s hyper-realist technique involves multiple layers of glaze in order to produce luminous, sun-lit flowers.

Another exhibition of note is Illusion and Certainty, a show dedicated to the art of Martin Weinstein. The exhibition includes twenty-four landscape paintings, each showcasing the artist’s unique composite technique wherein he layers and abstracts images to disrupt the perspective.

Audiences will walk away with a new understanding of light and the world.

Located in Spring, the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Admission is free to all. Donations and membership support are appreciated and help continue the Pearl’s mission of art, education, and community.

A d o p t

ARTHOUSTON 34

BY

onumen Monume n tMo numoe nntume nt

ARTHUR DEMICHELI

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

SHAU LIN HON

Since 1965, the Houston Arts Foundation has provided for the care and maintenance of dozens of Houston’s most iconic public works of art. They raise funds and initiate programs to preserve and protect Houston’s public art, and promote cultural awareness through collaborations with individuals, corporations, foundations, and with their Adopt A Monument Program.

35

Sam Houston Statue, by Enrico Filiberto Cerrachio, 1924, Hermann Park. The iconic statue was lovingly restored by the Houston Municipal Art Commission in 1996. Left page: Large Spindle Piece bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, 1968, Hyde Park.

All photography by Shau Lin Hon. All rights reserved ©The Houston Arts Foundation T H E H O U S T O N A R T S F O U N D A T I O N ( H A F ) has been part of the community since 1965. Established originally as the Houston Municipal Art Foundation, a non-profit organization with the sole purpose was the care and maintenance of public works of art in the City’s collection. Since its inception, it was closely aligned with the Houston Municipal Art Commission (MAC), which was established in 1965 by Houston Mayor Louie Welch.

In 1993, the City and the MAC proposed that new works of art would require a donation of 10 percent of their appraised value to be considered for selection in the City’s collection.

Then as now, the funds are received from private-sector donations, City grants, and the Adopt A Monument Program.

These funds are managed by HAF and used to maintain and conserve works of art in the City’s collection.

In 2006, under Mayor Bill White, a City ordinance disbanded the MAC. It was recreated as the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), and the Houston Municipal Art Foundation was reorganized at that time as the HAF, with the continuing goal of preserving Houston’s public works of art. HAA and HAF continue to work in tandem. HAA recommends which works of art need preventative care, conservation, or restoration. HAF reviews their recommendations regarding the work required, the professional conservators they recommend for the job, and the budget for each project. As a Board, HAF either approves the proposal, or requests further information, documentation, or other support. When the HAF Board of Directors approves the

final proposal, a check is written to HAA from HAF funds, and the work takes place.

The Adopt A Monument Program (AAM) was created to provide funds for the care and maintenance of specific individual works of art in the HAF collection. As funds are expended, they need to be replenished. With AAM, individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations can choose a specific work of art from the HAF collection and make it their own.

Donors can provide funds for a work of art that speaks to them, and their HAF contribution will go towards that work of art exclusively.

AAM donations as a Conservator can be made in any amount. Monumental donors to the AAM give in a more significant amount and have exclusive privileges with regards to their chosen work of art. More information on becoming a Conservator and Monumental donor and their benefits can be found on their website: www.houstonartsfoundation.com.

It’s a brand new interactive website with maps that are easy to navigate, beautiful photographs show all the objects in HAF care, and where they are located. HAF Marketing Chair, Chris Hill, a longtime Houston design professional, managed the process.

At a press conference with Mayor Turner last December, HAF Chairman Heidi Vaughan said “Our story is so visual, and made all the more compelling with the new photography we commissioned for the website. You have never seen Houston and its public art looking as good as it does in our photos.”

ARTHOUSTON 36

37

Created by internationally-renowned Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, Tolerance is a grouping of sculptures sited in Buffalo Bayou Park. Photography by Shau Lin Hon. All rights reserved ©The Houston Arts Foundation

ARTHOUSTON 38

“ YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN HOUSTON AND ITS PUBLIC ART LOOKING AS GOOD AS IT DOES... ”

Above: Vaquero by Luis Jimenez, 1980, Moody Park Right: Houston Police Officers Memorial,

by Jesus Bautista Moroles, 1990, Buffalo Bayou Park All photography by Shau Lin Hon. All rights reserved ©The Houston Arts Foundation

FEATURE 39

ARTHOUSTON 40

Driven by Community &

ART MUSEUM T X SUGAR LAND

ART MUSEUM T X CINCO RANCH

E X T E N D T H E WO R L D O F C R E AT I V I T Y T O A L L

by MEGHAN HENDLEY LOPEZ

INTERVIEW 41

A R T S E D U C A T I O N I S A C R I T I C A L P A R T of building a 21st century creative mind. With the infusion of music, dance, painting, and other various art forms, we allow kids to draw in their young minds and express those things we do not have words for. In Fort Bend County, a heroine of artistic proportions shares this philosophy along with assisting talented artists of all ages and career stages. Ana Villaronga-Roman is the Museum Director and Curator of not just one but two art institutions: Art Museum TX Sugar Land and Art Museum TX Cinco Ranch. With the ability to adapt and thrive during the past few years, VillarongaRoman has greatly expanded arts programming in two of the busiest suburban cities through her consistent eye for great art and passion for education.

When you meet someone as effervescent and focused as Villaronga-Roman, inspiration into life long passion is always a question to be curious about. Come to find out, her love of art came through education and play in her youth.

“As a very young child my mom would give me art books

to look through when I didn’t want to nap, so I think art was with me my entire life…”, says Villaronga-Roman. “Mom worked as the librarian of my hometown’s art museum’s library and I looked forward to summers and spending time at the museum. I followed the docents around and had all the painting and sculpture descriptions memorized. I thought that the sculpture garden and the maze were my personal playground. I thought that the museum was the most beautiful and awesome place in the entire world.”

Established in 2020, Art Museum TX is a not-for-profit institution in Fort Bend County, Texas, dedicated to presenting their region’s contemporary art to the public. Art Museum TX provides an interchange for visual arts of the present and recent past, presents new directions in art, strives to engage the public, and encourages a greater understanding of contemporary art through education programs. Her commitment to the arts over the years is something to take note of with the footnote of doing so with thoughtful grace, exuberant joy, and endless enthusiasm.

ARTHOUSTON 42

All roads prior led Villaronga-Roman to this place in her life: a place where curation, culture, and community intersect.

Today, her pursuit of the arts has led to the opening of two museums in Sugar Land, Texas and Katy, Texas has given her a foothold in each community, who have welcomed her so warmly with support and droves of visitors.

On average, Art Museum TX Sugar Land records around 1,000 visitors a week. Villaronga-Roman continues to exhibit multiple artists per show cycle, offering a beautiful place for artists to exhibit work along with offering another professional accolade to their resume. She has quickly become a fixture in the cultural landscape of both locations, often hosting workshops and activities for families in addition to her already robust art classes and educational programs. One of the most successful ingredients of opening not one but two museums has been the foundation of great endeavors: location.

“When I think of the many people that visit our museums and admit to us that they are visiting an art museum for the first time ever (and they are not children), I know that the most important and easiest way for people to learn about art is by being available…” states Villaronga-Roman.

So what does available mean? It means being free, being very accessible, being open when people are out.

It is not so much by what they read or the taking of classes, which of course are important, but by just being in the most visited places. If a family is out for dinner and the museum is in the center where they want to dine, then they just walk in and take in the latest art exhibition. They don’t need to plan it. They don’t need to convince their kids to go with them to the museum. It just happens naturally. It’s the windows! You peek and you want to go in.”

Within each of Villaronga-Roman’s endeavors, she has

always put arts education at the forefront of her efforts, oftentimes allowing for others, especially community leaders, to understand the importance of this crucial foundation for children. Through the museums, she offers a chance for individuals and families within Fort Bend County to through the use of art, innovation, and design.

“When you look at how the arts function within the emotional, mental, and psychological development of children, it is directly apparent how important it is to encourage engagement with all of the arts, especially visual…” says Villaronga-Roman. So many of our skill sets in various fields require the ability to problem solve and construct with not just critical thinking but creative thinking as well. You see it in architecture, car design, marketing, and so forth. It also connects visitors to the artists directly, they get to meet them in person which makes the impact of creators that much more vibrant.

I have not allowed difficulties and discouragement from many to change my mind about the importance of the mission I set for myself and the importance of museums. Museums do not need to be big to have a big impact. I truly believe that Art Museum TX Cinco Ranch and Art Museum TX Sugar Land have already had a huge impact and serve a population of over one million. Fort Bend County now has a solid visual arts foundation with one museum location at each end of the county.

Fort Bend is a fast growing area with a very diverse population. The residents no longer need to drive 30 to 45 minutes to see great art. To know that over a million people now have easily accessible art museums close to their home and that we have so many repeat visitors and that children are growing up with regular visits….this reignites my passion and convinces me that the concept is working.”

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A R T H O U S T O N 4 42

Pam Francis B Y

M A T T

Right: Art Guys, Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing, 1998.

Photo by Pam Francis

R O S S

For over 20 years Pam Francis was one of the top editorial and portrait photographers in Houston. Known by many as ‘the Texas Annie Leibovitz,’ over the course of her career she made portraits of six U.S. presidents, a wide variety of famous musicians, actors and sports figures for advertising campaigns, magazines and annual reports.

When she died in 2020 of complications from a surgery at age 65, it was a significant loss to Houston’s arts community. On April 19, the Blaffer Art Museum will open a show of Pam Francis’ photography, with the companion book: Pam Francis, Photographs.

The guest curator Christine Starkman, graciously took time out from her work on the show to answer a few questions.

MATT ROSS: What led you, and the

Blaffer Art Museum to decide to do a show of Pam Francis’ work?

CHRISTINE STARKMAN: We began

talking about a book of Pam’s work in 2017. I knew Pam’s work and had talked

to Steven Matijcio, Jane Dale Owen Director and Chief Curator of the Blaffer Art Museum, about her work and he said “Why don’t we do a show?” Craig Wilson, Pam’s brother gave me access to her archives and I was spending hours and hours reviewing her slides and

digital copies. Then she became ill and, after what seemed to be a successful surgery, passed away. We had talked about opening the show in 2020…but then the pandemic shut everything down for over a year. The show is now scheduled for April 19-26, 2022.

45

ARTHOUSTON 46

MR: Was Steven familiar with her

work?

CS: No, he wasn’t. He was just coming to Houston from the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. He did not know her work, but when he went through Pam’s archives, he said, “Well, it’s important to show her work because, in the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s, she was really documenting Houston, taking photographs of a remarkable variety of notable Houstonians.” This is a story of Houston in a way, because she was photographing people who were helping shape Houston’s culture.

“

This is a story of Houston in a way, because she was photographing people who were helping shape Houston’s culture.

I started to better realize Pam’s reach in Houston’s culture when I interviewed Dr. Knowles, Beyonce’s father.

The Knowles’ family started working Pam in 2000 with the founding of the female artists group Destiny’s Child.

Dr. Knowles said he selected Pam to photograph the group because he was impressed with her vision on how to present the group. At that time they were very young, just 19 years old. But when you look at the images Pam created, they were presented as young women. Pam was able to capture them as self-possessed women with confidence and a close knit relationship.

Dr. Knowles recently released a new book, the story of Destiny’s Child, The Untold Story, has on the cover one of the photos Pam took.

In 2001, Pam was invited to photograph the billboard campaign for the Houston Texans featuring famous Texans, such as George H.W. and Barbara Bush. Those billboards were up

47

Clockwise from top: Destiny’s Child, 2001, President George W. Bush, 2000, Selena, 1994, Chuck Norris, 1993.

Left page: Kevin Costner, 1996. All photographs by Pam Francis

ARTHOUSTON 48

all around the city. By then, Pam had become well known, but that campaign really enhanced her reputation.

always sensitive to comparing artists to one another. But I would think Pam had her own aesthetic.

MR: Tell us a little bit about your

MR: How did you organize the show?

MR: So if you had to put it in a just a

CS: That’s a really good question be-

few words, how would you characterize her work or her vision as she saw the world?

CS: I was a curator of Asian Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston from 2000 to 2016. When I arrived in Houston, Peter Marzio and I discussed expanding the Asian art gallery from about 500 square feet to when I left, it was about 12,000 square feet and included Islamic art. In 2004 I was also organizing a contemporary show from Korea, with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. My training is in Asian art, from antiquities to postmodern 19th century.

cause not having Pam to work with, I have been trying to organize both the book and the exhibition at the same time. Having gotten permission to go through her archives, I went through all her slides. I don’t know how many thousands of images I went through, including the digital files. I found myself thinking, “I want this one, I want that one. I want all of them!”

CS: She had this creative vision that

was so strong. Maybe one word is precision. There’s precision in her images.

And I would also say her discipline in expressing that vision in an image.

MR: So this show is a significant

MR: Did you organize this by subject

departure for you having focused for so long on antiquities and Asian art.

or by a timeline?

CS: With subject groupings in a way,

you know, putting hip hop and rap, artists with Houston ballerinas, having mixing them with presidents and perhaps, actors.

MR: In the book and in the show, are

you going to explain a little bit about Pam’s career as a commercial photographer?

Guest curator Christine Starkman holding Pam Francis’ new book.

CS: Yes, of course. Looking through

her archives and searching through her images as a working photographer for Texas Monthly, Sports Illustrated, Ultra, all of these different magazines and album covers that she worked on, that is definitely a part of the story.

MR: At one point, did you refer to her

as Houston’s Annie Liebowitz?

CS: I did not. That was in an article.

I don’t know if it was Shelby Hodge who wrote that, which is fine. I’m

background and how you came to be a guest curator organizing the show.

MR: Did you write the text for the

book?

CS: Yes, both Steven and I wrote the

text and acknowledgements. We have about 11 interviews and essays from Kelly Anderson-Staley, associate professor at U of H, from Teresa Hubbard, William & Bettye Nowlin Professor of University of Texas at Austin, and from Britt Thomas, professor at Lone Star College.

CS: My training in art is about this kind of precise, conceptual rigor and craftsmanship. All of that actually helps when working with contemporary artists because, when I look at a work, I can see this kind of precision that comes from knowing your craft.

I believe this is true in terms of photography or any art form.

49

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713-457-8800

dessange.com

ARTHOUSTON 50

IimitIess

BIPOC AWARD RECIPIENTS SHOWCASED IN EXHIBITION HONORING REMARKABLE TEXAS CERAMICISTS B Y LAS

WINTER,

HOUSTON

CENTER

FOR

(HCCC) presented Limitless: The 2021 Recipients of ClayHouston’s Award for Texas BIPOC Ceramic Artists, an exhibition of work by Jihye Han, Tammie Rubin, and Earnest Snell. As members of the Texas clay community, these artists represent the versatility of clay, exemplifying the limitless potential of processes, forms, and styles, through narratives related to identity, acculturation, and belonging. The works on view demonstrated how clay as a material eloquently captures the ever-changing nature of identity, while embodying the gritty narratives of the human condition.

As a member-based organization dedicated to cultivating, promoting, and advancing the ceramic arts in Houston and beyond, ClayHouston created this inaugural awards program to bring attention and funding to outstanding Texas-based ceramicists who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIC O N T E M P O R A RY

CRAFT

A R T H U R

D E M I C H E L I

POC). ClayHouston President Jessica Phillips commented, “Since 2020, the ClayHouston board has spent time reflecting upon the field of ceramics, both locally in Houston, as well as more broadly in the US. Our goal is to support artists who are affected by systemic racism as well as the economic uncertainty that COVID has created. By creating the Award for Texas BIPOC Ceramic Artists, we hope to cultivate greater equity, inclusivity, and access in ceramic arts.”

The awards were juried by nationally renowned artists Natalia Arbelaez (Miami, FL), Adam Chau (Cold Spring, NY), Jennifer Ling Datchuk (San Antonio, TX), and Roberto Lugo (Philadelphia, PA). In response to a positive influx of applications, they requested to include a third award, Honorable Mention, in addition to Emerging and Mid Career and Beyond awards. The exceptional level of talent demonstrated

by Han, Rubin, and Snell foregrounds the importance of elevating BIPOC perspec-

tives and their triumphs. Through the artists’ personal insights into the complexities of identity, they reveal nuances about how individuals relate to one another.

ClayHouston exists to cultivate, promote, and advance the ceramic arts in the Houston Metropolitan area and beyond. Founded in 2004 as a volunteer-run non-profit, the organization works to provide their members with opportunities through education, professional development, exhibitions, workshops, and programs, while partnering with local arts organizations to further their reach. Additionally, they create recreational programs as an opportunity for members to socialize, build community, and learn from one another in a casual atmosphere. Learn more about ClayHouston at www.clayhouston.org.

51

From top clockwise: Tammie Rubin, Always & Forever (ever, ever) No.8 (detail), 2021. Pigmented porcelain, underglaze.

Photo by Hector Martinez.

Earnest Snell, Survivor, 2005.

Stoneware clay with oxides.

10 x 7 x 4 inches.

Photo by Judy Adams.

Photo courtesy of Foelber Gallery & Pottery Studio.

Jihye Han, Flowers are like friends; they bring color to your world, 2021. White stoneware, cone 6 oxidation, 17” high x 11” wide x 12“ deep.

Photo by Yeonsoo Kim.

ARTHOUSTON 52

Left: Deborah Colton posing during the fall group show 20 in 2020. The work behind is by Amita Bhatt.

Deborah Colton Gallery B Y

JOHN BERNHARD: Tell us about

yourself. I read that you were interested in art at an early age.

DEBORAH COLTON: I have always

been surrounded by art. My earliest memories are my mother having many canvases in the room that was her studio and my playroom. I loved watching her paint. On my mother’s maternal side were a long line of artists.

My Danish great grandfather’s father had an adverting business in London in the 1800’s. I have some of the

J O H N

B E R N H A R D

original lithographs that he made the printed ads from. My great grandfather worked there and then came to the United States and settled in NYC where he was a commercial fashion artist. He married my Danish great grandmother at the Little Church Around the Corner in 1905 in NYC, a church that embraced arts and artists.

My Danish grandmother, who I was always closed to and lived until almost 100, grew up in NYC and was a fashion illustrations artist for Buttericks.

She and my grandfather were also

Right clockwise from top: The spheres on the outside of Deborah Colton Gallery say “Welcome” in Braille.

Photo by John Bernhard Installation during Amita Bhatt’s solo exhibition Between Light and Shadow, 2019 Harif Guzman’s solo exhibition Dying to Live, 2013 Photos courtesy of Deborah Colton Gallery

surrounded by the art world in NYC, living in Greenwich Village on Cherry Lane in the same building as Edna St. Vincent Millay. My grandparents eventually moved to a New York commuter town in New Jersey for their children, but they kept their artist studios on the third floor of their home, even though my grandfather worked on Wall Street.

It was fun to go upstairs and explore their studios as a kid.

Through my younger years, I was always going to NYC with my parents, and my mother and I went to visit the

GALLERY INTERVIEW 53

ARTHOUSTON 54

museums often. My mother nurtured my creativity, and through high school I wanted to be an artist. But my dad, an educator, wanted me to go into business instead. So, my undergraduate degree is a BS in Business Administration – Marketing Management, since I felt marketing was at least creative.

I worked in the corporate world after college and met great success there being a top national account sales producer for 3M Company and then getting promoted to manage the Houston, Texas sales branch, and then a special product launch assignment out of NYC. All through that though, I was taking as many art classes as possible since art was still my real passion.

After my husband and young family moved to Asia for my husband’s career, I had the chance to get back in the arts again. I started my business in 1998 while still living in Asia. We moved back to Houston in 2000. The rest is the gallery’s history.

JB: You are reaching your twentieth

anniversary with your gallery. Can you reflect on your beginning?

DC: The very beginning was in Bangkok, Thailand around 1997. At first, I was mainly a supporter of many of the most prominent artists of Thailand, many of whom were Professors and Deans at the Fine Arts University that is affiliated with His Majesty the King in Bangkok. These artists gave me a good education of their artistic processes and taught me the importance of the concepts of their art. I started by bringing their artist portfolios to NYC during my home-leaves in the summers and presenting their work to many art institutions and museums. I worked the region of Asia, going to China often,

Tokyo and Singapore. Things were starting to brew in the arts during this time there, and it was wonderful to be a part of it. The Thai artists then convinced me that with my business background of marketing, sales, and product launches, that I would make a great gallerist, since artists depend on an income to be able to continue to be full time artists. So, when I came back to the United States, my first show was “Thai Expressions in the City” which I did to support the Asia Society Houston by creating an awareness of Asian Art to start the process of fundraising for their new building. I curated the show in Bangkok while still living there and then put all the work on a ship to Houston. Before this, Houston had seen very little Asian contemporary art. We did this in Two Allen Center in conjunction with Consular Forum 2000 Honoring Thailand. Thereafter, I continued with major Asian art shows in Two Allen Center for three years to help support the Asia Society and with Consul General offices: 2001 with China and 2002 with the Asia Cultural Exchange of Japan. In the meantime, I was organizing exhibitions and showing Asian art at art fairs and art institutions in LA, San Francisco, and Seattle.

There was a Swiss-Italian photographer out of Bali who I supported when I lived in Bangkok. He was connected to the whole early 80’s New York art scene. I had no idea that he had promoted me so much with his art colleagues in NYC. When I finally found a unique space where I wanted to open a gallery, I started with art from that cool time in New York. It went with a warehouse gallery in an old artist studio building and was an instant success.

I went back into showing Asian artist again after Deborah Colton Gallery

became known as more of an international gallery, not just Asian art.

JB: In the early 2000’s you had your

gallery located on Summer Street before the Sawyer Yard craze, which has now become one of the largest artist campus in the United States.

Do you miss that location?

DC: I have great memories of going into that dilapidated part of town in 2002 with the view of David Addickes president heads and the downtown skyline out of our third-floor windows, and of all of our happenings. When I moved there, Winter Street was in terrible shape and looked like it would be torn down. Other galleries and collectors would tell me, “Deborah, you can’t have a gallery there. No one would go there”. But I knew if I had good enough exhibitions, everyone would come.

And they did. Our first show, which opened during FotoFest, had over 800 people came through that evening. We had close to 1,000 people at our fall - 2004 exhibition “Camp Lucky”. Art enthusiast from all over the city would go up the blue fire escape stairs to fill the whole third floor. There were huge happenings and people still tell me that the shows and having a major warehouse type gallery in that part of town in 2003 to 2008 showing Jenny Holzer, Matthew Barney, Yoko Ono, Joseph Kosuth, video, scientific and cutting-edge art from all over the world, helped make them think “that Houston was cool”.

I really don’t miss it though. I was delighted to start the revitalization there, by also helping John Deal get Winter Street going, after he saw what was happening at my openings.

I stayed around when Spring Street

GALLERY INTERVIEW 55

ARTHOUSTON 56

Studios was being rebuilt and until we had protected the area as a First Ward Arts District. When it started getting more commercial and developed in the area though, I was ready to move on.

I think it’s great what has happened there, and I’m proud to have been a part of that.

JB: Over the years you have produced

many shows. What exhibition are you proudest of and what were some of the highlights?

lectures. Our shows addressing art, science, and technology, like Suzanne Anker’s exhibitions, are important in terms of our future as a human race on earth. Shows like “Visions” in 2017 addressed universal spirituality. The arts can make a major impact in creating an awareness of issues that affect us. I have always used the gallery as a forum for artists that believe that their work can help shift the direction of the public for the positive.

JB: What do you expect from the

DC: That’s hard to say since we put a

lot of effort and love into every exhibition. Many of our first shows educated people about the beginnings of the digital art movement and introducing video to the city, around the same time the Aurora Picture Show was founded also. Introducing Jonas Mekas to Houston in 2005 was fun. Our “WORD” show of 2006 was a great show.

“WORD” not only had a stellar group of famous conceptual and Fluxus artist, but we also introduced a huge public artwork IMAGINE PEACE of Yoko Onos on 1 45 going into downtown Houston that all the newscasters covered, and the artwork took on a life of its own.

In terms of public space installations, in 2007 we had a sculpture, “Illuminations” on the Rothko Chapel grounds.

2007 and 2008 was at the heartbeat of the Chinese contemporary art movement and we had several exhibitions with some of the most talked about artists from China then. 2008 we started showing artists from the Middle East – Arab world, 2012 we started showing artists from Russia. Starting around 2014 we wanted to launch the theme that Houston had an important art history, by kicking off our “Houston Foundations Series” of exhibitions and

relationship you have with your represented artists?

artist, with giving them a chance to have a solo exhibition in the main gallery and set up an installation in the back half of the gallery as their working studio. Artist Grayson Chandler will launch this new program with his exhibition “IN VIA” this summer. This gives both the artist and the community a chance to visualize what happens in an artist’s studio and at a gallery.

JB: You are the Vice-President of

the Houston Art Gallery Association.

What are the vision and the goals of the association for 2022?

DC: Houston is a vibrant and exciting

DC: I like to establish a feeling of trust and partnership. The relationships that have lasted for over 20 years that I have are based on a deep mutual respect with open communications and team playing. This is how I have been the most successful for artist in helping their careers be launched nationally and their prices and artwork respected.

JB: Can you tell us about your new

“Artist S & S Project”?

international city, rich in arts and culture that’s also proud of its diversity. HAGA, the Houston Art Gallery Association, is comprised of some of the finest art galleries in Houston, each with their own distinct programing.

HAGA will be hosting a city-wide event, opening up all of our member galleries to celebrate our artists the first weekend of April. We feel that collectively we can help reveal the strength of the arts in Houston and can continue to support each other.

DC: This stands for “Artist Solo &

Studio” and we are excited about this project, both for the community and the artist that is chosen each year.

Our current gallery space started as the artist studio of Molly Gochman, who designed the building with the white convex and concave sphere on the outside of the building, which say “Welcome” in Braille. We want to embrace this original vision, just like we did in our old gallery space on Summer Street being in an artist studio building. Thus, during the summer, I want to be able to support an emerging

JB: What’s next, any future plans,

a big event coming up?

DC: One that I can start to talk about is a monumental sculpture by our Chinese artists, The Gao Brothers, coming from the Vancouver Biennale to San Antonio this spring. This is going to make a big splash there, really introducing the city to provocative, contemporary Asian Art. We have several other large projects brewing: all good to help Texas to become one of the important States of the Arts.

57

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ARTHOUSTON 58

Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, a masterpiece of the French Renaissance located in the Loire Valley Photo by ©Léonard de Serres-CMN

THE ART OF UNFOLDING GREATNESS “I come from Greatness, Greatness is Within Me”

A collaborative Artistic, Cultural, and Socio-Emotional project of Be the Peace B e t h e H o p e , F e l i x C o o k E l e m e n t a r y, t h e Te x a n - F r e n c h A l l i a n c e f o r t h e A r t s , a n d Az ay- l e - R i d eau , s u p p o r ted a n d fu n d ed i n pa r ts by A r ts Co n n ec t H o u s to n .

BY NATHALIE MURATET, CHRIS PERKINS & KARINE PARKER

The Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau is a masterpiece of the French Renaissance that is now known throughout the world. Owned by the French government, it is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, one of whose priority missions is to make heritage accessible to all audiences.

If the Be the Peace, Be the Hope project led by Karine Parker with Christopher Perkins and the Felix Cook Fine Arts School students in partnership with Azay-le-Rideau is perfectly in line with the actions carried out throughout the year by the monument, it is totally original.

The technology used is unprecedented: equipped with a camera, Aurélie, a mediator at the chateau, offers students, who are thousands of miles away, a “Live Stream” visit of the monument as if they were there!

It is also unique in the way it approaches the monument with the students on the theme “Greatness is within me.”

Contributing to this collaborative project was a positive challenge for the chateau’s cultural department, which created a unique program of visits around the notion of “masterpiece” in which values such as solidarity, fraternity, and sharing are addressed.

Because of the humanist values it conveys, Be the Peace, Be the Hope has taken a special place among all the projects carried out by the chateau. It has also become a wonderful human adventure.

During the Be the Peace, Be the Hope socio-emotional workshops at Felix Cook, students detected their most important values and how these values shape their

59

‘‘

‘‘

AA RR TT HH OO UU SS TT OO NN 6 0

...they discovered how they could create the beliefs that allow them to grow their strengths and talents and express their greatness.

perspectives about their lives and others’. They identified What did that person have to endure to achieve greathow their beliefs could limit them or empower them. Most ness? How is your life better due to their contributions? importantly, they discovered how they could create the What are your hopes and dreams for the future? What will beliefs that allow them to grow their strengths and it take for you to achieve your dream? This self-reflective talents and express their greatness. The example of the knowledge quest makes the students explore and discover Companions du Devoir, the best craftsmen in France who both commonalities and parallels to their own aspirations built and decorated this magnificent castle of the Loire and current intrinsic traits. After gathering data on themValley, taught them the value of bringing one’s unique tal- selves and their inspirational subjects, the students will be ents to the team and one’s courage in order to create some- creating visual narratives, using mixed media 3-D, found thing unique with a lasting impact. Students learned that objects, shallow relief artwork assemblages, and anything true greatness is about fully utilizing one’s strengths and else that depicts their journey from past to present and talents, finding the best in oneself and sharing it with the potential future.

There is no doubt that this unique journey will continue team like the companions who created together something incredible, something new and unique that represented their to lead to profound personal breakthroughs and unique personality. And because of their brotherhood, they were artistic creations. In May, our young creators will shownever alone; they always had someone next to them— case their creations for the viewers who will discover their what a beautiful way of actualizing and fulfilling one’s life art pieces in Houston and in September in France.

It is beautiful to see that “Les Copagnons du Devoir,” purpose.

Students’ profound discoveries and words of wisdom like centuries after completingtheir work, can be a true and “I discovered how much I care and having a big heart is impactful inspiration to the Felix Cook Students half way something positive”, “I found the courage to live and open across the world. The masterpieces they have left in the myself again after the loss of my loved ones” still resonate history of France live on beyond the craft and in the social fabric of our community. in the classroom.

Everyone feels a deep pride in participating in this unique Sometimes in order to recognize greatness in oneself, project that allows each student to a relatable exemplar is needed. From being publicly celebrated for their discover the French heritage while helping them find the greatness within achievements to being exclusively known just to your family, art students them, reveal their talents, and realize their dreams. Maybe, one day, they were tasked to select a family member or someone in their life whose accomwill come to visit this castle which is now a little bit theirs. plishments benefitted or improved the lives of others. Art students queried The students’ creations will be exhibited at the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau the following through interviews with relatives and peers: What did this in September 2022 on the occasion of Felix Cook students enjoying a Live Stream the European Heritage Days. person do? What did they stand for? visit of the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau.

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ARTHOUSTON 62

gallery listings BARBARA DAVIS GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd.

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Tania Botelho

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WHERE ART LOVERS AND ARTISTS CONNECT VISIT ARTISTS’ STUDIOS EVERY SECOND AND THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

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ARTHOUSTON 64

gallery listings PERIMETER ART GALLERY 2365 Rice Blvd. Suite E 713 521-5928 JOSH PAZDA HIRAM BUTLER GALLERY 4520 Blossom St. 713 863-7097 HEIDI VAUGHAN FINE ART 3510 Lake St. 832 875-6477 HOOKS-EPSTEIN GALLERIES 2631 Colquitt St. 713 522-0718

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ARTHOUSTON 66

Fred Baldwin PIONEERING ICON J O H N

In 1929, Fred Baldwin was born in Switzerland where his father served as an American Consul. After graduating from Columbia College in 1956, he began his freelance photography career, which continued until the late 1980’s. He was not educated through traditional art practice; he was a selftaught, independent operator who developed his photographic practice in other ways. His career varied from organizing expeditions in the Arctic, to covering Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, to passing two years as a Peace Corps director in Borneo. His yearn for adventure even took him across seas during America’s Korean War, where he served as a Marine.

He did magazine work in India and Afghanistan as well as in the southern U.S. on rural poverty. Some of these activities resulted in publications in books and magazines like LIFE, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, News-

B E R N H A R D

week, and The New York Times.

When he met the young journalist, Wendy Watriss, in the late 1960’s at a Manhattan party, they fell in love, and their life took an unexpected turn.

They decided to commit to each other not only in love, but in work as well. From that choice on, they worked together as one. They were each other’s muses and the inspiration never stopped.

Fred recalls: “I treasure freedom as the greatest asset you can possibly bring to bear on your life, but freedom is a very lonely affair and it is exhausting to maintain it,” he said. “To have somebody join up with me — to want to be free together — took the loneliness out and all of the energy could go into the doing as opposed to fighting off the loneliness.”

Wendy recalls: “When we met, we both lived in many parts of the world and been involved in bigger and smaller news stories, but it hadn’t been

looking deeply inside our own country, our own culture. And sort of magically, we both said, why don’t we take time off and really look at the inside of the country?”

In 1971, relying on their own funds, they loaded up a trailer and embarked on a journey through the back roads of rural Texas- a trip that would shape the rest of their life. Their photographs captured the soul of life in Texas during the seventies. In the book Looking at the U.S. 1957-1986, Roots of change, Xavier Canonne wrote: “Their photographs speak of the hope of a people and their desire to live with justice, not simply ‘surviving beauty’.”

After that first milestone, their partnership continued to shape the rest of Fred’s life. Together, he and Wendy co-founded the famous Houston FotoFest in 1983, which now is one of the most prominent photography events in the world.

Photo by Wendy Watriss

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IN MEMORIAM 67

After its launch, Newsweek wrote on March 31st, 1986, “The numbers are pure Texas: 64 exhibitions, 783 photographers on display, 4000 photographs spread across a mile of walls…

The idea, an entire city like Houston devoting an entire month of attention to photography… high visibility shows helped bring critics, curators, and collectors swarming to Houston… the first FotoFest has proved its mettle.”

FotoFest’s mission was to emphasize discovery, internationalism and social commitment with both a global and local perspective. It attempted to build a structure that delivered a sense of real possibility for artists. Fred said: “We were, like Houston, in the energy business – the creative energy business.”

Today FotoFest’s stated mission has the same conviction “to bring together a global vision of art and cross-cultural exchange with a commitment to social issues, community involvement, and the enrichment of cultural resources.”

Ten years after its inauguration, I met Fred at the 1994 FotoFest Biennial, more precisely The International Meeting Place on the campus of Rice University. This was the place for photographers to meet and show their work to top art professionals from around the world. I was a young photographer lost alongside 400 photographic artists from all over trying to break in the fine art arena.

The gigantic reviewing room filled with desks was austere and silent. Fred’s imposing, tall, slim figure was quietly pacing the floor during the portfolio review. After seeing my work he advised me to see the MFAH photography curator Anne Tucker. I did exactly that and it paid off. Fred was always very approachable and generous with tips and advice to all participants.

Over the years, I participated at many Fotofest reviews and I always looked forward to speaking with Fred.

He would move quietly with a smile on his face. His deep, yet soft voice would say some comforting and encouraging words that would instantly ease any stress. He had the gift of charming anyone and would always brighten the room. He never missed an event; he truly loved hosting the festival as much as he loved his commitment to social issues.

In his 2019 published memoir, Dear Mr. Picasso: An Illustrated Love Affair with Freedom, he wrote about discovering the power of photography, “What was magical for me was that a little tiny camera could serve as a passport to the world, as a key to opening every lock and every cupboard of investigation and curiosity.”

To those emblematic words, Fred appended a personal capstone. “Have a dream, use your imagination, overcome your fear, and then the real secret to the whole thing: You have to act.”

The entire art world will miss Fred.

I know I will.

I also wanted to share some tributes from friends, but they were too many to list; below are a selected few: Life without Fred should still be years away. There are unfinished plans in a life already rich with accomplishments and worldwide impact. Wendy and Fred conceived ideas that they made into realities, nourishing and educating so many, including me. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston acquired images from FotoFest exhibitions or directly from Meeting Place photographers — works from Holland, China, Japan,

Korea, Argentina, Cuba, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia, to mention a few of the featured countries. Without Fred and Wendy’s vision, the MFAH collection would not have been so gloriously enriched.

— Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator Emerita, MFAH. Fred Baldwin was my friend. He was one of the best storytellers I’ve ever known. Fred paid attention to the details. His humor was as warped as mine and always made me laugh. He was a fierce advocate for photography and photographers, and loved to share work that others normally wouldn’t see.

Over the years, we became good friends, and he and Wendy became like family to me. I enjoyed just hanging out with him and watching his interactions with people. He was a kind, generous man who loved people, and people loved him. I will miss my friend.

— Brad Temkin, Fine Art Photographer.

Many images have been jostling in my memory since Fred Baldwin’s passing: Fred and Wendy walking on the Great Wall of China or on a boat on the Don River in Moscow, Fred driving his Mercedes coupe through the streets of Houston, Fred blowing out the candles of his 80th birthday at the Museum while we were exhibiting Looking at the US... But if there is one that will remain with me, it is the one of Fred and Wendy watching the swearing in of Barack Obama on the television screen, at a café in Charleroi where I had taken them, mingled with the regulars, surprised and amused to be together, to some extent because of that commemoration in Washington.

— Xavier Canonne, Director of the Museum of Photography in Charleroi.

AARRTTHHOOUUSSTTOONN 6 8

reviews

William Anzalone, Gate Orange, 2020, oil on canvas, 48x72 in.

René Romero Schuler, Gitta, 2021, Oil on Canvas, 30x24 in.

WILLIAM ANZALONE

RENÉ ROMERO SCHULER

Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art gallery presents an exhibition showcasing new masterworks by William Anzalone. The artist’s new paintings embrace us into reverie, offering an intensely personal experience — one that takes us into different ways of seeing as we make sense of our ever-changing world.

William Anzalone has earned the reputation as one of Texas’ most compelling landscape artists. His paintings hang in numerous private, corporate and public collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Fayez Sarofim Collection. For more than half a century, he has been represented

by Houston blue chip gallery Meredith Long & Company. An influential teacher at the University of Houston for five decades, Anzalone taught art world luminaries such as Julian Schnabel.

Originally a figurative painter, Anzalone’s 1983 move to Round Top interjected landscape into the subject of this Brooklynreared artist. While occasional town scenes and farm buildings appear in his oils or pastels, Anzalone is most enamored of the pure land and its changing state based upon season or time of day.

Mr. Anzalone was educated in Brooklyn Public Schools and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a BA in Architecture in 1958. He won the Rotch Prize in Architecture in 1958 and practiced architecture in Massachusetts from 1958-1959. Mr. Anzalone came to Houston in July 1959, and began teaching at the University of Houston. He also taught briefly at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston School.

The exhibition is on view from March 18 until May 07, 2022

This solo exhibition highlights René Romero Schuler’s mesmerizing portfolio of painted and sculptural work that explores the heart of the human experience. Her intimate portraits convey universal feelings of strength and vulnerability, offering collectors a unique, reflective viewing experience.

René Romero Schuler is one of the most important and well-collected, contemporary artists to emerge out of the Midwestern United States. Now living in both Chicago, IL and Carmel, CA, René creates powerful images of strength and vulnerability that speak to the heart of the human condition: love, sorrow, solitude, and heartbreak. These depictions of difficult subjects nevertheless inspire the viewer with hope, fortitude, and ultimately, enduring strength.

The figures Schuler captures are equal parts self-portraiture and portraits of the range of human emotions that she has experienced in her all-too-colorful life.

Her approach is personal yet universal, and essentially intimate. The work is visually and emotionally affecting; it powerfully reveals her appreciation for the struggle and triumph of the human condition and speaks to global and societal issues that continue to impact daily lives.

Schuler’s work is in the permanent collections of The Union League Club of Chicago, Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago, Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Coral Springs Museum of Art, and St. Thomas University Museum of Art – Sardiñas Gallery in Miami. Her work is in public and private collections around the world.

NANCY LITTLEJOHN FINE ART

GROGAN GALLERY

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X

WHY CUTTING THE GENRE WITH AN X-ACTO KNIFE?

BY WILLIAM HANHAUSEN For many years, what has bothered me the most about this genre’s own classification is that all Latino art and artists have been marked with an “X”. In it, my mind traces the narratives of every artist strokes imagining the path they are taking with their intimate message and deep perspective. A mark that indicates a STOP, a block in the road, no trespassing, a NO more. Not acknowledging the failures of others and the harm they caused in recent social circumstances that mark violates the core value of all Latino artists.

“The purpose of art is to make visible the invisible.”

Let ourselves validate this statement made by Franco Fontana, and make visible altogether the quality of Latino Art! Denying narratives, removing emotions and going into public spaces to capitalize on the artists personal’s is totally absurd and

OPINION 71

Amaryllis De Jesus Moleski, Shadow Game, 2019, 36”x48” in.

Wash ink, color pencil acrylic and airbrush on paper.

A R T H O U S T O N 7722

wrong, these artists are real people stranded along the way watching their identities walk away from them, passing time seen time passing and putting in second place their work. That, denigrates and imposes auster-

Marcos Raya, When the Big Ones Eat the Small Ones, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 120’x60” in.

ity and simplicity, and ignores the intimacy and authenticity of this genre.

Just call it Latino!

artists in the caliber of Amaryllis De Jesus

these experts, it exposes their bias and dis-

Had not yet been smothered enough in ugly

Moleski, Justin Favela, Lucia Hierro, Esteban

qualifies their authority on these issues. In-

“ideological patois”? Haven’t we learned

Jefferson, Roberto Lugo and Vincent Valdez,

deed, it is almost beyond parody that these

enough in this pandemic?

among others are joining and excluding each

same expert curators preach professional-

We cannot allow ourselves as Latinos and

other’s from… “Xicano-a.o.x” the American

ism that demands fair honesty about equal-

the same art world in panels, interviews,

Federation of Arts’ first exhibition of its kind,

ity in the valuation and appreciation.

exhibitions, movements, associations and

packed with highly influential Chicano con-

Restoring our national unity of quality of

books slaughtering the genre with politics.

temporary artists in the magnitude of Celia

Latino art and genre is our mission, by re-

An eccentric work of art awakens a new way

Alvarez, Mel Casas, Marcos Raya, Liz Cohen

kindling a brave and honest love and rec-

of seen the world, not a personal preference

and Rafa Esparza, that also exclude them-

ognition for our heritage and by rising new

or a minority group discrimination. As I stat-

selves from the others.

generations of grander artists who not only

ed before; this is “Damn good Art” despite

Yet I ask, what is this all about and why is

know the self-evident truth of legacy and

not two people perceive the clouds the same

this important to us as Latinos?

past, but act worthy of their self “identity”

way.

Latino artworks are often both or more clas-

and not allowing an ignorant branding of one

There are two significant art exhibitions

sifications, and numerous and adverse ex-

of the most influential genres of American

currently and coming up in the next eighteen

hibitions including the above mentioned will

Art with an “X”.

months, and they materialize by competing

not be able to represent the totality of the

against each other, not complementing or

genre’s faces simultaneously and with sensi-

helping the genre and participants see their

tivity. Where audiences are invited to admire

colleagues as contenders, fighting for a de-

the technical virtuosity and creativity of this

served attention from the public’s opinion.

artists as a fundamental purpose.

“Estamos Bien” NYC Museo del Barrio’s

It seems to me when critic’s display such

first contemporary LatinX exhibition. Where

ignorance about the scope of view held by

73

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Te l l u s a l i t t l e b i t a b o u t yourself.

I’m from the Florida panhandle, a place of wild landscapes and incredible biodiversity. My experiences there greatly inform my work and how I see the world. I’m always searching for -and working to create- lush landscapes and to tap into their verdant qualities. I studied natural sciences in undergrad and then got my Master’s degree at the Rhode Island School of Design for Landscape Architecture.

While at RISD, I explored site-based installation and laid the groundwork for my sculpture and painting practice. After working for a few corporate design firms, I became licensed in 2013 and launched my own hybrid practice of landscape architecture and public art.

What upcoming projects are you working on?

My focus right now is for a monumental scale permanent public artwork commission for the city’s Civic Art collection at the new Alief Community Center. The piece is called Windbloom and is a 30 foot diameter flower-like pavilion made of painted carbon steel and colorful polycarbonate. The colors of the flower petals are a map of the site’s prevailing wind speed and direction. This is my largest public artwork so far and I’m thrilled to be working in collaboration with a team of skilled metalworkers, project managers, structural engineers, and public art fabricators who are all Houston-based companies.

My work as an interdisciplinary artist in public art and landscape architecture means that I always have work in the construction phase which is very exciting. This year, I have multiple landscapes and artful gardens that will finish construction as well as a public art project in Baltimore going into fabrication.

What types of mediums do you work in?

I have developed very specific media techniques for my work. For two-

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dimensional work, I use acrylic paint, collage, and pure pigment powders on canvas or birch panels. I prep my surfaces in custom ways, too. Sometimes I cut the birch panels myself on a bandsaw and with canvas I will dye the raw cotton before stretching and priming it. I arrived at these methods after fifteen years of honing a system of layering and masking the acrylics combined with partially erasing and aggressively blending pure pigments.

I mix up the acrylics to be thin enough for spraying with an airgun to achieve a luminous atmospheric quality.

My studio practice is multimedia with wood, cast resin, and clay.

I’m developing a series of ceramic sculptures and funky home goods out of porcelain. In that work, I’m mixing up my own glaze recipes from scratch to create a distinctive color and textural palette. It has been a long experimental process with many failed pieces, but what I’m learning is how my painting background informs all of my work. I’m finding glaze colors that are cohesive with my paintings and when I find a formula that achieves a certain lavender blue or cloudy white, I get really excited because the colors speak to me. My palette has a special vibrational quality to it and I’m most comfortable when I land on the right harmony of colors together in the studio. The color-driven nature of my practice can be seen in all of my work across all media

T h e m a t i c a l l y, w h a t i s your work usually about?

Why do you choose to focus on these issues?

I’m interested in our connection to the natural world and how we perceive natural phenomena like wind, water, and climate. Our understanding of the natural world is quite limited and I think art has the potential to open up new ways of seeing and experiencing that thing we call nature. Yet nature is not actually a separate entity from ourselves. We are bound up in it as emotional and social animals in an

interconnected ecosystem. I want my work to give form and meaning to our ecological connectedness. I think it can result in greater empathy and a stronger social fabric, that’s certainly a driving factor in my public artwork and landscape projects. Our climate is undergoing rapid changes and we are struggling to process what it all means. Art provides people with a space for feeling and for understanding abstract concepts and relationships. I want my work to give people a place to feel and reflect on nature and our connection to the environment.

How do you define success?

Financially, I need to be successful because art is how I make a living.

Intellectually, I define success by showing up to the studio each day and chipping away at big difficult ideas.

How do I build a structural metal piece about something as ephemeral as wind? How do I express our city’s flooding bayous with immersive light art? These are hard questions that require a lot of ingenuity and ambition.

I can’t be afraid to fail. I have to stubbornly pursue these ideas.

Eventually, I make something that other people feel a connection with.

I think a specific artwork is successful when I feel something- something a bit undefinable like mesmerizing wonder- and I get feedback from other people that they feel something from it, too.

What recent projects are you most proud of?

I’m proud of the Bayou Beacon, a data driven light art project I premiered at the Sawyer Yards train shed in April of 2021. It was an immersive light projection of animated data of the White Oak Bayou’s flood levels over the past several years. It opened up a new type of expression of the bayous and gave people a moment to reflect on the resiliency of Houston’s unique floodplain ecology.

FALON MIHALIC

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Rain, public art commission for Skanska Development corporation.

Downtown Houston. 2019. Photography by Paul Hester Above: Falon Mihalic in her studio. Photography by Trish LaCoste

AMANDA PASCALI

ARTHOUSTON 76

77

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Te l l u s a l i t t l e b i t a b o u t yourself.

I was born in Queens, New York and was raised in Houston, Texas. As the daughter of immigrants from two different continents, I grew up between worlds; constantly feeling “too foreign for here, too foreign for home, and never enough for both.” I picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and started writing songs as a way to tell the story of my family’s diaspora and my experience as a first-generation American girl growing up in the South.

What upcoming projects are you working on?

This April, I will start my artist residency at Sawyer Yards for Fresh Art’s Space Taking Artist Residency. The project I am showcasing, “The Other Side” is a continuation the Immigrant American Folk Project I created in 2020. As part of this project I will use visual art to create a space where musical and literary performances are carried out by myself and my group as well as other artists from Houston’s immigrant community. The walls of the Other Side will be adorned with old family photos and portraits from Houston’s immigrant community as well as old recipes, poems, and letters donated by project participants who would like to share their family’s stories. Stacked suitcases in the space will represent both the tangible and intangible things that Houston’s immigrants carried with them to America such as food, music, and ideas that became part of American culture through cultural diffusion. This project uses music, poetry, and visual art to foster a sense of belonging by encouraging immigrants and first-generation Americans to build their own definition of what it means to be “American” in their own unique way. Houston, America’s most diverse city, is home to over 1.7 million immigrants with stories that are seldom highlighted in mainstream media. This project aims to highlight the stories that fall outside the boundaries of conventional American storytelling.

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I have been a performing musician since I was 12 years old. Playing cover songs in bars was how I made pocket money in middle and high school.

I wrote my own songs in secret. I got a beginner’s disc for ProTools as a gift from my parents and recorded my songs in my bedroom. I wrote songs about everything. Some were bad, some were good. I wrote in three-part harmony. I wrote lead and rhythm guitar parts. I used random objects in my bedroom as percussion instruments. If I had to memorize the names of all of the US presidents for history class, I would write a song about it, set the names to a melody and record it in my bedroom as a way to study for the exam. I didn’t brand myself as a singer/songwriter until about 17 years old. When I was 18, I recorded my first EP in my music teacher’s garage.

I released it as a self-titled album, and although it wasn’t my very first independent creative project, it was the one that marked a new chapter in my life when I decided to seriously pursue my career as a singer/songwriter. Fast forward five years later; one of my favorite songs to play live is a song that I wrote at 17 from that very first EP. I have plans to re-record it and release it as a newer version this year.

What types of mediums do you work in?

Primarily music. As a songwriter though, I experiment a lot with poetry and prose writing. I also love creating motion picture content.

I spend a lot of time watching movies, and admiring great cinematography especially with my father who is a bit of a film buff. My group and I are releasing our first music video soon in collaboration with filmmaker Joel Valdes. I acted in it, filmed part of it (because I am a registered drone pilot), chose the costumes, helped with casting, and conceptualized the story with Joel.

T h e m a t i c a l l y, w h a t i s your work usually about?

As a true artist, I will admit that I am a very self-centered person. I focus on the issues that affect me and have affected my family. But that also allows me to speak about those issues from a more personal place.

The songs I write tell the story of a first-generation American girl growing up in the most diverse city in the U.S. There are themes of feminism, immigration, revolution, love, and national identity.

Why do you create art?

I think there is an artist in all of us.

I think in another universe, my parents would have been artists. I think my dad would have been a photographer or a musician if he hadn’t have grown up in poverty under a communist regime. I think my mom would have been a painter or a sculptor if she hadn’t have worked so much to afford a car to drive herself to school so she could get an education and give her daughters a better life than what she had. They both take so much interest in the art that I make. They know about the sound equipment I use, they know all the lyrics to my songs, they know the thickness of the guitar picks I use. I think if they had the resources growing up that I had, they too would have become artists.

I create art because unlike many, I have the privilege to do so.

What recent projects are you most proud of?

My group and I just released our single “One by One”; a song about hope, migration, and sunflowers.

This song is set to be part of an EP record to be released this year.

You can listen to the song hereamandapascali.com/onebyone.

Opposite page From top:

Amanda Pascali, Joshua tree, California. Photo by Jessica Castro Amanda Pascali, Houston Texas.

Photo by Jeff Paxton

ARTHOUSTON 78

artH O U S T O N PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JOHN BERNHARD

Street Painting Festival in the heart of Houston

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Festival Location: POST, former historic Barbara Jordan Post Office downtown, 401 Franklin St. Festival Hours: Saturday, April 2 | 9:00am - 7:00pm Sunday, April 3 | 9:00am - 5:00pm

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ArtHouston is published semiannually by ArtHouston Magazine, LLC. ©Copyright 2022. All right reserved. The entire contents of ArtHouston may not be reproduced in any matter, either in part or in whole, without written permission from the publisher. In addition, the artists within hold copyrights on their images and essays. Any use of or copying of their works without their written permission is in violation of the copyright law. ArtHouston Magazine, LLC. is not responsible in any way for mispellings, omissions, incorrect phone numbers or addresses.

Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and other materials must be accompanied by postage and a self-addressed return envelope.

ArtHouston is not responsible for unsolicited submissions.

Address all correspondence to: ArtHouston Magazine, 9114 N. Allegro St. Houston, Texas 77080.

C O L O P H O N 7799

contributors

Jody (aka JT) Morse WRITER

JT Morse is a freelance, multi-genre writer based in Evergreen, TX. She pens everything from award-winning flash fiction to spec fic poetry to nonfiction articles for local and national magazines. Morse also teaches writing workshops for Writespace, Comicpalooza, HIA, and RWA. For more information, visit her social media pages: @JTMorseWriter.

Karine Parker-Lemoyne CURATO R, EDUCATO R

Karine Parker-Lemoyne is a Texan-French curator, visual artist, educator and community developer. She currently runs the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts.

Some of the major projects she developed include Go West 1 at UNESCO in Paris, the Houston citywide “Open the Door” public art program, and in 2015 “From A Space to A Place” that strives to meet the challenges of increasing urbanization.

Nathan Lindstrom PHOTOGRAPHER

Nathan Lindstrom is a commercial portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Houston with clients from all over the world. Having grown up in Iowa and lived in Argentina and Spain, Lindstrom draws on his experiences for inspiration. His work was included in two shows during the last FotoFest exhibition. Lindstrom has a studio in Silver Street Studios and lives with his wife and their dog, Kirby.

Morgan Cronin WRITER

Morgan Cronin is a New York City based writer, originally from Houston. She received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and is currently a secondyear MFA candidate at the New School, where she is studying creative nonfiction. She has been a regular contributor to ArtHouston. Her work has appeared in the Culture Trip, Houston Press, and elsewhere.

Sabrina Bernhard WRITER

Sabrina Bernhard is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a BA in International Relations and in French. She is working with ArtHouston to fulfill her passion for the arts, while further developing Houston’s admirable cross-cultural reputation.

Sabrina is passionate about travelling, contemporary arts, la Francophonie, music, and culture.

Arthur Demicheli WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER

Arthur Demicheli is a freelance copywriter and photographer from New York who has worked in the marketing, advertising, and publishing industries since 1992. Recently, Arthur has been a dynamic part of ArtHouston’s team. He holds an MA in Humanities from the University of Geneva. He is an avid fan of art, film, and photograhy history.

Meghan Hendley Lopez WRITER

A combination of creative and cause related initiatives, Meghan Hendley Lopez is a classically trained pianist, composer, and vocalist who has turned her talent towards the world of nonprofit administration/management, grant writing, PR, journalism, Web3 endeavors, all centered in creative solutions for cause based initiatives. Over 17 years of experience centers the balance of presentation and preservation of the arts, agriculture, sustainability.

Amanda Andrade WRITER

Amanda is a young art historian working on her Masters in Fine and Decorative Art and Design at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. In 2020, she graduated from the University of St Andrews with a Masters of Art with Joint Honours in History of Art and International Relations. Her interests include sustainable art, medieval devotional objects and baking for family and friends.

William Hanhausen WRITER

An art venture capital investor, former faculty Professor of Marketing at the Universidad Anahuac Mexico City.

Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Museum of Texas Art (MoTA) and member of the Latino Advisory Committee at the MFAH. While eschewing what he describes as “Latino Art is not Latin-American Art”, he is a maverick of “Latino and Chicano Art an Underrepresented American Style”.

59 FEATURE

HOW TO HELP CHILDREN IN AFGHANISTAN RIGHT NOW

Escalating conflict in Afghanistan poses a dire threat for children.

Save the Children is gravely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of children in Afghanistan. As violence sweeps through the country, children are being killed, injured and forced to flee their homes. We have been a leading charity in Afghanistan since 1976, reaching over 1.6 million Afghans in 2020. We will not abandon our work, staff, or the communities we’ve served. Our commitment to protecting children remains unchanged.

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Checks/money orders should be mailed to: Save the Children, PO Box 97132, Washington DC, 20090-7132.

Please contact us at our Supporter Experience Center at supportercare@savechildren.org or 1-800-728-3843

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