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Chair's Comments
Feature
Members Speak
Call for Art
Notes from your CASETA Staff
ETA Events
Trivia
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Contact Information
Board Chair

Newsletter Editor
Leslie Thompson
 leslie@caseta.org

Interim Executive Director
Bill Reaves

CASETA Headquarters

PO Box 667487

Houston, TX 77266
Phone: 832.538.9297
832.538.9294
Fax: 713.521.7504

Fun CASETA Facts!
 
Since the first CASETA symposium in 2003, over 1200 people, from graduate students, academics, and collectors have wandered the convention sites, enriching their mind as they learn more about Texas art and CASETA itself. 

 

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The range of speakers over the past ten years, totaling approximately seventy since this event's inception, has included notable historians, curators, collectors, dealers, and professors. Although most are from Texas, some travel from places as far away as New York City and Maine. Some represent themselves, while others work with prestigious institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, City University of New York, the University of North Texas and the Dallas Museum of Art, to name a few. 
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On January 18, 2003, CASETA sponsored a lecture entitled The Altars and Facades of the San Antonio Missions, given by Dr. Jacinto Quirarte at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

 

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Through the archival project, CASETA has partnered with sixteen institutions willing to receive these archival materials including:

 

*Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

 

* C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department, University Library, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

 

* Cushing Memorial Library, Texas A&M University

 

* Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of     Texas at Austin

 

* Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

 

* University of North Texas

 

* Jerry Bywaters Special Collections Wing, Southern Methodist University

 

* Tyler Museum of Fine Arts

 

* The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

 

* Old Jail Art Center

 

* Rosenberg Library

 

* San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

 

* San Antonio Public Library

 

* South Texas Institute for the Arts

 

* Southwest Collection Collections Libraries, Texas Tech University

 

* Witte Museum

 

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Through a grant from the Texas Education Agency, CASETA sponsored four workshops for teachers to introduce them to Early Texas Art and worked alongside NTIEVA.

 

In total, seventy-two educators participated in these workshops. Each participant was given an orientation to the units as well as received a copy of each unit along with support material that included exhibition catalogs and CDs about Early Texas Art. These programs and materials were meant to enrich the classroom experience and further the knowledge of Early Texas Art.

  

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CASETA has been the recipient of several prestigious grants over its lifetime,

which allows it to participate in numerous activities, such as the ones I just discussed. To date, CASETA has received over $200,000 from several prestigious organizations. This money has been used and re-granted for various publications, lectures, the symposia, and workshops throughout the state.

 

NEWSLETTER
May 2012
CHAIR'S COMMENTS

 

 

Stephen Alton
Stephen Alton, Board Chair

On behalf of the CASETA board, it is my pleasure to convey our appreciation (and our joy) to all who attended, and who helped to make possible, CASETA's 10th Anniversary Symposium in Fort Worth last month. It was clear that everyone fortunate enough to be present had a wonderful time engaging in our common passion for early Texas art. The proceedings went smoothly, our speakers were superb, and the art dealers brought great Texas material to adorn the walls of avid CASETA members. There are so many "thank-yous" to go around this year; in my remarks, I will try to tender a few well-deserved acknowledgements of the many folks who played a part in this year's great success.

 

First of all, we extend sincere thanks to the sponsors of this year's program, whose cash donations and in-kind sponsorships made the entire event possible. CASETA is indebted to these gracious benefactors for their on-going support of CASETA and early Texas Art. The individuals and organizations who gave generous contributions are listed below in our staff report, and all have our heartfelt appreciation for their kind support. I'd like to take this opportunity especially to acknowledge the important in-kind sponsorships offered by leading Fort Worth institutions, including my own institution, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, as well as the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and the Sid Richardson Museum. These local organizations granted CASETA free access to their facilities and (in the case of the Carter and the Richardson) to their world-class fine-arts collections, which made the whole symposium experience a huge success. As a resident of Fort Worth, I am proud to say that all these institutions combined to roll out the red carpet for our CASETA guests. Thanks to these fine partners for their grand support.

 

I would also very much like to acknowledge the generous grant made to CASETA by the Sid Richardson Foundation to facilitate the symposium and to make attendance available to art teachers, faculty, and graduate students from the area. On behalf of the CASETA board, I extend our deepest gratitude to the Richardson Foundation board and to its president, Mr. Pete Geren, for their important support in this area.

 

To our wonderful slate of speakers, we offer both thanks and accolades for a most interesting and informative educational experience. Each presentation offered fresh information about Texas art, and each speaker rendered his or her talk with exceptional form and style. Our congratulations to all of our speakers for a job well done.

 

We also convey genuine thanks and appreciation to all of the art and book dealers who took part in the Texas Art Fair at our 10th annual symposium. On behalf of the CASETA board, it is important to acknowledge publicly how crucial dealer participation is (and always has been) to CASETA and to our symposium. Not only do booth fees contributed by these Texas art dealers help to underwrite the symposium, but the dealers' annual exhibition of great Texas art is one of the most popular attractions for the event-goers; moreover, the dealers' fine examples of early Texas art serve to bring lectures and presentations to life.   The individual dealers at this year's Texas Art Fair are referenced in the staff report below, and we send our sincere thanks to all.

 

The CASETA Board's Symposium Planning Committee, whose membership comprised of George Palmer and Mark Kever (co-chairs), along with Tam Kiehnhoff, Amy Fulkerson, and Marla Ziegler, warrants special thanks, as well, for planning and guiding this year's excellent event. And last, but certainly not least, among all these accolades go to this year's interim management team led principally by Ms. Leslie Thompson (with able assistance from Mr. Bill Reaves). Ms. Thompson and her colleagues worked tirelessly to assure a successful event for CASETA, and we deeply appreciate her fine and competent administrative touches and her cheerful and sunny disposition in the midst of so much activity.

 

The MOST important thank-you, however, must be reserved for the 145 CASETA members who registered to attend our 10th annual symposium. Simply put, there would be no symposium without the passionate and enthusiastic collectors, scholars, curators, artists, and historians who gather each year for this event. To all our wonderful, loyal members, and especially to all who were able to attend this year's symposium, we extend our deepest regards and thanks to you. Please know that with your active support and enthusiasm, CASETA will continue to prosper in the decades to come. Thank you for your presence at this year's event, as well as your ongoing support throughout CASETA's first ten years. Perhaps there is no better time to remind all of us who relish the majestic and sweeping art history of this state that we should remember to CONSIDER CASETA with our time and our gifts related to early Texas art.

 

Once again, many thanks to all for a magnificent and inspiring event this year in Fort Worth. Can't wait till next year in San Antonio!

FEATURE

 

The Lost Colony:

Texas Regionalist Paintings

Rediscovering an Artistic Past

 

By Mary Bones 

  

The Big Bend country is the most paintable place I have ever worked.

Mrs. Ruth Lovelady, 1940 Art Colony student

 

Ninety years ago a Department of Drawing was established at Sul Ross Normal College. Within a short span of thirty years, Sul Ross evolved to become a State Teachers College and the Department of Drawing would transform into a full fledged Department of Art that offered courses for those students seeking their public school teaching certificates and for those who wanted to pursue a career as professional artists. These early years of the Art Department at Sul Ross have become an overlooked story in the history of the university. Few know about the early artists who taught in the Art Department. Even less are aware that for over fifteen years, the school hosted an extremely successful summer Art Colony, with some of the best Texas artists conducting the classes.

 

Xavier Gonzalez, Alpine, Texas
Xavier Gonzalez, Alpine, Texas, Watercolor and Gouache, 1942, 22 X 30 inches, Collection of Judy and Stephen Alton

Sul Ross Normal College opened its doors in the summer of 1920 and by the following summer a Department of Drawing was established. In 1922, San Antonio native Beatrice Emiline Matthaei would teach five courses in both art history and drawing. Matthaei taught at Sul Ross for a single year, until Mabel Vandiver replaced her due to illness. Matthhaei continued her teaching career after leaving Sul Ross for over fifty years in the Houston public school system.

 

Vandiver and her students produced numerous works of art to beautify the school including batiks, screens and drawings. These first exhibits were held in the Girls' Rest Room, a room set aside for the female students to study, visit and rest. After leaving Sul Ross, Vandiver eventually taught at and became the head of the Art Department at Fort Hays State University from 1933 to 1954.

 

In 1925, Anna Elizabeth Keener replaced Vandiver. Keener commented that "In her opinion the Davis Mountains of Texas provide as promising material for the artist as any she has found." She introduced a course that emphasized en plein air, or outdoor painting. During the time that Keener was at Sul Ross, special courses in art were offered that could lead to a certificate, diploma or degree and the Department of Drawing became the Art Department. Keener would later recall that President Horace W. Morelock would often appear in her Art Room on Friday afternoons and ask, "Where do you and your students want to go this weekend?" Once a destination had been chosen, Morelock's only requirement was, "Take Rudolph Mellard, to drive the car, know the country and speak Spanish." Keener continued teaching in schools in New Mexico.

 

From 1926 through 1932, Houstonian Elizabeth Estella Keefer

Mabel Vandiver, Davis Mountains
Mabel Vandiver, Davis Mountains, Watercolor, 1922, 
19 X 19 inches, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas

would head the Art Department. While at Sul Ross, she worked closely with the students in producing the school's yearbook, The Brand, in particular with the future Chicago lithographer James Swann. She, like the instructors before her, continued to produce "living" masterpieces and to decorate the campus. Keener refined her skills as an etcher and invented a technique to produce color etchings. She was allowed access to the northern New Mexico reservations and became known as the "Etcher of Indians."

 

By 1932, Keefer had married Texas historian Mody Boatwright and they moved to Austin. She was replaced by Julius Woeltz of San Antonio and that summer he implemented an Art Colony. Woeltz chose his former teacher and friend, Xavier Gonzalez to conduct the Art Colony for the first summer session.

 

This initial Art Colony would set the template for all to come. Teaching emphasis was on composition, landscape, figure and design. Coursework for students emphasized the art and techniques of outdoor painting with trips into the Davis Mountains, the Big Bend country and the surrounding areas. The course included private instruction and criticism. At the conclusion of the six weeks Art Colony, a certificate indicating the quality and quantity of work done by the student was awarded to those who successfully completed their work. The certificate was signed by the instructor and the President of the College.

 

For the next four years Gonzalez and Woeltz taught one summer session of the Art Colony each. In 1933 Gonzalez talked his friend Paul Ninas of New Orleans, into leading an Art Colony session. Ninas would note that his students "are realizing that there can be new shadows under the sun and only five hours painting in the afternoon seems not enough." Ninas later became known as the "Dean of New Orleans artists."

 

Woeltz resigned from Sul Ross in 1936 and Sarah Miltia Hill of Eldorado, Texas, became the head of the Art Department and

Julius Woeltz, Kokernot Lodge
Julius Woeltz, Kokernot Lodge, Oil, ca. 1930s, 36 X 48 inches, 
Museum of the Big Bend

continued in this capacity until her retirement in 1961. After leaving Sul Ross, Woeltz taught at the University of Texas, Austin from 1942 through 1953. According to Woeltz's sister Evelyn Reveley, "I just remember how happy Julius and Xavier were with every summer class. They always found students with promising talent, which made the art classes a joy to teach."

 

Gonzalez led the Art Colony through 1939 when he and his wife, a former student and artist in her own right, Ethel Edwards moved to New York City. There they established a summer art school at Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. During his 1937 Art Colony, he and his students formed the Rio Grande Group of artists and painters. The goal of the group was "to give students the opportunity to exhibit their work in museums and galleries in different parts of the country, and to foster the arts in the Southwest." During the 1939 summer session Coreen Mary Spellman of Dallas worked with Hill teaching the regular art courses. Spellman taught at her alma mater, Texas Women's University from 1925 until her retirement in 1974.

 

Hill continued the tradition of a summer Art Colony begun by Woeltz. For the 1940 and 1941 Art Colony, Harry Anthony De Young was selected. When asked to speak at the Fort Davis Men's Mile High Club supper on how to judge a picture, he offered this advice, "A picture is good if you like it. That's a good rule to go by."

 

In 1943, Beatrice Cuming of New London, Connecticut, conducted the colony. When asked why she was in Alpine she replied, "she was not really sure, but that in the East, everyone thinks that the Southwest is a very special place, that every painter should go there."

 

William Lester, Two Chimneys
William Lester, Two Chimneys
Oil on Board, ca. 1955, 
24 X 30 inches, Collection of Nancy and Otis T. Welch

Otis Dozier conducted the 1947 Art Colony and William Lester from the University of Texas at Austin helmed the 1949-1950 sessions. The Big Bend country was a natural for Lester, as according to Art Digest, "Lester's world is one of brilliant, pulsing color afire with life and sun."

 

It is unclear why the Art Colony ceased to exist after 1950. Intermittently thereafter starting in 1955, three week workshops were held in lieu of the colony. Students could still receive either undergraduate or graduate course credit as was offered in prior Art Colonies. However, the six week sessions that included the important field trips quickly became a thing of the past.

 

It is amazing that a fledgling department in a newly created normal school advanced as rapidly as it did. Equally outstanding is the creation of the summer Art Colony that proved to be a successful eighteen year program at Sul Ross. And what made these two so successful were the incredible men and women artists who chose to come to such a remote region to teach and the students who wished to learn from them.

 

MEMBERS SPEAK

Bonnie Campbell, Houston

 

 

 

Bonnie Campbell
Bonnie Campbell

"It is said that collecting is a disease. I think I had it from childhood."

A 1973 quote from legendary Texas collector Ima Hogg, two years before her death at age 93.

 

I quote Miss Hogg not only because I agree that collecting is a disease (one I am happy to have), but also because most of my waking hours are spent directing her former 14-acre estate now known as Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, the American decorative arts branch of the MFA, Houston. While Bayou Bend's focus is colonial-era America, Ima Hogg devoted a room in the "house museum" to mid-19th century Texas...which just happens to be the period of 'early Texas art' I first encountered when I became Curator of the Texas Capitol in 1985.

 

The Capitol was being restored to the 1888-1915 era, and I wanted to broaden the Texas art on display (at the time 95% portraits). First a loan program, the Texas art initiative became a permanent one in the mid-90s; it continues to acquire landscapes, genres, still lives, etc. primarily dating to the restoration era. Through the project, I met many of the curators, dealers, and collectors interested in early Texas art, and later assisted with the formation of CASETA.

 

Today, I personally collect Texas art as my budget permits, but vicariously I help find many major pieces for the Bobbie and John Nau Texas Art Collection. The phrase 'it is a small world' comes to mind because my work at the Capitol and later the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum connected me with John Nau (then chairman of the Texas Historical Commission, and one of three citizens appointed to oversee the creation of the Bullock), which led him to ask for my help in forming their private collection, and later to recommend me for the Bayou Bend job. As you can see, early Texas art has enriched my life in many ways for almost 30 years.

MEMBERS SPEAK

David Ellis, Fort Worth

 

 

 

David Ellis
David Ellis

While living in California, I began to think about acquiring art. I wanted something to come home to after work. I thought it might improve my quality of life, make me look at things differently, and maybe give me a creative spark. I bought a few things here and there, but never loved the pieces I had chosen. It dawned on me that I had no connection to the works I was buying. I was just picking things that, at the time, I thought looked nice.

 

In 2009, I had the opportunity to move back to Fort Worth, my hometown. I had found a place to live in the Cultural District on the west side of the city. Near by was an art gallery called Kornye West located on Camp Bowie. It was here that I became acquainted with the paintings of a mid-century Texas modernist UTA art professor named Stephen Rascoe (1924-2008). His colors were bold, and he painted in a childlike manner. I was immediately drawn to his work, but I didn't feel comfortable with his unorthodox painting style. My mind was tuned to a more traditional style, but I couldn't get his paintings out of my head. I kept coming back to Kornye West, and with each visit I became more and more at ease with Mr. Rascoe's unconventional point of view.

 

One day I finally pulled the trigger, and bought an abstracted landscape called Red Sky painted by Mr. Rascoe in 1955. I was hooked. It really cut the mustard for me. I had found the connection I was missing in California. Discovering Stephen Rascoe opened the door to my Texas Modernist collection. He helped me define a style I could live with. Today I have several stellar works by artist like McKie Trotter, Bill Reily, Seymour Fogel, Ben Culwell, Michael Frary, and Richard Stout, whose Passion (1957) will very likely be the hallmark of my collection.

CALL FOR ART!

Gene Owens, Summer Tree

Gene Owens 

(American, b. 1931) 

Summer Tree, 1982, porcelain, Museum Purchase, 2009.014, Collection of the Old Jail Art Center, Albany, Texas

The Old Jail Art Center will be hosting a Gene Owens exhibition this fall, September 2012, for which a catalogue will be produced.  They are currently looking for works from private collections for inclusion in the show.

Anyone with works or suggestions can contact Patrick Kelly, OJAC Curator at 325-762-2269 or curator@theoldjailartcenter.org.

Information about Gene Owens and the exhibition concept can be found on the website here:  

http://www.theoldjailartcenter.org/exhibitions/gene-owens-   
NOTES FROM YOUR CASETA STAFF

Staff Report on CASETA's

10th Annual Symposium 

 

Leslie Thompson
Leslie Thompson, Associate Executive Director

Celebrating its first successful decade of service, the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art - CASETA - conducted its 10th annual symposium, along with accompanying Texas Art Fair, on April 27-29 in Fort Worth. Perhaps it was the ten-year milestone or maybe it was simply the stellar lineup of speakers and dealers, but everything seemed to come together to make this year's Symposium one of the best ever, igniting new chords of enthusiasm among conference attendees and garnering near-record attendance for the event.

 

Since its inception, one of CASETA's stated objectives has been that of increasing scholarship and educational opportunities related to the state's art history. This year's program seemed to fulfill these expectations to a tee! Participants were treated to six informative lectures, presented by a strong lineup of prominent Texas art scholars and educational leaders. The general consensus among veteran CASETA participants was that this was the strongest set of presentations yet, each speaker providing important new information and each delivering their content in an extremely engaging manner.2012 Symposium Lecture hall

 

The Speakers

 

Andrew Walker, Director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art inaugurated the symposium by welcoming attendees to his newly adopted home town of Fort Worth - his presence at the Carter not only turning out to be an excellent choice for that city, but also adding an enthusiastic and respected new voice to the larger cause of Texas art as well! He offered an engaging keynote address that centered on the theme of Collecting for Social Purpose, and used the collecting legacy of American regionalist Joe Jones as backdrop for a compelling discussion on the need for American art museums to maintain commitment to the local art scene through exhibition and collection efforts. To the thrill of all present Walker shared his own vision of integrating significant Texas works into the permanent collection of the Amon Carter Museum over time-a wonderful way to stir up a symposium full of Early Texas Art enthusiasts.

 

Dr. Jack Davis, Dean Emeritus of the College of Visual Arts at The University of North Texas shared his superb new scholarship delving into the women artists of the Texas Centennial Exhibition, an event still recognized as one of the most important art exhibitions ever held on Texas soil.   His focus on early women artists was well-received and offered a perfect segue for enlightening presentations on Dallas sculptress, Allie Tennant presented by Austin College Professor and former State Historian, Light Cummins; as well as an outstanding overview of pioneering female modernist, Dorothy Hood offered by Curator Deborah Fullerton of the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi.

 

Collector and historian J.P. Bryan took participants to the far West edge of the state to describe the remarkable artistic and literary achievements of a triumvirate of El Paso giants - Jose Cisneros, Carl Hertzog and Tom Lea. In his presentation entitled, Iron Sharpens Iron, Bryan drew attention to the significance of the artist's eye and brush as critical elements in the fine art of bookmaking. His talk shed light on the technical and artistic genius evident among each of the subject artists, and underscored qualitative innovations and aesthetic synergism achieved in design and publication of fine Texas books through the lifelong collaborations of these gifted Texans.

 

Bryan's West Texas subject matter was complemented by the remarks of Mary Bones, Curator of Art at the Museum of the Big Bend. In her presentation on The Lost Colony, Ms. Bones rendered a well-researched historical overview of the important summer artist's colonies supported by Sul Ross State University over a forty year span. These long-running summer camps, the only such artist colonies sustained by a Texas university, were lead by some of the state's most prominent artist/instructors and served to bring many fine artists to the Big Bend to paint that section of Texas.

 

The Texas Art Fair

 

2012 CASETA Art FairThe Texas Art Fair was yet another splendid success and, as always, a popular gathering point for symposium attendees. CASETA's annual art fair represents the state's largest gathering of Texas art dealers each year, and provides Symposium guests with an excellent exhibition of early Texas art. The Fair is an excellent adjunct and serves to bring lectures alive by presenting actual examples of works by subject artists and, of course, offers Texas collectors in the crowd a great chance for acquisitions.

 

Seven art dealers presented a strong fare of Texas materials at this year's show. Dealers included:

 

Beuhler Fine Art (San Antonio)                  

Charles Morin's Vintage Texas Paintings (San Antonio)

David Dike Fine Art (Dallas)                                   

Cliff Logan Art & Antiques (Austin)         

Rainone Galleries (Arlington)

Heritage Auctions (Dallas)                           

William Reaves Fine Art (Houston)

 

Participating dealers reported strong interest in the works shown, with moderate to strong sales at virtually all booths. The show contained great examples of Texas art and artists from throughout the state, including notable works by Tom Lea, Porfirio Salinas, Robert Wood, Ella Mewhinney, Frank Reaugh, Ancel Nunn, Seth Floyd Crews, David Brownlow and Seymour Fogel.

 

 

 

Special Symposium Events

 

Again this year, the Symposium offered opportunities for members to attend special events held in conjunction with the conference. This year attendees were afforded an "insider's view" of two exceptional art museums within the city-The Sid Richardson Museum and The Amon Carter Museum of American Art.  

 

The Richardson Museum opened its doors to CASETA members on Saturday evening, hosting an exclusive reception and tour of the museum's collection of American Western Art. Attendees had time for a close-up view the museum's exceptional collection of Remington and Russell paintings (as well as other Western masters) collected by legendary oilman, Sid W. Richardson, during his lifetime. Museum staff also shared their findings to date on a staff research endeavor conducted especially on behalf of CASETA- examining the Texas experiences of Frederic Remington. With gracious hospitality, the museum offered CASETA members a wonderful evening, not only engaging fine examples of American Western art at its best, but also considering the collecting legacy of one of the state's earliest art collectors. From his vantage point as the sitter in the museum's fabulous Peter Hurd portrait, even Mr. Richardson seemed to smile a little bigger and nod approvingly to the CASETA crowd!

 

On Sunday afternoon, the Amon Carter Museum hosted the CASETA crowd for a guided tour of their Charles Russell watercolor exhibition, as well as a back-room view of selected additions to the museum's Texas holdings. Director Andrew Walker and Curator Becky Lawton lead contingents of CASETA-goers through an intimate and informative look at these exquisite works. The Carter is perhaps the state's finest repository of early American art and one of the jewels in the city's constellation of fine art museums. CASETA's afternoon event there was a wonderful finale for a highly successful symposium.

 

CASETA Awards for Advancement of Early Texas Art

 

As a part of the Symposium, CASETA presented its annual awards for excellence, acknowledging individuals and institutions who made outstanding contributions toward the preservation and advancement of early Texas art during the preceding year.

 

This year's recipients included David Dike, who received CASETA's Lifetime Achievement Award. Dike, a Dallas gallerist,2012DavidDike Lifetime Award was among the earliest art dealers in the state to specialize in Texas subject matter. Through his business and civic activities, Dike has been instrumental in building fine collections of Texas art and actively promoting a resurgence of interest in early Texas works. Through his gallery, David Dike Fine Art was the first to offer an annual Texas-specific art auction-a galvanizing and highly-anticipated part of the Texas scene now for over twenty-five years. He was a founding member of CASETA, and has generously supported the organization through direct gifts and in-kind support since its inception. CASETA was pleased to honor his many contributions to the organization, as well as his efforts to advance the cause of Early Texas Art.

 

CASETA also recognizes exhibitions and publications which expand the scholarship and literature base on early Texas art. This year, both exhibition and publication awards were simultaneously designated to the blockbuster project on Texas artist Alexandre Hogue. The Outstanding Exhibition Award went to Curators Susie Kalil and Deborah Fullerton, as well as the Art Museum of South Texas (as originating museum for the traveling exhibition) for the groundbreaking exhibition entitled Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary. The Grace Museum of Abilene and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History also received awards as traveling sites for this important exhibition.

 

CASETA's Outstanding Publication Award was also presented to Susie Kalil (author) and to the Texas A&M University Press (publisher) of Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary, the book bearing the same title as the exhibition, which served as 2012 KalilHogueAwardaccompanying catalogue for the event. In addition to her prowess as master curator, Kalil is among the state's most gifted arts writers. Kalil's close relationship with Hogue combined with her thorough research enabled her to offer poignant and insightful observations with regard to the artist and his work. Kalil's book now constitutes the authoritative work on Alexandre Hogue, and makes the case for this Texas artist's inclusion among the greats of American twentieth-century art. The Texas A&M Press, of course, is also no stranger to the field, the publishing house having been at the forefront of publishing in the area of Texas art since the days of founding director Frank Wardlaw and the endowed funding of Joe and Betty Moore establishing their fabulous series on Texas art in the 1970s. The A&M Press, as well as the Moores (now deceased), have been previously honored by CASETA for their many contributions to scholarship in the field. Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary is a continuation of this rich publishing legacy.

 

CASETA awards were also given for exemplary member service inside and outside the organization. The award for Distinguished Service Within the Organization going to George Palmer, Vice Chairman of CASETA board and co-chair of the Symposium Planning Committee. Palmer, a well-known collector and co-founder of TACO (Texas Art Collectors Organization), was acknowledged for exemplary efforts in shaping the Symposium program and for his fund-raising initiatives on behalf of the organization. The award for Distinguished Service Outside the Organization went to Fort Worth's Scott Barker. He was acknowledged for on-going work with the local collectors group, Collectors of Fort Worth Art, as well as his recent work with the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts to document and recreate a special exhibition of art mounted in Fort Worth conjunction with the last visit of President John F. Kennedy. Barker had previously received the CASETA research award, making him the first individual to receive multiple acknowledgements by the organization.

 

A Word About Our Sponsors

 

CASETA's annual Symposium represents the organization's major fund raising venue, and over the past ten years the organization has been fortunate to receive the financial support of individuals, corporations and institutions who contribute as sponsors of the event. This year was no exception, and it is important to acknowledge these individuals and organizations for their generous underwriting of the Tenth Annual Symposium. Sponsors include:

 

Heritage Auctions

David Dike Fine Art

Cynthia and Bill Gayden

Bobbie and John Nau

Geralyn and Mark Kever

Beverly and George Palmer

Juli and Sam Stevens

TACO (Texas Art Collectors Organization)

Hillary and Robert Summers

Alice and Charlie Adams

Mary and Bill Cheek

Judy and Stephen Alton

Jason Schoen

Linda and Bill Reaves

Tom and Tam Kiehnhoff

HETAG (Houston Earlier Texas Art Group)

 

In-Kind Sponsors:

Texas Wesleyan School of Law

Sid Richardson Museum

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

 

 

Special acknowledgment is due the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. The venerable Fort Worth foundation not only gave CASETA unprecedented access to the Richardson art collection for special event purposes, but also provided generous grant support to CASETA to underwrite symposium registration and annual membership dues for art and history teachers, university faculty and graduate students (in art and Texas history) in the DFW metroplex area. This is an award that will no doubt help CASETA compound its educational mission in the years to come.

 

To all sponsors, past and present, CASETA acknowledges our deepest appreciation, and our debt of gratitude for your support of the advancement of early Texas Art. We thank you all.

 

Get Ready Now for Next Year in San Antonio

 

CASETA's board has already begun plans for next year's symposium, and has established San Antonio as next year's conference destination. Stay tuned for dates and location coming very soon!

MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

 

Central Texas 

Laguna Gloria: Art and Nature

 

Austin Museum of Art

823 Congress Avenue at 9th Street

Austin, Texas

 

Throughout the history of art, nature has remained a leading influence on artists. The 12 artists featured in the exhibition examine this connection in a variety of ways. The installation of paintings, prints, sculpture, and photographs draws on work from the Austin Museum of Art's permanent collection, and makes a variety of connections to nature and the beautiful setting of the museum's 12-acre, historic site, Laguna Gloria.

 

Artists include Tre Arenz, Louisiana Bendolph, Mary Lee Bendolph, Keith Carter, Jeffrey Dell, David Everett, Kelly Fearing, Michael Frary, Dianne Grammer, David Julian Leonard, William Lester, and Cesar Augusto Martinez.

  

Go West! Representations of the American Frontier

January 14, 2012 - September 23, 2012

 

Blanton Museum of Art

The University of Texas at Austin

200 East Congress

Austin, Texas

  

The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin presents an exhibition exploring the pioneering American West as both a physical terrain and an idea deeply rooted in the American psyche. The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, and works on paper made in, and about, the American West by Henry Farny, Charles Russell, Maynard Dixon, and other artists from the Blanton's celebrated C.R. Smith Collection of Art of the American West, the largest installation of this collection in over a decade. Works of related content from the museum's holdings by Jerry Bywaters, Frederic Remington and others supplement the installation, along with borrowed works from the University's Harry Ransom Center and Briscoe Center for American History.

  

For more information: http://blantonmuseum.org 

 

North Texas     

Texas in the Twenties: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs from Lone Star Collections

March 4 - July 1, 2012 

 

Dallas Museum of Art

1717 North Hardwood

Dallas, Texas, 75201

  

To complement the exhibition Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties, the DMA presents Texas in the Twenties, and exhibition featuring images of Texas during the 1920s made by Texas artists. Gathering drawings, etchings, prints, and photographs loaned by local collections, the exhibition highlights scenes of Texas as well as the transitional time in Dallas history when it was on the verge of becoming one of our nation's largest and most vibrant cities. SHowcasing approximately thirty works by L.O. Griffith, Mary Anita Bonner, and Eugene Omar Goldbeck.

 

For more information: http://www.dm-art.org

 

Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas

May 20 - August 19, 2012

 

Dallas Museum of Art

1717 North Hardwood

Dallas, Texas, 75201

  

In 1952 George Grosz, the expatriate German Dadaist and satirist, was invited to Dallas by Leon harris, Jr., the young vice president of the Harris and Company department store. Harris had commissioned Grosz the create a series of paintings illustrating the landscape, economy, and society of Dallas for the store's 65th anniversary celebrations.  Grosz's series, called Impressions of Dallas, was exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in Fair Park in October 1952 and then in New York in 1954, but have since remained almost forgotten.

 

In 2012 on the 60th anniversary of the series' first presentation at the DMFA, the Dallas Museum of Art will present Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas. The exhibition will feature twenty works from the series, accompanied by a rich selection of historic photographs of Dallas, documenting the city as Grosz discovered it in 1952. 

 

For more information: http://www.dm-art.org

  

The Collection of Jerry Bywaters Chochran: A Lone Texas Legend 

June 3 - August 19, 2012 

 

Meadows Museum

5900 Bishop Blvd

Dallas, Texas 75205

  

Thanks to the most generous gift of Jerry Bywaters Cochran, the Meadows Museum has recently added more than forty works by Mrs. Cochran's father, Jerry Bywaters, to its collection. These works, which span the length of Bywaters's career, demonstrate an array of subject matter and a range in medium, from oil paintings and watercolors to pastels, graphite drawings, and prints. 

 

For more information: http://smu.edu/meadowsmuseum/

 

 

West Texas

Loren Mozley: Structural Integrity

May 10, 2011 - August 16, 2012

  

The Grace Museum

102 Cypress Street

Abilene, Texas 79601

  

This exhibition explores the work of an important American artists who bridged the gap between the two pivotal time periods in American art in his own personal venture into modernism. Bringing together important works by Loren Mozley (1905-1989) dating from the late 1930s through the 1970s from private and public collections provides a reexamination of his unique structured compositions and his contributions and responses to American and European modernism. 

  

For more information: www.thegracemuseum.org

 

Under the Influence: Three Generations of Artist-Teacher Relationships from the Albritton Collection

May 10 - August 16, 2012 

 

The Grace Museum

102 Cypress Street

Abilene, Texas 79601

  

This exhibition brings together three generations of artistic cross currents and afford the unique opportunity to examine selected artist-mentor relationships. Paintings by Loren Mozley, Otis Docier, DeForrest Judd, Dan Wingren, Roger WInter, John Alexander, David Bates, Brian Cobble, and Lilian Garcia-Roig are included in this exhibition. All of the artists included in this exhibition flourished in an environment that included group and solo exhibitions on the local, state, and national level. The Grace Museum is pleased to continue that tradition. 

  

For more information: www.thegracemuseum.org

 

 

Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color, 1885-1935

April 7 - September 3, 2012

 

Panhandle Plains Historical Museum

2503 4th Avenue

Canyon, Texas 79015

  

To break the stereotypes about Texas artists in the American Impressionism movement, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum presents Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color, 1885-1935.  This exhibition will show how Texas artists contributed to American Impressionism, whether their works depicted Texas or not. Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Art Michael R Grauer has chosen to rigidly adhere to a few Impressionist requirements for a painting to be included in the exhibition, namely the work must have been painting between 1885 and 1935, have a high-keyed palette bordering on and including the pastel colors and include active brushwork with short stroked applied quickly over the surface.

  

Featured artists include Julian Onderdonk, Robert Onderdonk, Jose Arpa, Edward G. Eisenlohr, Ella Koepke Mewhinney, Dawson Dawson-Watson, Seymour Thomas, Lucien Abrams, E. Richardson Cherry, and Frank Reaugh. 

  

For more information:  http://panhandleplains.org 

 

South Texas

San Antonio Collects: Theodore Gentilz and Mission lIfe of San Antonio and Northern Mexico

March 2 - May 20, 2012

 

San Antonio Museum of Art

200 West Jones Avenue

San Antonio, Texas 78215

 

Theodore Gentilz studied in Paris as a painter and surveyor before coming to Texas in 1844 with Henri Castro, the impresario who lured Alsatian settlers to the state with the promise of abundant land and natural resources. Gentilz, trained as both a surveyor and painter, quickly abandoned Castro and Castroville and settled in San Antonio, where he became the first art teacher at St. Mary's University.

 

Entranced by the already ruined but beautifully evocative missions around San Antonio, Gentilz dedicated himself to capturing images of the missions and the daily life of the citizens of Texas and northern Mexico. Focused around five important paintings that Gentilz left to St. Mary's University, the exhibition explores the missions, landscape and daily life of San Antonio prior to 1900.

 

For more information: https://www.samuseum.org/

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS

Southeast Texas

The Texas Aesthetic V: The Fifth Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Texas Regionalism  

May 11 - July 28, 2012

 

William Reaves Fine Art

2313 Brun Street

Houston, Texas 77019

 

 

Join us this summer at William Reaves Fine Art for Texas Aesthetic V - the fifth installment of the gallery's annual exhibition of contemporary Texas regionalism. This year's show features art by 14 of the gallery's Contemporary Texas Regionalists group plus 3 guest artists, from across the state. Participating artists represent the best of contemporary Texas painters and printmakers. Collectively, they present a rich and diverse array of styles to capture the vibrant landscape of the Lone Star State and large than life Texas culture Texans love.   

 

For more information: www.reavesart.com

EARLY TEXAS ART TRIVIA

MAY TRIVIA QUESTION

 

Which early Texas artist began a series of fourteen lithographs interpreting cotton and the cotton industry in 1938?

 

 

Respond to the editor at leslie@caseta.org. The first person to provide the correct answer will receive a free publication from CASETA.