Galveston’s best-kept secret? Catherine D. Anspon discovers that contemporary art — often important and world-class — abounds in this seaside mecca. Mix in a rich brew of history, dating back to the Karankawa Indians … the mythic landing of explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1528 … the island’s naming in 1785 by José de Evia for the then viceroy of Mexico, Bernardo de Gálvez … the land’s use as a pirate lair by Jean Laffite some decades later … and its resurgence as the largest and most eminent city of Texas by 1870, which gave birth to its fabled, grand Victorian residences. And that’s only the beginning. Here’s the latest historical and art buzz about this singular seaside resort.
Image left: Don Glentzer’s "Seawall Characters: Bikini on Bike," 1996, at DesignWorks Gallery
Image middle: Don Glentzer’s "Seawall Characters: Polka-dots," 1996, at DesignWorks Gallery
Image right: John C. Dyes’ "San Luis Pass," from the series “Galveston Water,” 1988/2008, at Buchanan Gallery
Curator’s Corner and Cover GirlArtists and Galveston have always been intertwined, the former lured to the island by the presence of old cotton warehouses and other abundant commercial buildings that make for light-filled studios. Incontestably the most prominent in the last 40 years was late painter Joe Glasco (1925 – 1996), who moved to Galveston in 1972 after a successful career in New York, including a 1952 MoMA exhibit with Rothko and Pollock. He took the Texas scene by storm with his ripped abstract canvases that earned him spots in the nationally touring mid-1980s exhibition “Fresh Paint: The Houston School” and in the 1991 Whitney Biennial. Glasco also influenced a generation of Gulf Coast artists, such as then Houston-based Julian Schnabel. Schnabel so respected the older artist that he cast him in several scenes in his film Basquiat and even dedicated the film to his memory after he passed away before its release.
Flash forward, and here are three contemporary talents who cast their eyes upon the island. These Texas photographers share a fascination with the place’s coastline, people, history and sun-washed ambiance, continuing the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose images for the classic 1966 volume
The Galveston That Was set the gold standard for Gulf Coast subject matter. Mid-career master Ann Stautberg contributed the images that grace our cover (from top):
8-28-00, Tx Coast, #9, 2000, and
6-21-96, P.M., Tx Coast, 1997. She snapped them in Galveston in black-and-white film, then meticulously hand-painted each image with colored oils. This former island resident, now based in Houston (represented by Wade Wilson Art; works from $3,500), is internationally exhibited, from the Shanghai Museum of Art to the MFAH’s Glassell School of Art. A 10-year retrospective of her work at the Galveston Arts Center in 2000 toured to four other venues statewide.
Another lensman with the island in his viewfinder is photographer Don Glentzer, represented in the permanent collections of the MFAH, the Houston Museum of Natural Science and The Witliff Collections at Texas State University – San Marcos. His work has ranged from editorial projects for
The New York Times Magazine and the
Los Angeles Times Magazine to his 2008 volume on 50 rose species,
Pink Ladies & Crimson Gents, co-authored with wife, writer Molly Glentzer. His series of saturated, almost hyperreal color portraits, made along the Seawall in the mid-1990s using an 8 x 10 view camera, captures an optimistic time and the beach babes and surfer dudes who inhabited it (through DesignWorks Gallery, Galveston, from $650).
Of a different nature entirely are the timeless black-and-white prints by Dickinson, Texas–based John C. Dyes, recently on view at Buchanan Gallery as its FotoFest show. (The gallery also represents him, with his work beginning at $500 for silver gelatin prints.) Focused on the coastline and distilling it down to its essentials — broad swaths of sea and sky — the chemical engineer turned fine art photographer (who holds a BFA and MFA from, respectively, Rice and UH) created epic views of the island’s “Resplendent Shores.”
Image: Pottery by John Cowan
Claymation
You could say it’s all in the family: We’ve learned that the son of the late sporting master John P. Cowan — whose watercolors rivaled Winslow Homer’s — is also an artist. John Cowan Jr. is enraptured not by painting, but by clay. Largely self-taught, the Texas native began throwing pots seven years ago and has now produced a body of work formed from Ohio and Georgia clays, ornamented by handmade glazes. The pitchers, teapots, plates and other vessels surprise with their dramatic constructivist shapes and droll detailing, including tiny pottery buttons. Now Cowan is moving from Tennessee back to Texas, relocating to Galveston this spring, where he plans to set up a new studio showcasing his way with clay. Information
cowan_pottery@yahoo.com.
Best VolumesComing this summer and fall are two must-read books that unveil even more about this unique place’s history and architecture, penned by a pair who know it well: Brian Davis and Denise Alexander of the Galveston Historical Foundation. Davis’ volume, "Lost Galveston" (set for a July 19 release), presents rare images of the city’s lost buildings that have been demolished or destroyed by fire or natural disaster. Alexander’s "Historic Downtown Galveston and Strand District" emphasizes culture, history, architecture and Galveston’s founding citizens. Both by Arcadia Publishing, $21.99 each, at the Bishop’s Palace and GHF on the Strand.
Image: Galveston Arts Center
Preservation ProgressAll American eyes are on Galveston’s endangered cast-iron buildings, with the most visible being the Galveston Arts Center on a prime corner of The Strand National Historic Landmark District. Happily, as reported on our cover, the GAC is on its way to being saved. Historic preservation consultant Steph McDougal reports, “To date, we have raised about $1.6 million of the $3.2 million needed to complete the restoration of the 1878 First National Bank Building.” The regal neoclassical brick edifice has been the Center’s home since it was deeded to them in 1968 by the Junior League of Galveston County. While continuing to seek funding from various public and private sources, GAC’s restoration and accessibility project is well underway, directed by architect David Watson (best known for his award-winning work on another pair of historic Galveston sites, the 1861 United States Customs House and the Garten Verein Pavilion). Assisted by structural engineer James Austin and cast-iron restoration specialist Doug McLean, Watson is working towards completion as soon as possible, with the date dependant on funding. The project received welcome news this past December: The Texas Historical Commission awarded the Galveston Arts Center a $30,000 grant towards installing a new handicapped-accessible elevator in the soon-to-be restored building (GAC was one of only nine THC grant recipients during the past two years).
Walk This WayGet ready for the next monthly ArtWalk on Saturday, May 29. More than 15 galleries and spaces — including restaurants, clubs and artists’ lofts — will unveil paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and craft along Strand, Postoffice and neighboring streets, with most spaces open from 6 to 9 pm. The 20-year monthly tradition is organized by the Galveston Arts Center. And don’t miss our fave, Buchanan Gallery, sited in an 1874 storefront at 220 25th Street, where owner/director Kathryn Buchanan currently showcases a duo who work in encaustic, Gwendolyn Plunkett and Deanna Wood (through May 22). Information
buchanangallery.com,
galvestonartscenter.org.
Inspiring Arches Did you know about the seven significant architects who were tapped to transform downtown Galveston with a suite of beckoning arches? This innovative public art program that was initiated by native Dancie Ware jump-started the island’s revival.
Image: Howard Sherman’s E"ating Your Friction," 2008, at GAC in Exile 2
Meanwhile … A Must-See: Mr. Ab ExGalveston Arts Center in Exile 2 (2501 Market Street at 25th, 409.763.2403;
galvestonartscenter.org) is mounting a buoyant show that salutes the grand tradition of abstract expressionism. Houston maestro Howard Sherman’s fearless gestural paintings increasingly incorporate marker with acrylic. They hum with a frenetic energy and high-voltage palette, and often feature mad dashes of cartooning. “Eating Your Friction” reprises the artist’s 2008 show for the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, then adds in recent canvases (through May 23).
Home as Castle
Perhaps the most popular happening
along this coastal retreat is its annual Historic Homes Tour, a
preservation-centered fund-raiser now in its 36th year, benefitting the
Galveston Historical Foundation. Held over two consecutive weekends this
month (May 1 – 2, 8 – 9, 10 am to 6 pm daily), the trek peers into 10
privately owned mansions and cottages. This year’s theme: “Going Green
— What’s Old Is New Again”
Tickets $20 in advance, $25 beginning May
1, through galvestonhistory.org and at all
Galveston- and Houston-area Kroger Food Stores.
First
Lady of Texas Politics
“He was born with a silver foot in
his mouth” was an oft-quoted quip by one of the brightest and boldest
of Texas politicians. That bon mot was uttered by Ann Richards, the late
governor who often was called upon to orate at statewide and national
conventions. Now meet the real Miz Richards — at least on stage — in an
engaging biographical work presented by The 1894 Grand Opera House.
Emmy-winning actress Holland Taylor stars in the one-woman sketch
Money,
Marbles & Chalk, which she researched for three years to
capture the cadence of the mythic queen of Texas politics.
Friday
through Sunday, May 14 through 16; information thegrand.com.