Melanie Lawson and John Guess Jr.

HOUSTON, TEXAS–Melanie Lawson and John Guess Jr. stepped up in leadership and fundraising roles for Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) after its founding in 2000 by Mayor Lee P. Brown, and all collecting roads lead back to this institution. The Channel 13 anchorwoman (daughter of Civil Rights leader Reverend William Lawson) and Guess are passionate collectors, with an emphasis on African-American artists, studio glass, and contemporary. John says, “I started collecting in the 1990s after seeing college friends Leslie King-Hammond’s and Lowery Sims’ curating careers take off, and spending time with [Houston artists] David McGee and Tierney Malone. Melanie began expanding her passion for works by Kermit Oliver and glass art, which attracted us both.” The couple’s collection encompasses 19th-century American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner, who achieved international renown; 20th-century grand master Sam Gilliam; queen of beadwork and activism Joyce Scott; Richard Mayhew; and modernist Norman Lewis. Guess says, “We have a lot of Kermit Oliver, David McGee, and Hughie Lee-Smith, and glass artists Therman Statom, Ginny Ruffner, and Lino Tagliapietra.” Recent acquisitions include Houston talents: Christopher Blay’s highly charged depiction of an American flag and Ronald L. Jones’ visceral portrait sculpture.

ART:

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Sam Gilliam, Kermit Oliver, Joyce Scott, Richard Mayhew, Norman Lewis, Hughie Lee-Smith, David McGee, Tierney Malone, Dick Wray, Christopher Blay, Ronald L. Jones; glass artists Therman Statom, Ginny Ruffner, and Lino Tagliapietra

CV:

This couple blazed the path for the opening of Houston Museum of African American Culture in 2012. Museum CEO John Guess Jr. says, “I started collecting in the 1990s after seeing college friends Leslie King-Hammond’s and Lowery Sims’ curating careers take off, and spending time with [Houston artists] David McGee and Tierney Malone.”