This just in from lawyer Keith Jaasma of the Houston office of Patterson & Sheridan, LLP: Sculptor Bob Pack’s Pack Sports Bronzes, Inc. of Sugar Land (which has created numerous sculptures of some of the world’s greatest golfers) has settled its copyright infringement suit against Big Statues, Inc. of Provo, Utah over their unauthorized copying [...]
Author: Bill Davenport
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Virginia Billeaud Anderson Interviews Houston Artists on Boyd’s Blog, Ken Price Chimes In
The Great God Pan Is Dead blog has two exceptionally interesting pieces on Houston artists by Virginia Billeaud Anderson. She interviews Performance artist Emily Sloan about her repressed childhood, in the wake of her Funeral for the Living event on New Year’s Day at 14 Pews, and talks to Lynet McDonald about her upcoming show, [...]
Casey Williams, Noted Houston Photographer, Has Died
Noted Houston photographer Casey Williams died peacefully on January 1, after weeks in a coma brought on by complications from West Nile virus. Known for his “found abstractions”, taken on the Houston ship channel, until new Homeland Security rules curtailed his actiivties there in 2008, Williams persistent preoccupation with nuances of light and color led [...]
New Texan French Arts Alliance Project Opens the Door to Banal Public Art
The Texan French Alliance for the Arts, the well-intentioned and well-connected nonprofit that scattered Bernar Venet’s rusty steel curlicues across Hermann Park in 2009-2010, is at it again: TFAA and its partners have begun Open The Door, an “intercultural public art project” developed by TFAA’s executive director, Karine Parker-Lemoyne, and Romain Froquet, an artist of [...]
2013 Will Be The Year of the Art Guys: 30 Years Celebrated in only 12 Events!
In celebration of the new year, their 30th in partnership, Houston’s Art Guys have planned a busy, performance-a-month schedule for 2013. Centered around the city as canvas and their collaborative history on it, many of the promised “12 Events” combine typical Art Guys geography lessons and endurance trials: crossing and re-crossing a busy intersection all [...]
Blanton Museum Receives Iconic Fiberglass Sculptures By Luis Jiménez
The Blanton Museum has announced the acquisition of two large fiberglass sculptures by UT alumnus, Luis Jiménez, Progress II (1976/1999) and Cruzando El Rio Bravo [Border Crossing] (1989). “Over the past several months, Progress II has become one of the most visited works in the Blanton collection. Border Crossing is sure to draw similar attention. [...]
Meadows’ Coleman Gift: Five Proto-Modern Spanish Paintings
Alan B. Coleman, former dean of SMU’s Cox School of Business, and his wife, Janet M. Coleman have gifted the Meadows Museum with five important 20th century Spanish paintings (photos by Dimitris Skliris): Moulin Rouge, Exit to the Box Seats (Moulin Rouge, salida a los palcos), c. 1902, by Hermenegildo Anglada-Camarasa (1871-1959). Segovia, from Perogordo [...]
Start the New Year with a Funeral Party!
Houston artist Emily Sloan is inviting the public to start the new year right, with a Funeral Party on January 1! Although no actual deaths are involved, Sloan has included almost everything else in her participatory performance: an interactive funeral service (write a eulogy!), funeral pyre (bring your symbolic memorobilia!) improvised funeral music parade (bring [...]
Funeral History Museum Organizing Collector’s Group
The National Museum of Funeral History in Houston has proposed forming an association for Funeral Memorabilia Collectors. Their plans include providing a forum for guest speakers, shows, and gatherings. They’re inviting like-minded individuals to attend a preliminary meeting in January to help them organize and plan. The date is to be determined, contact Shelley Ott, [...]
RIPNEKST: Ex-Houston Graffiti Writer NEKST Has Died
Sean ??, aka NEKST has died. A noted graffiti writer since 1996, he began writing as Next in Houston, and was voted “best graffiti writer” in 2003, by the Houston Press, even as they suggested he move to escape relentless police pressure. He did a stint in Austin; Rachel Koper of Austin’s Women and Their [...]
DMA Leonardo Bid Rejected, But Let’s All Think About the Art of the Possible At the DMA Anyway
Michael Granberry reports in the Dallas Morning News that the DMA isn’t going to get the expensive Leonardo after all; (insert sigh, with relief, or disappointment, depending.) WHAT NOW?- it’s clear that the museum has, potentially, access to several tens of millions of dollars to acquire art, if donors think it’s worth it. Certainly enough, [...]
Inevitable Starchitecture: Romero’s Mexic-Arte Museum Maquette at the Guggenheim
The proposed big wheel/Aztec calendar design for a new Mexic-Arte Museum building on congress Ave. in Austin by Fernando Romero was part of the architect’s “You are the Context” exhibition and book launch held at the Guggenheim Museum on Dec. 12. Though widely criticised as stereotypically ethnic (with the Aztec calendar projection), too expensive, or [...]
De Vivi Mask Collection Donated to Mexic-Arte, on display in January
In other Mexi-Arte news, the museum has received the 300 piece Patricia and Carmine De Vivi Mexican Mask Collection. Mr. De Vivi began his visits to indigenous villages in the 1950′s and collected the masks used in rituals and dances. The De Vivis, who live in New Mexico selected Mexic-Arte Museum as the permanent home [...]
East Texas Evolution: News From Longview Museum of Fine Arts
Just after its 50th anniversary in 2008, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts began renovating its facade on Main St. in Longview. In 2011 it raised over$250,000 to begin work on renovations for its new ArtWorks: Creative Learning Center, an art space for creating and teaching, which opened in 2012 with artist, radio host, and [...]
Layer-Cake City: New Roman Excavation Finished, Subway, Under Art Center, Under Traffic Circle
Excavations for a new subway station in Rome had unsurprisingly, run afoul of “the most important Roman discovery in 80 years”, according to the Guardian (UK). While tunneling under the ancient Italian capital, railway workers uncovered an amphitheater built by the Emperor Hadrian in 123 c.e., which has been excavated and will open to the [...]
Houston Exports Art Car Jewelz to Baltimore Festival
Jewelz Cody, self described “Waterfowl Alignment Coordinator*” aka Artist Liaison/Coordinator & Producer for Art Car Weekend, who has been instrumental in coordinating the Houston Art Car Parade since it first began in 1986, will be curating the 20th Annual Art Car Show at the 32nd Annual Artscape festival in Baltimore, MD. Artscape, “America’s Largest Free [...]
Farewell, Domy, Farewell: Domy Books to Close Austin Store, Employee Take Over Creates New Farewell Books in February
After seven years as epicenter of alterna-zine culture in Austin, Domy books is closing. Houston businessman Dan Fergus, who owns Domy’s two locations has “withdrawn financial support” for the much-loved but presumably unprofitable store, which has been seeking alternative revenue by subletting sections of its gallery space to sub-retailers. Store manager/curator Russell Etchen is leaving, [...]
Inman Buys Into Midtown Redevelopment, Plans Studio/Office Complex in Historic Bermac Building
Kerry Inman, owner of Houston’s Inman Gallery, has closed a deal on the historic Bermac building building at 4101 San Jacinto and Cleburne St. in Midtown. Her company, Bermac Arts, LLC, plans to convert the 23,000sf space into artist’s studios and offices for arts-related businesses. She has selected John D. Blackmon, AIA, as project architect, [...]
Urban Artfitters League of El Paso Spreads Positive Murals Through Downtown Alleys
El Paso street artists Silver IsReal and Carlo Mendo have formed a new nonprofit, the “Urban Art Fitters League of El Paso” to paint downtown alleys with uplifting murals. Begun in April, their first project, “Make Love Not War” was a memorial to friends who died in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Painting with the permission [...]
City of El Paso Invites Artists to Decorate the Central Business District
On Wednesday, January 9, The City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department’s Public Art Program is inviting local artists to an informational session on their upcoming Central Business District Streetscape Public Art Project. The city’s $30,000 effort to make downtown El Paso more pedestrian friendly needs artists to devise “artistic elements for the [...]