Bill Davenport to step down as editor of Glasstire

Bill Davenport at his eponymous junk store

Today Bill Davenport announced that he will be stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of Glasstire at the end of April to focus on his work as an artist. A longtime fixture of the Houston art scene, both as an artist and a writer, Bill has served at the helm of Glasstire for the past two years.

Founder Rainey Knudson said, “When Bill became Editor-in-Chief in 2013, I asked him to stop working as an artist, which he did. It was an enormous sacrifice, and I will always be grateful to him for that. Bill enthusiastically stepped into the role and brought his energy and iconoclastic vision to the site. Over the past two years under his leadership, our absolute unique visitors increased 60 percent, we’ve strengthened our editorial staff and introduced new features like our Top 5 video series.”

Davenport was Glasstire’s first writer, contributing a weekly column titled “Tire Iron” in 2001-2002, and later serving as News Editor from 2007 to 2013. “Bill has been with Glasstire since the very beginning and has helped build the site. He will continue to contribute to Glasstire in the future, which I’m very pleased about,” said Knudson.

In the coming months, the Glasstire staff will be retooling the site’s design and adding new contributors to our content. Knudson (who founded Glasstire in 2001 and who has focused on the administrative side of the organization since 2004) will step into an actively editorial role for the first time in a decade, to guide Glasstire through the redesign and editorial transition.

“For decades, Bill Davenport has been a vital presence in the Houston art community. His independence and artistic vision have helped strengthen Glasstire in the two years he’s served as Editor-in-Chief,” said Glasstire’s board president Julie Kinzelman. “This transition will begin a new chapter for Glasstire, as we look to the launch of our new speaker series this fall, and as Rainey returns to editorial work.”