Glasstire counts down the top five art events in Texas.
For last week’s picks, please go here.
Kaleta Doolin, “Steel Afghan,” 2005, chain, dyed wool, and commercial yarn, approximately 60 x 40 inches.
1. Kaleta Doolin: Crazier than Crazy Quilts
Erin Cluley Gallery (Dallas)
April 1 – May 6, 2023
From Erin Cluley Gallery:
“Erin Cluley Gallery and Cluley Projects are pleased to announce Crazier than Crazy Quilts — a survey of works by Dallas-based artist Kaleta Doolin. The solo exhibition will be on view at both gallery locations.
Crazier than Crazy Quilts, featuring more than three decades of Doolin’s work, includes the feminist’s contributions to the arts; her artistic practice speaking to accomplishments in sculpture, textiles, book arts, installation and conceptual art. Since 1988, Doolin has developed a style to facilitate her intersectional social critique. Casting traditionally domestic items in steel and iron, her sculptural work reverses the cultural equation of femininity with weakness. Rusting doilies and patinaed florals carry on the legacies of their referents, putting Doolin in dialogue with artists like Betye Saar, Méret Oppenheim and Louise Bourgeois. By working with found objects, these artists encourage future generations to eschew the oppressive constraints of domesticity as it was, and still is, exercised on women.”
Leila McConnell, “The Black Band,” 1975, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 inches.
2. Leila McConnell: Somewhere Beyond
Foltz Fine Art (Houston)
March 4 – April 29, 2023
From Foltz Fine Art:
“Foltz Fine Art presents Somewhere Beyond by Leila McConnell (b. 1927). Somewhere Beyond features approximately 30 works, including works on canvas and collages created by McConnell throughout her life. Across all media, McConnell’s work reflects an ability to transport viewers to a place that extends beyond what is immediately visible or familiar. Similarly, her works maintain a certain affective quality as they often evoke feelings of belonging, curiosity, peace, and even despair among viewers. Somewhere Beyond invites viewers to examine McConnell’s body of work, to question what is seen, and consequently, to think deeply about what transpires within themselves.”
Einar and Jamex de la Torre, “Mitosis,” 2008, blown-glass, mixed-media art with resin castings, 48 x 48 x 9 inches. Courtesy of Einar and Jamex de la Torre.
3. Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective
Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi)
April 21 – September 30, 2023
From the Art Museum of South Texas:
“Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective makes the first stop on its national tour at the Art Museum of South Texas. Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of Riverside Art Museum, the exhibition features art by the internationally acclaimed artist duo (and brothers) Einar and Jamex de la Torre. The 40 mixed-media works include blown-glass sculptures and installation art, plus some of the artists’ latest lenticulars with imagery that changes as the viewer moves from side to side.
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, and now living both in San Diego and Baja California, Einar and Jamex de la Torre have navigated life on both sides of the border since their youth and have inherited their own unique vision of the Latinx experience and American culture. Their work is visually complex and infused with humorous elements exploring art, history, and material culture. Working with glass, resin, lenticular prints and found objects, the brothers create work inspired by Mexican folk art, popular culture, religious imagery, consumer culture, and mythology. Many elements of the exhibition, including the title and curatorial framework, try to echo the creative process of the artists, serving as an allegory of their intellectual pursuits, their technical use of materials and media, and their use of wordplay and poetic riddles.”
Ann Stautberg, Frank X. Tolbert 2. Photo courtesy of Andrew Durham Gallery.
4. Ann Stautberg, Frank X. Tolbert 2
Andrew Durham Gallery (Houston)
March 11 – April 29, 2023
From Andrew Durham Gallery:
“Andrew Durham Gallery (formerly Studio 1821) is pleased to announce the exhibition of recent works by Ann Stautberg and Frank X Tolbert 2. This will mark Ann and Frank’s first show together featuring both of their works since their 1978 show at DW Gallery, in Dallas. Although married, they have always maintained separate practices, and this show commemorates many decades of their lives together.
Ann Stautberg, was featured with Frances Bagley and Becky Newsom in a 2016 exhibition at Studio 1821, in Houston. In her current exhibition, Ann continues with the work she first addressed in 2017. Her work has continued to reflect and evolve through the use of silhouetted botanical shapes that have an underlying quality reflective of the mood of the times. She works with film that is then scanned & printed with archival ink onto canvas, hand painted with translucent oils & then stretched.
Frank X Tolbert 2, presented his Texas Bird Project in 2015, at Studio 1821, and this new body of work is a continuation on that work. In this imagery Frank pays homage to the underdog of birds, the grackle, a bird that he is attracted to because of its strong silhouette, intelligence, iridescence, and odd vocalizations. Frank works on canvas in oil sticks, oil paints, and pencils. Both artists have shown in the United States and internationally. Their works are in many prestigious collections, and included in major museums.”
Kaldric Dow, “Dynamic,” on view at Culture Commons Gallery.
5. Between Yesterday & Tomorrow
Culture Commons Gallery (San Antonio)
January 19 – November 17, 2023
From Culture Commons Gallery:
“Experience new perspectives at the upcoming Between Yesterday & Tomorrow exhibit. Curated by Barbara Felix and presented by The City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture, this exhibition will showcase a multifaceted collection of local Black artists as they share their cultural and life experiences through their work. Themes include Black history and identity, family dynamics, social connections, spirituality and resilience. The artworks include drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, digital media, assemblage, sculpture and quilting.
‘The goal was to drive the collective vision of Black contemporary artists as documentarians of the historical and social conscience of their time,’ Curator Barbara Felix commented. ‘When the individual selected works came together in the gallery, I realized the prospect of this show was coming to fruition in a way that beautifully celebrates each artist and their vision.’”
Dorothy Hood, “Over the Counter,” 1983, collage on mat, 32 x 20 inches, courtesy of McClain Gallery
Bonus Pick: Glasstire’s 2023 Online Auction!
Closing on April 28 at 10:15 PM
This year’s Glasstire Auction features 50 artworks by 40 Texas artists, including Dorothy Hood, Toni LaSelle, Matt Kleberg, Robin Utterback, Rachel Comminos, Kevin Todora, Jay Shinn, Debra Barrera, and many others. To see the full auction and to register and bid, please go here.
