July 21 - September 24, 2023
From the Rockport Center for the Arts:
“Featured in the RCA Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery, Drawn to Clay: Birds of Rockport showcases raku-fired Royal Terns, White Ibis, Wood Storks and Osprey perched on raku-fired pilings. The work was made specifically to fit the Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery.
“Debra Chronister really celebrates both the process of raku and the nature of birds in this new body of work,” said Elena Rodriguez, curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “Chronister gives the birds a lot of personality and character in their facial expressions and poses.”
A resident of Victoria, Texas, Chronister has earned multiple degrees including a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University where she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Secondary Art Education and Studio Art in 1985, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993. Currently an associate professor of art at Victoria College, Chronister has appeared in and written articles for various publications, is an annual lecturer and presenter for the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts, and has designed and fabricated awards for various festivals and competitions. She has participated in dozens of group and solo exhibitions throughout Texas including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | The Glassell School; The Contemporary at Blue Star, San Antonio; St. Edward’s University, Austin; and Texas Clay Arts Association, San Angelo; as well as the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans.
In addition to her love of art in all its forms, Chronister also is a certified yoga instructor who has hosted a special “Yoga for Potters” workshop for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts yearly conference since 2009.
“I am a ceramics teaching, animal training, yoga instructing, horse riding, bow-hunting, wilderness loving, chicken-wrangling, hemp-wearing, ukulele playing, ecstatic dancing, story-teller,” said Chronister. “I am especially appreciative of film, which combines all aspects of art-making into one grand experience.””
Reception: September 14, 2023 | 4–6 pm
638 E. Market St.
Rockport, 78382 TX
361-729-5519
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