As the Old Jail Art Center celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, the REN Archives takes a look back at the beginning and one of the individuals who made it all possible.
William Reilly Nail, Jr. (known to all as Reilly) was born on July 3, 1927, the son of William R. "Bill" and Wyldon Burgess Nail. He attended schools in Albany, Texas before graduating from high school at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell in 1945. After a short time spent with the US Navy he entered Princeton University and graduated in 1950 with a degree in art and archeology.
Nail spent the next 30 years living in New York City and working as a television producer for various companies, including CBS-TV, Young and Rubicam, and Filmex. Some of his more well known projects include the television show Gunsmoke and the Masters Gold Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. For the later, Nail was awarded the 1966 New York City Art Directors Award for this documentary 'Magic of the Masters'.
But it was in 1968, after the death of this Uncle Bobby (Robert E. Nail, Jr. playwright and creator of the Fort Griffin Fandangle) that Nail's thoughts started to turn back towards home. In February of 1977 a small group of ten people, including Nail and his mother Wyldon, along with his cousin, Fort Worth Circle artist Bill Bomar, met at Fort Worth's Rivercrest Country Club to discuss what the future of the jail building might look like. They ended their luncheon meal with a commitment to establish what would become the Old Jail Art Center and by that December an official charter to establish the Old Jail Foundation was written, followed by an official non-profit designation received the following October.
On December 19, 1980 after many years of planning and fundraising, in addition to a year of building renovation, the Board of the Old Jail Foundation opened the doors to its museum. Throughout all of the process Nail's personality and leadership were invaluable, his magnetism energizing board, staff, and volunteers alike with his own enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication. Nail served 16 years as the Executive Director and one of his major accomplishments was spearheading the effort to apply for accreditation from the American Association of Museums, a herculean feat accomplished only nine years after the museum first opened.
In 1996 Nail retired from active participation in the daily activities of the museum, but he remained an important presence on the board as a trustee advisor. In 2002, he was named Trustee of the Year by the Texas Association of Museums, and throughout the rest of his life continued to promote and support the work of emerging Texas artists.
Reilly Nail's considerable legacy has influenced the development and growth of the Old Jail Art Center in countless ways. The scope of the fine art collection, as well as many of the programs and exhibitions seen today, such as the Cell Series, have their basis in his original vision. As the museum looks forward to the next 40 years it does so from the solid foundation set in place by Nail and all of those who worked with him.
Molly Sauder, Archivist
READ MORE FROM OJAC STAFF
