Always Hard to Say Goodbye

In 2016, when I came to OJAC, I was a new teacher and had minimal experience with museum work. On my first day here I toured students through the galleries and I helped put on a Hanami Family Festival within my first week. I can tell you pace never slows here at OJAC.

Erin and I have worked tirelessly and seen exponential growth in the education programs during the last five years. We’ve said goodbye to some events and traditions as they outlived their time and introduced new ones that at times even surprised the two of us. When I joined the Art-to-Go program we were serving something around 2,250 students each month and now that number is closer to 3,800. I’ve driven countless miles from Abilene to Albany, to Cisco, to Throckmorton, Roscoe, Rule, and beyond. I’ve interviewed, trained, and said goodbye to nearly 20 high school interns; Driven Junior Docents on more than 8 field trips to San Angelo, Fort Worth, and Dallas art museums; I’ve written many lesson plans for over a dozen Teacher Workshops and prepared thousands of craft supply baggies for students kindergarten through 12th grade across West Texas.

This week I officially said goodbye to OJAC and started teaching full time at Texas Leadership Charter Academy in Abilene. It’s been a long time coming and yet somehow feels very sudden. I will no longer be commuting back and forth to Albany and I’m excited to be back in the classroom full time, working with the same students everyday. I’ve always been passionate about art and encouraging and empowering the artist in others. I love investing in the lives of my students and having a front row seat to watch them grown and mature into good people.

But 5 and a half years is a long time and I’ve grown accustomed to certain rhythms and seeing certain faces 40-50 hours a week while at OJAC and I will definitely feel their absence. Change is always bittersweet. I’ve made many wonderful memories during my time here and there is so much I will miss terribly!

I look forward to monthly visits from OJAC in my classroom and am thrilled to be able to share Art-to-Go with my new students as it is such an incredible resource! Just as I told my fellow coworkers - OJAC, it’s not ‘goodbye’, but ‘see you later!’

Molly Merck, Education Programs Coordinator

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AAPI Heritage: Pali Manuscripts

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and with a collection like OJAC’s we can’t help but celebrate! One South Asian piece we love to share with visitors of all ages is our Pali Manuscript.

This artifact is from Myanmar, an old country with a new name. It used to be called Burma. Myanmar is known for fishing, agriculture, ancient traditions, and artisans. The country itself is almost the exact same size as the state of Texas!

A MANUscript, by definition, is something written by hand. Ours is written in an ancient Burmese language called Pali (pronounced pah-lee) native to countries like Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. There are very few people left in the world who speak this language and only a few more who can translate it.

The hand-penned bamboo pages are protected by a long, exterior shell encrusted with gold, jewels, glass, and stone. Once opened, the pages extend out in an accordion fold as opposed to turning like a book. At over 200 pages and over 200 years old this artifact is a prized part of the OJAC collection.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Director

Buddhist Pali manuscript, 19th century. Burmese. Ink on paper; gilt and lacquered wood with stone and glass inlay. 1981.326

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For Everything a Season

Happy New Year! We welcome 2021 and all that it has in store for us! Last year was a trying one for many. In 2020 we saw change in almost every aspect of our lives - personal, professional, and everything in between. While some of these changes resulted in a positive shift of pace or priority, others drug us “kicking and screaming” into spaces of great discomfort, instability, anxiety, and frustration.

You might have noticed a common theme as many sought to leave 2020 behind us. “A new year, a fresh start and everything will be better this time!” Well, 2021 is not guaranteed to solve all the problems but the rest of it is true. A new beginning feels hopeful. We may be in the dead of winter now, but it won’t be long before spring comes with cleansing showers and growth. Then summer with sunshine and a joyful splash. And after that the crisp air of autumn will offer an opportunity to clear minds and prepare for rest.

Artist Gene Owens reflected on this idea when creating a sculpture series of four porcelain trees, one for each season. He said the winter tree took him the longest to create. He wrestled with how to depict this final season. What should it look or feel like? In conversation with OJAC’s Director and Curator he said,

“Finally in a flash it hit me how I wanted to finish it. Did you notice how feminine it looks? It looks like and feels like the blush on the face of a woman with child. To me winter gives birth to the other three seasons!”

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter Tree, Spring Tree, Summer Tree, Autumn Tree, Gene Owens, 1982, Porcelain, 2009.17, 14, 15, 16

You might be elated at the start of the new year or you might have anxiety for the unknown, either way we look ahead with great anticipation. We can’t know what is to come but we do know there will be many different seasons both up and down and this present moment, the winter season, gives birth to it all.

Molly Gore Merck

Education Coordinator

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Patolli: Harvest Game of the Aztecs & Maya!

It’s harvest season! And one of my favorite things about this time of year is that it’s a reminder of the connection we have to peoples all over the world and throughout history. It’s one piece of the human experience that has existed for centuries across cultures and continues to exist for many people today.

The Aztecs depended on a good harvest to sustain their culture, economy, their livelihood, and even their social standing in the community.

Who were the Aztecs? They were farmers, warriors, engineers, traders, and artists. They were a rich and powerful people who lived in what is now the southern portion of Mexico. Until the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors about 500 years ago, the Aztec Empire was one of the largest and most advanced civilizations in Latin American history.

The Aztec people had a game they liked to play during the harvest season. (This was a game also played by the Maya and Toltecs before them!) It was a game of strategy and luck, and a local event that attracted players both common-born, nobility, and everyone in between.

The game was called Patolli. Players of Patolli would meet during the Harvest and bring their wealth and crops with them… to gamble. Interested players would choose an opponent by inspecting the belongings they were betting. Players bet 6 things each, represented by their playing pieces or “counters”. They might bet blankets, precious stones, gold jewelry, food, livestock, or the season’s crop. Betting one’s crops was extremely dangerous because it represented all the money, food, and comfort a man and his family would have for the year. In extreme cases, players would bet more than their crops, they might even bet their homes, family members, or their own personal freedom. Agreeing to play against someone was not done casually. This was a serious decision as the winner of the game would ultimately win all of the opponent’s store of offerings and the loser could walk away with nothing to show for a year’s worth of work and investment.

A Patolli gameboard had 52 spaces arranged in the shape of an “X”. It was often drawn on a piece of leather, on a straw mat, or carved into the floor or table top. Each player had six counters that represented their 6 belongings up for grabs and 5 beans that were used as a type of dice.

Seated Zapotec Corn God, Zapotec, Post Classic (900-1100 A.D.), Ceramic, 1994.037

This is a Pre-Columbian artifact in the Old Jail Art Center’s collection. It’s a sculpture of an Aztec Deity important to the Harvest Season. Look closely at the details. What important crop do you see incorporated in their attire? This deity was important for the harvest because they represented the healthy corn or maize crop. They were also associated with luck, gambling, and games. Any farmer knows that every time a seed is planted it’s a game of chance as to what the year will hold and whether the crops will succeed. Before playing the game of Patolli, the Aztecs would often beseech this figure for luck and prosperity. They were believed to act as an invisible, but very present third player in each game. Note their presence in the illustration below. The Aztecs believed this deity could change the luck of a player and cause him to win or to lose. So don’t dishonor or upset them because you’re gonna want ‘em on your side!

When Spanish priests arrived with the conquistadors they forbade the game of Patolli. Possibly due to the connection with what they believed to be a “false deity” or may it was because some people were actually selling themselves or their families into slavery over it. The priests were even known to have burned the hands of people caught playing the outlawed game.

Today at OJAC, we use this game as a teaching tool and a window into the everyday lives of the Aztec people when teaching Spanish students in our outreach programs. Even the most reluctant student can’t help but get caught up in the aspects of risk and chance and we even have a good time with jokes about betting one’s younger siblings in order to get them out of our hair.

I hope you’ll enjoy the harvest season and maybe give Patolli a try when the family visits over the holidays! Just don’t bet the farm!

Molly Gore Merck, Education Director

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Harvest Holidays: The Mid-Autumn Moon Fest, China

In West Texas we’re beginning to feel a slight drop in temperature as one of the markers for the autumn season heading our way. Many are beginning to look forward to the holidays and all the goodness that accompanies this special season and the refresh it brings. But Texans and Americans aren’t the only ones currently in preparation for upcoming holidays.

The Mid-Autumn Festival or the Moon Festival is a thanksgiving holiday for many people in the country of China. The Moon Festival is celebrated by families in China as a time to give thanks for a good year and to come together with their loved ones. It’s one of the most important holidays of the year in Chinese culture.

It’s celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month which means that it does not always fall on the same date in the solar calendar but is always between mid-September and mid-October. In 2020, the festival will be celebrated on October 1st.

The holiday began, much like American Thanksgiving, as a harvest festival. It marked the time when farmers had finished gathering their crops and would come together with their families to celebrate a successful year.

Still today, even if they live far away from one another, families come together on this holiday. They have picnics outside under the moon and lantern-light, and enjoy special foods.

Most traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival center around the symbol of the moon. On the night of the festival the moon is bright and full in the sky. The Moon is reflected and depicted in every aspect of the festivities. From the bright, round and spherical lanterns hanging near buildings and on tree limbs to the round and golden “mooncake” treats, participants are reminded of the legendary origins of the tradition. To the Chinese, the roundness of the moon symbolizes harmony and its fullness symbolizes wholeness, so families come together to celebrate those two virtues.

Like many western holidays, the festival is steeped in folk-lore and ancient tradition. One important folktale in Chinese culture tells the story explaining the shape of the rabbit that many people see on the moon’s surface. For this reason, the moon is also an important symbol for this holiday as the rabbit in this story exemplified great determination, hard work, and selflessness.

Moon-shaped fruits like pomelos, grapes, and Asian pears are enjoyed as well as round cups of tea. The peel of the pomelo can also double as a party hat for little ones and pets!

Kids are allowed to stay up late and parade with lanterns in the moonlight. Adults sometimes read or recite moon-inspired poems, and everyone in the family sends a secret, unspoken wish up to the moon.

This is a lantern in the OJAC collection which depicts the festivities of the Mid-Autumn Moon festival. It’s not the type of lantern that can be hung on a tree branch outdoors but rather one that sits safely on a table and glows when a candle is placed inside. It’s made of fine porcelain, sometimes known as fine “china” for its origin and the country’s early proficiency in the material. Can you see the ornate and delicate hand-painted details? The figures carry instruments and lanterns as they walk joyfully in Mid-Autumn parade.

Lantern with Pedestal Stand, “One Hundred Boys” motif, Early 19th Century
Chinese, Qing Dynasty
Porcelain with overglaze enamels
1993.067.01

As we approach the date of this special holiday, we will miss celebrating in person with a family festival this year. We do, however, look forward to celebrating with students, teachers, and families through our virtual outreach programs and are already preparing supplies and crafts to send out far and wide as we share our enthusiasm for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and all it represents!

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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HERstory: OJAC Staff Female Artist Faves!

In celebration of HERstory week, some of our OJAC staff are sharing their favorite female artists from the museum collection. Enjoy!

Pat Kelly; Executive Director and Curator
Helen Altman- Even thought there are many other female artists in the collection who could qualify as my “favorite.”  I have admired Altman’s work over the years in that it is always evolving and changing. Yet, constant and subtle motifs and concepts flow through all her series.  

Molly Sauder; Archivist and Librarian
Evaline Sellors- A role model and artistic instructor for many emerging Fort Worth artists of the 1940s and beyond, her own body of work contains many sensitive representations of people and animals that I love.

Amy Kelly; Registrar
Agnes Martin- I enjoy the tension between perfection and imperfection in her work. I love looking at her work and thinking about something she once said, “From music, people accept pure emotion. From art, they demand explanation.”

Jewellee Kuenstler; Texas History Programming & Curriculum Coordinator
Alice Reynolds- I love her colorful depiction of moments in our local history. She makes the scene come alive as she captures the people, their clothing, and their actions that are forever recorded at that moment in time. From a historian’s view, it brings a fresh perspective to a past event. 

Molly Merck; Educational Programming Coordinator
Lia Cuilty- I find beauty in simplicity. I love the stark, black and white, prints she made, drawing your attention to the delicate and tiny details. I’ve enjoyed learning about her family ties to Mexico and how her etchings and artworks were a visual reminder of her childhood memories of home. 

Susan Montgomery; Membership and Development Coordinator
Helen Altman- I love the fact she takes ordinary, everyday objects and sees the potential to create from their existence. The commonplace materials that Altman chooses to create her masterpieces are fascinating. 

Hannah Rankin; School Outreach Instructor
Cynthia Brandts- What I love most about Cynthia Brandts is how her surroundings inspired her artwork. As a Texas native as well, her work reminds me of home and the views that we share.

Erin Whitmore; Education Director
Louise Nevelson- As a child I learned of her immigrant story and the influence of her family and culture in her sculpture. I love the variety of her media and the power of her monotone palette.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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Summer Camp from the Kitchen Table

This August’s camps looked a little different than previous summers but the OJAC Education Department had no shortage of fun planning them!

K-6th graders from all over Texas registered to participate in this years virtual art camps. (Living 6 hours away from the museum is no problem when the experience is virtual!) Each day, students opened new envelopes of supplies, snacks, and gifts while watching pre-recorded videos put together by OJAC’s education staff.

Here at the OJAC, you know we love a cultural deep dive! We take any opportunity to explore artifacts from the many countries represented in our collection- which is why our annual Cultural Connections Camp is a staff favorite! Each summer for the last 20 years, we have explored a different culture from our collection with our K-6th graders- celebrating the history, traditions and art, as well as the food, music and games of each location! This year’s focus was the Andean cultures of Peru…so we were able to investigate pre-Colombian collection artifacts from the Moche, Chimu and Inca. It’s clear from the images and feedback we’ve received that the kids loved the lessons and crafts as much as we did! (Which is quite a lot! Who wouldn’t love weaving a mini llama blanket with pompoms or a custom, tooled- metal headband?!) They enjoyed the music of mountain-top musicians, explored the terrain of the Andes and the architecture of Machu Picchu, tried their hand at Incan symbols, and watched an ancient Sun Festival!

We’ve already shipped out supplies for our Things on Strings Puppetry Camp this week (a local legend for over 30 years!) and we’re deep in preparation for Frontier Days: the Tonkawa! next week. Our local history archives are such a great resource for bringing the past to life, and our THCP Coordinator, Jewellee Kuenstler, always know how to make it fun! She can’t wait to introduce our students to the indigenous Tonkawa culture of central and north Texas with cultural crafts, music and food!

We are having a blast with this new format and feel grateful for the accessibility it has created for our programming. Check back for more images from the upcoming weeks as parents across the state share their students kitchen-table camp creations!

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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Art #athomewithOJAC

I never anticipated becoming a “tutorial girl”. I have spent the last four plus years at OJAC assisting and facilitating educational offerings on-site at the museum and, through Art-to-Go, as a guest in K-12 classrooms throughout Region 14 and beyond. But when schools send the students home and museums are forced to temporarily close their doors due to a worldwide pandemic you have to come up with a new temporary plan. How could we continue to teach students that we can't see in person? 

As you’re probably aware by now, since Mid-March the education staff at OJAC have been working hard to provide a variety of opportunities for our friends both local and “far-flung” to continue their art education and engagement with OJAC. For me, a big part of this initiative has been creating video content for our social media platforms.

Virtual Tours

In a series called OJAC tiny-tours, I’ve been able to introduce “virtual visitors” near and far to pieces from the OJAC collection many of which haven’t seen as many faces as we’d like because they’ve been on display in the museum while we’ve been closed. I love getting to share a more personal experience with the artwork and open up a slightly more in depth conversation about these incredible pieces of art. 

Studio Demos

In addition to the tours, I’ve also had the opportunity to create demo videos that guide viewers step-by-step through a variety of different studio processes using supplies and materials from home or the grocery store. We’re calling this video series #StayHomeStudio. Watching on a computer screen is an unusual way to learn a new art technique as that’s usually a pretty hands-on process. But we refuse to stop engaging our members, visitors, and friends even during this time of social distancing. 

We encourage you to take this time to learn something new and try your hand at a new art medium while in the comfort of your own home. We’ve done our best to make it easy for you to continue to engage in so many aspects of the art world and a variety of cultures. So take advantage of it! 

Look for these videos and much more on our website and social media platforms! 

Molly Merck, Education Coordinator

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Alternative Outreach

My name is Hannah Rankin. I am a School Outreach Instructor for Educational Programming at OJAC.

Normally during the school year I travel to various Region 14 school campuses, visiting thousands of students through our Art-To-Go program. While on spring break this year, I received an unfortunate phone call saying that the schools were closing due to Covid-19 precautions, which meant that myself and the other Outreach Instructors would ultimately not see our local students, classrooms, and teachers again until the next school year. This was hugely disappointing as we love our monthly campus visits, as well as hosting each of those students at the museum in May for the final month of the program. But- just because Art-To-Go was placed on hold, doesn’t mean that our student outreach went on hiatus! The Education Department at the OJAC worked quickly to create outreach alternatives for these student audiences despite these unusual circumstances.

Even though we are not able to greet and learn with our students in person, we have offered many opportunities these past months to learn #athomewithOJAC, including virtual field trips, staff-led gallery tours, visual-art inspired mixtapes and studio-process demos via our social media, just to name a few.

One program I have specifically worked to facilitate are our weekly Art@Home Survival Kits. Every week through this program we provide free, take-home craft/ activity kits for local learners ages 4-12. These kits include guided visual instructions and all needed supplies to create at home at the kitchen table.

We have watched each week as families from ours and surrounding communities make the long walk or drive to visit the trunk outside our museum gates and retrieve their free bags. They have created wind-chimes, woven turtles, sun-catchers, bird feeders, constellation flashlights, balloon rockets, kaleidoscopes, and even braided pet toys that could donated to a local shelter. It has been a blast to offer these projects each week and I’ve so enjoyed seeing the photos of student creations that parents have tagged and shared with us via our social media!

I won’t say I haven’t missed the personal interaction we’ve grown accustomed to with our local K-12 audience, and I look forward to a time when we can once again, roll our art-carts through the doors of each local campus. But the OJAC Education Staff have been so proud to continue to serve our students and families in a way that is fun, educational and FREE during this challenging time.

If you are one of the hundreds of families taking advantage of our weekly kits- we hope you feel the love we are packing into each brown bag, and know that we can’t wait to see you soon!

Hannah Rankin
OJAC School Outreach Instructor

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Making Memories @ OJAC

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Sidney

Age: 17
Years at OJAC: 4
Favorite work of art: Three Sorrows by Deborah Butterfield

This past year at the Old Jail Art Center has been one of my favorites since I started volunteering there as a Junior Docent during my 8th grade year. Now I am an intern and I enjoy helping to prep the family festivals which teach younger generations about different cultures in the world. For me, learning about these cultures opens my mind about the world out there, reminding me how we are all different and similar at the same time.

I can remember going to family festivals as a kid and having so much fun making the crafts and learning about other cultures. My favorite family festival from my first year as an intern was World Kite Day. The festival showed how people from all over the world enjoy the same toy, something so simple yet amazing to have in common: a kite. It was so calming to watch the visitors and kids enjoy running around outside and flying their kites. I was working at a game booth in the courtyard so I was able to see many families come and go from the festival with happy faces. It was rewarding to help create an event where these families were able to enjoy a day off and have some fun with their loved ones while making memories.

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Morgan

Age: 16
Years at OJAC: 1 year
Favorite work of art: Blue Morpho Butterfly by Martin Johnson Heade

My favorite part about being an OJAC intern are the family festivals. This may seem like an easy answer because they are fun for everyone, but my favorite part is getting to do all the behind the scenes work that visitors don’t know about.

Family Festivals are my favorite because they are a place where visitors can learn about different holidays or events celebrated in different cultures around the world. It’s a great way to travel and learn about other people without leaving the building. Another thing I love about Family Festivals is the set up. I love decorating the museum, setting up the entrance, and assembling snacks at the refreshments table. It’s fascinating to see the museum transform into a completely different place in the world right before my eyes. 

My favorite festival so far was Italian Christmas, Natale, last December. I loved learning about the month-long Christmas festivities that include amazing Nativity scenes and La Befana! I look forward to seeing many new faces join the fun at the next OJAC family festival. 

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Spring Kites Around the World

Did you know that many countries around the world celebrate the warm weather of Spring with kites? Countries such as Guatemala, Australia, Bali, Italy, Pakistan, China and Japan all have National Kite Flying Holidays! 

This weekend, in celebration of World Kite Month, West Texas families joined the OJAC in creating kites of styles and designs from all over the globe! 

They designed Japanese Koinobori, Basant Patang, Maori Manu Tukutuku and Guatemalan Barriletes Gigantes just to name a few!

Families enjoyed a Virtual scavenger hunt of Kite-themed artwork from the museum collection, added to our Community Spring Wishes Mural, and enjoyed Spring games, music and refreshments.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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Happy Basant Panchami!

This month in Art-To-Go:

This February over 4,000 Texas students participated in our arts and culture enrichment program, Art-To-Go.

K-12 students explored an ancient celebration celebrated each spring in the countries of Pakistan and India.

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What we explored:

The Basant festival is one of the oldest in world history. It is a celebration of the spring season and time spent together as family.

The festival centers around a Kite Flying Competition that occurs on the roofs of many families in the large urban communities of Pakistan.

The color yellow is everywhere during the festival as it reminds the Pakistani people of the bright spring sun and the blooming fields of mustard flowers!

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What we made:

Elementary students began our study by listening as our Instructors read a book about a special young boy reaching social and personal goals while competing in the Basant kite flying competition.

Next, younger elementary students created mustard-flower Patang (kites), complete with green flowing leaves and a Basant Greeting!

We enjoyed listening to traditional music and “flying” our Patang around the room on parade!

Upper elementary age students created a class garland of Patang to decorate their room for Spring!

Students practiced writing script in another language, drawing symbols of the holiday, and folding a basic 3D paper form.

Middle School students created a toy that has been a kid-favorite during Basant celebrations for hundreds of years.

First, they decorated a punched coaster with symbols and phrases related to the Basant festival.

Next, they laced a string through their design to create a whirligig toy!

They surprised themselves with how much fun was to be had with such a “low-tech” contraption!

High School students investigated the social and economic implications of the modern Basant Festival in Pakistan and India. After watching videos of the celebration and discussion/ debate- they created real, flying Patang!

After assemblage, they decorated their kite with symbols and traditional greetings of the holiday, and then took their kites outside to fly. (For many, this was their first time to fly or own a kite!)

Join us at the museum next weekend for our Basant Kite Festival to create one of these fun crafts and celebrate spring with us!

Event is FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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Xin Nian Kuai Le! LNY @ OJAC

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This month in Art-To-Go:

The month of January is always a staff and student favorite for our education programs. TIme and again, we find that Lunar New Year is an exciting subject for students of all ages, as they connect and make meaning through language, legends, music and ancient artifacts!

Nearly 4,000 students participated in our Lunar New Year programming this month, whether through a physical visit to their classroom or a virtual visit through satellite conferencing technology.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

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What we explored:

2020 saw the re-cycle of the 12 year Zodiac calendar and the “Year of the Rat!”

To celebrate, students first investigated the science and history of both the Solar and Lunar Calendar Systems.

Next, students explored the connection between the Zodiac and Lunar Calendar through the legend of the Great Race. [Differing ages enjoyed books, puppetry or animated versions of the legend!]

Watch a short version here:

Students then identified their birth year and animal on the Zodiac calendar and brainstormed the attributes associated with that animal.

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What we made:

Younger elementary students crafted Rat-shaped finger puppets and practiced their calligraphy skills by decorating their puppet with the Mandarin word for Rat.

Older elementary students learned about Hong Bao, a special New Years gifting tradition in China.

Red envelopes filled with money or goodies are traditionally given to children by their older relatives. Before placing prizes inside their envelope our students personalized their Hong Bao with rat ears and and long, curly whiskers! They included facts about Lunar New Year into their design before gifting it to a friend or family member!

Middle-school students practiced origami and calligraphy to create a unique, Rat-themed bookmark.

Students in kinder as well as high school took inspiration directly from the OJAC Collection by incorporating imagery one of our many Chinese antiquities into their artwork.

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OJAC Receives Art Works Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

 National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $22,000 to the Old Jail Art Center for the upcoming exhibition René Treviño: A New Codex. In this exhibition contemporary Mexican-American artist René Treviño will create an installation comprised of his own work alongside his personal selections from the Old Jail Art Center’s Pre-Columbian collection. The Art Works category is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts. 

“It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to the OJAC, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities, and connections the arts bring.” 

“An NEA Art Works grant is a validation of the type of quality exhibitions the OJAC provides to a diverse audience. This support is vital to the mission of the OJAC to provide art for all that is free for all,” said OJAC Executive Director Patrick Kelly. “In addition, it allows visitors to see ancient objects in a new light with the help of contemporary artist René Treviño.” 

Utilizing extensive research of Mayan and other cultures’ carvings, Treviño develops contemporary images from Mesoamerica’s ancient steles and codices. He then combines these forms and symbols derived from ancient culture with popular culture references such as Wonder Woman, Oreo cookies, and pop designer Lisa Frank’s canon. The OJAC installation will incorporate Treviño’s large-scale works on paper along with smaller works on leather skins and short looped digital animations. Many of the objects in the OJAC Pre-Columbian collection to be utilized are figurative. Those figures become the “players” in drawings and animations. Placing his own sculptural objects, like jewelry, masks, or small drawings, into the vitrines with the objects from the museum’s collection, will further challenge visitors to see and seek relationships between the ancient and contemporary. The result is an artist’s created world that references our past and speaks to our present and future. 

 René Treviño: A New Codex is on view from September 15, 2018 – August 24, 2019. This exhibition is organized by the OJAC and curated by Patrick Kelly. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. 

Additional Support

Support for René Treviño: A New Codex is also provided by Anonymous, Erin Cluley, Pam and Bob Tidwell, and Travis Vandergriff.

General Operating support is provided by the Still Water Foundation, Summerlee Foundation, T.J. Brown and C.A. Lupton Foundation, Texas Prairieland Foundation, and the OJAC’s dedicated board, patrons, and members. 

 OJAC Mission

The Old Jail Art Center seeks to enhance the lives of area residents and visitors by providing art for all. 

Kenna Hogan, Development and Marketing Coordinator

Spring Student Programs!

Currently on display in the Stasney Center for Education are forty artworks by young artists from the surrounding area. The artists are local 7th-12th graders and are all students who benefit from the OJAC's monthly in-school program, Art-to-Go. In January, one of our staff members and ATG instructors presented these students with five pieces by known artists in the OJAC collection. In cooperation with our theme "Talking Back," each student chose one of the five collection pieces as inspiration and responded by creating their own unique artwork. The collection pieces serve as a "jumping off point" for the students as they find their own voice or show us their own take on the subject matter, technique, or style of the original. As a part of the learning experience and honing their own artistic voice, students are also asked to write an artist statement with their work. 

We call it a Student Art Show not only for the artist participants but also for its jurors. The OJAC is proud of our Junior Docent corps, 7th-12th grades students who volunteer or work for the Education Department. The annual student art show is one of the JuDos' biggest projects during the school year. In the week before the show opens, JuDos volunteer their time and efforts to judge hundreds of submissions and carefully curate a show of artworks that speak to the theme and meet quality standards of creativity and craftsmanship. At the opening reception (held Saturday, March 10th) our JuDos present the winning students with certificates and prizes for Honorable Mention, Best in Category, and Best in Show.

On Saturday April 14th, JuDos will be hosting International Slow Art Day at the OJAC. Each of them are already hard at work to prepare a small gallery talk and activity for museum guests. Their research and presentation will be based on their favorite piece from our current exhibitions. In the coming weeks students will contact contemporary artists and research the history and style of their piece to give visitors a fresh look at their chosen piece and facilitate a more interactive museum experience. 

All in all, we're proud of the young artists and art appreciators in our area. It's deep within our mission at the OJAC that art is for all and we work hard to make it so. Be sure to come by and check out the Student Art Show before it goes off display at the end of March and mark your calendars to show your support for our students on International Slow Art Day, Saturday, April 14th.

Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator

The Path Into the Blue

OJAC Collection favorite Der Weg ins Blaue (The Path Into the Blue) will be on exhibit at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany this March.  The Pinakothek der Moderne is one of the largest museums in the world for art, architecture and design of the 20th and 21st centuries.

"The exhibition, 'Construction of Mystery' is the first major exhibition of Paul Klee's work to be held at the Pinakothek de Moderne. The substantial holdings in Munich will be presented alongside more than 120 works from important Klee collections in Europe, the United States and Japan. The show follows Klee's path as a 'thinking artist' who systematically explores and transcends boundaries of the rational in his work. At the center of the exhibition is the 1920s, a time in which Klee responded to the challenges of the new technological world and its impact on the creativity of the modern artist. As a Bauhaus master, Klee questioned the dominance of rationalism and strove to balance understanding and feeling, construction and intuition. This exhibition shows the continued relevance of Klee's work, addressing fundamental conflicts of the modern subject. " -Pinakothek der Moderne 

Kenna Hogan, Development and Marketing Coordinator

PAUL KLEE

Der Weg ins Blaue (The Path into the Blue), 1934

Encaustic on canvas mounted on board

Gift of Bill Bomar, 1991.002.

OJAC Staff and Board Members attended the opening reception of Paul Klee: Construction of Mystery. This exhibition will be on view at the Pinakothek de Moderne from March 1, 2018 - June 6, 2018. 

Katie Robinson Edwards @ the OJAC

The OJAC Focus Lecture Series is a quarterly offering of presentations by artists, speakers and historians on a variety of social, cultural and historical topics ranging from the visual arts to community and Texas History.

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Midcentury Modern Art in Texas from The Old Jail Art Center on Vimeo.

Katie Robinson Edwards, the curator of the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin and author of Midcentury Modern Art in Texas was at the OJAC to share insights about midcentury Texas art, specifically highlighting the artists of The Fort Worth Circle. The OJAC is home to the largest public collection of works from artists of The Fort Worth Circle - a group of artists that became teachers, university faculty and mentors to a new generation of Texas artists.

Kenna Hogan Development and Marketing Coordinator

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Banner Image: 

Head, 1953.
Bror Utter
American (1913-1994)
Oil on board
1998.013
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. W. Ernest Chilton, Jr.

37 Years of Art for All

Happy Birthday OJAC! This week we celebrate 37 years of art for all. 

OJAC began in December of 1980 when cousins and OJAC co-founders Reilly Nail and Bill Bomar opened the museum with four small galleries in the original Shackelford County jail building. In 37 years, the museum has expanded from four small galleries into 17,000 square feet of gallery, education, archive and research space that offers diverse and innovative exhibitions and education programming that serves a core audience of 25 rural counties. OJAC is also part of a select group of museums accredited with the American Alliance of Museums. 

Since the beginning, the philosophy of the OJAC has been to offer engaging exhibitions and education programs free to the public, at no cost to visitors.  

Thank you to our OJAC Board and Docents, volunteers, donors, and members that continue to make our vision of art for all that is free for all possible!

Kenna Hogan, Development and Marketing Coordinator

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2017 - Year of the Membership

2017 was the "Year of Membership" for the OJAC, our goal in January was to increase membership by 25% by year-end and I'm happy to announce we have surpassed our original goal! OJAC membership has grown by 118%! 

The OJAC thanks our generous members that carried out a "random act of membership" (aka R.A.M.) by purchasing memberships anonymously for friends, family, and even strangers.

A huge thanks as well to those who renewed their memberships, not to mention our membership committee for their efforts. Dare we ask to keep that percentage going up? 150% is a nice even number!

You can become a member, renew a lapsed membership, or give a membership as a holiday gift. Purchase or Renew your membership by clicking here or when you visit the museum! 

Thank you for helping the OJAC share and support ART FOR ALL.

Kenna Hogan, Development and Marketing Coordinator

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OJAC selected to receive loan from Art Bridges

Arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton recently announced the formation of Art Bridges, a 501(c)(3) foundation with the mission to share works of exceptional American art to a wider audience. The Old Jail Art Center (OJAC) is among a handful of institutions that have been selected to receive a loan from Art Bridges. Other institutions include Amarillo Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Blanton Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of Art, Portland Museum of Art, Tyler Museum of Art, and Yellowstone Art Museum. Each of these institutions are designing innovative programming to engage audiences with the loaned objects, as well as works in their collections, through Art Bridges support. The work on loan to the OJAC, Untitled (Subway Station), 1945, by Norman Wilfred Lewis, is on view now in the Nail Gallery. 

Kenna Hogan, Development and Marketing Coordinator  

NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS, Untitled (Subway Station), 1945, oil and sand on canvas. On loan from Art Bridges.  LX.085

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A native of New York City, Norman Lewis began his career during the 1930s as a social realist. He shifted from an overtly figural style, depicting bread lines, evictions, and police brutality, to non-objective abstraction in the 1950s, but remained active and consciously aware of social inequalities, particularly those faced by African Americans. Lewis was an important member of the Abstract Expressionism movement. His work is characterized by the duality of abstraction and representation, using both geometric and natural forms, in the depiction of both the city and natural world, and expressing both righteous anger and joyous celebration.

Image Credit: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Exhibition, Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis.