The Old Jail Art Center’s permanent collection began with 325 works of art gifted from co-founders Reilly Nail and Bill Bomar. Through additional gifts, bequests, and purchases, the OJAC holdings now include over 2,300 objects ranging from ancient to contemporary art. Center of Attention presents selections from the 132 works accessioned over the past decade. Close observers will recognize the OJAC’s ongoing commitment to connecting the core collection of mid-20th century works by Fort Worth Circle artists to a wide range of work by contemporary artists—specifically those with a Texas connection. Sixty-two works have been selected for this installation, divided almost equally between works made prior to 1960 and since 1960. The earliest work dates back to 1908 and the most recent works were created in 2023. Collectively, the exhibition demonstrates the thoughtful and committed growth of the museum’s holdings, capturing our collective history in art for future generations.
Includes works by: Bale Creek Allen | Seth Alverson | Charis Ammon | Scott Barber | David Bates | Dennis Blagg | Christopher Blay | Charles Peter Bock | Matthew Bourbon | Natasha Bowdoin | Cynthia Brants | Colette Copeland | John Robert Craft | Matthew Cusick | Jason Cytacki | Bill Davenport | Kelly Fearing | Heyd Fontenot | John Fraser | Francesca Fuchs | Karla Garcia | George Grammer | Sam Gummelt | Trenton Doyle Hancock | Luke Harnden | Joseph Havel | Kirk Hayes | James Hough | Wade Jolly | Clinton King | Matt Kleberg | Marjorie Johnson Lee | Blanche McVeigh | Margaret Meehan | Leigh Merrill | Reilly Nail | John Pomara | Chris Powell | Frank Reaugh | Dickson Reeder | Linda Ridgway | Kurt Roesch | Georges Rouault | Derrick Saunders | Emily Guthrie Smith | Earl Staley | James Surls | Ed Storms | The Art Guys | René Treviño | Brad Tucker | Bror Utter | Jason Villegas | Ronald Watson | Bruce Lee Webb | Kathy Webster | Charles T. Williams| Sarah Williams| Mel Ziegler | Samuel P. Ziegler
Center of Attention is generously supported by Anonymous, John & Ginger Dudley, Margaret & Jim Dudley, Kate & Charles Ferguson, Becky & Ronnie Nail, Betsy & Mike Parsons, and Jon & Dale Stasney.