Featured items
The Face of Texas celebrates the individuality and independent spirit of Texas through compelling portraits of its people by Michael O’Brien, one of America’s premier portrait photographers. In this acclaimed photo essay, he assembles a gallery of noteworthy Texans both native and naturalized, ranging from former president George W. Bush and first ladies and Laura Bush and Lady Bird Johnson, to famous figures such as Willie Nelson, Larry McMurtry, George Strait, Tim Duncan, Kinky Friedman, and Beyoncé, to ordinary folks who’ve made their mark on Texas as ranchers and farmers, cheerleaders and beauty queens, conservationists, church members, bar and restaurant owners, Odd Fellows, schoolteachers, artists and writers, business owners, and athletes.
Silver/Light Grey Canvas Jersey T-Shirt
Initials of stone masons from original 1877 Jail Building
Dark Grey Gildan lightweight Jersey T-shirt inspired by initials of the stone masons from the original 1877 Jail Building.
Long Sleeve Heather Grey: 90/10 cotton/polyester
Short Sleeve Dark Grey: 65/35 polyester/cotton
Narrow width, rib collar
Modern fit, side seamed body
High-performing recycled tear-away label
Large Natural Gusseted Cotton Canvas Tote Bag
100% cotton canvas
32” handles with 16” drop
Gusset bottom
Featuring the Facade of the Original Old Jail Building, these 3D refrigerator magnets are perfect as a keepsake or as a gift!
Magnets are roughly 3.5” x 1.5” and made of rubber.
Made in the USA
Bella + Heather Cardinal Canvas Jersey T-shirt with Graphic of OJAC Logo, and “Old Jail Art Center” text on right sleeve
65/35 polyester/cotton
Super soft comfortable fabric
Semi-fitted: closer fit
Tear-away label
Coverstitched collar and sleeves for durability
In 1968, no one really took notice when an old, abandoned stone jail in a remote West Central Texas town 120 miles west of Fort Worth was inherited by an art collector. Today, that same building is the very visible anchor of an accredited art museum that serves as a regional center for art exhibition and education. The town was Albany and the old jail is now The Old Jail Art Center. The museum has grown considerably since its humble beginnings in 1980. Starting with the donation of four private collections, the permanent collection has expanded to include more than 1,900 works spanning important periods in Asian, Pre-Columbian, European, and American art.
15 assorted notecards with envelopes
Van Jones created Sky Temple Suite for the offices of Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. in San Antonio, where they were mounted high on the walls to be visible above partitioned work stations. The six triptychs depict a panorama of different landscapes linked by a continuous sky, which shows the changes in light and weather in a single day: Jones, who sketched in a 30-mile radius around San Antonio in preparation for the series, said, “It was my hope to provide in these pictures at least some of the constant interest which an be found in an actual view, considering they would form part of people’s work environment.” The suite is organized by the six lights of day; by the fortunate coincidence that the north-south orientation of the walls on which the pieces were to hang corresponded not only to a shift in terrain (hill to the north, prairie to the south) but literally and symbolically to a cultural division in San Antonio itself (Anglo to the north, Latino to the south): and by an architectural framework conceived as a round temple, the six columns of which provide visual continuity between the panels. The Old Jail Art Center acquired the images in 1991.
Van Jones (1951-1989) was a native of Albany, Texas, home to the Old Jail Art Center. A graduate of Rice University, Mr. Jones also earned his architecture degree from that institution, working in the New York office of famed architect I. M. Pei during his graduate studies. He subsequently decided to pursue a career as a visual artist.
6 Three-Fold Notecards with Envelopes
Welcome to West Texas: A Cultural Site Map published by the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX and illustrated by Dan Zettwoch.
Use these coasters at your next gathering, and then plant them for a beautiful wildflower garden!
Coasters are embedded with wildflower seeds. Plant under a thin layer of soil and water daily until seedlings are well-established. Germination time is 1-3 weeks.
White Baby Onesie in 3 different sizes!
100% 1×1 baby ribbed cotton
3 plastic snap closure
Double-needle stitched for durability
Stretchy ribbed neck for easy on/off
Welcome to West Texas: A Cultural Site Map published by the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX and illustrated by Dan Zettwoch.
All five books of the popular Dragons of Romania series!
Written and Illustrated by OJAC Artists-in-Residence Dan Peeler and Charlie Rose
With Museum Visit: A Color, Punch Out, and Play Set, you can create your own museum experience. Display paintings, statues, jewels, armor, art objects, and a natural history exhibit of corals and shells. Design your own tour, and invite your friends to come to an opening tonight!
Barn owls, barred owls, short-eared owls, burrowing owls, great horned owls—all of these magnificent birds are represented in this coloring book, illustrated by a variety of artists, including John Gould and Robert Havell Jr. The line drawings were traced from reproductions of the original artworks, which are shown in full color on the inside covers.
48 pages with 22 images to color
Soft cover book with staple binding
High-quality paper perfect for colored pencils, pens, and markers
Printed with soy-based inks
Sturdy cover to ensure long-lasting enjoyment
Coloring pages are blank on the back so they can be cut out and displayed
Colorful Dragons Far and Near Coloring Book
Written and illustrated by Dan Peeler and Charlie Rose
It’s a storybook AND a coloring book. Two in one!
Now your child can read a book they colored themselves!
BOOKS
Collection Connected
A first-time permanent collection catalogue in honor of the 35th anniversary of the OJAC.
Includes 6 essays and over 140 color images
Before Abstract Expressionism of New York City was canonized as American postwar modernism, the United States was filled with localized manifestations of modern art. One such place where considerable modernist activity occurred was Texas, where artists absorbed and interpreted the latest, most radical formal lessons from Mexico, the East Coast, and Europe, while still responding to the state's dramatic history and geography. This barely known chapter in the story of American art is the focus of Midcentury Modern Art in Texas.
Jesús Moroles achieved international renown as a master sculptor of large-scale abstract granite works and was a recipient of the United States National Medal of Arts in 2008, the 2007 Texas Medal of the Arts Award for Visual Arts, and was the 2011 Texas State Artist for three-dimensional work …
Art Catalogue for the OJAC Exhibit “Borderline Greatness” by Camp Bosworth
27 images and artist interview
Local HISTORY
Sallie Reynolds Matthews wrote Interwoven so that her children and their children would know how their family and the Lambshead Ranch legacy grew on the Texas frontier. Far beyond her modest intentions, the book became a classic soon after its original publication in 1936.
As Robert Nail wrote in his introduction to the 1958 edition designed by the renowned bookman Carl Hertzog, “When you read her account of the day her family moved into a mysterious, abandoned ranch house on the very edge of the unconquered prairie and see, as her small girl eyes saw, the broken window glass littering the floor, the fang marks left by a wild animal on the door, you sense quite keenly what it must have been like . . . “
Jazz-Age Boomtown: Basil Clemons's Photographs of Breckenridge, Texas, in the 1920s depicts the social history of small-town America and the oil boom phenomenon in a stunning photographic essay. Photographer Basil Clemons photographed not only the oil fields but also many other aspects of Breckenridge's boom--views of main streets, fires, floods, the circus, movie theaters, sporting events, schools, ranches, shops, and restaurants--capturing the essence of the boomtown atmosphere.
Clemons, the town's only professional photographer and most eccentric resident, traveled to California, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska before returning to Texas in 1919 and settling in Breckenridge. His pictures reflect the transformation of rural to urban values in the early twentieth century, providing a visual history of modern American culture.
A history of the Fort Griffin Fandangle, the oldest outdoor musical in the state of Texas. Produced, acted, and directed by the people of Albany, this production runs the last two full weekends in June every year.
Written by Carol May Webb Dromgoole
Law and order-that's what the early Texas frontiersman demanded and what the Shackelford County Courthouse was built to provide. Intrepid settlers on the westernmost edge of the Texas frontier faced danger from Comanche raiders, cattle rustlers, outlaws, and gamblers. Erected in 1883, to stand for 500 years, the architectural treasure is one of the oldest original courthouses still in use, is in the National Register of Historic Places, and has been restored according to historical preservation guidelines. Told by those who know and love the courthouse, and who grew up in its shadow, this lively tale features a memorable assortment of characters and exciting events.
Jazz-Age Boomtown: Basil Clemons's Photographs of Breckenridge, Texas, in the 1920s depicts the social history of small-town America and the oil boom phenomenon in a stunning photographic essay. Photographer Basil Clemons photographed not only the oil fields but also many other aspects of Breckenridge's boom--views of main streets, fires, floods, the circus, movie theaters, sporting events, schools, ranches, shops, and restaurants--capturing the essence of the boomtown atmosphere.
Clemons, the town's only professional photographer and most eccentric resident, traveled to California, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska before returning to Texas in 1919 and settling in Breckenridge. His pictures reflect the transformation of rural to urban values in the early twentieth century, providing a visual history of modern American culture.
On fall Friday nights, as the sun descends below the Western horizon, bleachers fill in cities and small towns across the nation. A ritual played out under bright lights will help define the lives of those gathered and will teach the boys who play about competition, honor, hard work, defeat, and victory. Laura Wilson, photographer and author, documents six-man football with forty black-and-white photographs.
America's first major contribution to the art of photography, which dates back to the heyday of the cattle drives (1850-1880), tintypes went on to become the country's favorite portrait format. A tedious and unforgiving method of photography that requires patience and commitment from both the subject and the photographer, posing for a tintype requires more time than modern point-and-shoot photography, and instructions must be followed carefully or the photograph will be ruined. The tintypes-eighty-five in all-are showcased and are accompanied by field notes that provide a look at each individual and his or her dedication to the cowboy way of life.