The continuing threat of COVID-19 has Rockport artists thinking outside the gallery. Rockport Center for the Arts continues to showcase artists from Texas and across America through its Keeping Arts Alive virtual offerings at rockportartcenter.com.
Art lovers in Texas and beyond can enjoy:
- virtual exhibits from award-winning artists complete with catalogs of original art for sale
- studio tours and interviews with Texas Coastal Bend artists
- professional tips and how-to videos for hobbyists
“We’ve always maintained an online presence, but recent events have obviously forced many museums and galleries to rethink and change the way they reach the public,” said Luis Purón, the center's executive director.
Going virtual is a great way for art lovers to connect with artists while also providing a solution for those who miss visiting the gallery or procuring art pieces for their collections, Purón said.
More than 200 regional artists and 20 from outside of Texas are Rockport Center for the Arts member artists. Many are included in this first online exhibition. Online exhibits include:
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Unique sculptures by Richard W. James using materials and methods learned from his rural Southern childhood. James incorporates ceramic heads, hands, and feet with a soft cloth body, embroidered clothes, and found objects that often accompany the toy-like figures.
Printmakers use traditional and innovative techniques with themes of reverence, spirituality, science, anthropomorphism, social commentary, and the supernatural. Curated by Cassie Normandy and Ryan O'Malley.
Three photographers — Annie Uhr, John Martell, and Stephen Fisher — capture the beauty of the Coastal Bend. Includes award-winning wildlife photography.
A virtual version of Rockport Center for the Arts’ annual spring event, which was postponed due to the pandemic. This hosted online series appears on the center’s YouTube channel showing artists in their studios discussing and demonstrating their work. The in-person Studio Tour is expected to resume in the fall of 2020. RCA’s YouTube channel features an instructive “Art with Me!” series of how-to tips for hobbyists seeking ways to improve their own creations.
“We are so pleased to be able to exhibit the great works of these artists and know our visitors, particularly collectors, will be impressed by what they see,” said center curator Elena Rodriguez.
Rockport Center for the Arts is located at Estelle Stair Gallery, 406 S. Austin St. in Rockport and open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 361-729-5519 or visit rockportartcenter.com or its Facebook page.
