Sponsored by the Museum of the Big Bend
For over a century, some of the best artists in Texas have traveled to the Big Bend to experience its vast desert landscape and wide-open skies. Artists have explored everything from the Rio Grande to the majestic Davis Mountains, recording their impressions on canvas and paper.
Many of these artists have been affiliated with Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX, as faculty and students in its art department. This month, their works are on view in a new exhibit at the Museum of the Big Bend, which is part of the university. The exhibit, titled A Century of Fine Art In the Big Bend: SRSU Faculty and Students 1920-2020, is on view from April 20 through May 28, 2021.
Julius Woeltz, Kokernot Lodge, ca. 1930s, oil, 36 x 48. Museum of the Big Bend collection.
Frank Reaugh, nicknamed the “Dean of Texas Painters,” led art groups out to West Texas in the early 20th century. The establishment of Sul Ross State Normal College in 1920 included art classes for the students who were working on their teaching degrees, leading to the creation of an art department led by artists Mabel Vandiver, Anna E. Keener and Elizabeth Keefer.
Frank Reaugh, Autumn Landscape and Cattle, 1885, pastel, 1.75 x 3.25. Gift of Frank Reaugh Art Club, Museum of the Big Bend Collection.
Elizabeth Keefer, Black Eagle Dancers, ca. late 1920s, color etching, 8 x 11. Collection of Judy and Stephen Alton.
By 1932, a Summer Art Colony was established and was incredibly successful for the fledging college. Through 1950, Texas regional artists including Julius Woeltz, Xavier Gonzalez, Otis Dozier, William Lester, and Harry Anthony DeYoung taught during the summer sessions, using the dramatic landscape to challenge themselves and their students.
The Sul Ross State University Art Department continued to grow with instructors such as Miriam Lowrance, Bob Hext, and Jim Bob Salazar. Today it continues the tradition of bringing fine art instruction to the students and community through the commitment of the school’s current faculty members Carol Fairlie, Avram Dumitrescu and Andrew Teagarden.
Mabel Vandiver, Davis Mountains, 1922, watercolor, 19 x 19. Fort Hays State College Collection, Hays, Kansas.
“For those interested in learning about a century of fine art in Texas, from the novice to the longtime collector, this exhibit is a must-see. It has great works by both the instructors and their students, showcasing their skills and love of the Big Bend,” says Mary Bones, director of the Museum of the Big Bend.
The Museum of the Big Bend is located at 400 N. Harrison Street, Alpine, TX 79832. For more information call 432.837.8145 or visit www.museumofthebigbend.com.
Anna E. Keener, Oxen and Carts, n.d., print, 5 x 8. Gift of Judy and Stephen Alton in honor of Marty Davis, Museum of the Big Bend Collection.
Alice Reynolds, Twin Sisters, n.d., watercolor, 12 x 1. Museum of the Big Bend, Gift of Shirley and Clifton Caldwell.