Home Care In Art, TX

I’ve learned over the years that visitors have certain expectations when entering a museum for the first time. For Old Jail Art Center visitors, the name itself can be misleading. Combine that with the museum’s location — the rural Texas town of Albany, where the population is less than the number of works in its permanent collection — the surprise factor escalates. Among the museum’s collection of some 2,400 works of art, attendees may encounter Ancient Americas objects, Chinese tomb figures, and French Impressionist paintings, in addition to modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, and sculpture.

For the OJAC staff of curators and educators, relying on that surprise factor is never enough, and can wear thin for attendees by a second visit. The challenge is how to continually provide meaningful experiences with art, along with interpretation and educational outreach while not encumbering the art or the viewer’s experience. As an artist and museum professional, establishing an environment for that to happen is essential. It’s also difficult, as audiences are now accustomed to entertainment coupled with mounds of metadata. To paraphrase my friend Terri Thornton, “Viewing works of art is one of the few pure experiences we still have.” Call me a problematic purist.

Shock and awe are normally not in a smaller museum’s arsenal, or budget, either. Therefore relying on subtlety and details that reveal themselves gradually is an approach to engage viewers, though it may be subliminal or a “slow burn” (another of Thornton’s often-used terms). An opportunity for these types of works emerges in the OJAC’s Cell Series of exhibitions. Launched in 2008, the program invites artists (the majority with a “Texas connection”) to utilize two historic jail cells to create an exhibition or installation. We request, but don’t require, the artists to respond to the context or the challenging physical space when conceiving their exhibit. The results, from the past 50+ participating artists, have been surprisingly diverse and thoughtful, often requiring careful consideration that reveals interesting truths and perspectives. An accompanying gallery guide, with an insightful interview with the artists, is available for a deeper dive. I encourage you to see the archive of those who have participated on the OJAC’s website.

Additionally, the OJAC’s permanent collection continues to surprise viewers and staff alike, consistently revealing connections between generations of artists. It was first formed by the museum’s visionary founders and Albany natives, Bill Bomar and Reilly Nail. Bomar was not only a practicing artist, but an astute art collector while he lived in Fort Worth, New York City, and Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. His 811 gifts of art form the core of the collection, and range from pieces by little-known, yet adroitly talented artists, to works by those established in the art world canon like Paul Klee, Amedeo Modigliani, John Sloan, Jacques Villon, John Marin, Alexander Calder, and more. As someone who grew up with a love for the arts and wanted to share that with his hometown in rural Texas, it was primarily Nail’s vision and efforts to share their collections within a repurposed historic jail structure — thus the museum’s name.

Hidden in plain view within the collection are some of my favorites. Indulge me as I briefly mention just a few. And note, my selections are as eclectic as the rest of the holdings.

Our aforementioned founder and first director, Reilly Nail, was a successful CBS television producer and Anglophile who accumulated and gifted a small collection of works by British artists. Within this group of works is a dark and mysterious painting by Keith Vaughn (1912-1977). Standing Figure was created in 1953 and depicts a nude male carrying what appears to be a white lamb. An impasto surface conveys the confidence of an artist’s hand who understands the potential of pigment. The work is visually powerful enough, but pairing it with his personal struggles and doubts makes it even more impactful. I’ll leave that metadata deep dive on the artist to you.

Switching centuries and cultures, a work from our Ancient Americas collection has always been a favorite. Admittedly, this area of art is not my forte, but that does not stop me from finding deep appreciation and fascination with many of the objects. Among these is a Chimú portrait vessel dated 1000-1466 CE that is simultaneously intriguing and humorous. Revealed in the dark ceramic surface is the figure’s tiny mouth with exposed teeth, a bulging tobacco filled cheek, and an intricately patterned cap. The vessel could easily be read as a contemporary sculpture.

The OJAC has a sizable collection of works by Fort Worth Circle artists — individuals who were active in the mid-20th century in Texas and were responsible for introducing Modernism into the reluctant and conservative mainstream. Of that collection, Bror Utter’s Whale (1953) embodies many of the elements associated with Modernism. One can see the influence of Cubism, Magic Realism, a touch of Surrealism, and even Regionalism in the work. As with all the Fort Worth Circle artists, “sampling” and creating a personal vernacular was the natural result.

Our contemporary collection focuses on works by artists with the same “Texas connection” criteria we utilize for the Cell Series. Featured among these is a recent and generous gift by an artist whose work I’ve admired for years. I was thrilled when the OJAC acquired Mel Ziegler’s Untitled #2, created in 1999. Similar to his other interventions, Ziegler finds antique display cases and fills them with cheap straw. In doing so, the artist negates the furniture’s original function while addressing our culture of consumption and value placement, the intersections of art and commodity, authenticity, and so much more. It’s surprising for viewers to encounter and encourages discussion about what art is or is not.

With all that said, the OJAC truly is a destination commitment. It promises pleasant surprises laced with subtle discoveries. As with all museums, though, it’s best to leave your expectations at the door and be open to the “slow burn.”