0.1 Introduction  (Page 3/5)

Also in 1950, Carroll Harris Simms, newly graduated from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, joined Biggers and Mack as a young faculty member in their new department. The enthusiasm and commitment of these young professors began drawing the attention of Houston art patrons, and the philanthropic-minded Susan McAshan and Jane Blaffer Owen, among several others, responded quickly and generously to the clear needs of this ambitious department.

In 1952, Abraham Washington, a TSU art student, painted a mural on a wall in the art department’s newly constructed home, Hannah Hall. When his mural was made permanent, a creative tradition was begun. As a lasting testimony to the powerful legacy of these teachers’ tutelage and inspiration, the walls of Hannah Hall today are covered by the art of students working in the tradition established by Biggers, the aggregate result being a lively, dramatic canvas unlike anything else in the city.

While many of the artists in this book were quietly beginning their careers here, the arts scene—a relatively small part of Houston’s emerging culture—only occasionally drew widespread attention to itself, usually in connection with a big event. In April 1957, for example, the American Federation of Arts brought its convention to Houston, and the city welcomed nearly 1,500 art enthusiasts, artists, curators, dealers, academicians, and collectors from around the country. The early 1960s saw the Houston Endowment, Inc., announce a major gift of $6,000,000 to build a performing arts center. With matching grants from the Ford Foundation and many generous local donors, the gift resulted in a new and improved Alley Theatre opening its doors in 1968. In 1973, the University of Houston opened the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, the only publicly funded university gallery in the city. One year later, there was a changing of the guard in the Houston arts scene as William A. Robinson assumed directorship of the Blaffer Gallery, building on the superb work done by acting director and art professor Richard Stout; William Agee was named Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and James Harithas was named Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum.

The growth of contemporary art in Houston can be said to have begun in 1948, the year the Contemporary Arts Association received its charter from the State of Texas. The CAA, which had its beginnings in Robert Preusser’s studio class at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, mounted its first exhibition—This is Contemporary Art—at the Museum that year. The CAA’s promotional material declared, “This will be the first show of the association and every effort will be made to interest the people of Houston and to show that Contemporary Art does not only include painting and sculpture but many other fields of art and the relationship of each to good design.” Under the supervision of an active Board, artist Frank Dolejska designed the catalogue and exhibition, which included sculpture, photographs, graphic arts, and everyday objects.