Installation view of “THIS SIDE UP” at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photo: Katy Anderson. THIS SIDE UP, curated by Sarah Darro at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, illuminates the often invisible practice of art handling. The exhibition features 16 art handler-artists, with work by core artists Vivian Chiu, Willem De Haan, Clynton Lowry and Adam Manley. Uniquely skilled craftspeople, art handlers (or preparators) pack, ship, handle, move, prep, and install art, consistently meeting demands for precision, efficiency, adaptability, and safety. This rare combination of at ..read more

The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) has announced the appointment of Kristopher Driggers as the museum’s Associate Curator of Latin American Art, following the 2023 departure of Lucia Abramovich to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Kristopher Driggers. Photo by Julius Schlosburg. Mr. Driggers is a native San Antonian who most recently held the curatorial positions of Associate Curator of Latin American Art (2022-2024) and Assistant Curator (2019-2022) at the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA). While at TMA, he oversaw the first installation of the museum’s permanent collection in its new Kasser Fami ..read more

Paul Hester, ” Fannin’s Men” Brandon Zech talks with Texas artist Paul Hester about his over 50-year career taking photographs. “There are photographs that I look at and say ‘that just feels right,’ but there are others that bug the hell out of me, and those are the ones that stick with me.” To play the podcast, click on the orange play button below. You can also find Glasstire on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify. If you enjoy Glasstire and would like to support our work, please consider donating. As a nonprofit, all of the money we receive goes back into our coverage of Texas a ..read more

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) has announced the recipients of its 2024 NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) grants, which total $510,000. Since establishing the NFA over 15 years ago, NALAC has distributed 884 grants, totaling more than $7 million, to Latinx artists and arts organizations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  In a press release, F. Javier Torres-Campos, Interim CEO and President of NALAC, said, “Each year, NALAC takes great pride in championing the transformational contributions of Latinx artists, organizations, and cultural workers through the NAL ..read more

For years, I’ve been familiar with the work of Celia Álvarez Muñoz and have felt a kinship with her as a Latina, an artist who is also a parent, a creative working with lens-based media, and a writer. So, it is bittersweet that though I’ve been in the North Texas art scene for over two decades, I only met Muñoz last month, and in San Antonio, despite the fact that we live about 20 minutes apart.  At the end of March, I visited the city as part of a series of trips to attend events and learn about Latino-led arts organizations. While I wasn’t able to attend Ruby City’s opening of Los Brill ..read more

To view, register for, and bid on the auction, please go here. Glasstire is pleased to announce its 2024 online auction, which is happening in conjunction with the 2024 Glasstire Party. Set to run from April 20-27, 2024, this auction features artworks by artists from across Texas. Bidding will be open to anyone interested, and will occur online for the duration of the auction. Bidding will close at 10:15 PM CDT on April 27, 2024. As Glasstire is a nonprofit, we rely on this fundraiser to help support our publication. Proceeds from the sale of works in the auction are split between the contribu ..read more

The Rothko Chapel in Houston has broken ground on Phase 2 of its long-term campus development project, which is expected to be completed in 2026. Rendering of Rothko Chapel Phase 2, aerial view The Chapel was founded in 1971 by artist Mark Rothko with support from philanthropists and art collectors John and Dominique de Menil. The space houses 14 mural-sized paintings on canvas by Mr. Rothko, and the campus features a reflecting pool with a work by Barnett Newman, which is dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2016, a multi-year restoration and expansion plan was initiated to address i ..read more

“Critical Geography,” Installation view at FotoFest, 2024. Photo: Ryan Hawk Once upon a time, in a place far, far away there existed a geography that wasn’t critical. In my culture we call it the Heavenly City of Kitezh. Jews and Christians call it Eden. Other religions have various designations for that land of milk and honey. Since the moment we’ve left it, there has been nothing but strife and battle. Thus, Critical Geography, the topic of Houston’s most important recurring event, is infinitely expansive. The curatorial team mostly does a brilliant job of picking and choosing work. There ..read more

Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits, and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience. See other Five-Minute Tours here. MANUAL (Ed Hill / Suzanne Bloom): BEECH // BOOK; An Emblematic Pairing at Moody Gallery, Houston. Dates: March 9 – April 21, 2024. Via Moody Gallery: Moody Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new photographs by MANUAL (Ed Hill / Suzanne Bloom), in conjun ..read more

Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience. See other Five-Minute Tours here. Anthony Sonnenberg: The State of My Heart at Rockport Center for the Arts. Dates: March 19 – April 28, 2024. via Rockport Center for the Arts: Anthony Sonnenberg’s exhibition will explore the art of decoration. He expresses the process of decoration and adornin ..read more