Passion for Art: 25 Years of the Texas Art Collectors Organization (TACO)

Sept. 8–Dec. 17, 2022
J. Wayne Stark Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 1110

 

The Texas Art Collectors Organization (TACO) began 25 years ago in the Dallas area to further the understanding and appreciation of Early Texas Art through education, study, and exhibitions.

A strong focus of the organization is on member’s collections of Early Texas Art, which is often defined as art made or produced in Texas or by Texans 40 years prior to the present. Having monthly meetings with a wide range of programs and events, the organization provides information about an array of artists and their work, some of whom are household names and others about which little is known.

This exhibition conveys the stories of TACO members through shared interests and experiences, while celebrating the broad spectrum of Texas art and the diversity of the member’s collections. Each member was asked to loan a favorite work from their collection for the exhibition.

This exhibition represents the fourth installation in the Texas Art Project series.

 

Inside the Exhibition

Color illustration. Folk art. Men sitting inside a late 19th century country barber shop.

Clara McDonald Williamson
Sweet Adeline, 1955
oil on board
Collection of Alice & Charlie Adams

Painting of sunflowers in a vase with lemons on the table next to them.

Barney Delabano
Sunflowers, 1991
oil on canvas
Collection of Carolyn Walton

Painting of the church at Ranchos de Taos.


Marie Haines
Old Church at Ranchos de Taos,
1926, oil on board
Collection of Cortney & Fred Van't Slot

Painting of wash day.

Harvey Johnson
Wash Day Morning Star, 2006–2010
oil and acrylic on canvas
Collection of Michelle & Russell Tether

Bronze sculpture of two wrestlers.

Dorothy Austin
Wrestlers, 1936
bronze
Collection of Konrad Shields

Portrait painting of a man.

Stephen Rascoe
Untitled, ca. 1940s
oil on canvas
Collection of Pam & Mark Presswood

Conte crayon on paper of abstract horses.


John Ward Lockwood
Untitled (Horses), 1957
Conté crayon on paper
Collection of Becky & Ken Phillips

Painting of an early 20th century house with a car out front and some crops growing nearby.

Otis Dozier
Cabin and Well, 1932
oil on canvas
Collection of Nancy & Bill Murchison

Painting of a man with a guitar and a woman sitting behind him. It is night and there is a lantern beside them.

Everett Spruce
Serenade, ca. 1940
oil on canvas
Collection of Vicki & Brian Miller

Bronze sculpture on granite vase. Abstract form.

Charles Umlauf
Supplication Abstraction Form 4, 1989
bronze on granite base
Collection of Jan & Al McClendon

Painting of cactus on a landscape with two small structures in the background.

Porfirio Salinas
Untitled, ca. 1939–1941
oil on canvas
Collection of Susan & Jim Lockhart

Painting of a church.

Ima Pendergrass
Church, n.d.
mixed media on paper
Collection of Pam & Bob Leibrock

Painting of early 20th century Black farm workers who are gathered outdoors. There are three people - one man in overalls and two women. One of the women is holding a large basket. There are trees and a barn behind them.

Everett Gee Jackson
Dinnertime, 1926
oil on canvas
Collection of Geralyn & Mark Kever

Painting of Hill Top cafe, cars parked out front, gas pumps on the side. To the left is the night sky, the moon, and a long road ahead.

Jon Flaming
Hilltop Cafe, n.d.
oil on canvas
Collection of Vikki & Harry Jones

Landscape painting of bluebonnets and trees.

Julian Onderdonk
Bluebonnets in the Afternoon, n.d.
oil on panel
Collection of Dorothy Garland

Abstract painting of sailboat masts.

Cynthia Brants
Sailboat Masts (Maine), ca. 1960
oil on board
Collection of Beth & David Dike

Etching of a family homestead circa early 20th century with a truck out front, tires, children playing and clouds overhead.

Coreen Mary Spellman
Share Cropper, ca. 1942
etching
Collection of Justin Curtsinger

Painting of a woman outside wearing sunglasses. She is sitting at a table painting on a canvas in front of her.

Olin Travis
Eloise Pavey Painting at White Rock Lake, 1952
oil on board
Collection of Julie & Terry Brush

Painting of a girl in a blue dress sitting in a chair reading a book.

Alice Reynolds
Girl Reading a Book, ca. 1950
oil on canvas
Collection of Judy & Stephen Alton

Painting of Native Americans on horseback looking across a vast landscape with large clouds overhead.

Adrian Brewer
In the Navajo Country (New Mexico), 1930
oil on canvas
Collection of W. Russ Aikman

 
 
 

Art catalogue cover. It reads: TACO, Texas Art Collectors Organization, 25th Anniversary Collectors Catalogue

TACO’s 25th Anniversary Catalogue

The Texas Art Collectors Organization (TACO) celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2022 with a catalogue compiled and edited by members Fred Van’t Slot and W. Russ Aikman and designed by members Ken and Becky Phillips of WinshipPhillips. TACO members were asked to pick two favorite artworks from their collections and provide personal accounts of why the art is meaningful to them. Selected works appear in this exhibition.

 

Color graphic of flipbook cover

TACO Post-Exhibition Wrap-Up

View a virtual 360-degree tour, read visitor comments, hear audio commentary from the lenders, and much more in this digital post-exhibition publication.

 
 
 

Virtual Tour

Step inside the galleries and view this exhibition virtually. Click on the white “hotspots” on the floor to move around, and listen to a select group of collectors talk about their artworks by clicking on the sound icons. You can find more digital resources to explore on our Virtual Tours page.