MEDIA CONTACT:
Luis Purón, Executive Director
(570) 702-4032 / luis@rockportartcenter.com
Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager
(361) 729-5519 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com
NEW HONOR FOR ROCKPORT’S GRAND DAME OF THE ART COMMUNITY
$100,000 donation made to Rockport Center for the Arts in honor of Estelle Stair
ROCKPORT, Texas (Aug. 2, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) today announced it had received an anonymous gift of $100,000 to name the foyer of The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC) after Estelle Stair, one of the founding members of the Rockport Art Association (RAA) in 1967, which later became Rockport Center for the Arts.
“We are so pleased to receive such a generous donation to further the Arts in the Coastal Bend and are more than happy to honor Estelle Stair, known as the Grand Dame of Rockport’s Art Community and the Matriarch of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.,” said Luis Purón, RCA executive director.
Stair (pronounced “star”) came to Rockport in 1962 from Luling, Texas, where she and her husband Neal had operated a general store. An avid artist and art teacher known for her landscape paintings based on Rockport’s coast, she worked for and studied under Simon Michael, who founded the Simon Michael School of Fine Art in Rockport in the 1940s. In 1978, Stair purchased the Sorensen Building located at 406 S. Austin St., a well-known Rockport landmark thanks to its unique architecture and historical value, opening the Estelle Stair Gallery, which she operated until her death in 1988 at the age of 77.
Estelle Stair Gallery continued through 2019 under the tutelage of other family members, including Stair’s sister, Jimmie Bouldin, who left the gallery to her daughter Lisa Baer Frederick and her husband John Paul in 1996. Following renovations in 1996 and more extensive restoration beginning in 2004, the gallery received a Texas Historical Commission designation in 2008 and reopened in 2011.
The Rockport Art Association operated out of the Estelle Stair Gallery from 1978–1984, and again in 2020. RAA regularly brought artists together, featuring art classes, shows and other events, all of which helped spark the renovation of downtown Rockport with as many as 17 galleries along Austin Street at one time and transforming it into the important business corridor it is today.
In 2016, RCA invested in land on Austin Street as part of a strategic direction not only for the organization but for the community. Economic development played a large part in the determination for this investment and the leadership at the time felt strongly that RCA needed to be in the downtown area, close to other art galleries and spaces.
“It is no coincidence that the choice Estelle Stair made in the 1970s to invest in real estate in downtown Rockport to form an art gallery is the choice RCA made four decades later,” said Purón. “Estelle was a woman ahead of her time.”
Stair enjoyed encouraging artists and was always full of enthusiasm for them. In 2007, RCA hosted a posthumous retrospective exhibition featuring her work along with Michael Frary’s. RCA was her passion, a point she proved by assuming the organization’s debt when it was struggling financially.
On her deathbed, Stair penned a memoir recording her thoughts about the Rockport art community and the future direction of the RCA, which remains a relevant guide.
“It seems unreal that the original paper still exists, and I can hold it between my fingertips as she did over 25 years ago,” said Purón. “In times of doubt, I turn to Estelle’s memoir which is written in a conversational and evocative style. To this day, much of our success is inspired by her foresight, including Rockport Art Festival, one of our most successful annual events, which she specifically addressed: ‘These are a few of the things to consider when planning a long-lasting 4th of July Art Festival, keeping in mind these are the reasons we are rated the best show in this part of Texas. Don’t change the dates.’ She was right — and we never will. Estelle’s passion and wisdom live on as a beating heart for the Rockport Center for the Arts.”
For more information on Rockport Center for the Arts, visit rockportartcenter.com follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Rockport Center for the Arts and The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC)
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, including a 4,400-square-foot ballroom and culinary arts kitchen (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. Hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 729-5519. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
###