MEDIA CONTACT:
Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Director
(361) 320-2064 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com
MASTER ARTISTS PAST AND PRESENT TAKE CENTER STAGE THIS SUMMER
Local artist Susie Black headlines Rockport Center for the Arts’ summer exhibition lineup
ROCKPORT, Texas (May 16, 2025) — Art’s greatest hits will be on display this summer at Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) with two exhibitions featuring work by Rockport Art Festival Master Artists. “For the Love of Fabric,” presented by IBC Bank, showcasing the quilted creations of the 2025 Master Artist Susie Black, and “Rockport Legends,” the popular annual exhibition featuring previous Master Artists.
Known for unique textile and gelli print works of art, Black is the 33rd artist to be honored in a tradition that began in 1993 with Harold Phenix. As Master Artist, her “For the Love of Fabric” solo exhibition will be featured June 7–July 27 in RCA’s H-E-B Gallery, coinciding with the 57th Annual Rockport Art Festival held on July Fourth weekend.
“I am honored and excited to be the 2025 master artist and especially to be the first fabric artist,” said Black. “My hope is to spread my love and appreciation of textile art and open the door for future fabric artists in our art community.”
As Master Artist, Black has produced an original work to be auctioned at the annual Art Auction gala on July 3, serving as the kickoff to Art Fest. An edition of 50 fine art prints of the piece has been created on archival paper by Hare and Hound Press of San Antonio, Texas, which will be available for purchase in RCA’s John and Mary Willrodt Gift Shop.
“Last year, we visited the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin for an exhibition by Anni Albers, one of the most celebrated textile artists of the 20th century, as inspiration for the display and installation of Susie’s ‘For the Love of Fabric’ exhibition,” said Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “RCA has not fully invested in celebrating this unique but important art form until now. Susie’s passion for working with fiber and textiles, her unique eye for design and explosion of color will become a platform for contemporary artists to explore identity, culture, history and innovation.”
“Rockport Legends” is set for June 13–August 10 in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery, featuring more than 20 works from many of the Rockport Art Festival Master Artist honorees through the years, including Steve Russell, founding member of the Rockport Art Association, Inc., and world-renowned wildlife sculptor Kent Ullberg. Always a guest favorite, the exhibition is a visual representation of what inspires artists to move to Rockport and become part of the most vibrant art community on the Texas Gulf Coast.
An artist reception for both shows is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, from 5–7 p.m., which includes the unveiling of Black’s original Art Auction gala piece and the fine art prints. The event, which is free and open to the public, will coincide with the monthly Austin Street Art Walk, a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport.
An accomplished seamstress like her mother and grandmother, Black’s lifelong passion for working with fabric led her to begin quilting in the 1970s, creating numerous award-winning pieces.
A fifth-generation resident of Aransas County and prominent business leader in the Coastal Bend community for many years, Black began her career in the family lumber and hardware business at age 10, later owning and managing the business alongside her brother and becoming a pioneer for women in the hardware industry. She served on advisory boards and committees for various hardware industry suppliers, was the first female board member of an eight-state hardware cooperative buying group based in Houston, and received recognition in Outstanding Young Women of America and Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. Additionally, she has served on numerous local boards, self-published a Recipes and Remembrances cookbook, raising $6,500 for a local non-profit, and worked on several capital campaigns, earning her Rockport-Fulton Chamber Citizen of the Year honors in 2008 for her leadership and philanthropic efforts.
Black left much of the business world behind in 2006 to begin pursuing her artistic endeavors full-time. Her formal training was private art lessons with local artist Carol Koutnik, a Master Artist herself, who encouraged her to see her textile work as an art form and to work in a series.
Working from her home studio in Rockport, Black often incorporates paint, dye and paper with textiles. Having a special affinity for incorporating old linens and repurposed items into her work, she has created numerous commissioned works for clients, often using cherished family textiles. Her work is available to view and purchase at Wind Way Gallery and RCA’s gift shop.
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
The 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts, the Coastal Bend’s first multidisciplinary arts organization, 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.); The Rockport Conference Center, a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The 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) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Rockport Art Festival Master Artists, 1993–present
1993 Harold Phenix †; 1994 Steve Russell (Founding member of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.); 1995 Al Barnes †; 1996 Herb Booth †; 1997 Jesus Moroles †; 1998 Evelyn Atkinson; 1999 Ricardo Rivera †; 2000 Kay Barnebey †; 2001 Jim Offeman; 2002 Flint Reed; 2003 Anita Diebel; 2004 Thom Evans †; 2005 Carol Koutnik; 2006 Hal McCaskill †; 2007 Nanci Barnes; 2008 Teresa Justice; 2009 Lisa Baer Frederick; 2010 Shirley Hughes Blackman; 2011 Betty Shamel; 2012 Bruce Bitter; 2013 Bonnie Lou Prouty †; 2014 Pamela Fulcher; 2015 Chance Yarbrough; 2016 Joey Blazek; 2017 Barb Robinson; 2018 Debbie Stevens; 2019 Angalee DeForest; 2020 V… Vaughan; 2021 Robin Hazard; 2022 Jeffrey Neel McDaniel; 2023 Kent Ullberg; 2024 Patsy Lindamood; and 2025 Susie Black Legend: † Deceased
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