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Vicki and I are the co-editors and among the fifteen
contributors to a forthcoming book entitled "Making Your Unknown Known: Women in Early Texas Art, 1860s-1960s." It
will be published by the Texas A&M University Press in March of 2024. We
have just finished this week responding to the copy editing of the volume,
which means that it is currently on track to meet its debut deadline.
The title of this book comes from a quotation by iconic
female artist Georgia O’Keefe who lived in Canyon, Texas during the very early
years of her career. She wrote: “Whether
you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown
known is the important thing.” It is in that spirit the female artists in Texas
made meaningful contributions to Texas art from the nineteenth century down to
the latter part of the twentieth century.
This volume
will concentrate roughly on the period from the Civil War era to the late
1960s. It will survey the contributions women made to art and sculpture in the
Lone Star state during that time period. It will be composed of chapters which
will assess the role female artists have played in interpreting the meaning,
history, heritage, and unique character of Texas. This volume will provide the
reader with an understanding of the role women artists have played in the
development of the fine arts in Texas, with special reference to geographical
areas of the state where female artists have been active. The book will also
highlight representative women artists whose work and contributions have significantly
advanced the cause of the fine arts in the Lone Star state.
