VRMA / The Nave Museum

 

New Installation by Maura Sheehan Opening at the Nave Museum

What’s most striking about Victoria is the searing, blazing, blinding light.  This is not a passive, congenial, dappled, impressionist light, but rather a muscular, invasive and intelligent light.In contrast, the Nave Museum is windowless and therefore the perfect place to channel the light and demonstrate its visceral attraction to the dark.  It’s this reconciliation of opposites, between light and dark, that is the primary material and metaphor for the installation.

                                                                                                                         Maura Sheehan

The consequence of a windowless art museum in the Texas light is the inspiration for a new installation by New York artist Maura Sheehan at the Nave Museum in Victoria. Opening March 15, 2012, Opposites Attract imagines the museum as a large format, walk-in camera where light and images are captured at the front door to be funneled and focused through the Nave and projected on the back wall.

Opposites Attract considers the Nave as a temple, a place of reverence to the Texas light.  The Greek Revival facade of the Nave bears a striking resemblance to another temple to light, the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.

In the front room of the Nave, Sheehan will amplify the light with an installation of a wall-to-wall, mirrored floor that is patterned after the geometric marble inlay of the Pantheon.  The floor reflects, magnifies and maximizes the ambient light, mimicking the function of a mirror in the classic single-lens reflex camera.

Investigating the ephemeral nature of light and experience has been an on-going theme in Sheehan’s work.   For the last 20 years she has been creating location-based installations in venues throughout Europe, North Africa and the United States. The exhibition at the Nave deepens this exploration. By joining the sharp Texas light with the Nave’s muted interior, Sheehan initiates a truce, where light and dark are reconciled, and Opposites Attract.

MAKE ART WITH LIGHT! Every Saturday from 1-3p during the exhibition, MAP (Manhattan Art Program) will provide free workshops for children.

Opposites Attract is curated by Ann Harithas, and will be on exhibit at the Nave Museum from March 16th through May 6th, 2012. The Nave Museum is located at 306 W. Commercial Street in Victoria, Texas. The Nave is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 – 5 P.M., Thursdays 1 – 8 P.M.

For More Information             

For museum information, please call 361-575-8227 or visit www.victoriaregionalmuseum.com or http://www.facebook.com/TheNaveMuseum.

Beginning February 3rd, the Nave Museum presents the work of two renowned Texas artists, James Ferdinand McCan (1869-1925) and Royston Nave (1886-1931).  Although they were contemporaries, colleagues and former friends, their work has never before been exhibited under the same roof.

The Cattle Baron - James Alfred McFaddin (1840-1916) who came to Victoria County from Beaumont, by way of Refugio County, arriving in 1876.  He began buying land in the great triangle between the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers.  This would become one of the great South Texas cattle ranches. 

The Cattle Baron’s Daughter - This would be Emily, born in 1876 in Refugio County.  Emily was one of a dozen children, only three of which lived to become adults.  Artistically inclined, Emily had a studio in the tower above the center of the McFaddin home in Victoria.

Artist #1 - James Ferdinand McCan was a feisty Irishman, born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1869.  Arriving in America at age 17, he eventually wound up in San Antonio where he established a studio.  An exhibition of his works attracted the attention of Henrietta M. King, who brought him to the King Ranch where he was a sort of artist-in-residence for a period of two years.  His reputation as an artist blossomed dramatically.  Al McFaddin, son of James A. and brother of Emily, commissioned McCan to paint portraits of J. A. and Margaret  McFaddin in 1896.  This led to the marriage of the feisty Irishman and the Cattle Baron’s Daughter.  A son, Claude Kerry McCan, was born in 1899.

Artist #2 - Royston Nave was born in LaGrange, Fayette County, in 1886.  Nave and McCan were friends, in fact, Nave completed a self-portrait which he presented to his “dear friend, J. Ferdinand McCan.”  It hangs today in the front hall of the home J. A. McFaddin had built for his daughter when she married “Jim” McCan.  Emily divorced McCan and, after a year’s wait, married Royston Nave.  Although there was a ten year difference in their ages, they were devoted to each other, traveling the world with Emily’s brother, Al, and his wife, Ada Pettus McFaddin, and settling for a time in New York before returning to Victoria in the early 1920’s.

Emily, who was known to the public as Miss Emma and to her family as Emmie, was a fun-loving, outgoing soul whose involvement in the social and cultural life of Victoria is legendary.  Eleanor Roosevelt stayed in the McCan-Nave home when she visited Victoria in December of 1940.

Jim McCan died in San Antonio in 1925.  Royston Nave was felled by a heart attack in McAllen in 1931.  The Cattle Baron’s Daughter passed away in 1943. The death of Royston Nave at age 44 came as a terrible blow to his family. Early in 1932 his widow rallied herself and commissioned the father and son team of Atlee and Robert Ayers to design a fitting memorial to honor his memory.   Their fee totaled $1,041.21.  The plans were finalized and construction began during the summer of 1932.  The three cottages occupying the property were moved off beginning on Monday, June 5, 1932.  Work progressed at a rapid pace.  Landscaping was installed beginning on October 23, 1932.  The entire project had cost Emily $18,268.73.

Royston Nave’s paintings were installed on the walls of the Greek Revival Temple, and the memorial was open to the public.  In time, the Bronte Library moved from the old Masonic Lodge on W. Forrest Street into the Nave Memorial.  The paintings were moved higher up on the walls and the library stacks were beneath them.  For forty years school children and adults used this priceless structure, and appreciated its simplicity. Today, the Royston Nave Memorial, one of Victoria’s architectural masterpieces, is home to the Victoria Regional Museum Association.  Paintings of Royston Nave form the bulk of their permanent collection.

“The Cattle Baron’s Daughter” marks the first time that both Nave and McCan paintings have been shown under one roof.  What more fitting place than here to bring these unique artists works together.  We will see in these paintings, elements of the things that inspired Emily’s love, in turn, for each of them.  She was a true patron of the arts, and it was through her patronage that each of them attained a widespread following.

Don't miss the chance to experience a fascinating piece of Victoria history in this never before seen exhibit. “The Cattle Baron’s Daughter” is curated by Gary Dunnam, Julie McCan and Sharon Steen, and will be on exhibit at the Nave Museum from February 3 through March 4, 2012, with a Member Preview on Thursday, February 2. The Nave Museum is located at 306 W. Commercial Street in Victoria, Texas. The Nave is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 – 5 pm and Thursday 1 – 8 pm.

This show would not be possible without the generosity of Emily McFaddin McCan Nave’s descendants, namely Sue McCan Cannon and Kerry and Mary Carroll McCan. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Bob and Julie McCan, Joella Pickering Smith and Lester Giese. VRMA / The Nave gratefully acknowledge our sponsors: City of Victoria; the Victoria Advocate – Presenting Sponsor; First Victoria National Bank and Victoria Television Group.

For more information, please call 361-575-8227 or visit www.victoriaregionalmuseum.com or www.facebook.com/TheNaveMuseum.
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The following remarks were made by Gary Dunnam, exhibit co-curator, at this exhibit’s Member Preview on February 2nd

The story of this exhibit began a long time ago. Actually, it began four years after the magnificent five-pointed star was placed on the flag of the Republic of Texas.  This story has five points also.

The first point refers to the Cattle Baron – James Alfred McFaddin – born in 1840. Historian Victor Marion Rose wrote this sketch of him in 1883: 

Captain James A. McFaddin was raised in Liberty County, Texas, married Miss Margaret Coward, and removed to Refugio County in 1865; and in 1876 to Victoria County, when he enclosed an extensive pasture in the fork of the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers.  He resides in Victoria, having purchased the elegant residence of the late George F. Rogers. Captain McFaddin is a fine specimen of physical manhood, standing over six feet in height and weighing 250 pounds of legitimate “corporosity.”  His heart is swayed by kindly impulses; he is a warm friend, and his hospitality is proverbial. No community has a better citizen, and Victorians of all classes think a heap of jolly Jim Mack. Mrs. McFaddin is a lady unsurpassed in the possession of those Christian virtues which so ennoble womanhood, and all deserving causes are sure to receive from her a helping hand. Their family consists of “Al,” a promising son of some eighteen years of age, and “little Emmie.”

Rose did not write that the couple had about a dozen children, only three of whom would live to adulthood.

I would put “Little Emmie” at the top of our five-pointed star.  Born Emily D., she was a true force of nature.  Artistically inclined, but with an accountant’s sensibilities, she was fifteen when her father replaced the “elegant residence of George F. Rogers” with a finer, more elegant residence designed by J. Riely Gordon, who would soon design our 1892 Victoria County Courthouse.

The new house sported a tall tower which rose over the entrance hall at the front of the structure.  In this tower at the level of the third floor was Miss Emmie’s studio.  Sadly, the tower was destroyed by a fire in 1929.

We come now to the third point of our star:  James Ferdinand McCan, a feisty Irishman, born in County Kerry, Ireland.  Jim McCan’s career as an artist received an incredible boost when he was commissioned by Mrs. Henrietta King to execute a number of paintings for the legendary King Ranch.  This commission lasted two years. When he returned to San Antonio, his own star blazed across the Texas sky.

It isn’t known who made the contact that resulted in the commission to paint portraits of Mr. & Mrs. McFaddin and their son, Al.  But he arrived in Victoria where he met the cattle baron’s daughter.Blest with a cheery disposition, a wasp waist, and a love of art, Emmie caught his eye and captured his heart.  They fell in love and were married on December 9, 1897.  They would have one son, Claude Kerry McCan, born in 1899. Jim McCan was a very public figure.  He and his wife were heavily involved in the social life of Victoria.  He held a special affection for the volunteer fire department, and gave of his time, talent and energy in support of that group.

Sadly, the marriage ended in May of 1916.  McCan spent much of his time in the Texas Hill County – painting away.  He was captivated by the beauty of the land at the headwaters of the Guadalupe River, which is easy to understand.  Problems with his eyesight plagued his last days. He passed away in San Antonio, August 30, 1925.  He is buried in Victoria’s Evergreen Cemetery.  In the back gallery you will see the portraits of the McFaddin family along with McCan’s self portrait.  It is interesting to note that he made the frame for his portrait himself.

Enter the fourth point of our star – Royston Nave – a native of La Grange, born in 1886.  It is believed that he came to Victoria to study art with Jim McCan.  From a photograph of himself taken by Miss Emmie Crew, he painted a self-portrait – inscribed “To my friend, J.F.M.” signed, “Royston Nave.”

A year after her divorce from McCan, Emmie married 1st Lt. Royston Nave, and began the grandest days of her life. Witty and engaging, Royston traveled extensively with Emmie, often along with her  brother Al McFaddin and his wife, Ada Pettus McFaddin.  Across from the bar in the center of the building you will see a large photo of the four of them atop camels – in front of the Sphynx and a pyramid – obviously in Egypt.  Despite the sand, the heat, and the fleas, they enjoyed themselves immensely.

Royston and Emmie lived two years in New York City – where he painted many of the portraits in the permanent collection of the Nave Museum, and many of the portraits seen here for the first time.  Perhaps it was the lure of their native Texas that brought them home. Back in Texas and painting one day on the Ranch, he was asked how he could give up the fame he had experienced in New York.  He replied…… “What is fame?”

Royston’s studio was on the second floor of the building at 113 West Constitution.  From here he painted the view across the plaza to Trinity Church.  This painting is seen here on the east wall of the front gallery.

Nave’s life was cut short when he died unexpectedly at the age of 44 in McAllen in 1931.  The community was stunned.  Following a year of mourning, Emmie commissioned Atlee and Robert Ayers to design a memorial to her late husband.  The Royston Nave Memorial was built during the last half of 1932.

This building, the Nave Museum, is the fifth point of our star. Nave’s paintings were hung around the walls of this gallery.  Emmie also commissioned a bronze bust of Royston, which stood atop a green marble column.  Eventually, the Bronte Library would move into the buildings, and Nave’s paintings were moved higher up the walls to accommodate the book cases.  Several passersby have wandered in and commented that they remembered enjoying Nave’s paintings during the time they hung in the Library.

Emily D. McFaddin McCan Nave passed away in 1943 and is buried beside Royston in Evergreen Cemetery. When the new public library was completed in the mid 1970s, Emmie’s descendants donated this building to the City of Victoria, and the Nave Museum was born.  It has been a stunning asset to Victoria for the past 35 years.  It is now owned by the Victoria Regional Museum Association.  It is both a Registered Texas Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This exhibit was an excellent opportunity to display the works of these two talented artists.  We are indebted to Sue McCan Cannon for inviting the curators to her home on the McFaddin Ranch and telling us to take anything you want for the show!  Once the raid had taken place, she commented that the walls sure look bare!

The McFaddin portraits made the trip into town, as did the portraits of Sue and Kerry’s parents, Claude Kerry McCan, and Sue Ragsdale McCan. The same generosity was extended by Kerry and Mary Carroll McCan.  Many of the paintings in the exhibit were loaned by Julie and Bob McCan.  Chief Silver Cloud made the trip from their home to hang between Alada Crain and the Russian Exile. Joella Smith loaned two beautiful McCan landscapes which had belonged to her mother, Jane Jordan Smith. Other works were lent anonymously.

In a way, this exhibit is a precursor to “Art on the Hoof!” scheduled to open here at the Nave on August 23rd. 

We are grateful for your interest in art, your attendance at our exhibits, and your patronage of this fine museum. 

This star is on the rise!

A new exhibit, titled Co-Modify, will open at the Nave Museum in downtown Victoria on December 9, 2011. This is a unique exhibit featuring works by a group of artists called ‘Culture Laboratory Collective.’ The exhibit will feature works by ten artists from seven different states, all united by a common theme: responding to the social condition in which all value is monetary and reality itself becomes a product. To maintain conceptual integrity, all works have been produced exclusively for this exhibit.

The Culture Laboratory Collective is a diverse group of artists working loosely around the question of social cohesion within the context of aesthetic fragmentation. While focusing collectively on a synthetically established social identity the work produced paradoxically strives to break free of group-think aesthetics in favor of the individual voice. Retaining a focus on craft and the object, Culture Laboratory Collective operates as an ongoing investigation in media interchangeability and aesthetic fluidity. The last Culture Laboratory Collective exhibit was at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

The artists participating in Co-Modify are Piotr Chizinski (Ithaca, NY); JD Durham (San Marcos, TX);  Sarah Haven (Ellensburg, WA); Brian Jobe (Knoxville, TN); Shreepad Joglekar (Manhattan KS); Ryder Richards (Plano, TX); Sue Anne Rische (Plano, TX); Kale Roberts (Tampa, FL); Ian F. Thomas (Slippery Rock, PA); Dryden Wells (St. Louis, MO) and Jonathan Whitfill (Lubbock, TX). Mr. Durham of San Marcos is expected to be in attendance at the Member Preview on December 8. Call 361-575-8227 to become a member of the Nave or join at the door.

All artists participating in this exhibit have strong academic backgrounds, and work as art educators in various universities and colleges across the US. Their work has been shown nationally and internationally. The work in this exhibit is comprised of sculptures, photographs, mixed media, and installations pieces. Including the central theme, Co-Modify has been curated by Shreepad Joglekar, a former Nave board member and photography professor at the Victoria College, who now works at the Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. The Exhibit will be open to public from December 9, 2011 to January 22, 2012, with a member’s preview on Thursday December 8, 2011. The Nave Museum is located at 306 W. Commercial Street in Victoria, Texas. The Nave is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 – 5 PM and Thursday, 1 – 8 PM.

VRMA and the Nave gratefully acknowledge our sponsors:

City of Victoria, The Victoria Advocate - Presenting Sponsor, Victoria Television Group, First Victoria, Wells Fargo Foundation

For more information about Culture Laboratory Collective please visit: http://www.culturelaboratory.us

Dia de los Muertos has been practiced for at least 3,000 years, going as far back as the Aztecs. The day is not meant to be morbid; instead it is a celebration of life honoring loved ones who have passed on. Many Día de los Muertos celebrations are held in churches, schools, and museums all over the world, predominately in Mexico, Central America, and parts of the United States.

The exhibit at the Nave will include a Silent Auction of Retablos, small devotional folk-art pieces that are lovingly crafted and highly detailed, and available in many unique styles, created by dozens of Victoria-area artists. The Retablo Silent Auction, benefitting the Nave, will begin on Saturday 10/29 at 12 noon and end on Thursday 11/3 at 8 pm.

Also on display are artistic Altars (Ofrendas) that commemorate the memory of a loved one.  These altars include photos, brilliant flowers, art work, and often the honored person’s favorite food or drink.  The exhibit will feature altars from eighteen local artists and families, including Ernestine Kidder, Denise Rangel, the Trevino family and the Villafranca family. The exhibit also includes “Sugar Skulls” decorated by children from Crain, Vickers, Dudley and O’Connor Elementary Schools participating in the Manhattan Art Program.  The altar exhibition, curated by John Moraida, will be on view through November 20, 2011.

Dia de los Muertos at the Nave is sponsored by John Griffin and Lynn Knaupp, Mr. and Mrs. John Pappillion / Health Force Home Health, Museum of the Coastal Bend, the City of Victoria and Victoria Regional Museum Association.

 The Nave Museum is located at 306 W. Commercial Street, and is open 1-5pm Tuesday through Sunday and until 8 pm on Thursday. For more information call the VRMA office at 361-575-8227, email vrma@victoriaregionalmuseum.com or visit www.VictoriaRegionalMuseum.com or www.facebook.com/TheNaveMuseum.