Museum Of East Texas Welcomes 3 New Exhibits

The Museum of East Texas in Lufkin is just a short drive from anywhere in town. Centrally located in downtown, nearly adjacent to the Pitser Garrison Civic Center, it’s easy to pop in and take a look at the different exhibits.  Three new ones are being welcomed at an opening reception for the artists on Sunday April 29th from 2-4pm, it’s free and open to the public. Connie Thompson, A Retrospective; Blake Bean, Comical Whimsy; and Stan Bohon, Wood Spirits and Their Stone Allies. Take a look at these decriptions of the instalations, and the artists, o see if this is something you might be interested in. 

According to the late Carol Crain, “Connie Thompson is first a rancher owning and operating, with her husband Ned, a ranch near Pollok, Texas. An accomplished sculptor, she switched to photography several years ago and specialized in nature, wildlife, and people photography. She lectures and instructs, along with accompanying field trips, on photographic techniques. Mrs. Thompson’s photographs have appeared in numerous exhibitions, magazines, books, calendars, and newspaper, and are held in many corporate collections.” Mrs. Thompson’s works are held in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; United Nations (Focus on Your World), New York, New York; and numerous other locations. Her works have been featured on the cover of Texas Highways, Natural History, Texas Farmer Stockman, Texas Monthly, and many more publications. Mrs. Thompson has won awards locally, nationally, and internationally. This exhibition encompasses 132 pieces, including photography and sculpture, and will be on display through May 29.  

Blake Bean studied studio art at Texas College in Tyler, Texas. Mr. Bean has been a part of a number of shows including solo shows such as “Chronicles of My Time” in the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) and the city wide African American show at Texas Southern University. His work was accepted into the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection in 2016. For this exhibition, Comical Whimsy, he collaborated with Benetha Jackson. The paintings in Comical Whimsy were inspired by and drawn from photographs taken by Ms. Jackson. Ms. Jackson has created art throughout her life and is especially interested in the art of everyday things. According to her, “this led to my desire to see the art in quirky styled stuffed animals. . . I am a psychology teacher who is trying to resist the urge to pose stuffed animals in department stores. I cannot help myself.” This exhibition will be on display through May 29.

According to his bio, Stan Bohon is “an area artist working mostly in 3-D.” He explains, “Art to me is a compulsion; there is a certain need, inherent in my spirit, to create objects. I experiment and constantly test the boundaries of visual art. The product of the art is often more important to me than the finished product. Much of my art has themes derived from nature. Nature provides me with inspiration and the materials to create.” Mr. Bohon actively participates in regional and local art shows and events and has won awards at Lone Star Art Guild conventions, the Lufkin Art Guild shows, Nacogdoches Art League, and at the East Texas Art League. From 2008 through present, Mr. Bohon has been a highly regarded instructor for the Museum of East Texas Art Camp. Since 2007, he has been a full time artist. His works will remain on exhibition through the summer.

About the Museum

The Museum of East Texas is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is education through exhibitions of art and history. The Museum is located at 503 N. Second Street in Lufkin, Texas, across the street from the Pitser Garrison Convention Center near downtown. For general information, to schedule a docent-guided tour, to become a Museum member, or for facility rental information, call 936-639-4434 or visit our website at www.metlufkin.org. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Administrative hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free of charge.

Contact: J.P. McDonald, Executive Director at 936-639-4434 or jmcdonald@metlufkin.org or Allyson Langston, Marketing/PR, Museum of East Texas, 936-639-4434 or alangston@metlufkin.org