Exhibits

Living Witness: Historic Trees of Texas

January 7 through March 11
McDermott Learning Center

The oldest living witnesses to Texas history come to life in a photography exhibit in the McDermott Learning Center. For the last four years, Ralph Yznaga, avid photographer and Texas history enthusiast, has traversed the state capturing the historic trees of Texas with his vintage cameras. Images of several dozen of these historic trees will be featured in the exhibit, and their story and driving directions to each will be highlighted in his book, "Living Witness: The Historic Trees of Texas," which will be published in April by Texas A&M Press.

Yznaga is an award-winning advertising creative director and photography enthusiast. A UT graduate from San Antonio, he has worked at national and international advertising agencies for over 25 years, including GSDM in Austin. Through his work, he hopes to preserve and remind us of the amazing history of the state that occurred in and around these historic trees.

URBAN FOLK BY JUDY PAUL

January 7 through March 11
In the Store

Austinite Judy Paul is a mixed media artist and graphic designer whose work reflects her excitement and energy. Displayed in the Wildflower Center store starting Jan. 7, her exhibit named “Urban Folk” includes works that depict magical worlds where flowers, seahorses, and human figures dynamically wander throughout the frame. The viewer finds more the longer they look, as each painting is densely layered with diverse textures, interwoven with ice cream cones, pastel dots, diagrams, scientific illustrations, and textual book fragments. Former full time graphic designer, Paul uses a media mix of acrylic paint, pencil, collage, and screen printing. She sums up her artistic process best on her website, saying “my goals are to continue with a process that is more fun than eating a banana split, to advance my skills as an artist and to make work that sparks connections with people.”

Around About Water

September 3 through February 26
In the Gardens

Noted Austin Sculptor Damian Priour was born on Padre Island and his work in glass and fossil-laden Texas limestone is a product of the Gulf’s tidal forces. In this dry year, his sculptures evoke water. He says: "Water sparks my imagination, my memories. Water sparks my ability to go places that only exist in my imagination. Water sparks my mastery at getting lost in the shower. Water sparks my desire to travel, to get naked, to comb the beach, to make art, to be free, to watch every raindrop, to love, to make love, to create, to enjoy bliss, to worship, to sin, to not, to drink, to know the limits of planning, to be prepared for the prepared, to know the true value of being unprepared, to know friends, to love friends, to ache for the unfortunate, to be spontaneous, to understand the value of family, to make mistakes, to sit still, to dance, to be confused, to have faith, to have doubts, to make wishes, to be foolish, to do the right thing, to separate the clear from the fuzzy, to breathe, to know life is good most of the time, to know the importance of a positive outlook, to tell the truth, to see through the naive, to ache for my children, to know my parents ached too, to be happy for the success of others. Water sparks perseverance. Water sparks understanding the importance of a clean mind and the understanding that having a dirty body is ok some of the time. Water sparks my desire to take huge leaps but understand that baby steps are sometimes necessary. Water sparks the clarity of paradox, the clarity of knowing which dreams to follow, the clarity of knowing old souls, the clarity of listening. Water sparks the knowledge that helping others helps yourself more. Water sparks my appreciation that I knew very little when I was. Water teaches. Water sparks the lucky, the poor, the pretty and the not so. Water cleans. Water nourishes. Water kills. Water saves. Water sparks wonder at life. Water sparks curiosity about death. Water sparks."