A look back details many who shaped the visual arts over the last six decades. It also elicits a respectful nod to those creative individuals who dedicated themselves to organize the formal and informal associations and that engendered and sustained the arts. The three mentioned here — the Laredo Art Association, the Laredo Art League, and the Art Spirits gave art its place in the lives of many Laredoans, its members unknowingly perhaps, opening the path for the establishment of the Laredo Center for the Arts in 1993.
The Laredo Art Association made its home in the east wing of the historic Fort Mcintosh commissary building on the Laredo Junior College campus. The space afforded a place for workshops, meetings, and a gallery. The Association annually sponsored a Holiday Home Tour and outdoor art exhibits — such as the Starving Artists Show and the Río Grande Art Fiesta.
The Art Fiesta filled San Agustín Plaza with a density of art displayed on easels and portable display panels. At one of those events in the late 1960s, artist Amado Maurilio Peña Jr. utilized the branches of the Plaza’s oak trees to hang some of his larger pieces of that period, like Big Faye with Sitar.
The phenomenal number of participating Laredo and Nuevo Laredo artists paled by comparison with the number of those who turned out to take in the excitement of the historic downtown plaza filled with original art and the opportunity to converse with those who had created it. The two-day Art Fiesta was replete with sketch artists offering portraits.
An informal group called the Art Spirits formed by accomplished watercolorist Mary Quiros in the late 1970s, also played a significant role in the Laredo art community. Among its members were Gloria Zuniga, Louise Longoria, Virginia Link, Rosalie Goodman, Charlotte Potts, Marilyn Madrazo, María Leyendecker, Cordelia Cantú, Nena Solis, Sara Mendoza, Graciela Botello, and Anne Brennan Vela. Quiros recalled the groups’ works hanging on the walls of Arlene’s Galeria.
The Laredo Art League was another mainstay of the arts. It was well known for its annual juried International Exhibition of Art that included artists from Nuevo Laredo. That event was much anticipated by the participating artists as well as Laredoans who supported the arts.
The founding of the Laredo Center for the Arts in September of 1993 in the old Market Square building downtown heralded a paradigm shift for the arts in Laredo — providing much needed gallery space for large exhibitions, workshops, and a door wide open to artists and the public’s access to the arts.
The Market Square building once housed City Hall, the Laredo Public Library, the Police Department and its jail, and a theater. In more recent times, the building had been made into an arts and crafts market. Prior to 1993, the west end of Market Square was leased to a restaurant/bar, a jewelry store, and a wedding chapel. The Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Webb County Heritage Foundation would reconfigure those spaces into separate office suites facing Flores Street.
The fuse behind the Center’s founding was Anne Brennan Vela, a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She credits the open minds of then-City Manager Peter Vargas, then-Mayor Saul Ramirez, and then-assistant City Manager Jesus Nava for their support in establishing the Center for Arts. Vela’s correspondence with those individuals, which survives in the Center’s archives, is direct, decorous, and informative.
The purpose of the Laredo Center for the Arts was stated thus: to coordinate, promote, encourage and support the arts for the Laredo area; to promote a cultural climate in the city of Laredo, Texas, in which the artistic creativity of all people may find voice; to organize and adapt the community’s resources to the needs of the artists and the public; to work with and advise officials, agencies, organizations, schools, businesses, and committees in supporting art activities; to seek to encourage the establishments of new art forms, to develop public and educational programs; to strengthen existing programs and organizations and promote tourism; to undertake other such activity that will encourage public participation and appreciation of the arts and humanities in the Laredo area; and to carry out those functions necessary to enhance the image of Laredo as a center for the arts. This corporation is a non-profit corporation, organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.
Vela served as interim director of the Center. “I had never run anything before. I learned by doing, and I learned from my mistakes,” she said. “We took possession of a building with nothing in it, not a chair or a table. Toro Martinez introduced himself to me and volunteered to help. He found used tables, a desk, chairs, and even a computer in a bank basement,” Vela recalled, adding, “The number of donors who offered help or gave us something we needed affirmed that the Center was an important venue for the arts.” She recalled that when money was short, there were generous individuals who answered the call.
The initial improvements to the interior of the building were painting, lighting, and creating space dividers. The Laredo Art League occupied a designated gallery space there.
In addition to exhibitions, the Center hosted workshops for new and established artists. Among the well-known artists who taught technique were Rob Erdle who accompanied Laredo artists to paint in Spain; Dorothy Bertine, the renown Denton watercolorist; and Californian Milford Zornes, who staged his workshop on the banks of the Río Grande.
Vela served as director of the Center for the Arts until 2000 when she and her husband, Dr. Raul Vela, moved to San Antonio.
In the years since, the Center for the Arts continued exhibitions, workshops, and its educational programs with public and private schools. One of its sources of income was the rental of its main gallery and the upstairs mezzanine for private parties and receptions.
Among the most memorable events at the Center was the 2013 20-year gala at which Vela was honored, and its 25th anniversary gala in 2018, “Stars of the Arts,” which recognized Altagracia Azios García, Cristina Greco, Scarlet Moreno, Elizabeth de Razzo, Maite Gomez-Rejon, Jacob Salamon, Dante Schwebel, and Marygene Walker.
An outstanding exhibit and auction of art created by Laredoans was 2020’s Río Mio, a celebration of the river’s beauty and a fundraiser for the Río Grande International Study Center. Birds of the Brush, in its 14th year as a juried exhibition of the work of Laredoans of all ages, opens annually every February at the Center during the Laredo Birding Festival. Another of Center’s outstanding exhibits was that of San Ygnacio artist Dr. Eric Avery’s Art as Medicine, which opened in March of 2023, an exhibit in tandem with artist Sue Coe’s Ways of Seeing exhibit at TAMIU.
In this issue of Tragaluz, Ryan Cantú makes note of the sea change that transpired in the post-pandemic Center for the Arts in the summer of 2023 — new board members, many of them artists; a philosophical shift in the selection criteria for artists invited to exhibit, a shift more inclusive and culturally reflective of the art and residents of the borderlands; and the Center’s 2021Art Acquisition initiative to acquire and promote works by local and regional artists who have gained recognition from art institutions across the United States and, in some cases, internationally. Among those artists are César A. Martinez, Ana Laura Hernández, as well as those in the riveting exhibit, The Border Is A Weapon, which was curated by Gil Rocha.
“These acquisitions and others become the foundation for what will eventually become Laredo’s first Museum of Contemporary Art. Since the project’s inception, we have successfully organized nine exhibitions that have captivated the community and enriched the cultural landscape. LCA hosts five exhibitions each year, each with a set of educational components designed to engage and inspire,” said Center board member Melissa Amici.
Members of the Center’s board of directors are Gilberto Rocha, president; Melissa Amici, vice-president; Jessica Diez Barroso, secretary; Pedro Morales, treasurer; Mary Ann García; Telissa Molano; Richard Morales; Julio Mendez; Amelia Ramírez; Eva Soliz; and Alejandra Urrabazo.
The Center for the Arts is staffed by programming coordinator Luis E. Sánchez and gallery assistants Janel Hernández, Esteban A. Mendiola, and Galia Robinson.
Gallery hours are thus: Closed Sunday and Monday; Tuesday by appointment; Wednesday through Friday, Noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SIDEBAR
Sifting through old letters and photos for the purpose of writing this story rewarded me with a story about the joy, will, and tenacity of artists of the past.
They painted in their homes, in workshops, or in groups invited to a home to paint together. “Paint, paint, paint is what we did,” said Mary Quiros, who hosted the Art Spirits.
Interviews with some of those artists told the story of a tender, generous camaraderie of respect and regard they shared as friends and artists. Many who have not seen each other for years, still keep in touch.
Some recalled the workshops that refined their practice. Others recalled the generosity of Genevieve Richter’s invitation to paint at her home on the river. They remembered valued critiques, shared techniques, and the excitement of the annual outdoor exhibitions.
They regarded some of their companions as eminences of the Laredo art community: Genevieve Richter; Anne Brennan Vela; Mary Quiros; Laredo Junior College art instructor Martha Fenstermaker; TAMIU art instructor Janet Eager Krueger; Ginger Richter; Gallery 201 owner Gayle Aker Rodriguez; Martin High School art teachers Amado Peña Jr., Onesimo Herrera, and Frank Ortega; Nixon High School art instructor Bess W. Quiros and Nixon High School and TAMIU art instructor Julio Mendez.
In the archives of the Center for Arts is a December 20, 1995 letter from Anne Vela to the Mayor, City Council, City Management, and the Chamber of Commerce urging them to consider establishing a downtown Laredo arts and culture district. The suggestion likely fell on deaf ears, but 26 years later other forward thinkers would lay the groundwork for the non-profit Laredo Cultural District designated in 2021 by the Texas Commission on the Arts as the 50th Cultural District in the state.
-MEG
BOARD COMMENTS
Board President, Artist Gil Rocha: It brings me joy to reflect on how deeply the Center has evolved alongside the community. I first walked through the Center’s doors in 1994 as a high school senior, unsure of my path and unaware that becoming an artist was even possible. I found a welcoming community that changed the course of my life. Inspired by founding members and artists such as Anne Vela, Mary Quiros, and Linda LaMantia, (affectionately known as The Art Spirits), I discovered a sense of belonging and purpose. The Center believed in me early on, offering my first $500 scholarship after graduation. Looking back, much of my success as an artist can be traced directly to that moment of encouragement and trust. Over the decades, I left Laredo to grow and returned with new perspectives, each time taking on different roles (volunteer, gallery preparator, manager, educator, board member, and now president). Those experiences, combined with work in galleries and museums beyond our city, have helped shape a shared vision with our Board: to elevate the Center to its full potential. This growth has been possible thanks to the continued support of the City of Laredo and its leadership. Together, we have built a vibrant arts culture that meets and aspires to exceed the standards of larger cities. Our dream is to take the next step forward: to establish a dedicated arts museum that reflects who we are, honors what makes Laredo unique, and preserves our cultural identity for generations to come.
Board Treasurer, Artist Pedro Morales: The success of the Laredo Center for the Arts can be attributed to having an artist-and-art-advocates-run Board of Directors who believe in and understand the simple formula that is the purpose established by the founders of the Center and applying present day solutions to accomplish that purpose. Using creativity, a common vision and direction, and the application of experience, knowledge, and love for the arts, has, in a short period, transformed the Center by being consistent with an annual schedule of exhibits, artist talks and dialogues, workshops and educational programming, networking with local and exterior institutions, artists, curators, authors, gallery owners, and most importantly, sponsors. In December the Center was visited by representatives of Ruby City, Art Pace, and the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. The Center has been awarded a substantial grant from the Mellon Foundation to continue the work of the Center’s Art Acquisition project. Art can have the effect of expanding the mind and activating the imagination to transform a place, in this case Laredo, with beautiful colors, spirit, and meaning. Gratitude to all who visited the Center this past year. I invite you to visit the current exhibit at the Center of the Arts by Sarah Fox titled, The Woman Under the Water & Other Stories, which will be up until January 23 and was named by Glasstire as one of the top five exhibits in Texas for the week of January 8.
Board Member, Artist Julio Mendez: In 1993, the newly formed Center for the Arts signaled a big step forward. It gave art a space for productivity, exhibitions, workshops, and dialogue. Today’s board, many of us experienced artists, work to make art relevant by bringing back to Laredo artists who began here and have charted successful careers in other places. Their artist talks about the development of their practices as artists in Laredo are especially compelling and inspiring, particularly for young artists. Those talks affirm that the culture and history of Laredo are rich veins of inspiration for artistic expression.
Board Member, Artist Eva Soliz: My interaction in Laredo’s art world began in 1998 when I was invited by the Center for the Arts to present my exhibit, Conditions. My return to Laredo two years prior caused me concern. I had grown accustomed to Chicago’s robust arts scene, and by contrast, the arts in Laredo seemed very traditional. Over the years I have witnessed steady growth and transformation that has resulted in Laredo’s wider range of contemporary art and its edgy forms of expression. The establishment of the Center has played a vital role in the evolution of the arts in Laredo — charting, fueling, and reflecting today’s dynamic art scene. As a board member, my vision for the ongoing growth of this art hub centers on enhancing facilities, staff, programing, and securing funding essential to these efforts.
