The Red & White Gallery Celebrates a Decade of Great Art in the Countryside

An Auspicious

In 2012 the iconic Red & White building on Fayetteville’s Historic Square came on the market. Joan Herring called the realtor and booked an appointment to view the listing. She wasn’t there long before she called her husband who was busy working at home. “Jerry,” she said, “come into town right now! We are buying the Red & White!” Joan’s idea for the building was an inn, which she eventually created on the second floor. In Houston she had orchestrated pop-up art exhibits and, given that the first floor needed to be a retail space, the idea for the Red & White Gallery was born.

Beginning

While the updating of the old building was taking place, the Herrings were driving through Rockport on a car trip when Jerry mentioned that Jesús Moroles lived and created his art in Rockport. Herring had published a book on the work of Moroles, an internationally known sculptor who had recently been awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bush in the White House in acknowledgement of his work. Moroles had created many large-scale public works, such as the Houston Police Officers Memorial in Houston. The Herrings called on Moroles, who happened to be in town, and over supper Joan asked Jesús to be the first show in the soon-to-open Red & White Gallery. Astoundingly, he said yes. Jerry, worried about the 175-year-old floors, cautioned Jesús that the gallery couldn’t be expected to hold any large granite pieces. Moroles solved that problem by hanging most of the show, called “Rings of Granite,” from the ceiling.

The gallery space began as just one room. The side building, formerly the Dawn Theater, was an unairconditioned storage space before the gallery’s second exhibit. The gallery would become two large rooms at Evan Quiros’ insistence. Before Quiros debuted his amazing work, “Pakal Stained Glass Window,” which he spent over 8 years creating, he pushed the Herrings to finish out the old theater to make more room for his presentation. It turned out to be a wise investment, as major shows by William Anzalone, Mary Quiros and Pat Johnson followed in quick order taking up the entire two rooms.

A very successful first year led to more artists that you would normally only see in large market galleries agreeing to exhibit in a central Texas town of 250 people. In the gallery’s second year, Laura Wilson drew more than 250 people to her opening of photographs of the West!

Exhibits

Large & Small

Over the past ten years the Red & White has hosted major one-person shows by William Anzalone, Sue Benner, Andy Dearwater, Clovis Heimsath, Jerry Jeanmard, Pat Johnson, Mark Kohler, Sally Maxwell, Arthur Meyerson, Jesús Moroles, Mary Quiros, Charles Schorre, Linda Tibolla, Jack Unruh, and Laura Wilson. The one common denominator is that the group is made up of Texas artists. Without setting out to do so, the gallery soon specialized in local and regional Texas artists.

The gallery put on large group shows as well, participating in the biennial FotoFest Exhibits, hosting the Fayetteville Clay Invitational, and staging a unique show of Guatemalan rugs as well as themed group shows with up to ten artists. In all, over 100 artists have exhibited at the Red & White in the last ten years.

A Community

Meeting Place

Beyond a busy gallery schedule, the Red & White has also become a community meeting place. Joan Herring could be called the hot dog queen” for the hundreds of free hot dogs she has served up at her popular movie nights and community social events. Free movie nights draw 60-70 people, while the gallery as well as the front sidewalk are filled with locals cheering on the MS-150 riders or handing out candy to Halloween trick-or-treaters. Music acts have played in the gallery, writers and photographers have had book signings, a poet had a reading and some dance lessons have even taken place. Add to the mix the small Christmas fairs held in past Decembers, the gallery has been a very active space on Fayetteville’s Historic Square.

A Special 10th

Anniversary Exhibit

To celebrate the gallery’s first ten years of being an integral part of Fayetteville’s culture, the gallery has gathered together the works of 19 artists who played an important role in the formation of the Red & White. You are invited to the opening on Saturday, January 7th from 4-7. The exhibit will be open thru March 4th. Check out the exhibited works at www.redandwhitegallery.com or www.redandwhitegalleryonline. com.