A Message from Luis Purón, Executive Director

Dear Patron of the Arts,

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes, including The Patricia Bennett Moore Sculpture Garden, part of the new 1.2-acre Art Center campus slated to open in November.  The 16,000-square-foot garden has recently begun blooming with the installation of sculptural works from the permanent collection, along with granite benches designed and created by Jesús Moroles. 

A total of eight sculptures from artists with state, national, and international recognition, will grace the garden, which also includes greenery, water features, and five Moroles benches, making the space suitable contemplation. The general contractor, Teal Construction Company of Houston and Corpus Christi, and Moroles Art Co. of Rockport are handling the installations, which are expected to be completed this month.

The first sculpture to be installed on the new campus on Sept. 9 was Merry Time Romance, 2021, a scaled-up sculpture of two seahorses by Swedish master Kent Ullberg. It will become a signature piece on the Art Center’s permanent collection.  It was followed on Sept. 30 by Man’s Best Friend, 1999, by Michael Atkinson. Lighthouse Fountain 2002, by Jesús Moroles, is scheduled for installation Oct. 6.

The remaining five sculptures are:

• Uccelli (Birds of St. Francis), 1972, by artist Charles Umlauf;

• Walking White Flower, 2011, by artist James Surls;

• The Inevitable Question, The Lure of Simple Inclinations, and The False Shadow of Transformation, 2016 triptych, by Danville Chadbourne;

• Interlocking, 1985, by Jesús Moroles; and

• Days, 2009, by Mark Williamson (a student of J. Moroles).

Two of the pieces, previously on long-term loan, were returned Sept. 20 and are ready for placement in the new garden: Uccelli, from the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum in Austin where it had been since 2017, and Walking White Flower, displayed in City of San Antonio’s Mahncke Park since 2019.

Additional sculptural acquisitions are currently underway.  I will share more with you as it develops.

Luis Purón