featuring work by Evelyn Contreras
October 23 - November 21
Opening Reception October 24*

Since 2012, Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) has invited one artist each year to take part in its unique Artist-in-Residence program, a unique undertaking made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor. This year, printmaker Evelyn Contreras gets the nod, featuring her solo exhibition, The Fragile, Oct. 23–Nov. 20 at the Art Center, while she works from a temporary studio during her stay in Rockport. 

“The Artist-in-Residence program is an exciting opportunity to connect with artists from across the country who work in media and materials you don’t see in South Texas,” said Luis Purón, executive director for Rockport Center for the Arts. “The program exists to invite artists for time and space away from their typical environment, practice and obligations, and provides them a venue for presentation, production, reflection, and research. The program is a cultural and humanities benefit to the communities of Rockport and Fulton.”

While in residence, Contreras will be creating a new piece specifically for display at RCA. Art patrons will also be able to schedule studio visits with Contreras at the temporary studio in Rockport, learning about her medium and technique while observing her studio practice. 

“Despite the face-to-face instructional challenges presented by COVID, we are working to design safe, in-person learning opportunities for our artists during Contreras’s residency and will be releasing more details on our website in the coming weeks,” said Karen Ernst, education director for Rockport Center for the Arts. 

Pieces featured in The Fragile exhibition will be viewable and for sale both in person and online at rockportartcenter.com. The month-long event is free and open to the public beginning Oct. 23. On Saturday, Oct. 24, there will be a public reception with Contreras from 4–6 p.m., with a maximum of 70 attendees admitted at one time in the galleries. All attendees, including visitors, staff, and volunteers, are required to wear face masks and maintain social distancing. 

A native of Southern California, Contreras received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking at California State University, Long Beach, and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin. Through printmaking and fabrication techniques, she creates an optical experience that makes the viewer look at space and materials differently, creating a cinematic experience through color, light, and form. 

“I tend to examine the handmade in tandem with digital technologies to evoke a surreal experience through color, light, and form,” said Contreras. “My work is highly fragmented which illuminates description over the narrative. My research, through a physical nature, privileges materials, light, and technology. On the surface, I’m interested in the multiple and patterns. Encouraging phenomenological effects which make the viewer look at space and materials differently.” 

Incorporating Chicano cultural lexicons and references to highbrow and lowbrow art movements, Contreras’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, appearing in collections such as Mexic-Arte Museum, Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art, El Minia University, and Santa Barbara City College. She has lectured and performed workshops in New York, Texas, and California and has received grants from the Los Angeles Print Society and Material Library. 

“Contreras is an exciting artist in the way she interprets the world through diverse media, frequently using materials that aren’t even considered ‘art supplies’,” said Elena Rodriguez, Curator of Exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “She comes to Rockport with fresh eyes to make work in response to the city’s laid back attitude yet stubborn resilience. I can’t wait to see the work she will create.” 

Artists previously participating in the Artist in Residence program are Tyler Vouros (2019–Massachusetts), Rabecca Signoriello (2018–Pennsylvania), Ellen Heck (2016–North Carolina), Bob Lockhart (2015–Kentucky), Diane Pike (2014–North Carolina), the team of Judith Selby and Richard Lang (2013–California) and Ewoud de Groot (2012–Holland).

Follow our Facebook for the latest info.

*Limited occupancy, masks required.