MEDIA CONTACT:
Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager
(361) 320-2064 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com
SOMETHING SHINY AND NEW
Colorful glass creations on display beginning Feb. 4
ROCKPORT, Texas (Jan. 20, 2025) — Guests visiting Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) will soon have something new to reflect upon as “Nature of Glass,” featuring the unique work of Houston-based artist Eric DePan, opens Feb. 4 in the Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery.
DePan’s work will be on view and available for collection through April 6, with an artist reception scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 5–7 p.m., which is free and open to the public. The event will coincide with the monthly Austin Street Art Walk a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport.
“Eric DePan's exceptional skill in glass artistry is matched only by his profound passion for the medium," said Catey Arnold, Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions for RCA. "Having devoted more than half his life to mastering the art of glassblowing, I am delighted to showcase this talented young artist's work.”
DePan graduated with honors from the University of Houston and quickly began his studio glass practice through work/exchange and scholarship programs at Penland School of Craft, Haystack Mountain School, and Corning Museum of Glass. His pursuit of glass has led him to contracts in Fairbanks, Alaska; Murano, Italy; Kobo Glass in Toyama, Japan; and Augusta Glass Studio with Sam Stang and Kaeko Maehata. His career also led him to residencies, teaching, and visiting artist opportunities at the Appalachian Center for Craft and Chrysler Museum of Glass, and back to his hometown of Houston where he maintains his studio practice. DePan was also a juried artist in the 2024 Rockport Art Festival, prompting the invitation for his exhibition.
“I managed to receive the 'Best in Show' award at the Rockport Art Festival last July and coming back to show my work in such a beautiful, new space is big for me,” said DePan. “I've been working on some new themes for the exhibition and am excited to be at the Rockport Center for the Arts.”
For more information on “Nature of Glass,” visit rockportartcenter.com follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Rockport Center for the Arts
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts, the Coastal Bend’s first multidisciplinary arts organization, is located a block from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); The Rockport Conference Center, a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
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