MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

(361) 320-2064 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com

PECHAKUCHA ROCKPORT — MINI-TALKS WITH BIG IDEAS

Free Feb. 20 event features fast-paced presentations from 10 creatives

ROCKPORT, Texas  (Jan. 29, 2025) — Designed to engage and inform, Rockport Center for the Arts is hosting PechaKucha Rockport featuring 10 presenters from a variety of creative disciplines including culinary, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, film and the visual arts.

Meaning “chit chat” in Japanese, the PechaKucha event is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20, at The Rockport Conference Center adjacent to RCA, beginning with a cocktail party at 5:30 p.m. followed by presentations starting at 6:15 p.m. The event is free to attend, but guests must reserve a ticket as seating is limited to 240 attendees.

As is tradition with PechaKucha, each presenter will utilize 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each with no option to pause or reverse. The fast-paced 6-minute and 40-second presentation format is designed to keep the audience engaged with presenters using more visual and focused messaging.

“It’s exciting to be hosting PechaKucha Rockport with some extraordinarily talented presenters from right here in Texas,” said  Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “The idea is to talk less, show more and share ideas, so we are making this a free event and encourage all to reserve a seat. These presenters are experts in their respective fields and have a wealth of knowledge and insight to share. The format encourages them to hone in on the most important elements of subjects they wish to discuss, or even projects that are in progress or have yet to be presented to the public, so it will be an evening of interest and learning.”

Purón will serve as emcee for the event, which will include a brief intermission after the first five of 10 presentations and a Q&A session following.

Culinary – Sourdough, An Exploration of the Oldest Bread Form, Dr. Pamela Brouillard, Corpus Christi

Photography – Muses of Mount Helicon, Barbra Riley, Wimberly

Sculpture – Manjarris Sculpture Projects, Michael Manjarris, Bayside

Painting – My Obsession with Jules Bastien LePage, Elena Rodz, Corpus Christi
Sculpture – Passion and Travel: A Formula for Creativity, Greg Reuter, Corpus Christi

Architecture – Brick, David Richter, Corpus Christi

Painting – Nightscapes, Joe Peña, Corpus Christi

Photography – Transdisciplinary Perspectives in Eco-Distress, DM Witman, McAllen

Film – The New Canvas of Exploring AI in Film and Art, Matthew Thornton, Austin

Painting – Stories from the Monte - The Idea of the Narrative, Ricardo Ruiz, Corpus Christi

While the event is free, guests must secure a ticket through the RCA website for admission. For more information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook and Instagram, 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.

About The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC)

Located at 106 S. Austin St. on the 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts campus is The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC). Perfect for small conferences and board meetings, team-building events, family reunions, wedding receptions and more, the one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center features a 4,400-square-foot ballroom (Randy Ewing Kemper Hall), 1,400-square-foot reception area (Estelle Stair Foyer), a fully equipped catering and culinary arts kitchen, and state-of-the-art AV and Wi-Fi throughout. For general information or to book an event, visit the-rocc.com, or call (361) 450-8033.

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