Charles Umlauf  (1911-1994)
Uccelli (Birds of St. Francis), 1972

Other Information: Uccelli (Birds of St. Francis) is a rare casting by the late American sculptor Charles Umlauf. A nationally acclaimed sculptor, Umlauf did many of his castings in Italy (hence the Italian titles), and this piece was part of a full-scale figure casting of St. Francis. Umlauf made only a few castings of the birds by themselves.

Umlauf's work is in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Umlauf taught at the University of Texas for over 30 years. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin now holds much of Umlauf's remaining works and archives. 

This piece was donated by Cam Leonard, a founding father of the Art Center's Sculpture Garden and past-president of the Art Association. Cam and Virginia Leonard's past contributions have made a substantial impact on the Art Center we know today, and Cam's current contribution of Umlauf's Uccelli is dedicated to the memory of Virginia Leonard.

The base for Uccelli was designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Jesus Moroles, a longtime friend of the Leonards, whose Lighthouse Fountain was dedicated into the Sculpture Garden in 2002.

The dedication for Charles Umlauf's Uccelli took place on November 1, 2008, with Cam Leonard, Jesus Moroles, and Harold Phenix in attendance.

Danville Chadbourne
The Inevitable Question, The Lure of Simple Inclinations, and The False Shadow of Transformation, 2016

Dimensions: 8 feet x 17 feet x 11 feet

Other Information:

Known for his craftsmanship and use of primal materials such as wood and clay, Chadbourne's work is often likened to a body of cultural artifacts. The visual and ritual impact of these beautiful objects is made more complex by their provocative,poetic and often paradoxical titles. They are, in essence, monuments to irrational ideas and human impulses.

Born in Bryan, Texas in 1949, Chadbourne received a BFA in 1971 from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas and an MFA in 1973 from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. After many years teaching studio art and art history at the college level, Chadbourne quit in 1989 to devote himself full-time to his work.He has exhibited extensively, including more than 100 one-person exhibitions. He resides in San Antonio with his wife Diana Roberts also an important figure in the art world.

The process to procure the sculptures started in 2015 in consultation with the artist and the family of James A. Smallenberger, whose contribution made this acquisition possible. The three large-scale, high-fired ceramic works complement the building and the seaside setting of the Art Center’s growing collection of outdoor works by important Texas sculptors such as James Surls, Kent Ullberg,and Rockport’s own Jesús Moroles.

The three Chadbourne’s signature ceramic works form an almost ritual grouping outside, emphasizing the artist’s interest in natural materials, bold use of color, and evocative forms.

Chadbourne often describes his large sculptural forms as “monuments to abstract, even irrational, impulses.”Entitled The Inevitable Question, The Lure of Simple Inclinations, and The False Shadow of Transformation, the sculptures are representative of the artist’s artistic vision. The largest work is over 8 feet tall, the other two pieces measure over 6 feet.

Michael Atkinson
Man's Best Friend, 1999

Other Information: 

This figurative bronze was donated by the artist in memory of his father, Atmar Atkinson, who passed away in 1999. The full-size sculpture sits at the Northwest corner of the Art Center grounds, facing Rockport Harbor and the Texas Maritime Museum. It depicts a young man sitting on a bench with two terriers that are similar to the dogs his father loved so much.

Michael Atkinson is well known for his watercolors and figurative sculpture, and is represented by Galerie Zuger in Santa Fe, NM.

Jesus Bautista Moroles
Lighthouse Fountain, 2002

Dimensions: 21' Tall

Other Information:

In Lighthouse Fountain Moroles has immortalized the spirit of comforting strength, powerful gentleness, and graceful beauty which make the Live Oak Peninsula distinctive. The representative work of Moroles' signature Fredricksburg granite stands twenty one fee high and symbolizes a lighthouse as water quietly slips down its grooved and curved sides.

The commission of the Moroles piece is made possible by a major donation from Frances Brockett of Louisiana and a grant from The Brown Foundation of Houston. Additional members of the Rockport community made valuable contributions to make this artwork become a reality.

Mark Williamson
Days

Other Information: Donated by the artist in 2009, Mark P. Williamson and family grew up around Rockport. Williamson’s works have been accepted into more than 20 national juried art competitions since 2002, receiving awards in Denver, Sacramento, and San Angelo. 

Williamson perfected his marble sculpting techniques while in residence in Pietrasanta, Italy in 1991, later studying under the Spanish abstract sculptor Xavier Corbero (2001) and Jesus Moroles (2005). While focused primarily on marble and granite, Williamson’s work often displays healthy experimentation in the use of other non-traditional media.

Williamson’s sculptures now sit in the collections of prominent art patrons, Highland Park Township (Dallas), at the University of Texas at Austin, and as part of the Rockport Center for the Arts' Permanent Collection.

For more information, please visit http://www.sculptormarkpwilliamson.com.

Kent Ullberg

2012

Bronze

Gift of Neil and David Herring

2021

Bronze

Kent Ullberg
Preening Heron, 2017

Dimensions: 5 feet by 2 feet by 1.5 feet

Other Information: In 2016, the families of David Herring and Jane Guinn, in consultation with the artist, began the process of selecting the second of two Ullberg pieces for public display in Rockport. Preening Heron is an abstracted bird form based upon the center tile of a 1992 bas relief triptic entitled Evolution. In that work, Ullberg charted the life cycle of his own creative voice moving from the abstract modernism of his art training through the natural realism of his mature works. Ullberg stated, “I’m delighted and honored to have a second sculpture at the beautiful Rockport Center for the Arts Sculpture Garden. Like most of my work, it’s inspired by nature and appropriately in this case, by the rich wildlife of the Texas coast.” Cast in stainless steel, Preening Heron keeps a watchful eye on Rockport Harbor and stands as an agreeable link between our Sculpture Garden's realistic and abstract works.

Kent Ullberg

Rites of Spring

13.5 ft. bronze on stone installation - October 2000

Leo E. Osborne
Return of Ancient Wisdom, 2008

Dimensions: 4" x 5", approx

Other Information: The first sculpture since 2002 to be added to Rockport Center for the Arts' Sculpture Garden is "Return of Ancient Wisdom" - a bronze cast from burl wood by nationally acclaimed sculptor Leo E. Osborne. Osborne's piece will be a welcome addition, as the Kemp's ridley sea turtle is of global and local significance. "Return of Ancient Wisdom" evokes the potential of art to raise awareness of our natural environment, and will be a permanent reminder of the ecological role of the Coastal Bend region.

The Art Center's newest sculpture is made possible by the generosity of the Thomas W. Moore family and the Margaret Sue Rust Foundation.

Jane DeDecker
Into the Wind, 2011

Other Information: Jane DeDecker's bronze sculpture Into the Wind arrived April 2, 2011 and was placed on a newly landscaped portion of RCA's Sculpture Garden. The piece was made possible by The Margaret Sue Rust Foundation in Memory of Monroe Rust. Facing the prevailing southeast wind, a lone figure is perched on the bow of a boat - evoking a sense of wonder, sensitivity and pride. The figure brings to mind embarking on a personal journey -- which is innately human and especially true for the many artists that visit the Art Center.

DeDecker is a widely acclaimed artist with a long list of awards and permanent installations all over the nation. Her influences include Kent Ullberg, whose "Rites of Spring" was the first major sculpture dedicated in RCA's garden in 2000. Ullberg's continued interest in shaping the garden contributed greatly to this project being realized. 

The Art Center wishes to thank The Margaret Sue Rust Foundation for their continued vision and support of a lasting, meaningful landscape, the Sculpture Garden Committee, and to the many members and volunteers who dedicate their time to this effort.  

For more information on Jane DeDecker, visit www.janededecker.com
Press Release from the Dedication of Into the Wind below.

Andy Sacksteder

2023

Bronze

Last Man Standing, a life-sized bronze sculpture honoring WWII veterans by artist Andy Sacksteder.

Made possible by RCA and the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Last Man Standing depicts an aged WWII veteran standing as tall and proud as his stooped frame allows, saluting the flag with his wheelchair just behind him. The statue was installed on May 11, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to Rockport Harbor, prominently displayed near the park entrance. The Memorial Day ceremony will be held on May 29 at a time yet to be announced.

“We are pleased to partner with the Aransas County Navigation District to bring The Last Man Standing to Veterans Park,” said Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “It’s a beautiful, moving piece and a heartfelt tribute by the artist in exactly the right location in our community. We are honored to bring it to Rockport for all to enjoy.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, of the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II, just over 167,000 were still alive in 2022 with that number falling by an average of 180 each day. Sacksteder, the son of a WW II Navy vet, was inspired by his father’s harrowing tales of war to create the bronze tribute to the last generation of soldiers and nation builders.

“Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their nineties and older,” said Sacksteder, “and as they pass on, the memories of World War II — its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs — disappear. I wanted to capture their experience, reflect the glories and horrors of war in the veteran’s wise etched face while conveying the great pride and love of country through a hand raised in a timeless salute.”

Cast in bronze, the veteran, standing around 6 feet tall, and the wheelchair weigh approximately 300 pounds combined. The sculpture is part of RCA’s permanent collection and is number 3 in an open edition of 15.

After graduating from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in landscape horticulture, Sacksteder’s artistic flair for landscape design quickly earned him a solid reputation as a master at his craft, but it wasn’t until 2008 at the age of 52 that he decided to pursue his true passion to become a sculptor. With encouragement and guidance from a local sculptor who handed him his first chunk of clay, Sacksteder began his self-taught artistic journey by creating busts from photographs of his children, magazines and works of art, all while studying countless books and CDs on portrait sculpture and human anatomy. His natural artistic talent combined with a keen eye for detail and amazing ability to capture a person’s likeness has allowed him to create life-like three-dimensional works of art from one-dimensional images.

Since beginning his successful new career, the award-winning sculptor has been commissioned to create numerous works for public display and private collections alike, including First and Ten depicting legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes for a business in Columbus, Ohio, and Young Ernest Hemingway for Petoskey, Mich., where the famous writer spent his childhood summers.

James Surls Walking White Flower

James Surls

Walking White Flower

Other information:

American Sculptor, James Surls

James Surl’s work can be seen throughout Texas and is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, DC), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY), Whitney Museum of American Art) New York, NY), among many others.

Surls has strong Texas roots – himself, an East Texas native who graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1966 and then becoming a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas (’69-96).  Surls is very fond of Rockport – Having made many trips in the past to fish and to visit his good friend and colleague, Jesus Moroles.  Surls now lives and works in Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado.

After months of preparation and planning, the powdered coated steel piece finally made its way to Rockport.  While the piece, called Walking White Flower, bears a striking resemblance to his other molecular- related work seen at the contemporary Arts Museum Houston and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Walking White Flower is currently the only white piece Surls has made.  Its chosen placement – on the lawn of the Rockport Center for the Arts – allows the unique, abstract qualities of the piece to be truly appreciated by visitors to the Art Center.

In November, Surls visited the Art Center to usher in the project.

The project was made possible by The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, The Madison Charitable Foundation, and the studio of Jesus Moroles.