Then & Now: A Look at Fort Worth Art
Panel discussion moderated by Caleb Bell, Curator at the Tyler Museum of Art
Featuring Linda Blackburn, Daniel Blagg, and John Hartley
Thursday, October 21, 2021
5:30 – 7PM
Caleb Bell, Curator of the Tyler Museum of Art, will moderate a conversation with longtime Fort Worth artists Linda Blackburn, Daniel Blagg and John Hartley at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 21. During their discussion, the artists will speak about their pieces currently on view at Artspace111 as well as how their work has evolved over the years. They will also discuss their relationships and previous roles within various Fort Worth art institutions including Artspace111, Gallery 414 and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Combining all of their personal stories and observations, the conversation will offer a glimpse of the rich Fort Worth scene and how it has evolved over the years.
- About Linda Blackburn
Linda Blackburn, born in 1941 in Baltimore Maryland, has lived and worked as an artist in Fort Worth since 1966. She received her BFA in painting from the University of Texas at Austin (1962) and a MA in painting from the University of California at Berkeley (1965). She received a National Endowment for the Art grant in painting (1990) and a Mid American/National Endowment for the Arts grant in painting (1988). Her work is in public and private collections including the Modern Art Museum Fort Worth, the Amarillo Art Center Museum, Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC., Southwest Craft Center, San Antonio, The Crescent Collection, Dallas and DFW Airport.
- About Daniel Blagg
Daniel Blagg, a native of Texas, is constantly influenced by the surroundings of his studio warehouse located on the outskirts of downtown Fort Worth. Blagg’s urban realist paintings depict abandoned buildings, decaying gas stations and empty streets. Drawn to these neglected areas that are in a state of limbo, his perspective elevates and reflects elements of Americanism both ordinary and sublime. Says the artist of his work: “As an artist, I think that I don’t know all the motives that draw me to a subject. It is both simple and complex, and I prefer to leave it a mystery. I can only say that even though I paint in a realistic way, I try to avoid formula and style. What I hope comes out in the end is the raw signature of emotional observation.” Collectors of Blagg’s work include: the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Shell Oil, Fidelity Investments, and the Coca- Cola Company. Blagg has also been a finalist in the prestigious Hunting Prize juried exhibition in Houston, Texas.
- About John Hartley
Exhibiting throughout Texas and the United States, his work has been critically received and is included in collections across the country. In 2013, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth purchased his painting, Night Duty, for their permanent collection, which also includes three of his monoprints from its 1990 exhibition, Forty Texas Printmakers. His exhibitions include shows at Kidder Smith Gallery in Boston and Martha's Vineyard, the Arlington Museum of Art, The Barth Galleries in Columbus, Ohio, and galleries in Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston, Texas.
- About Caleb Bell
Caleb Bell is the Curator at the Tyler Museum of Art. Over the years, he has presented numerous exhibitions at the TMA as well as other institutions across the state. He has served as a Curatorial Advisor for an exhibition at Women & Their Work in Austin, panelist for Texas Commission on the Arts and juror for a variety of competitions and exhibitions. Additionally, Bell has given talks and presented lectures across Texas. His writings have been published in many publications including Glasstire and Tyler Today Magazine. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art (CASETA). In addition to exhibition design and development, he specializes in communication strategy, event coordination, fundraising and graphic design.
