A three-part mural will be installed on the exterior of Longview Museum of Fine Art's new Fredonia Street home in honor of artist, business owner and museum board member Jason Butler, who died this past year. The announcement was one of many at this week's State of the Museum event, which was held inside the 50,000-square-foot building at 213 N. Fredonia St.
The mural, which is set to be installed Nov. 21, will "depict Lady Liberty in all her colorful glory," said Arts!Longview Executive Director Christina Cavazos. A rendering of the mural shown Wednesday depicted a triptych of the Statue of Liberty’s face, each in Andy Warhol’s signature pop-art style.
The mural is a joint project by Arts!Longview, which manages the downtown cultural district, and the museum. A new mural inspired by the work of artist Jason Butler is announced during the State of the Museum meeting Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at the Longview Museum of Fine Art. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) About 100 guests in attended Wednesday's second annual State of the Museum address.
The muffled sound of power tools working to refurbish the 1940s wing of the former bank building filtered into the room as museum Executive Director Tiffany Jehorek spoke to the crowd. “The board’s vision is to become the premier art museum in East Texas,” she said. The new structure will be the largest fine art museum in the region once renovations are complete.
She summarized a year of milestones for the museum and gave attendees a sneak peek for the year ahead. The Longview Museum of Fine Arts was awarded $82,500 in September by the Texas Commission on the Arts to support the grand opening of the museum’s new building and the first exhibition to take place inside it: “George Rodrigue: Painting for Myself.” More than 50 works from Rodrigue, some of which have never been exhibited before, are planned for the show.
The show opens to the public Nov. 3 in the Fredonia Street building. Jehorek said the grant opens up opportunities for marketing the Rodrigue exhibit.
A 20-foot-tall poster featuring one of Rodrigue’s iconic blue dogs will hang from the front of LMFA’s new home. “We're looking at bus routes, we're looking at billboards, we’re looking at more ways to get the word out (with the grant funding),” Jehorek said. Executive director Tiffany Jehorek speaks during the State of the Museum meeting Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at the Longview Museum of Fine Art.
(Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) Speaking of the blue dog, one of Rodrigue’s canine paintings was revealed to guests Wednesday in dramatic fashion. Museum staff removed a curtain draped over the painting that was displayed on stage. The museum is also committing to an annual financial audit to improve its competitiveness when applying for large grants.
“Most people hear audit and get a little scared, but this is a good thing," Jehorek said. “It means that when I want to apply for a $1 million grant, they want your audit. They want to know that you are above board.
” LMFA’s influence is stretching beyond East Texas these days. Glasstire, an influential Texas arts magazine, produces a list of the 25 best exhibits in the state each month. LMFA made the list twice over the past year, Jehorek said.
Meanwhile, Paper City, the glossy Texas lifestyle magazine boasting more than half-a-million readers, listed the Longview National Bank building as one of its top 50 design icons in the state. Paper City referenced the original wire star sculpture created by artist Richard Lippold for the Longview bank building. The star hung in the room above attendees during Jehorek's address.
Lippold’s work has been exhibited internationally, featured in the New York Times no less than five times, and can also be seen in New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The Great Lone Star, created by sculptor Richard Lippold, hangs from the lobby's ceiling. (Courtesy Photo) The National Bank building was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 as a well-preserved example of mid-century modern design.
The lobby of the 1960s portion of the building contains a room-spanning abstract mosaic by artist Herbert Mears. Those were the kind of features that attracted the Mid-Century Modern Society of Houston this year and convinced a group of architectural enthusiasts to stay in Longview for two days to tour the National Bank building and others from the era, Jehorek said. “It warms my heart because this building will not only be known for being a great art museum.
The building itself is art, and we're preserving it,” she said. The museum’s transition from the Tyler Street location to the National Bank building is expected to be fully complete by 2026, Jehorek said. Jehorek also announced new additions to the museum's art collection.
The first piece is a photograph by Guggenheim fellow and Tyler resident Robert Langham. Langham’s work was showcased at the LMFA Tyler Street location this past year. Executive director Tiffany Jehorek announces new acquisitions during the State of the Museum meeting Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at the Longview Museum of Fine Art.
(Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) “One of the things we do is collect Texas art and preserve our Texas heritage and the artists that are here. It's a beautiful piece that's quite large,” Jehorek said. The second work acquired by the museum is a sculpture by Dwayne Hughes called “When birds sang more like they meant it,” which is available to view in the JT Smith Sculpture Garden on Tyler Street.
To honor the passing of Longview artist and former LMFA board member Jason Butler, a three-part mural will be installed on the exterior north-facing wall of the Fredonia Street building on November 21. “It will depict Lady Liberty in all her colorful glory,” said Arts!Longview executive director Cristina Cavazos. A rendering of the mural depicted a triptych of the Statue of Liberty’s face, each in Andy Warhol’s signature pop-art style.
The mural is a joint project by Arts!Longview, which manages the downtown cultural district, and LMFA..
