Landscape painting of Big Bend State Park.

David Caton, “To the East,” Big Bend State Park, 2019, Oil on canvas

 

The Art of Texas State Parks

A Centennial Art Exhibition

March 21–May 26, 2024

J. Wayne Stark Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 1110

Organized by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Additional support provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and H-E-B.

TPWD 100 Years Logo

From the rugged mesas of the Panhandle and the steep-sided mountains of Big Bend Country to the waterways of the Gulf Coast and rolling grasslands of the prairies, visitors will journey through the diverse ecological regions of Texas as interpreted by individual artists.

In celebration of 100 years, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department commissioned 30 Texas artists to depict scenes from parks, natural areas and historic sites in the state park system. The selections on view are as varied as the parks themselves and offer a snapshot of Texas’ rich history and ecosystems.

This exhibition includes work from artists such as Randy Bacon, Mary Baxter, David Caton, Charles Criner, Margie Crisp, Ric Dentinger, Fidencio Duran, Janet Eager Krueger, Joel R. Edwards, Malou Flato, Gordon Fowler, Pat Gabriel, David R. Griffin, Brian Grimm, Clemente F. Guzman III, Karl E. Hall, John Austin Hanna, Billy Hassell, Hailey E. Herrera, Lee Jamison, Denise LaRue Mahlke, Jim Malone, Talmage Minter, William B. Montgomery, Kermit Oliver, Noe Perez, Jeri Salter, Jim Stoker, Bob Stuth-Wade, and Terri M. Wells.

This exhibition represents the seventh installation in the Texas Art Project series.

 

Book Cover. Painting of a stream and rocks.

Companion Book

“The Art of Texas State Parks:
A Centennial Celebration, 1923–2023”

By Andrew Sansom and Linda J. Reaves
Texas A&M University Press

The centennial of the state parks system offers the perfect occasion to create a lasting visual record of Texas parks in art while memorializing the past and ongoing development of the distinctive collection of Lone Star parks and natural areas. This book offers readers increased awareness of Texas parklands and heightens their popular appeal through the elegant and inspired works of some of Texas’ finest contemporary artists.