San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

 

West Texas Triangle: Moroles

July 4 - November 4, 2007



West Texas Triangle: Moroles
Inside the Heart and Mind of an Artistic Genius

The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is delighted to present an exhibit that explores the creative genius of one of America's greatest living artists, Jesús Moroles - a sculptor whose work can be seen in locations across the world. On July 4th from 10 am until 4 pm the Museum will open an exhibition to the public that explores the inspiration, motivation and creative process followed by this amazing artist. The exhibition will feature a number of original works by the artist, designs and models for some of his major outdoor monuments as well as remarkable masterpieces and funky, eclectic objects from both famous and obscure artists whom he has encountered and worked with over the years.

The artist, who resides in Rockport, Texas, is the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts winner for the visual arts. He is a sculptor who works primarily in granite stone. He is no stranger to San Angelo nor West Texas. The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is home to a major work by Moroles titled, Vanishing Edge. This one-ton work graces the Museum's roof top terrace and overlooks the banks of the Concho River and the city skyline.

The exhibition in San Angelo is part of a broader retrospective of the work of this artist which is taking place throughout this summer in four other collaborating art museums. The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts has come together with The Grace Museum in Abilene, the Ellen Noel Art Museum in Odessa, the Old Jail Art Center in Albany and the Museum of the Southwest in Midland for a combined exhibition effort called the "West Texas Triangle: Moroles." Each exhibition is totally different and each is a wonderful experience in its own right. The cooperating museums are hoping that visitors will be inspired to make an artistic pilgrimage to all five locations. Thinking big in a way only West Texans can, this combined exhibition effort of the "West Texas Triangle" may be geographically the largest individual artist retrospective ever held. The five collaborating museums have boldly declared this vast region to be the "space for art." SAMFA Museum Director Howard Taylor states that "this is the first combined exhibition undertaken by our five institutions and Jesús Moroles is the ideal artist for us to begin with. The heroic scale of much of his work and its relationship to nature, the land, and the human spirit is inspiring. Few artists could present such a compelling range of exhibitions on this scale - Moroles can! Pictured at right the home of Jesús Moroles.

To kickoff this three-month exhibition, the Museum is hosting a participatory performance piece featuring the artist himself. It is titled Harmony in Stone, a Rock Concert. Moroles and his assistants use their hands, feet and batons to bring various sounds out of his sculpture and sculptural materials. All those who wish to join in, and that means anyone of any age, will be given stone materials and literally be conducted as they bring forth music that Moroles suggests has been hidden deep in the heart of the materials for millions of years. The concert will take place at 11 am on Wednesday, July 4th and will be followed immediately by a rock and roll combo playing traditional instruments. Birthday cake, ice cream, balloons, and liquid refreshments will be provided as we celebrate our nation's birthday and the occasion of an amazing artistic event. The whole family is invited and the Museum will be open free on this special day. Mr. Moroles will be on hand to meet all guests and to autograph copies of his recently published book, Moroles Granite Sculpture, for those who purchase it.

Jesús Moroles was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on September 22, 1950. He showed an early aptitude for drawing and took art classes at the local YMCA as a young boy. In his teens he ran a successful business in silk screening, but this venture was cut short by the Vietnam War. Moroles enlisted in the Air Force and became an electronic equipment repair specialist. After 4 years in the service he returned to Texas and enrolled at the El Centro Community College in Dallas and later at the University of North Texas at Denton, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978. Pictured at right Moroles Studio.

From 1978-79 he spent a year's apprenticeship in El Paso, Texas at the studio of the well-known sculptor Luis Jimenez, which was a significant experience for the direction Moroles would take as an artist. Following his apprenticeship he spent a year (1979-80) in Petrasanta, Italy, working in the great Italian marble studios. He returned to America and first set up shop in Waxahachie, Texas in an old monument factory, where he created his first granite sculpture. In 1982 he re-located to Rockport, a seaside town not far from Corpus Christi. He settled next to his parents and since then has developed a compound and factory for the creation of granite sculpture. He also founded the Moroles Cultural Center in Cerrillos, New Mexico, which serves as a multipurpose exhibition space for showcasing artists from other countries.

Among his distinctions, Jesús Moroles is a member of the board of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He has over 2,000 works in place in China, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, United States, and in private, museum, corporate and public collections. Moroles sculptures have been included in over 300 museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide.

Exhibit sponsored by Wells Fargo, NA San Angelo

 

View Videos about the exhibit

The museum is supported by generous contributions from both individuals and businesses. This project is partially supported by funds from the San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council, the City of San Angelo, the Texas Commission on the Arts, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.