“Poetic Images and other Works” an exhibition of photography by Richard Orton, with poems by Mary Fogel inspired by Richard’s photos continues every Saturday in April at Falling Star Gallery @ NAC, 11-4 through April 26. Ten of the images in the exhibit inspired Mary Fogel to write poems, and the poem is printed with the image that inspired it. After Orton met Mary Fogel about a year ago, she took an interest in his photography and started writing short poems inspired by them. According to Fogel, “they just ‘fly in’ and I write them down.” Their collaboration will continue with the creation of a book of poem images. There will be a closing reception on Saturday, April 26 from 2-4pm.
Mark your calendars for NAC’s next Arts Market being held in our parking lot on Saturday, April 26. Visitors can expect to see handmade items and curated vintage. Vendors can sign up on our website www.nacartscollab.com. NAC supports small arts businesses!
NAC will have a booth at the Wine Swirl on Saturday, April 12 with artsy activities. Look for us on the brick streets.
Our annual Naco Verde Upcycling Competition is in progress. Participants picked up items to “upcycle” on March 22 and completed projects are due back on April 26. The competition will culminate with an exhibition & auction/sale in the Falling Star Gallery on May 1 & 2.
We have big things happening soon – stay tuned for new classes and activities starting in May.
Nacogdoches Arts Collaborative is located inside the Williamsburg Plaza, 320 North Street, Suite 307. Falling Star Gallery @ NAC is in Suite 306 and is open Saturdays from 11-4 or by appointment by texting 917-209-1050. We are also an easy walk from downtown at 415 N. Fredonia Street, one block north of the Fredonia Hotel.
APRIL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT – Meet Richard Orton!
Today, Richard Orton is a noted photographer, but his artistic life began in music. Born in Nacogdoches, Richard grew up in Midland, and started playing the cornet in 7th grade. By 10th grade, he had switched to the French horn and after high school, he earned a BA in music from what was then North Texas State University in Denton. After two years in Liberia serving with the Peace Corps, Richard relocated to Austin and picked up his horn again, but realized that he was never going to go pro. He quit playing altogether, but needed a new creative outlet. “My master’s is in musicology, and while still in Austin, I took a beginners’ photography class for six weeks and got seduced when I saw the images I had taken coming up in the development tray.” His instructor, Bill Kennedy, helped Richard build a darkroom in his garage and Richard got busy.
Some forty years later, Richard’s career as a photographer has taken him around the world. His website, richardorton.com, showcases images from such far-flung locales as France, Chile and Bali, just a few of the places he’s been. He’s also the author of The Upshaws of County Line: an American Family, a book that chronicles the story of one Black family across generations in the network of “freedom colonies” in Nacogdoches County (and elsewhere in Deep East Texas), established after the Civil War. Richard’s photos illustrate the book. A film is in the works on this project. For a few years in the early to mid 2000s, he was the official photographer for the Texas House of Representatives, taking photos while they were in session in Austin.
After he met poet Mary Fogel in 2023, Richard shared some of his photographs with her and she wrote poems about them. “Her poetry actually enhanced the images. It had never occurred to me they could be used in this manner,” he said, and they started a collaboration that resulted in the exhibit now showing at Falling Star Gallery at the NAC. Richard says that he and Mary are committed to doing a book with these pieces. “Magic things happen when you bring two art forms together.” We here at the NAC couldn’t agree more!