Glasstire Essay Explores Collecting as Autobiography Through Texas Institutions and Curator Maggie Adler
Curator Maggie Adler's collection, featured in a Glasstire essay celebrating its 25th anniversary, delves into the concept of art collecting as a form of personal narrative. This piece is part of the September theme "Stewards of the Scene: Texas Galleries & Collectors," highlighting the distinction between preservation and intentional collecting. It references notable Texas institutions such as the Menil Collection, Green Family Art Foundation, and Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Amon G. Carter Sr. was responsible for the museum's initial Western art collection, while his daughter, Ruth Carter Stevenson, broadened its focus and championed arts initiatives in Fort Worth. Adler, now a collector of varied pieces, presented her collection, which includes works by Sandy Rodriguez and a cigarette-themed series dedicated to her late mother, ultimately asserting that collections embody intricate identities.
Key facts
- The essay is part of Glasstire's 25th anniversary series and the September theme 'Stewards of the Scene: Texas Galleries & Collectors.'
- Amon G. Carter Sr. assembled the Amon Carter Museum's original collection of Western paintings and bronze sculptures by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell.
- Amon G. Carter Sr. died in 1955; his daughter Ruth Carter Stevenson brought his museum dream to fruition and expanded its collecting scope.
- Ruth Carter Stevenson supported the Fort Worth Art Association building at 1300 Gendy, served on the Fort Worth City Art Commission, and founded the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
- Former Carter curator Maggie Adler collects photography, prints, sculptures, paintings, books, industrial objects, Edwardian lead figurines, and character-themed items.
- Adler's cigarette-themed collection includes works by Katie Commodore, Camp Bosworth, Reniel Del Rosario, Thomas Sauvin, TR Ericsson, and Alice Leora Briggs.
- Thomas Sauvin's 2015 zine Until Death Do Us Part references a 1980s and '90s Chinese wedding custom in which brides lit cigarettes for male guests.
- Adler's cigarette collection honors her mother, who died a few years ago and was devoted to cigarettes.
Entities
Artists
- Maggie Adler
- Amon G. Carter Sr.
- Ruth Carter Stevenson
- Frederic Remington
- Charles M. Russell
- Sandy Rodriguez
- Mark Dion
- Gabriel Dawe
- Katie Commodore
- Camp Bosworth
- Reniel Del Rosario
- Thomas Sauvin
- TR Ericsson
- Alice Leora Briggs
- Scott Gentling
- Georgia O'Keeffe
Institutions
- Glasstire
- Menil Collection
- Green Family Art Foundation
- Amon Carter Museum of American Art
- Amon Carter Museum of Western Art
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- Fort Worth Art Association
- Fort Worth City Art Commission
- Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County
Locations
- Texas
- United States
- Houston
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Galveston
- West Coast
- 1300 Gendy