Elyse Gonzales on Watteau, Olivia Laing, and Ruby City's Dream Origins

Elyse Gonzales, director of Ruby City in San Antonio, shares her artistic influences and the founding story of the institution. She would live with Watteau's 'L'Enseigne de Gersaint' (1720-21) for its layered commentary on art and society. A high school job at Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery in Houston gave her early access to curators and led to an internship at the Menil Collection and a Master's at Williams College. She frequently returns to writer Olivia Laing for her interdisciplinary narratives. For an upcoming Tracey Rose show, she listens to Amapiano, a South African genre. She recommends Carl Jung's 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections', noting that founder Linda Pace dreamed of Ruby City's building, sketched it, and contacted David Adjaye in 2007 to realize it. Gonzales defines art's purpose as pleasure and human connection.