THE KEYSTONE SOUTHWESTERN WRITERS COLLECTION | WITTLIFF GALLERY OF SOUTHWESTERN & MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHY FALL 2006 | SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT THE ALKEK LIBRARY | WWW. LIBRARY. TXSTATE. EDU/ SPEC- COLL UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS A member of the Texas State University System from the CURATOR (right) Raymond, ¡Saludos! are extensively represented in the Wittliff Gallery, tells the (left) Sally Wittliff, 1991, Keith Carter The power of art in life is a story of a cleaning woman who said to him that in the the Bill Wittliff, Dawn Jones, Tommy Lee recurring motif here at the building where she worked there was one of his pictures— Jones, Sam Shepard, THANK YOU Collections, vividly set an old blind man petting a bunch of tiny kittens that were in & John Graves to all contributors forth once again by Graci- his lap and crawling over his shirt—eyes not open yet, blind of (seated)* who made gifts ela Iturbide in her book, like him. An edgy, unsentimental portrait that nevertheless Spirit (center) Emcee this fiscal year for Evan Smith, editor- Eyes to Fly With, upcoming reaches into every single chamber of your heart. She told general support or in-chief of TEXAS in the Wittliff Gallery Keith that she looked at it each day before she started work MONTHLY** to sponsor specific Series (p. 12). In the rare because it made her feel so good. anniversary gala projects: Place (below) revelatory text she ex- The life-changing power of art is not for the practition- Debbie & Jim # Azadoutioun Epperson, president plains how, after the death ers of art alone—it’s for all of us. Our job at the Collections raises almost $300,000 Foundation # of AT&T Texas** of her young daughter, she is to gather, preserve, and reveal art to the people who come Becky Beaver & became obsessed with photographing the dead and dying, here. We do this in the knowledge and delight that we are *photo by John Duncan Robert Godwin # Broadway National death with all its trappings, until one day the funeral agents of transformation in a venerable line of work. ON SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006, with the **photo by Michael Murphy Bank # Charles & procession she was photographing came upon a corpse I’d like to close with a brief tribute to a treasured support of presenting sponsors AT&T and Barbara Chadwell sprawled in their way on the footpath, skull and bones employee of many years, Tina Ybarra, the SWWC’s often Public Strategies, Inc., Texas State University- # Ann Marie Ellis picked almost bare by flocks of birds—the very epitome of unsung archives assistant and “accessioner.” She earned a San Marcos brought “The Spirit of Place” to # Kathryn Eoff # dead. She began photographing the corpse, perfect symbol degree at Texas State in her spare time (!) and has gone on the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin with an Terry & Mary Ellen of the death she had shadowed for five long years; and just to a new career. We miss her, but she left us her elaborate evening that celebrated the images, literature # Etherton Sam & as she did so, all the birds rose up in a cloud above her, and and effective system of work, honed during six years of and legends of the Southwest and Mexico, and # Kristin Fason Cissie her camera followed them, leaving death behind and thought and effort and collaboration. Mary García, also a honored the vision and creativity of Bill and Sally Wittliff. Sam Shepard, Frances Nail, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle & Dillon Ferguson # carrying her to a new place and a new artistic pursuit, her valued staff member of many years, will take on the task for Twenty years ago, the Wittliffs founded the South- Lovett, G.W. Bailey, and Tommy Lee Jones lent their best Cina & Mark Forgason GALA COMMITTEE which she has now trained with the best. A fond hasta luego # # grief at last overwhelmed by her art. western Writers Collection (SWWC) at Texas State, and ten talents to the show. The SWWC houses extensive archives Kent Hamilton Honorary Co-Chairs Keith Carter, a world-class photographer whose works to Tina and muy bienvenida to Mary! # —Connie Todd years later they established the Wittliff Gallery of South- gifted by Sam Shepard as well as significant materials Luan & Kent Haynes John Graves # # western & Mexican gifted by Tommy Lee Jones and Jerry Jeff Walker. Shelby Hearon Ann Richards Photography (WG). This Shepard presented three excerpts from his own work, Hobby Family Founda- Event Co-Chairs # tion Nancy & Bob PRESENTING SPONSORS anniversary event was also and Nail, Lovett, Bailey (a Texas State alumnus), and Jones Mary Margaret Farabee # # Inman James Key THANK YOU! testimony to how far these read from the writings of Katherine Anne Porter, Winifred Janis Pinnelli # Rae Lewis Carolyn two institutions have Sanford, Larry L. King and Bud Shrake, and John Graves, Event Committee # # Love Jean Mather come in their brief history. respectively—all authors collected by the SWWC. Walker Rebecca Cohen Don & Mary Morgan The gala committee, led sang three songs, including his classic “Mr. Bojangles.” Eleanor Crook # Nona Niland Spirit of Place Sponsors PRINCIPAL PROMOTIONAL SPONSOR SILVER SPONSORS by Mary Margaret Farabee The readings spoke to the breadth and depth of the Elizabeth Crook # Duncan & Betty and Janis Pinnelli, donated SWWC archives, while a slideshow of Wittliff Gallery Donna Hill # Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld Osborne Dianna Tommy Lee Jones # Chuck & Susan Bailey their time and effort to images, a short film about the Collections, and scores of Richards Eddie Retta Kelley create an unforgettable photographs donated to the auction by many artists Safady # Katharine Guy Bob & Cindy Buschman PLATINUM SPONSORS Ecky Malick # evening. The event was collected by the WG gave guests a sense of its visual Salzmann Denise Chartwells Dan Matheson # designed to evoke “the holdings. Bud Shrake, whose papers are also housed at the Smart Bill & Dody Stephen L. Clark Gallery Barbara Morgan # Spencer Stan & Liz Mary Lockwood Crouch spirit of place” unique to SWWC, closed out the evening with a special tribute to Elizabeth Nash # Starrett Still Water Ray & Mary Margaret Farabee / Texas, Mexico and the Bill and Sally. (continued on p. 4) Jan Pickle # Foundation Patty & GOLD SPONSORS Mr & Mrs Lawrence Tilton Southwest, showcasing Peggy Pickle # Jake Sullivan Texas Betsy & Hughes Abell Ed & Gayle Jones / ARC Systems the authors and artists Jean Rather Commission on the Deborah & Dan Bullock Mara Levy / Rebecca & Gary Cohen housed by the Writers Collection and Wittliff Gallery. This Amalia Rodriguez- Arts # Time Warner Don & Kathryn Counts Elizabeth & Chuck Nash / Capitol Chevrolet served the goal of introducing new friends to the literature, Mendoza Cable # William P. film, music, and photography held by these two important Eddie Safady # Frost Bank Pentagram Design / University of Texas Press Wright Melba & Ted Gabrielle de Kuyper # Deborah Green Peggy Pickle / Jan Pickle repositories of regional culture, and forwarded their Whatley Greg & Sheshunoff Cynthia Keever / Lowell Lebermann Ratliff Law Firm / Bracewell & Guiliani LLP missions to collect and preserve it through the long term. Peggy Wilkinson Evan Smith Over 450 guests attended the gala evening, which Sue Brandt McBee Gabrielle de Kuyper Sheshunoff / Margot & Grant Thomas Jare Smith included a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, silent Janis & Joe Pinnelli Mr & Mrs Ernest E. Smith Cathy Supple John Scanlan Time Warner Cable auction, and star-studded program. Evan Smith, editor-in- Paul Supple ON THE COVER Sunny & Shelton Smith Wells Fargo Private Bank chief of TEXAS MONTHLY, served as emcee for the Bonnie Tilton Sparrow, from the evening. The magazine’s complete production archives are Naturagraphia series, Cathy Supple / CD3 Discgear / Dan Matheson Suzanne & Marc Winkelman Reid & Susan Wittliff 1987, Kate Breakey 2 Jim & Elizabeth Wiatt / William Morris Agency Mr & Mrs Reid Wittliff / Barbara Morgan & Jerry Galow one of the largest SWWC holdings. 3 Caryl Yontz IN THE NEWS McMurtry & Diana Ossana # Wyatt EXHIBITS # # ON THE ROAD # February: Art Chap- McSpadden Rodrigo Moya Willie Nelson “ # # man reviewed the Dobie Michael & Elizabeth O’Brien Sean Perry # A Certain Alchemy: exhibit for the Fort # Holly Reed # Ken Rosenthal # John wasThe a magical Spirit evening, of and Place very much Photographs by Keith Worth Star-Telegram. Scanlan # Rocky Schenck # John Sepich # Carter will be at Middle # April: Dave Davies Sam Shepard # Bud Shrake # Andrew Smith in keeping with the unique atmosphere Tennessee State Univer- interviewed Steve Davis Gallery # Shelton Smith # Julie Speed # sity’s Baldwin Photo for TPR’s Texas Matters. D J Stout # Connie Todd # Uchi Restaurant / of the Collections themselves. I am Gallery Sept. through # May: Austin Ameri- Express Alterations # The University of Texas looking forward to the next event.” Oct. #Vaquero: can-Statesman ran Jeff Press # Kathy Vargas # Michael Vilim & Genesis of the Texas Salomon’s “Head South- Mirabelle Restaurant # Bob Wade # Jerry Jeff — BARBARA MORGAN Cowboy photographs by west to San Marcos for & Susan Walker # Gordon Walser # Barbara executive director, Austin Film Festival Bill Wittliff shows at the a 20th Anniversary.” # Mathews Whitehead # Jonathan Williams # Beeville Art Museum Brian Villalobos paid Kenneth Grey Wilson # Geoff Winning- Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. # tribute to the Dobie ham # Bill & Sally Wittliff # Mariana The Pearce Collections exhibit in the San Yampolsky. Museum at Navarro Antonio Current. And a special thanks to Amanda College will show # June: the Dobie exhibit appeared in (continued from p. 3) The fine art and literature-focused silent Buschman, Steve Clark, Walker Clark, Bob Currie Lonesome Dove: The “For the Road” in Texas auction featured 120 items up for bid. Highlights were a & vcYES Productions, Robert Godwin, Fabienne Making of an American Highways # Robert trio of signed Lonesome Dove film scripts that sold for Harford, David Layton, Michael Murphy, Leigh Classic, with Wittliff’s Godwin’s Spirit of Place $12,500, a signed first-edition set of Cormac McCarthy’s Walker and the staff at the Four Seasons Hotel, prints, Oct.