McFaddin-Ward House Museum Lecture Series to Highlight Legacy of World-Renowned Local Artist Robert Rauschenberg on August 13

Beaumont, TX; July 24, 2026 – The McFaddin-Ward House Museum will present “Mostly Texas: Robert Rauschenberg at 100,” a free public lecture by Kristen Clevenson, Assistant Curator at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in New York City, on Thursday, August 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (1906 Calder Avenue, Beaumont).

Clevenson’s presentation will explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Port Arthur-born artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), showcasing the innovative works of one of the most daring and impactful artists of the 20th century, with special attention to his “mostly Texas” disposition.

“Rauschenberg’s limitless creativity anticipated nearly every art movement of the late 20th century,” Clevenson said. “His passion for experimentation and disregard for boundaries resulted in novel approaches that influenced artists across time, and that continue to inspire artists today. This lecture will introduce attendees to works by Rauschenberg that they are not already familiar with and will encourage them to seek out hidden and playful meanings in artworks across his career.”

Born in 1925 in Port Arthur, Rauschenberg pushed the boundaries of what defines art for six decades, working in a diverse range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and performance. Throughout his trailblazing career, he highlighted his Texas roots in numerous artworks. In October 1993, Rauschenberg signed a letter to then-Governor of Texas, Ann Richards, “Love from me in Florida + mostly Texas,” underscoring his affinity for the Lone Star State.

While Rauschenberg has often been contextualized as a New York artist, he spent much of his life working and living on the Gulf Coast. Clevenson’s lecture will draw out both subtle and overt references to Texas and the Gulf Coast in artworks across Rauschenberg’s career and will highlight materials from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation archives, including childhood snapshots, Rauschenberg’s photographic source materials, and images of Rauschenberg at work in his studio to explore and identify references to his childhood in Texas and later visits to the state.

Kristen Clevenson, Assistant Curator at the New York City-based Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Clevenson has served as Assistant Curator at the New York-based Robert Rauschenberg Foundation since 2019. She recently curated “Robert Rauschenberg: Signs and Signals (1964–94)” at the Foundation, and her research has been published by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery. Clevenson holds a master’s degree in art history from Hunter College, City University of New York, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

The Foundation is dedicated to promoting the legacy of Robert Rauschenberg through various initiatives, including grantmaking, research residencies, and scholarship on the artist’s work. As a member of the curatorial team, Clevenson is focused on the latter.

“We work closely with curators from all around the world to support exhibitions, artwork loans, and research related to Rauschenberg and his many collaborators,” Clevenson said. “For me, working with Rauschenberg’s oeuvre is an art historian’s playground; he worked with so many different materials and techniques, but often returned to similar themes or images which means I can draw connections across his full career. Because his work is so varied, it offers many approaches, which means I study something different every day.”

In conjunction with the lecture, the McFaddin-Ward House is inviting a limit of 30 guests to a free guided tour of the Robert Rauschenberg exhibit at the Museum of the Gulf Coast on Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Reservations are recommended to hold a place. Walk-ins will be accommodated until the allotted slots are filled. To register, contact the McFaddin-Ward Visitor Center at 409-832-2134. The tour is open to all ages (three and under do not need to register) and will last approximately 1.5 hours.

McFaddin-Ward House Museum lectures are admission-free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. For those unable to attend, the full lecture will be available for viewing on the Museum’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@mcfaddinwardhouse), Facebook (facebook.com/McFaddinWardHouse), and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.

For more information, call 409-832-2134 or visit mcfaddin-ward.org.

About the McFaddin-Ward House Museum

Completed in 1906, the McFaddin-Ward House is a fully restored Beaux-Arts Colonial Revival-style mansion and historic landmark in Beaumont, Texas, that offers a vivid glimpse into the lives of the prominent McFaddin family and their enduring contributions to the economic, social, and cultural history of the region. The museum offers admission-free tours of the Historic Home, Carriage House, and Gardens, as well as educational programming and year-round events.

About the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation builds on the legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg, emphasizing his belief that artists can drive social change. Rauschenberg sought to act in the “gap” between art and life, valuing chance and collaboration across disciplines. As such, the Foundation celebrates new and even untested ways of thinking.