The McFaddin-Ward House

A Historic Home in Beaumont, Texas

Sister, don't give up the land. They are not making land anymore.
W.P.H. McFaddin

McFaddin-Ward House Rolls Out New Season

The McFaddin-Ward House doesn’t mess around when it comes to funky ideas for its Lecture Series. The 2017 Season includes programs with subjects ranging from bad art to antique guns.

“We like to keep our programs fresh and exciting for the public,” says museum director, Allen Lea. “Once we conceive the idea of what might be interesting, we go for the best person in that field; at least, the best we can afford.”

Outreach to those who might never visit a museum is part of the McFaddin-Ward House education strategy. “Many people only think museums are boring. We want them to leave here having a nice dose of art, history, culture, or liturature and not even realize it!” says Lea.

This will be the second year the McFaddin-Ward House has offered its extensive lecture program, one almost every month of the year. The lectures are always free with an occasional reception that follows.

If this year’s Lecture Series has a theme, it is probably “how weird can one museum be?” No doubt, you will see some doozies at the McFaddin-Ward House. The Museum of Bad Art Art, for example, boasts a provocative collection called “art so bad it shouldn’t be ignored”. Or how about The Purse Museum? Some will collect anything that appeals to a few who represent almost nobody.

At least one lecture is sure to grab your attention this year, so check our website and facebook page often and sign up for our mailings.

The McFaddin-Ward House 2017 Lecture Series (to date)

January 12 – Coastal Cowboys and Cattle Trails: They Pointed Them East First

February 9 – The Museum of Bad Art: Art Too Bad to Be Ignored

March 9 – From Page to Stage: An Evening with Jamie Brickhouse, novelist

April 13 – The Purse Museum: Women. History. Purses. Art.

May 11 – The Bryan Museum : The West as it Will  Never be Seen Again

June 8 – The Mutter Museum: Modifying the Body

September 14 – Photographer Jack Knox: Ghost Towns, Gas Stations, and a 20 foot Cowboy 

*October 18 – Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project

November 9 – NRA Gun Museum

*tentative date

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Lecture: Tiffany Art Glass Expert to Speak at Museum

Tiffany Art Glass

The McFaddin-Ward House is proud to bring a Tiffany Art Glass expert to its 2016 Lecture Series. Paul Doros authored a book called The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany describing some of the artist’s most celebrated pieces. He will speak about Tiffany at an upcoming lecture on September 22 at the McFaddin-Ward House Visitor Center.

Who was Louis Comfort Tiffany?

Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts. Artists and collectors know him best for his work in stained glass, and historians associate Tiffany most often with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements. He considered his Favrile glass his signature artistic achievement which he produced between the 1890s and 1920s. Now highly collectible, the glass underscores one-of-a-kind quality. Tiffany’s glass workers blew and decorated each piece by hand.

Paul Doros’ book explores the full range of Tiffany Studios’ diverse and innovative styles. In his talk, Doros will showcase photographs of Tiffany’s world-class pieces. He will highlight a variety of unique masterpieces like the delicate Flowerform vases and the dramatic Lava vases. Doros will also give a history of the Tiffany glasshouse where gifted glass workers and scientists worked. He will show never-before-published documents and archival photographs of Tiffany and his family. The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany showcases the mastery and vision behind remarkable works.

 

About the Speaker

Paul Doros is a renowned scholar on the life and work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. He was the first curator of glass at the Chrysler Museum of Art, located in Norfolk, Virginia, and authored the 1978 publication, The Tiffany Collection of the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk. Experts widely consider this collection the finest of Tiffany blown vessels that any public institution holds. He went on to work in the Twentieth Century Decorative Arts Department of Christie’s from 1978 to 1988. Paul hosts The Tiffany Studios Resource Center web site (tiffanystudios.org) and has even appeared in a segment of the PBS program “History Detectives.”

You may meet Mr. Doros after the his lecture at a reception which the museum will hold in his honor.

For more information about the book and the author, please go to http://www.tiffanystudios.org/

 

Film Documentary – Artist Frank Reaugh

McFaddin-Ward House Features Film Documentary

The McFaddin-Ward House takes its 2016 Lecture Series on the road this month with a film documentary about forgotten artist Frank Reaugh. Experts consider Reaugh (prounounced Ray) to be one of Western art’s most prolific creators. He painted more than 7,000 pieces, yet when he died, most people had never heard of him. The Texas art scene has recently renewed its interest in Reaugh, largely due to a recent film documentary about his life and works. “Frank Reaugh: Pastel Poet of the Texas Plains” pays tribute to a great artist and teacher. Its producer, Marla Fields, will discuss her film at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas on August 18th. The McFaddin-Ward House is proud to share the event at AMSET’s larger venue.

“We anticipate a large crowd for this particular lecture,” McFaddin-Ward House Museum Director, Allen Lea said. “The Art Museum is lovely and will create the perfect atmosphere for this wonderful screening.”

An Artist Unknown

Frank Reaugh produced thousands of vivid pastels of the Texas Plains. Unlike other painters, though, he focused on animals rather than cowboys. Each summer he would bring a group of students on “Sketch Trips” to far west Texas and teach them his methods. Many call him the “Dean of Texas Painters”.

“What’s remarkable about Frank Reaugh is that very few of us knew what’s remarkable about him,” critic and novelist Michael Ennis remarks in Fields’ documentary. Now, we’re beginning to, again.

He was still working into his late 70s, but by then the art world had passed him by.

“People forgot him before he was ever done painting,” art collector Bill Cheek said.

How could artists forget someone so talented, creative and giving? That’s what filmmaker Fields wanted to know after reading an article about him. “In his final days he became a ward of the city, and that just struck me,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe he wasn’t more well-known.”

A former radio DJ in Temple and Paris (Texas) and now a freelance video producer living in Frisco, she set out to learn all she could about him. Her superb documentary, five years in the making, reintroduces Reaugh to art lovers and to his fellow Texans.

Learn more at http://marlafields.com/frankreaugh/

Yellow Longhorn Courtesy Jim and Bonnie Pohl and Lucretia D. Coke Collection

JAMES EVANS SPEAKS ON PHOTOGRAPHING THE BIG BEND

James Evans, Big Bend photographer, comes to the McFaddin-Ward House sharing his wit, humor, and life’s work capturing images of the formidable Big Bend, Texas.

Evans fell in love with the Big Bend on a hiking trip 28 years ago, so he set up camp…permanently. He’s been taking stunning pictures ever since, has authored two books, and finally got married this year.

His work is featured regularly in Texas Monthly Magazine among other notable publications. His photographs hang in prestigious galleries, museums, hotels, and private collections all over the country, yet he is too humble to tell you about it.

A PREVIEW, book signing, and reception will follow the lecture.
Mr. Evans’ works will be on view until August 4th.

If you like our events, this is the one to attend.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. at the Visitor Center.

For further information about James Evans and to see some of his work, visit his website at http://jameshevans.com.

 

Free Lecture

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’LL FIND! 

ADVENTURES IN COLLECTING ANTIQUES, PORCELAIN, POTTERY, AND GLASS 

The 2016 McFaddin-Ward House Lecture Series continues with a special evening of antiques. If you love collecting old objects, you won’t want to miss this presentation. Antique, Art, Pottery, Porcelain, and Glass expert, David Lackey, brings his knowledge and talent to the McFaddin-Ward House in its continuing 2016 Lecture Series.

Speaker, David Lackey graduated from Baylor University, dealt in antiques for several years, then did intensive study at Christie’s Fine Arts in London. He has been a collector for most of his life, starting at the young age of 6 when he received an antique penny bank in the shape of a house. This simple gift ignited David’s passion for collecting old objects, and he began to shop with his parents at flea-markets and garage sales. By the age of 12, he was selling at weekend antiques fairs and to other dealers who appreciated his keen eye for quality items.

David Lackey presently owns an antique shop in Houston, creates his own art, and can be seen appraising collectibles on the enormously popular PBS series Antiques Roadshow. Please join us for this enlightening lecture and find out how he determines what your special “something” is worth.

For more information on David Lackey, please visit our news site at https://mcfaddin-ward.org/category/news/

Our lectures are FREE and open to the public, but seating is limited. We take the first 90 visitors who arrive. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

 

Antiques Road Show Expert to Speak Here

If you love antiques at the McFaddin-Ward House, chances are you’ve heard of Antiques Road Show. Items in our collection would be dream-finds on the popular PBS Series where Average Joes and Janes rustle up antiques and collectibles for a televised appraisal. From garage sales to grandpa’s attic, it’s an array of everything from the beautiful to unusual. Sometimes, they hit it big.

One popular appraiser on the show is David Lackey, a Houston antique and art dealer, collector, and expert. In addition to creating his own art, Mr. Lackey owns an antique store in Houston. The McFaddin-Ward House has invited Lackey to speak at a free lecture in May.

David Lackey “grew up” in the antique business so-to-speak. On his sixth birthday, someone gave little David an antique penny bank in the shape of a house. This simple gift ignited David’s passion for collecting old objects, and he began to shop with his parents at flea-markets and garage sales. By the age of 12, he was selling at weekend antiques fairs and to other dealers who appreciated his keen eye for quality items.

After graduating from Baylor University, David worked as a buyer for Foley’s Department Store, although he continued to sell collectibles on weekends. He sold china and crystal he’d bought at estate sales, and pretty soon, David became known as a local expert in ceramics and glass.

By 1983 David Lackey was dealing antiques on a full-time basis, but he longed to further his knowledge. Two years later, he liquidated his business and enrolled in an intensive year-long course at Christie’s Fine Arts in London. David returned to Houston in 1986 and re-opened his business which flourished.

Ten years later, along came Antiques Roadshow. In the first season, David was asked to appraise pottery and porcelain for a filming in San Antonio, Texas. His appraisal aired on the show and David was invited to other venues. Since 1998, David has appraised at every Antiques Roadshow filming and traveled to over 100 cities.

David Lackey’s lecture on Antiques, Porcelain, Pottery, and Glass will be held Thursday May 12th at the McFaddin-Ward Visitor Center, located at 1906 Calder in Beaumont. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The lecture starts at 6:30. The lecture is free, but seating is limited to the first 90 people who arrive.

 

 

Upcoming events at the museum

We’ve got several events coming up throughout the summer here at the McFaddin-Ward House.

First up is the kick-off of our summer movie nights. Next Thursday, June 12th, we’ll be featuring the movie musical classic Guys & Dolls! Starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, and Jean Simmons, this 1955 film tells the story of mobsters in 1930s New York City. Featuring classic songs like “Luck Be A Lady” and “A Woman in Love,” it’s one of the most enduring and popular musicals of all time.

On July 10th, we’ll show Desk Set (1957), the eighth movie featuring classic Hollywood pair Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn plays the head of the research department at a TV network, while Tracy portrays the man who’s introducing computers into their workplace. It’s a plot straight from the 50s, with laughs that still translate today.

As always, both of these movie nights are free and open to the public. Each film begins at 6:30 pm at the Visitors Center, located at 1906 Calder Avenue in Beaumont. Doors open at 6 o’clock. Drinks and popcorn will also be available, absolutely free of charge.

Also this summer, we’ll be starting up our Junior Interpreter Training. If you’re 13 years or older and would like to give tours of the museum, sign up! It starts June 16th and runs every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through the end of the month. Call 832-2134 for more information.

And our always popular summer camp is quickly filling up! This year, the theme revolves around food: Three Square Meals & Then Some! Enter the fascinating world of food with the McFaddin-Ward House! Food involves much more than meals, flavor, or nutrition—think of edible flowers, food customs around the world, and food-related songs (and even dances)! Campers will connect food customs of yesterday and today through lively hands-on activities; they’ll try their hand at easy-to-make recipes, learn how food has made history over the centuries, make their own cookbook, decorate with food, and end the three days of fun and education with a lunch and dance! It’s open to kids ages 8-12, and costs $20 per child. It’s July 29th-31st, 10 am-2 pm daily. Only 24 spots are available!

And finally, we’re continuing our 2014 Lecture Series with R.K. Sawyer.

Texas has long been home to a storied hunting culture, with limitless numbers of animals filling the bayous, lakes, fields, and skies of the Lone Star State.

The colorful history of hunting in Texas has deep roots right here in southeast Texas, and R.K. Sawyer has spent years researching it all.

Join us on Thursday, August 14th, as Sawyer presents his lecture “A Hundred Years of Texas Waterfowl Hunting.” He’ll talk about the hunting clubs, decoys, practices, equipment, and prolific hunters of decades past, and the unique ties it all has to the McFaddin family in particular.

As always, this lecture is free and open to the public. It begins at 6:30 pm, with doors opening at 6 o’clock.

Call (409) 832-1906 for more information on any of these events.

Come see us at the McFaddin-Ward House this summer!