CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER TIMES article , June 1999

Lynda Jones peeked her head around the bushes outside the Art Center of Corpus Christi, searching among the brush for a plaque that told about the nearby sculptures of children at play.

The chairwoman of the city’s Arts and Cultural Commission was determined to make the artwork’s story known to anyone who may see it.

“One of my projects is getting plaques for every single one of the artworks,” Jones said. “Right now, there are about 50 of the 70 pieces that don’t have one.”

Jones plans to leave no stone unturned before her term ends in September, capping 17 years of service. The retired high school art teacher spent 16 of those years as Visual Arts chairwoman before being voted into the head position.

Jones began refurbishing the city’s public-owned artworks in 2003 to educate the community about the pieces on public display.

“If you have a little bit of information, it ... allows (the community) to give time and appreciation for the art,” she said.

To help keep the public informed about the art, she is photographing each piece to add to the Web site, cctxarts.org.

“Having art like that promoted makes it more established like big cities that have big artists,” said local artist James Moltz, also a retired art teacher. “I think we’re getting there, but we need to promote it more, and do what (Jones) was doing.”

Her role as commission chairwoman also has focused on the local artist community.

“We’re also trying to get a workshop together called Creative Capital,” she said. The New York-based workshop is designed to teach artists how to succeed in their careers.

Jones first worked with the commission in the mid-’80s through panels that choose the artists for city projects. She also was in charge of visual arts of the city’s Festival for the Arts for two years.

“I was in charge of four exhibits and 62 vending artists,” she said, adding that the event has grown in the past three years from 400 attendees to a crowd of about 15,000.

Following the end of her term, Jones plans to serve from an advisory role.

“She’s very appreciative, and I hope that they can find somebody who knows and loves art, not just it, but the community and the people that promote art, and the citizens that go to the gallery and art shows,” Moltz said.

Jones also plans to spend more time at her home studio and traveling to art shows with friends.

“Once you have what you need in life, you then need to feed your spirit and your passions,” she said. “Art is my passion.”

© 2009 Corpus Christi Caller Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Four area artists along with K Space Contemporary have created a business plan to attract New York-based Creative Capital to the Coastal Bend for a workshop that would teach business skills to local artists.

Creative Capital's Core Workshop provides artists with lectures, peer critiques, interactive exercises, and materials to introduce business skills to individual artists.

While $8,500 in funding already has been raised, support still is needed to bring the workshop to the area.

K Space Contemporary will announce the application process at a later date for interested artists.

To help support the program, call Lynda Jones at 361-779-1409 or mail the payment to K Space Contemporary, 415 Starr St. #D, Corpus Christi, TX 78401. Memo must include "Creative Capital."

CORPUS CHRISTI — With cooler temperatures on their way, it’s time to move outside.

Corpus Christi has a variety of works of art to explore. Here you can combine daily exercise for your body with movement for your mind.

Lynda A.J. Jones, an art teacher, designed the Bayfront Art Tour, a brochure designed to assist in learning about the works of art in the city’s art collection, specifically works of art residing along the water in downtown Corpus Christi.

Jones says she always has had a passion for the arts. Through her years of service with the Arts and Cultural Commission, she realized that she—along with most of us—did not know what we owned both in terms of quality and quantity.

“As I researched it I found it was a large collection of quality works of art and as a citizen of Corpus Christi, it belonged to me. This was largely the reason I did the Bayfront Art Tour brochure,” Jones said.

As a former art educator at Carroll High School, she said she would have used the brochure if it had existed when she was teaching.

Indeed, the feedback she receives about the Bayfront Art Tour is very complimentary. Jones said that people are excited to learn a little bit about the pieces.

“It seems that people are curious about the works that they may pass everyday or about a particular piece that interests them,” Jones said.

In addition to providing much needed enthusiasm and information about these public works of art to teachers, Jones says that she also created the tour after noticing that most of the art pieces did not have any signs. In many cities plaques accompany works of art to educate viewers about the artist and the work including the process and possible interpretations.

Jones says that the Arts and Cultural Commission is getting labels for all the works that do not have them.

“I developed a comprehensive list for them to do that before I got off the commission. I hear it is being done,” Jones said.

The idea for the brochure came to life when the arts commission decided to move the Festival of the Arts to the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Jones explains that the commission decided to collaborate with the Downtown Management District and its tram to create an art tour for festival goers.

On your way to Bayfest this weekend, be sure to pick up a Bayfront Art Tour brochure to guide your adventure along Shoreline Boulevard. The brochures are free and can be picked up at the Galván House, 1581 N. Chaparral St.; the Parks and Recreation department at City Hall, 1201 Leopard St.; the Art Center of Corpus Christi, 100 N Shoreline Blvd.; K Space Gallery, 415 Starr St. and Wilhelmi-Holland Gallery, 300 S. Chaparral St.

Elizabeth B. Reese, Ph.D. is an independent scholar, critic, consultant and a visiting professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Contact her at elizreese@gmail.com.