Dates: January 22 - February 28
Opening Reception: January 22, 6 pm - 8 pm
Location: UTSA Main Art Gallery
Do you really believe that? is an exhibition conceived in honor and celebration of Dr. Frances Colpitt, her renowned scholarship, critical pedagogy and unyielding commitment to teaching along with her profound respect for artists, their work, and critics alike. The selection of works is guided by themes coalesced over the course of Colpitt’s career with a focus on abstraction, minimalism and conceptual art. They illuminate her scholarship and curatorial practice and also emphasize the significant impact and enduring legacy of her mentorship of artists, art historians, and a range arts professionals. The title of the exhibition - - Do you really believe that? - - is a phrase Colpitt often used to challenge her students and galvanize critical thinking and discussion in class. This exhibition was organized by a curatorial team of Dr. Sara-Jayne Parsons, Director and Curator of the Art Galleries at Texas Christian University, Dr. Scott Sherer, Professor and Director of Galleries at University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Jennifer Hope Davy, writer, and artists Constance Lowe and Hills Snyder. Do you really believe that? coincides with associated exhibitions Songs for Fran and Donny at Artpace and Synthesis & Subversion Redux at Ruby City. A catalogue featuring significant essays by Colpitt, essays by historians and critics, and images of artists’ works will be published.
Do you really believe that? at UTSA Main Art Gallery, January 22 - February 28 Opening Reception: January 22, 6 pm - 8 pm.
Featured artists include: Terry Allen, Jesse Amado, Edith Baumann, Richie Budd, Jerry Cabrera, John Eden, Sharon Engelstein, Vernon Fisher, Tommy Fitzpatrick, Thomas Glassford, James Hayward, Felice Koenig, Casey Leone, Constance Lowe, John M. Miller, Yunhee Min, Aaron Parazette, John Pomara, Chuck Ramirez, Hector A. Ramirez, Susie Rosmarin, Chris Sauter, Cameron Schoepp, Hills Snyder, Terri Thornton, and John Wilcox.
Location: UTSA Main Art Gallery is located in the Art Building on UTSA's Main campus, 2.03.04.
Gallery Hours: Thursdays - Saturdays: 10 am until 3 pm and by appointment. (We are closed on major and university holidays.)
Parking: Paid parking is available in the Bauerle Road Lot 1 as well as the Ximenes nearby garage. There is free parking in Employee A & B as well as commuter spots from Fridays at 4:30 pm to 7 am the following Monday.
Contact art.events@utsa.edu to schedule appointments.
Songs for Fran and Donny at Artpace, January 16-June 26, 2025, https://artpace.org/, features new works by Artpace-affiliated artists inspired by their personal and professional connections to Dr. Colpitt and her husband, Donny Walton. Featured artists include Justin Boyd, Andréa Caillouet, Nate Cassie, Mark T. Hansen, Meg Langhorne, Alex de León, Ken Little, Karen Mahaffy, Michele Monseau, Juan Miguel Ramos, Jack Robbins, Ethel Shipton, Robert Tiemann, and Randy Wallace.
Synthesis & Subversion Redux at Ruby City, February 15-September 28, 2025, https://rubycity.org/ features new works by Juan Carlos Escobedo, Jenelle Esparza, Bárbara Miñarro, Angeles Salinas, and José Villalobos
About Dr. Frances Colpitt (1952-2022)
Frances Colpitt was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the University of Tulsa she earned her BFA in Painting (1974) and her MA in Humanities (1977) before moving to the west coast where she completed her PhD in Art History at the University of Southern California (1982). After teaching at Cornell University (1985-86) as a Visiting Assistant Professor, she returned to California as Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (1986-1988), and then as a Visiting Assistant Professor at USC, Los Angeles (1988-1990). Dr. Colpitt relocated to the University Texas at San Antonio where she taught as an Associate Professor for fifteen years before moving to Texas Christian University where she continued to teach until 2022. During her distinguished career, Dr. Colpitt published two books focused on American art after 1960, her area of expertise: Minimal Art: The Critical Perspective (University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1990) and Abstract Art in the Late Twentieth Century (Cambridge University Press, UK 2002). She also published numerous book chapters, catalog essays, articles, book reviews and exhibition brochures, and was a feature writer and contributing editor for Art in America for nearly twenty-five years. More recently she wrote regularly for Artillery Magazine, Los Angeles. Dr. Colpitt greatly influenced and supported a generation of young artists and arts professionals during her lifetime. Her students include many individuals who went on to become curators, writers, and artists in Texas and beyond.
Do you really believe that?
