Archway Gallery was honored to present its 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, benefiting the nonprofit organization, Friends for Life. With 50% of sales from the exhibit going to this worthy organization, a check was made to them for $2750.  The remaining 50% of sales went to the participating artists whose work had sold.

Friends For Life is a Houston-based animal shelter founded in 2002 whose mission is to save the lives of pets and create lasting connections between humans and pets. The focus is to understand each animal as an individual, find the perfect match for adopters, and provide the support needed to ensure pets thrive in their new homes. Every adoption is about creating relationships that last for the pet’s lifetime. Friends for Life provides medical care, enrichment, and behavior support to give every animal the best chance at a happy life. Beyond adoptions, it provides resources and guidance to pet owners in need. Its mission is not just to rescue animals, but to build a community where pets and people can thrive together. For more information, please visit friends4life.org.

Archway Gallery is pleased to present Road Trips, an exhibit featuring new paintings by Lisette McClung—on view August 1 to September 3, 2026. This exhibit brings together a collection of both plein air and studio works—large and small—inspired by her many road trips over the past decade. McClung, is focusing her exhibit on the beauty to be found in outdoors scenes with her exhibit—titled Road Trips—of works painted in plein air or inspired by various locations throughout the world. Plein air—French for “open air”—refers to the practice of painting outdoors on location. As a dedicated plein air painter, McClung has been invited to paint, explore, and photograph on a variety of working ranches, as well as in fields, cities, and villages across the United States and Europe. “Although not every outdoor session results in a finished painting,” explains McClung, “Each one provides valuable color notes and atmospheric observations that enrich my studio work.” McClung’s first exposure to plein air painting occurred during a summer course she took with Parsons School of Design in France and Italy between her junior and senior years at Tulane University. “I spent four weeks painting in various locations around Paris and two weeks in Siena, Italy,” she says. “I immediately fell in love with painting outdoors on location.” McClung didn’t return to plein air painting until 2009, when she received a grant from Fund for Teachers and spent two weeks in Italy painting small villages throughout the province of Umbria. “That experience renewed my passion for observing the landscape directly and responding to it in real time,” she explains. “Plein air painting is an ideal practice for an artist who loves to travel, offering endless opportunities to explore new places through color, light, and shape.”

Congratulations to all artists who participated in Archway Gallery's 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, and a big thank you to Juror, Donna Tennant!  First Place, Paula Vento, Second Place, Vicky Gooch, Third Place, Karen Knight and Honorable Mentions: Alessandra Albin, Maryanne Keeling, Amy Lee, Julie Mahler and Syalia Winata.
The exhibit is on view from July 5 - 30, 2026. 50% of all sales benefit Friends for Life.

This year's juror, Donna Tennant, speaks about her process for selecting artwork for the Archway Gallery 18th Annual Juried Exhibition.  Donna Tennant is a longtime art historian, art writer, and editor living in Houston, Texas. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester and a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of New Mexico. Tennant served as the art critic for the Houston Chronicle in the early 1980s and as gallery director at Jeremy Stone Gallery in San Francisco and Sherry French Gallery in New York. During the 1990s, she served as an editor for Southwest Art, Houston Life, POLO Magazine, and Museum & Arts Houston Magazine. She has contributed articles and reviews to ArtLies, American Artist, ARTnews, New Art Examiner, and Houston Press, among others. Tennant also has written numerous catalog essays and has taught art history at the University of Houston–Downtown and Lone Star College. She currently writes for Arts & Culture Texas, Glasstire, and Visual Arts Source.

There was a wonderful concert at Archway Sunday evening, June 14, featuring the Aurora Trio--harp, cello, and flute. A highly appreciative audience of around 30 enjoyed a program of music written by female composers, both modern and classical. 

AURORA is a flute, cello and harp trio based in Houston, Texas, and formed in October 2015 by Allison Vitek, Kattie Beth Ferrell, and Susanna Campbell.  Their debut performance on February 20, 2016 at Campbell Learning Center was very warmly received  and the collaboration and concerts have continued. 

Being close in age and sharing similar life experiences, the three musicians built a strong rapport in their first few seasons together which translates beautifully on stage.  They clearly enjoy each other's company, love playing together, and interact with their audience, showing quirky, spunky personalities.

Monday evening's recital, featuring harpist Juan Riveros, was wonderful! Around 70 people attended the event!
Juan Riveros is one of a new generation of harpists bridging a variety of styles and artistic avenues, building audiences and fostering fresh appreciation for an instrument with ancient and diverse traditions. Riveros was appointed as the Instructor of Harp at Michigan State University in August 2024, serving as a member of the String Area faculty and teaching the College of Music’s harp students. A seasoned soloist, Riveros’ experience includes performances at the Rio Harp Festival (2023 - 2025), São Paulo Harp Festival, solo recitals through the American Harp Society’s Winner’s Outreach Program, and the 2019 and 2022 USA International Harp Competitions. Accolades include Award Winner in the 2022 Lyon & Healy Awards, Outstanding Instrumentalist in Harp at the 2022 and 2023 Sphinx SOPA Competitions, Award Winner in the 2020 Anne Adams Awards Competition, and Third Prize in the Young Professional Division of the 2019 American Harp Society National Competition.

Groupe Acorde's signature collaborative and improvisational work between contemporary dance and experimental live music filled the gallery space and its art with live, original music and dance drawing from classical to avant-garde. The performers created in the moment shapes, sounds and space on site, while the audience experienced dance, music and visual art in an intimate and up-close setting. Continuing with our “pay what you can” programming, these performances are a unique way to experience the artists up close and will conclude with an intimate talk back between performers and all in attendance.www.groupacorde.org/
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Performers drew inspiration from Poetics of the Mundane-New Paintings, Collages, Ceramic Works, and Sculptures by Silvia PintoSouza and Jeff Forster. Group Acorde's artists Roberta Paixao Cortes, Thomas Helton and Lindsey McGill will be joined by guest artist Andrew Baker (musician).

Archway Gallery artist, Silvia PintoSouza, and Department Head-Ceramics at The Glassell School of Art, Jeff Forster, are focusing their dual exhibit on the transitory nature of life and of the scenes and objects that fire their imagination, capturing both a sense of permanence and of transition through their artistic media.  Work can be seen for purchase on the online store.

PintoSouza’s work transforms the common objects of our lives into something more lasting and meaningful. Starting with “real” subject matter, she creates an increasingly abstract work by simplifying or stylizing colors, shapes, and textures, often using many layers of much-diluted acrylic paint to build different tonal values. This permits her to push dark areas to the background and light ones to the foreground, evoking the many translucent curtains on a stage. PintoSouza chose to work in small formats, allowing her to use a wide variety of techniques that highlight her technical skill and attention to detail. “Small works of art offer flexible, practical, and stylish ways to make a statement and add color and texture to compact spaces,” comments the artist.
 
Forster’s work repurposes materials oftentimes inspired by cast-off agricultural and automotive parts he encountered in so-called “junk piles” during his childhood. Also, he often uses cast-off items during the building process, for example using packing materials as press molds, exploiting the negative spaces to make industrial-looking objects. In addition, he repurposes ceramic materials, such as kiln furniture, glaze waste produced in his studio, and pieces of clay from the reclaim barrel or wastepaper basket that he sees as having inherent aesthetic value. Forster is mindful of the environment—both in the sense of repurposing human-made detritus and of the profound impact of nature as a sanctuary and inspiration.

Silvia PintoSouza, a native of Colombia, received her Art and Design diploma from Byam Shaw School of Fine Art and Design (now known as Central Saint Martin’s School of Art) in London, UK. While in London, she met her husband, Marco, and moved with him to Rio de Janeiro, where she continued her training in metal printing, lithography, woodcut, and silkscreen. For the last 30 years, she has lived in Houston and has devoted herself exclusively to painting, with some sporadic escapes into ceramic. PintoSouza has exhibited her artwork in many solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and South America, and her artwork is included in collections all around the world. She joined Archway Gallery in May 2016. This is her fourth solo and two-person exhibition at Archway.

A native of rural Minnesota, Jeff Forster serves as head of the ceramics department at The Glassell School of Art, while maintaining an active studio practice. He has a BA from St. John’s University and an MFA from Southern Illinois University. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning awards including the Juror’s Choice Award in Ceramic Object/Conceptual Material and the Luis Jiménez Award for first place in Sculpture on Campus at Southern Illinois University. Forster was awarded the Helen Drutt Studio Fellowship with his residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and completed residencies at Atelierhaus Hilmsen in Germany, Lone Star College–North Harris in Texas, the Armory Arts Center in Florida, and Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark. Forster has served on the Artist-in-Residence Committee at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the ClayHouston board, and the Fresh Arts Artist Advisory Committee. He also has been a board member for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts for the 47th annual conference in Houston.

Archway Gallery, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as the oldest-artist owned gallery in the state of Texas, is once again honored to host a special exhibition to raise money for Empty Bowls Houston.  More than 30 artfully crafted, one-of-a-kind bowls by guest artists will be displayed along with work submitted by both 2D and 3D Archway Gallery artists. The Empty Bowls artwork will be available through the month of May with proceeds benefiting the Houston Food Bank. There is a special opening reception on May 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Archway Gallery to meet the artists and view these unique works. The bowls may be purchased and taken home the same day! The Empty Bowls artwork will be available as well on the Archway website online store.

There was a stellar music event at Archway Sunday evening, April 26 : Opus 4 String Quartet performed three pieces, including the World Premiere of a work by composer Ken Booker--String Quartet No. 2--"A Salute to Archway Gallery's 50th Anniversary." An enthusiastic crowd of around 30 listened in rapt attention and responded with long rounds of applause.  

The Archway Readers honor each of the gallery's current artists by responding to individual artworks, resulting in a book that was made with the artwork and their written responses.

Founded in 1977 by Sandra Sherrod and donne e perkins, the readers have gathered monthly for nearly three decades sharing poetry, prose and drama surrounded by the art at Archway Gallery.

Today The Archway Readers remain a welcoming community of writers and listeners. With untiring support from artist John Slaby and devoted helper Dean Luttrell, we celebrate creativity, connection and the enduring power of the human voice.
~ donna e perkins

The next 50 years start now. Congratulations Archway Gallery on five decades of artist-led creativity. Special thanks to Mister McKinney's Historic Houston for handling emcee duties like a star. And thanks Catherine Anspon for your lovely remarks.

Archway Gallery, Texas’ longest-running artist-owned and operated gallery, proudly marks its 50th anniversary with a landmark exhibition titled Fifty Forward, which opened April 4. The reception and celebration was on April 11, 2026. The exhibition runs until April 30, 2026. This milestone year celebrates half a century of artistic innovation, community connection, and unwavering commitment to elevating Houston’s creative spirit. 

​​For fifty years, the artists at Archway Gallery have shaped their own creative path, establishing the gallery as a cornerstone of Houston’s vibrant arts community. Founded in 1976 by twelve local artists determined to market and sell their own work, the gallery first opened its doors in the The Jung Center, drawing its name from the distinctive arches in that space.   Over time and several locations later, Archway Gallery has evolved into a cherished arts district institution—an enduring symbol of artistic collaboration and community spirit. While many galleries have come and gone, the success of Archway Gallery is rooted in a shared passion and purpose—a truth affirmed by the over 200 artists who have been a part of Archway’s story. ​