Maudee Madness!
Port Arthur’s ‘Free Spirit’ Honored
The Museum of the Gulf Coast will exhibit works of revered Port Arthur artist Maudee Carron. This free-spirit created paintings, sculptures and performance art. The Museum’s archives and loaned pieces are highlighted.
Carron was born in Melville, Louisiana in 1912. Her family eventually settled in Port Arthur when she was in elementary school. After graduating from high school, she received several art scholarships. Maudee accepted one from the WPA-sponsored Creative Arts School in Houston in 1934 to be closer to her husband. In Houston, she became a part of the intellectual elite called “the left bank on the bayou.” Her studies under Ola MacNeill Davidson catapulted Carron on a lifelong journey of artistic expression in almost every medium, including theater and writing.
An Artist’s Artist
This creator’s paintings and sculptures were exhibited in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in the following decades. A critic for “This Week in New Orleans” wrote, “Her work is different, refreshing, and substantial. Critics say she is an artist’s artist.” After a car accident injured her right hand in 1979, Carron taught herself to draw with her left hand, which she felt reintroduced some spontaneity in her art. Maudee often ventured into sculptures using found objects. The museum will exhibit two works made with a Singer sewing machine and another with a lawn mower blade.
Texas Eye Con’s
At the age of 73, she exhibited at the Kunstraum Gallery in West Berlin with a show titled “Texas Eye Con’s.” The McNay in San Antonio lists her painting titled “Pinwheel Street” in its extensive collection. James Surls described her as “a free soul, extracted from all that is pure in humankind, a conduit from the center.” Maudee Carron died in Port Arthur in 1996 at the age of 81.
Highly Collected
Several area artists and art lovers have donated or loaned Carron pieces.
Donations are from William Berry, Bill and Anna Lee Draughon, Carol Hudman, John and Orra Eaves, Eddie Savoy, Linnis Blanton, Bob and Martha Troxell, Robert Darling and Katherine Baugh. Loans are from Keith Carter, Dr. Sam Monroe, Andy Coughlan, Pete Churton and Jason Larson.
Enjoy Carron’s works through Sept. 14 of 2024.
More at the Museum
The Museum’s varied treasures include collections on music and sports legends tied to the area; maritime, glass and shell exhibits and more. The gift shop features bricks from Janis Joplin’s childhood home as well as books and music from area authors and performers. Come visit us in Port Arthur, the Cajun Capital of Texas!
