At the beginning of 2020, before the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were evident, the plan was solid.
The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University was on track to debut its new gallery spaces in mid-April: Treasures of The Wittliff, the Edward S. Curtis Gallery, the Texas Music Gallery, and the Lonesome Dove Gallery.
The timing coincided with the date for the inaugural Wittliff Fest at ACL Live at the Moody Theater and W Austin Hotel.
Curators, archivists and staff were working on plans in place for months with the blessing of the collections’ founders, the late Bill Wittliff and his wife, Sally Wittliff.
As music curator, I was doubly excited.
Autumn 2020 was designated as the start of a year-long music gallery exhibition celebrating iconic musician Ray Benson and his band Asleep at the Wheel. Benson’s voluminous archives are part of The Wittliff, and the legendary western swing band was celebrating its 50th anniversary.
But it was another exhibition that was originally slated to christen the new Texas Music Gallery. Its working title was “Troubadours, Punks & Tesoros.”
The idea was that a short-run exhibit – from April through August 2020 – would debut in the space and spotlight the breadth of The Wittliff’s music holdings, especially some recent donations and acquisitions.
At its core, “Troubadours, Punks & Tesoros” was conceived as a celebration of the scope and diversity of Texas music. The list of artists included Lydia Mendoza, Cindy Walker, Vernon “Spot” Barnett, Jerry Jeff Walker, Doug Sahm, Terri Hendrix, Charlie Robison, Marcia Ball, Mance Lipscomb, Roosevelt “Grey Ghost” Williams, Selena, Roky Erickson, Bobby Bridger, Jesse Sublett and many others. All of them, and related documents and artifacts, are represented within collections at The Wittliff.
Ultimately, the idea as originally conceived proved too ambitious in the wake of the lockdown efforts at the federal, state and county level to contain COVID-19.
One effect of Texas State University’s campus closing, stay-at-home orders and remote working was to compress the exhibition calendar. The window that once existed for staging “Troubadours, Punks & Tesoros” had disappeared.
Executive director David Coleman was the first to express that it was time to pivot from “Troubadours, Punks & Tesoros” and focus solely on getting the Ray Benson anniversary exhibition ready for the fall.
I agreed. It was a bit bittersweet.
In the weeks prior to the COVID-19 changes, I’d been busy working on preparing forms with the beautiful beaded dresses of singers Rosita Fernandez and Lydia Mendoza, and the cape of the legendary Rita Vidaurri.
Singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix and I had shared a laugh about a pair of her old painted overalls, given to her by a fan, which were to go on display. She’s a good sport and a great talent.
Charlie Robison’s football letter jacket, Doug Sahm’s bajo sexto 12-string guitar and the Grey Ghost’s straw hat are downright awe inspiring.
While “Troubadours, Punks & Tesoros” was not meant to be, some of its items can be found in the Treasures gallery, including John Branch’s amazing music-related political cartoons and a handwritten poem by Cindy Walker honoring her mom.
And everyone entering the new glass doors at The Wittliff will gaze upon Terry Allen’s “Caw Caw Blues” bronze crow sculpture, a tribute to the late songwriter Guy Clark and a beautiful piece that incorporates Clark’s ashes. Nearby, a new photographic exhibition honors an array of woman photographers.
Hector Saldaña is curator of the Texas Music Collection, part of The Wittliff Collections. The Wittliff Collections are located on the San Marcos campus of Texas State University. Get more information about the collections on the web at thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu
