One of our favorite things about summer has arrived — Summer Trunk Shows! This year we’re keeping it simple and local, featuring Rebecca Lankford July 22 and Mirta Tummino on Aug. 5, both from 12 to 4 p.m. Locally-renowned Houston artist Rebecca Lankford uses hand-cast metals, fine leathers, and a casual take on precious and semi-precious gems […]
When you walk into the museum store, you may notice the elaborate display wall at the entrance. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look with our Creative Merchandising Director on how it all comes together. This season’s display is a tribute to Mexican arts and culture and features a life-sized retablo complete with a Catrina figurine. My inspiration […]
Sourcing product for special exhibits is one of the favorite things about my job, but as a lover of Mexican art and culture, La Virgen de Guadalupe: Empress of the Americas has been especially fun. This summer, we traveled to Mexico City and met with officials at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The […]
One of the most photographed pieces in the museum’s collections is the “jaw dropping” crystal quartz skull in the exhibit Gemstone Carvings: Masterworks by Harold Van Pelt. The hollow, life-sized skull with articulated jaw, was carved from a single block of rare izoklakeite quartz. Our fascination with human skulls spans cultures and eras. From the […]
Native Texan Mirta Tummino discovered her talent for jewelry design while working for a Fortune 500 company in Chicago. Her part-time design and metalsmithing studies at the Lillstreet Art Center quickly became a passion when she started selling her one-of-a-kind designs in Chicago area boutiques. As demand grew, Mirta was able to fulfill her true calling […]
Houstonian Mariquita Masterson has always had the eye of an artist. Thirty years ago, Mariquita was commissioned to design a glass table setting for an art gala. Working with the glass blower, she became fascinated with the chunks and shards of colorful glass and imagined the pieces set as jewelry. Fast forward three decades, and Mariquita’s […]
Raw diamonds, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, South Sea pearls, leather and hand cast metals. The luxe boho style of Houston jewelry designer Rebecca Lankford is immediately recognizable to her fans and collectors. Her delicate styles are perfect for layering and stacking. Rebecca started designing jewelry while working as a paralegal in the early 1990s. As her […]
Our third annual Summer Trunk Shows kicks off Friday, July 17. This year, we are featuring local artists Rebecca Lankford, Mariquita Masterson, and Mirta Tummino. As always, the featured artist’s design will be 20 percent off the day of their show, on top of museum membership discounts! You can feel good about looking great knowing […]
Spring is a great time to refresh your look and we’ve got some new lines in the Museum Store just in time to help! ax + apple Jamie Lyn of ax + apple dabbled in almost every possible visual art before falling in love with jewelry design. Having worked on a few period films […]
