Dorothy Hood

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to announce receipt of the personal papers of noted Houston artist Dorothy Hood and her husband, José María Velasco Maidana from the Art Museum of South Texas (AMST). Located in Corpus Christi and affiliated with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, AMST advances the awareness, knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the residents and visitors of South Texas. The archives will be cataloged, preserved, digitized, and made available to students, scholars, and the public through UH Special Collections.

Hood (1918 – 2000) was a Texas painter best known for her Modernist works. Velasco Maidana (1899-1989), was a Bolivian composer and filmmaker. Donated materials include personal papers, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, journals, catalogs, artifacts, audio/video recordings, and ephemera documenting the lives and careers of the two artists. AMST acquired a major collection of Hood’s works in 2001, along with the personal papers of Hood and Velasco Maidana.

Christian Kelleher, head of Special Collections, noted, “UH Libraries is excited to join in the efforts of AMST and other leaders in the arts community to preserve and promote the international legacies of Dorothy Hood and Velasco Maidana. These archives are unique primary source documentation of two remarkable, creative people, and will provide new insights into their works, careers, and lives.”

Sara Morgan, interim director of AMST, reflected on the significance of Hood’s contributions to the arts. “Dorothy Hood was a Texas artist who lived an exploratory life that took her from her birth city of Bryan, Texas, to Houston, Providence, Rhode Island, New York City, Mexico City and eventually back to Texas where she resettled in Houston,” Morgan said. “Her work, much like her life, abandoned conventionality and explored big themes such as space, presence, spirituality, emotion and color. Hood was considered the sole female representative of the artist pack that commanded Houston’s art scene in the 1960s and 1970s. We feel it is fitting that her treasury of papers return to the city that embraced her art and her talent.”

The Dorothy Hood Papers and the José María Velasco Maidana Papers will be cataloged as Collections of the Art Museum of South Texas and the University of Houston Libraries. “AMST is pleased to partner with UH Libraries on the Dorothy Hood Papers,” Morgan said. “This collaboration will provide an opportunity for Hood’s archival materials to be fully examined, leading to a greater understanding of the artist, modernist, teacher and woman over her prolific career. Accessible information will provide expanded research opportunities and will ultimately further the recognition of Hood’s art.”

Dorothy Hood, Subterranean Illuminations (1982)

“University of Houston Libraries is honored to receive the Dorothy Hood Papers and José María Velasco Maidana Papers,” said dean of UH Libraries Lisa German. “Telling Dorothy Hood’s story will be a privilege and we are very grateful to the Art Museum of South Texas, its Board and interim director, and to its former director Joe Schenk for making this possible.”

Related: Public Art of University of Houston System Celebrates Art of Dorothy Hood, Trendsetting Texas Artist

The McClain Gallery in Houston will host a solo exhibition featuring paintings, drawings and collages of Dorothy Hood from October 12 through December 21, 2019. A selection of documents from the archives will also be on display. The opening reception will be held on October 12 from 2 – 4 p.m.

Related: ­­­McClain Gallery Announces Representation of Dorothy Hood

The collection is currently being processed. For questions about materials in this collection or to request access, contact Christian Kelleher.