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Corkboard Event
May
3rd and 10th - Galveston
GALVESTON HISTORICAL FOUNDATION UNVEILS 2008 HISTORIC HOMES TOUR POSTER BY
GALVESTON ARTIST
FIFTH GENERATION BOI GAY PARATORE SELECTED FOR THE JOB IN COMPETITION WITH
OTHER LOCAL TALENT
GALVESTON, TX-Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) announces publication of
this year's Galveston Historic Homes Tour commemorative poster, which
features a painting by Galveston-born artist Gay Paratore. Paratore was the
winner of a competition held by GHF to find a new Homes Tour artist upon the
retirement of artist Pam Heidt, who had been commissioned to to do Homes
Tour poster art for 20 years.
The artist will be on hand to sign copies of her work at the McLemore House,
1019 16th Street, from noon to 4 p.m. on the two Saturdays of the Homes
Tour, May 3 and 10. Framed copies of the new poster will be on sale at
several locations on the tour, and at the Heritage Visitors Center at Ashton
Villa, 2328 Broadway.
The poster, as it traditionally does each year, depicts a composite image of
the ten homes that are open to the public on the tour. This year's artist
was selected from a field of 12 contestants who submitted samples to GHF
earlier this year.
"I think we made a great choice," said Beth Shriner, Director of Historic
Properties at GHF. "There were a lot of good entries, but Gay's work shows
not only her extensive training, teaching and practice in art, but I think
it benefits from a deep connection with Galveston that literally goes back
generations."
Paratore's great-great-grandmother arrived in Galveston in 1846, when the
Samuel May Williams House was only seven years old. It had been a stormy
passage from Bremen, Germany, aboard the steamer Carl Wilhelm, and as the
ship approached Galveston it finally succumbed to the tempest and began to
sink. Mrs. Koester (Paratore's forbear) and her son were taken off the
distressed vessel in a launch, which soon became distressed itself. A
"frailer craft" (according to the Galveston Daily News at the time) came to
the rescue and brought them ashore. The son later served in Magruder's
Brigade, which recaptured Galveston from the Union Army in 1863.
Mrs. Koester's many children married into prominent Galveston families.
Paratore's mother, Cora, married Owen Garrigan, owner of Garrigan's Sporting
Goods (later Naschke's Sporting Goods). Mary Gay Garrigan married Phillip
Paratore, Jr., and the couple had four children, all born at St. Mary's
Hospital in Galveston.
"I have always wanted to do these posters for Galveston Historical
Foundation," said Paratore, "but Pam Heidt was doing such a good job with
them over the years that the foundation was right to keep her under contract
for as long as she wanted. I've been delighted to finally get the chance to
show what I can do with these historic homes. I love Galveston."
Gay Paratore was educated by the Sisters of the order of Saint Ursula. She
went to St. Patrick's School and to Ursuline Academy. Her Aunt, Sister
Monica Colleraine, OSU, is buried in the small cemetery behind Galveston
Catholic School. "It was a special treat for me to go to the convent parlor
as a small child to visit Sister Monica," she said.
"I often recall how beautiful and impressive the entrance and parlor of
Ursuline Academy were, and I still regret the loss of that great piece of
Nicholas Clayton architecture to Hurricane Carla." When the Ursuline Sisters
left Galveston, Gay bid successfully on several items, including a Victorian
loveseat that was in the convent parlor.
Paratore got her undergraduate degree, majoring in fine art, science, and
education, from Sam Houston University; her master's from University of
Houston in Art Education; and was accepted to the doctoral program there
while getting her state certification as an art consultant. Gay has taken
workshops from noted artists here, on the West Coast and the East Coast. She
attended both The National Academy of Art in New York City and the Art
Students League of New York City. She has also studied art in Germany,
Austria, Italy, and Mexico.
Paratore's keenest interest is in introducing children to the joys, and the
basic skills, of art. Nearing 70, she still teaches five children's classes
a week. She has classes after school at Our Lady of Fatima in Texas City and
Our Lady of Lourdes in Hitchcock, one at The Art Alliance Center at Clear
Lake, and two classes in her Studio in Santa Fe.
At The Art Alliance Center in Clear Lake (TAACCL), Paratore gives
instruction to adults in all media. "I let my adult students tell me what
they want to learn," she says. "All of my instruction is individualized;
every student is working on a different project, and I'm very proud of my
students' accomplishments." Five of her students will have their work in
Houston at the Rodeo this year. She has had at least one student as a winner
every year for twenty-one years in the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Student
Art show.
Given the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Rodeo this year, Paratore saw
one of her students win Reserve Grand Champion in art. She has had one or
more Glassell Scholarship Winners every year since the program was started.
Thirty-eight of her students were state finalists in the Junior Federal Duck
Stamp competition last year. Each year she has had students who win top
awards at the Dr. Maira Felia Dog show Art Show at Reliant Center. Three of
her students won on the state level in the "Treasure of the Texas Coast"
contest. Gay is equally proud of her adult students who have also won many
awards.
Paratore taught in the Alvin, Hitchcock, and Galveston ISDs. She taught art
at Ball High in the 70's, then went on to become art department head at
Alvin Community College. She also taught art history for the College of the
Mainland. She just finished teaching two workshops at the University of
Houston in the VASE Program (Visual Arts Scholastic Event). She teaches at
The Art Alliance Center of Clear Lake (TAACCL) and occasionally does
workshops at the Rockport Art Center.
Paratore paints in watercolors, oils, and acrylics; she draws with pencils,
pastels, oil pastels, and anything that will make a mark on the paper. She
likes to find unusual combinations of media, as she did in the GHF Historic
Homes Tour poster art. Printmaking is also one of her passions. Gay's recent
car and motorcycle paintings in watercolor and acrylics have won her
multiple Best of Shows and First Place Ribbons. She also paints portraits
and has had many portrait commissions; her last one was a large 3-foot by 4
foot painting of a father and his two sons.
This year the Galveston Historic Homes Tour takes place May 3, 4, 10 and 11
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Seven other special events are scheduled in
association with the tour. Information about the homes and tickets to the
tour and special events are available at
www.galvestonhistory.org .
Tickets are also available by calling 1-877-772-CLICK. Advance Homes Tour
tickets are $20 each and may be purchased at Houston/Galveston Kroger Food
stores. Advance tickets for members of GHF are $15 each. Tickets bought at
the gate will cost $25.
For media information, and to arrange private, advance press tours, please
contact Molly Dannenmaier, Director of Marketing and Public Relations,
409-765-7834, or e-mail her at
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonshistory.org
<mailto:
molly.dannenmaier@galvestonshistory.org >
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