Beautiful Things to See in Kerrville, Part 2

If you missed part 1 of Beautiful Things to See in Kerrville, here it is.


When I couldn't see the history of tuberculosis in Kerr County exhibit at the Hill Country Preservation Society, I decided to enjoy the varied offerings of the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center. Free is a price I like! The first room had paintings on loan from a local gallery. The next room contained artwork by winners of the 2015 American Plains Artists Awards. Jammey Huggins' southwestern-flavored sculptures highlight animals like owls, bears, and ocean life. Their muted earth-tones paired nicely with the vibrant colors of Patsy Lindamood's buffalo, cattle, and rodeo paintings.

Next to this desert squirrel nibbling on a prickly pear was a door with a sign in day-glo colors on a black background. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I wasn't sure whether it was an exhibit or something else. So I opened the door and peeked inside the dark little closet with an illuminated shelf behind glass. I closed the door. A voice began to speak, and the light slowly dimmed while a black light turned on. It was an exhibit on luminescent minerals! Easily the trippiest thing I had seen all month. The recording explained that certain combinations of elements glow under various wavelengths. Here they are in all their multi-hued curiosity:

The third room held entries to the HomeTown Crafts Teachers Show for current and retired art teachers in the area. There was an impressive array of paintings, drawings, and crafts, including metal working, basket weaving (with pine needles!), glass, and clay. I would gladly have purchased any number of pieces, but I didn't have room in my luggage. I did pick up a few Christmas presents, however.

Did you know that the Texas Hill Country is a center of the wool industry? A local merchant had come to showcase her fashion pieces in mohair. Apparently Hillary Clinton and a variety of Ms Rodeo and other pageant contestants have worn her pieces. There was also a large wooden Ferris wheel with a motion sensor that turned on whenever someone walked by, and a sizable gift shop. The exhibits change every month, and the price is always right, so I highly recommend this little gem of a gallery.

Douglas Garey, Scolopendra heros. This is a red-headed centipede. In vivo they grow up to 6-8 inches long. At a couple feet long, this is the biggest one I saw while in Texas, but it's made of iron. The developmental pediatrics fellow who gave us a couple lectures decided to enliven things by interspersing his medical slides with images and facts about some of Texas' worst creepy crawlies. Iggit iggit!