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Students Shine
When it came time for Rice Gallery director Kim Davenport to fi nd a curator The seasoned artist became a mentor for Rice’s graduating seniors
for the gallery’s 2006 exhibition of graduating art majors, she thought of
during their fi nal semester, asking them to “dream as big as they would
artist Christian Eckart. Eckart had been an instructor at Rice University,
like to dream about how they would like to be represented in the show.”
but what was especially interesting was the professional practices class
After they presented their ideas and he helped them determine the fea-
sibility of their projects, he assisted them in fi nalizing what they would
he had designed and taught at Rice as well as at the University of Houston
show and explored the formal and technical issues of presenting their
and the Glassell School of Art.
work. Finally, he helped them prepare their artist statements.
Davenport says Eckart has a tremendous interest in students. “I could
Explaining how he works with students, Eckart says, “You walk into
tell from the way he related to them that he would be able to give Rice
a studio cold, and you have one or two minutes to know more about
students a professional experience, which is one of the aims of
what the artist is doing than they do. You fi gure out where they are
the student exhibition,” she says. And Eckart knows what
headed, and then you can help them objectify their work and
he’s talking about. “He is an internationally renowned
see it from the outside.” Having a better grasp
artist,” Davenport explains. “We are so fortunate
of what their work is saying to other people
that he is living right here in Houston.”
helps students make positive changes and
Eckart came on the New York art scene
clarify their focus.
out of the East Village in the mid 1980s, the
Megan Sandler had been taking
decade of the art star. His contemporaries
straight black and white photographs
were the likes of Peter Halley, Jeff Koons,
of children at Yellowstone Academy, a
and Richard Prince. Since that time,
free private school in the Third Ward.
his work has been shown in more
Working with Eckart, she decided to
than 70 solo shows and more than
juxtapose her photographs with the
150 group exhibitions all over the
children’s drawings, creating a more
world, and his work is included in
multidimensional view of her subjects. Meanwhile, Matthew
the collections of institutions like
Crnkovich’s photographs of decaying industrial buildings had
the Guggenheim Museum and the
an emphasis on abstract form cut with a kind of romantic mel-
Museum of Modern Art in New
ancholia. Eckart saw parallels with the paintings of Mark Rothko
York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Museum Moderner
and recommended his work to Crnkovich. The student responded by
Kunst in Vienna, Austria. His abstract, wall-based work straddles the line
exploring and increasing the level of formal abstraction in his photo-
between painting and sculpture and is designed on the computer and
graphs over the semester. In other cases, like the hanging fabric pieces of
executed in materials like mirror-polished stainless steel or aluminum
Thomas Hardin or the self-portraits of Dustin Haynes, Eckart encour-
plates sprayed with lush glistening coats of auto body lacquer.
aged students to explore ways of combining what they had previously
Eckart moved to Houston on New Year’s Eve, 2002, and he was im-
considered to be separate works.
mediately impressed by Houston’s fl ourishing contemporary art scene.
According to Davenport, the selection of Eckart proved to be a very
From his new Houston base, he has continued his studio practice and
good choice. “The students responded to him,” she says, “and gave
busy exhibition schedule, but he also contributes to the local artistic
him credit for guiding them in new directions.”
community. In New York, he taught at the School of Visual Arts for
Eckart is more modest about his contributions. “I can’t take any
eight years, and he decided to continue his teaching in Houston art
credit for it; it’s just about helping people understand their own pre-
departments. Curating Shine: Rice Gallery Student Exhibition 43, was
dilections.”
yet another way to work with young artists.
—Kelly Klaasmeyer
38 Rice Sallyport
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