Chambers Library Monthly Exhibitions

Emilio Amero (Mexican, 1901-1976), Boy with Fawn, nd. Etching. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Born in the village of Ixtlahuaca in northeastern Mexico, Emilio Amero began studying art in 1911 at the Academy of San Carlos while taking private drawing lessons from well-known newspaper artist Antonio Gomez. In 1917, Amero began contributing to the México Nuevo newspaper while continuing his education at the academy.

Soon thereafter, Amero began working on the murals at the National Preparatory School and Ministry of Education in Mexico City alongside artists Jean Charlot and Diego River. Amero is widely credited with reviving the graphic arts, lithography in particular, which coincided with the mural renaissance in México.

In 1924, Amero visited New York where he worked with several magazines and newspapers. He then taught at the University of Washington in Seattle and the Cornish School before joining the art faculty at the University of Oklahoma in 1946.

Thomas Batista Correa (Venezuelan, 1964-2020), Untitled, nd. Acrylic. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

An artist, art educator, and entrepreneur born in LaGuaria, Venezula, Thomas Batista Correa resided for many years in Oklahoma City before he passed away in the summer of 2020. Correa received  Bachelor's and Master's degrees in art from Oklahoma City University and studied at Atelier Nazaret Charitas in LaGuaira and Academia de Arte at Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela.

Batista Correa worked for Ackerman McQueen and Jordan Advertising as well as at the Omniplex (now the Science Museum Oklahoma) before opening his own advertising and graphic design business. Correa also opened the Baptista School of Art in the Paseo Arts District, and taught at the university level.

Correa's vivid abstract paintings have been exhibited across the United States and internationally and can be found in private and public collections around the world.
 

Winifred May Bowen Furray (1888-1977). Mexicans, nd. Colored pencil. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Born in Chillocothe, Missouri, Winifred May Furray moved with her family to Norman, Oklahoma at age 15 where she remained for life. Furray studied fine art at the prestigious Chicago Art Institute and continued cultivating her craft by studying under varies artists in Oklahoma, California, and New Mexico.

During her career from 1915-1970, Furray taught various art forms including china, oil, and water color painting as well as weaving. She taught color theory and design at Oklahoma City University for several years.

Furray was an honorary charter member of Kappa Pi national art fraternity. She was also a member of the Oklahoma Art Center and the Art League, and belonged to the Oklahoma Artist Association during the 1920s - 1930s.
 

Jaques Hans Gallrein (American, 1888-1978), Old Mexico, 1936. Oil on canvas board. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Born in Magdeburg, Germany, Jaques Hans Gallrein studied art at the Kunstgewerbe and Handwerker Schule, a technical art school in Keil, Germany. At the age of eighteen, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Art in Munich. Gallrein’s father taught him the importance of ecology which had a lasting impact on his choice of subject matter painting western landscapes throughout his life.

In 1908, Gallrein moved to New York City where he worked at the Fischer Art Studio and the Clark Teacher's Agency. During this time, he met other artists who encouraged him to continue westward to paint the wonders there. Taking this advice, he moved to Oklahoma in 1911.

Along with the early teachings of his father, Oklahoma’s diverse landscape and the native cultures of America’s southwest moved Gallrein. While he maintained his residence in Oklahoma, Gallrein traveled extensively across the southwest where he likely found inspiration for Old Mexico.

Mormans, Three Llamas at Cusco, 1977. Watercolor. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Research is ongoing for this artwork.

Mormans, Cusco Peru Llamas, nd. Watercolor. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Research is ongoing for this artwork.

Amado Maurilio Peña Jr. (Mexican-Yaqui, b. 1943), Mestizo Series: Acoma, 2006. Mixed media drawing on cradleboard. Melton Art Reference Library Collection, Gift of Melton Family to Archives & Special Collections, Max Chambers Library, University of Central Oklahoma.

Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Amado Peña earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in art and art education at Texas A & I University, known today as Texas A&M, in Kingsville, Texas. After graduating, Peña spent 16 years teaching with the Texas public school system and continues to teach a high school studio art program and provide adjunct instruction at the University of Texas.

Peña uses bold color, form, and line in prints and etchings to convey his Mexican mestizo and Yaqui heritage. He is recognized as an Artisan of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona and established the JB Peña Art Has Heart Foundation to provide low income students with arts education in several states across the southwest.