The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) Presents: Evita Tezeno: Out of Many

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is proud to present Evita Tezeno: Out of Many, curated by HMAAC’s Chief Curator, Christopher Blay. The exhibition opens Thursday, April 27, with a reception from 6- 8PM, and will be on viewfor closing festivities on Juneteenth and Father’s day weekend, June 17. Evita Tezeno: Out of Many is an exhibition of paintings and drawings from the collage artist Evita Tezeno. Working in a technique that combines painting and collage, Tezeno’s tapestry is carefully constructed from a variety of materials that come together in her compositions. Out of Many is a turn of the phrase “Out of Many, One” and its Latin form E Pluribus Unum, which articulates the ideals of America’s Founding Fathers. In her depiction of everyday scenes from Black Life in America, Tezeno’s collages aspire to those ideals, representing, with fondness, the days in the lives of everyday Black Americans.

Evita Tezeno (b. 1960) is a Port Arthur, Texas native and graduate of Lamar University. She lives and works in Dallas. Tezeno's collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style. Her work depicts a cast of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams, and moments from her adult life—and influenced by the great 20th century modernists Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and William H. Johnson—scenes of joy animate her vision of a Black America filled with humanity. 

As the recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Catlett Award for The New Power Generation, Tezeno has built a career as an acclaimed multi-disciplinary female artist.Her work is included in the permanent collection of the African American Museum ofDallas and the Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar, the Pizzuti Collection,Columbus, OH; Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection, Kansas City; and Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, Palm Beach. Additional collectors include Esther Silver-Parker,Samuel L. Jackson, David Hoberman, Denzel Washington, Star Jones, Laurie David,and Susan Taylor, among others. She has been awarded commissions by the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, The Deep Ellum Film Festival in Dallas, and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest"), where in 1999 she became the first female artist to design its celebrated poster. 

Recent solo exhibitions include Better Days (2021) at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Evita Tezeno and Jas Mardis: Sharing Memories (2021) at ArtCentre of Plano, Plano, TX; Memories Create Our Yesterdays and Tomorrows (2019) at Thelma Harris Gallery, Oakland, CA; Memories That Speak To My Soul (2018) at Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, LA; and Thoughts of Time Gone By (2017) at Peg Alston Gallery, New York, NY. 

Selected group exhibitions include Talk of the Town: A Dallas Art Museum Pop-up, NorthPark Centre, Dallas, TX; Layer / Build: Contemporary Collage (2023), Gallery 51 at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA; Réinterprétation (2020) at C.O.A. Contemporary Art Gallery, Montreal, Canada; Phenomenal Women #UsToo (2019) at the African American Museum, Dallas, TX; Love in the Time of Hysteria (2019) at Prism Art Fair, Miami, FL; Flagrant Rules of Ensued Emancipation 2019 at John Milde Gallery, Dallas, TX; Modern Day Muse (2019) at ArtCenter of Plano, Plano, TX; Arts Past & Present (2018) at George Bush Library, Dallas, TX; Daughter of Diaspora – Women of Color Speak (2018) at Hearne Fine Art, Hot Springs, AR; and New Power Generation 2012, curated by Myrtis Bedolla at Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA. 

Her work has been published and featured in numerous publications and media outlets, including Artforum, Artillery Magazine, Art Matters with Edward Goldman, Document Journal, Black Art in America, Collective Arts Network Journal, Culture Type, The Dallas Examiner, D Magazine, Dallas Woman, North Dallas Gazette, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dallas Morning News, Eclipse Magazine, ONYX Magazine, The Shreveport Times, Visionary Art Collective, Visual Art Source, NBC 5 - DFW (video), and MAG-RAW Creations (video).

Image List:

1. Evita Tezeno Running Late, 2022, acrylic, mixed media, on collage, 48 x 60in, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles.

2. Evita Tezeno, Let’s Boogie Down, 2022, collage on canvas, 60 x 48 in Luis De Jesus Los Angeles.

This exhibition is free and open to the public during our museum hours, 11AM - 6PM, Thursday - Saturday.

Evita Tezeno: Out of Many is generously sponsored by the Houston Endowment, HEB, Stardust Fund, Jones Walker LLP, and the Board of Directors of the Houston Museum of African American Culture. Special thanks to Christy and Bill Gautreaux and Luis De Jesus Loas Angeles for underwriting contributions.

ABOUT THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE

The mission of HMAAC is to collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, and across the African Diaspora, creating a legacy for current and future generations. In fulfilling its mission, HMAAC invites and engages visitors of every race and background, and inspires children of all ages through discovery-driven learning. HMAAC is a museum for all people. While our focus is the African American experience, our story informs and includes not only people of color, but people of all colors. As a result, the stories and exhibitions that HMAAC brings to Texas are about the indisputable fact that while our experience is a unique one, it has been impacted by and has impacted numerous races, genders and ethnicities. The museum continues to be a space where we can have a multicultural conversation on race geared toward a common future.