TAMIU Annual Report 2022

WATSON RETROSPECTIVE AT TAMIU AFFIRMS ART OF GIVING An exuberant retrospective collection demonstrating the late Laredo artist Julie Shaifer Watson’s love for Texas and México is exhibited in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library Gallery. It’s the latest affirmation of the Watson family’s art of giving. “The Watsons have long championed art here at the University, through donations that have buoyed the creation of the Helen Richter Watson Gallery , ongoing student scholarships, teaching resources, and peer artists’ art collections. We’re thrilled to have Julie Watson’s retrospective join that family history here,” said Rosanne Palacios , TAMIU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement. TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said the University is indeed honored to host the 16-work collection. “This legacy collection of Watson’s work is the largest retrospective of her work since her 2008 passing. These massive canvases feature her brilliant use of bold colors to capture the Texas borderland and coast and México. We are truly honored to share them once again with our University community, and the community at large,” said Dr. Arenaz. Watson’s distinctive, ebullient style earned her multiple awards throughout her lifetime. Her works remain aggressively sought after and grace art lovers’ collections, homes, and businesses everywhere. A descendant of Laredo founders Don Tomás Sánchez and John Z. Leyendecker, she created and enjoyed a life as colorful as her acclaimed paintings. Palacios noted the retrospective continues the Watson legacy at TAMIU. “It’s truly a legacy of giving, loving, and living. And through this art, it just keeps giving and giving,” Palacios said. Members of the Watson extended family helped inaugurate the Watson Retrospective Collection. 12