A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. As publishers focused on being in the “word business,” some of my colleagues might bristle at that adage, but there is something to it for certain. 

For years, we have sought opportunities to stage exhibits of the art contained in or related to the books we publish, but appropriate venues are hard to find. In opening our new offices last summer in the Monte Vista neighborhood near the Trinity University campus, we discovered a rare opportunity to make this dream come true. Our sunlight-drenched space includes the Libros/Arte Gallery, which is open to the public. In this gallery, we are now staging four major shows a year (each for more than two months). These shows are derived, in some cases, from the books we will or have published, as well as other work that is related to our editorial focus and organizational mission.

Recent shows have featured mouth-watering food photography by Joel Salcido from a forthcoming book on pan dulce, the “revolutionary women” art of Kathy Sosa, and botanical paintings by Kari Englehardt that focus on the role of native landscape in reclaiming damaged land (due to fracking) accompanied by ekphrastic poems by Jean Hackett. Our shows allow us the opportunity to not only celebrate the visual elements of the work we publish but also to engage in meaningful discussion about the vital role of the visual arts in celebrating, documenting, interpreting, and pushing us to think about the world around us. Please visit!