What we love most in art is the beauty it brings to our lives and the dreams and ideas it inspires. It's the music that we listen to intently, it's the paintings and sculptures we look at intensely and it's the human form amazing us with its bends and turns as it leaps across an empty stage.
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Renee Hawkins stands on the stairs at Longview Museum of Fine Arts.
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The Longview arts organizations and their directors should receive a standing ovation for the work that they do, and Charm wants to spotlight our second director in the series, Renee Hawkins of Longview Museum of Fine Arts.
Q: To what extent were you involved in the arts as a child, and how has that shaped your approach to the organization you work for?
A: My dad taught art in public schools from the time I was born until I was in elementary school. His specialty was/is watercolor. He then became a commercial ad designer and later a contractor. I was his draftsman for a while. Most of his family members are artists, and I guess their talents and differences are something I've always appreciated and absorbed.
Q: What "least-known" fact about your organization would surprise most people, and why?
A: The fact that we've been in five locations downtown since 1958 would surprise people who live here and still don't know Longview has an art museum.
Q: What is the most difficult part of your job?
A: Getting the word out about LMFA. Advertising is always expensive, and only our members really get the full benefit of everything the museum offers.
Q: What will the arts look like in Longview in five or 10 years?
A: I hope this community will build a civic center for performing arts, rodeos and other events. There is so much we can't do right now that would help make Longview more interesting. If we want to keep residents happy and visitors engaged, we've got to provide the venues to do more and varied activities. I'd like to see public art and water features everywhere. The museum will someday build a stand-alone building to add visual interest to our community's architecture.
Q: If you weren't the executive director of your organization, you would be ...
A: A draftsman, decorator or interior designer.
Q: What's the primary mission of your organization?
A: To enlighten, educate, entertain and help people enjoy the world of art.
Q: Who is your audience?
A: Everyone. We want all our residents to be able to take a look at what the museum has to offer every two months to see what we've changed here for them. Take a look at and enjoy the art. Art makes you think.
Q: What do you find most fulfilling about your job?
A: Being able to see the various types of art, and pick out with our exhibitions committee what type of shows we'd like to host here. When the art comes in, my favorite job is deciding where each piece will go.
Q: How do the ups and downs of the economy affect your ability to raise funds?
A: On the whole, when funds have to be reduced, the arts are usually considered a luxury that can be cut back or eliminated; however, in East Texas we're fortunate with the oil and gas businesses not to be affected as much as some other places. We have a bumper sticker in our office that says, "The Arts are NOT a Luxury." We think of art as a very necessary essence of healthy being.
Q: What aspect of the arts do you believe is lacking in our area? What would you like to see added or expanded to improve the artistic environment?
A: I love the fact that Longview has a ballet, opera, symphony, theater and museums. If I could add anything, it would be more galleries, so artists could have more venues for showing their work, and people who live and visit here could have more places to shop for it!
Q: In your spare time, what is your artistic or creative outlet?
A: I like to draw house plans, rearrange furniture and play Sudoku!
