The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, Stephen F. Austin State University’s historic downtown gallery, will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, but open during regular gallery hours during the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday week.
The art center will also be open from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, for the Main Street Nacogdoches Jingle and Mingle holiday event, featuring extended shopping hours for downtown retail stores, live entertainment, food trucks and more.
Currently showing at Cole Art Center is “Picturing Books: Illustrations in Print from the 15th to the 20th Centuries,” Vol. I. Curated by Dr. John Handley, director of SFA’s art galleries, and Dr. David A. Lewis, professor of art history, the exhibition, presented in two volumes, offers a series of “chapters” that explore the evolution of the printed illustration, beginning with the Incunabulum (meaning the first 50 years of the printed book), including the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493, and continuing up to the 20th century.
Because the exhibition contains books and other printed items that are hundreds of years old, the materials will be displayed under protective glass. Viewers will be able to “see” additional pages in the books by scanning codes on mobile devices, including phones.
Volume 1 runs through Jan. 5. Volume II will be presented in the early spring semester and will run through March 29.
A vintage Christmas display featuring antique ornaments, decorations, dolls and toys of bygone eras will be added Dec. 3 through Jan. 3.
Regular gallery hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The exhibitions are free and open to the public and are sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts, William Arscott, Nacogdoches Junior Forum and The Flower Shop. The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.
