SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The San Antonio Museum of Art is presenting Marilyn Lanfear: Material Memory, a focused exhibition of nineteen objects celebrating Texan artist Marilyn Lanfear and her work of the past forty years. Lanfear uses a wide range of materials in her work to tell stories and preserve memories. Personal family histories are her inspiration, but her works reflect universal themes.

“I think viewers will find resonance in Lanfear’s poetic exploration of memory, history, and family,” said Curatorial Associate Lana Meador, and the curator of the exhibition. “Lanfear is known for using family narratives in her work, but the materials she uses invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences.”

Marilyn Lanfear was born in Waco, Texas, in 1930, and raised in Corpus Christi. Though Lanfear always knew she wanted to be an artist, she put her dream on hold while she established a family in San Antonio. Lanfear went back to school in the 1970s and was the first BFA graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s newly founded art department. She went on to earn her MFA from UTSA in 1978. In 1986, Lanfear moved to New York City to pursue her artistic career, and there, she realized that the memories of her Texas family were her muse. After four years in New York, Lanfear taught studio art in Portland, Oregon, before returning home to San Antonio where she has become an integral figure in the local art community.

Lanfear’s body of work incorporates a variety of materials. Narrative is the driving force in determining the medium for each artwork. Lanfear learns an artistic process as needed—such as soldering a woman’s blouse of out of lead—to create new meaning through the relationship between subject and materials. Lanfear also incorporates found objects collected over many years, transforming them into sculptures and creating new narratives in the process.

Looking at Lanfear’s objects, visitors often relate their own family histories and realize the important role that objects and places play in forming and retaining memories.

“Lanfear invites us to look closely at common, shared experience. Her work allows us to better know our past, ourselves, and ultimately, where that leads us,” said Meador. “I am delighted to share this exhibition with our community.”

The exhibition is on view through November 11, 2018.