| DIANNE GRAMMER |
| DIANNE'S BLOG BOOKS AVAILABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A RIVER - Paintings and Journal of one year on Lady Bird Lake, 40pgs., 21 color plates Soft Bound: $35 Hard Bound: $55 TEXAS TRADITIONS - Contemporary Artists of the Lone Star State 240 pgs., 225 color plates $85 TO ORDER: Email Jerry R. Grammer at dgrammer@sbcglobal.net or jerrygrammer@sbcglobal.net |
CONTACT: JERRY R. GRAMMER 2103 Wychwood Drive Austin, TX 78746 www.ladybirdlakeaustin.blogspot.com dgrammer@sbcglobal.net or jerrygrammer@sbcglobal.net |
| COPYRIGHT : All text and artwork images copyrighted by Dianne Grammer - 2011 |
| FOR GICLEE PRINTS CONTACT: Jerry R. Grammer jerrygrammer@sbcglobal.net (512) 328-1723 |
| DIANNE GRAMMER NOVEMBER 27, 1945-AUGUST 18, 2011 |
| LETTER FROM JERRY & FAMILY THE “RETROSPECTIVE” AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE |
| On behalf of my entire family, let me express my deepest appreciation for those of you who were in attendance at Dianne’s Retrospective. A much more difficult endeavor than I ever imagined. While admittedly the Retrospective was emotionally exhausting for me and my sons and their families, it was something that needed to be done....just the 16 months it took my family to decide that we could handle "letting go" of some of Dianne's works of art wore us to a frazzle. We (my family, friends and the Gallery staff) were all overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of friends, family, artists, and the Austin art community in celebrating Dianne’s life and her artistic talents. I think that it is important to note that the Retrospective garnered the largest turnout for an opening reception in Davis Gallery’s history; a history which dates back to the ‘80’s; a turnout of more than five hundred guests. What I have discovered since the June 1st Opening is that Davis Gallery sold more work (27 original works) that evening in just two hours; again a record for the volume of sales during any opening of any of Davis’s shows. As Davis Gallery staff reported the following morning, “…we all knew that Saturday's crowd was huge; the largest ever in the history of Davis Gallery but it was not until this morning (Sunday, June 2) did we realize that the Gallery sold more work, 27 originals, in just two hours on Saturday evening; again, the most volume ever for an opening night reception. And finally, in the 20+ year history of Davis, the Gallery reported the largest sales volume in our history for an Opening, nearly $60,000, again in just two hours." On Saturday, July 6th, as I dismantled the show, I was informed that of the 45 original oils, pastels, and watercolors that were displayed for sale (an additional 20 were on display that my family could not part with and thus were not for sale), 35 have been sold. Additionally, 5 prints were sold plus more than a score of Dianne’s book, Conversations with a River,…so a good day for the art community and Dianne’s legacy. By the end of the Retrospective, the sales volume in terms of income was approaching $80,000. I am certain that Dianne is more than a little embarrassed by the attention that she and her art work received but I hope that she is not so embarrassed that she can’t embrace all the loving gestures by loved ones, friends, and total strangers who wanted some small part of her to be displayed in their homes or offices. While the Gallery receives its well deserved share of the proceeds from the sales my family will still receive enough for me to set up an Educational Fund in memory of Dianne for each for our two grandchildren, Jeb and Grace, (Jonathan and Claire’s children) and an equal amount for our, hopefully, additional grandchildren that might just be a twinkle in the eyes of our newlyweds, Christopher and Jennifer. While I have promised Christopher and Jennifer no pressure, the funds will nevertheless be available should that “twinkle” materialize into a little Grammer in the likeness of their “Nana”. The balance of the proceeds from the Retrospective, $10,000, has been given to The University of Texas as The University has chosen to honor Dianne and me in the establishment of an endowed professorship. Former Secretary of Commerce, the Honorable Donald L. Evans and Houston businessman, Corbin J. Robertson, Jr., both Distinguished Alumni of the University, have enthusiastically agreed to Chair this endeavor. Their goal is $300,000 to establish a named professorship. Should that fund raising goal be exceeded, Don and Corby have indicated that they may pursue $1,000,000 in funding for the Dianne and Jerry Grammer Chair and Excellence Fund for Mental Health Research. The specific areas of interest that Dianne and I have for very personal reasons that affected our parents and other loved ones are: 1) the etiology, prevention, treatment of depression; 2) behavioral and pharmacological approaches that might slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease; 3) effective treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; 4) the treatment and prevention of memory disorders, specifically Alzheimer’s and dementia; 5) the study and understanding of the role that stress and coping relate to disease, in particular, cardiovascular illness; 6) the psychology and promotion of artistic creativity. In addition to the Retrospective proceeds, I have matched it with a personal contribution of $10,000, thus a $20,000 commitment to kick off this campaign. As many of you know, Dianne was commissioned; at the time of the construction of the stadium expansion to paint various renderings of the University that are on display in the East and West Sky box lobbies. These images include Waller Creek, the Tower and East Fountain, the Texas Union, the University as seen from the Pennybaker Bridge, the Santa Rita, the Tower aglow with #1, and others. It would give me great pleasure to offer each donor of $1,000 or more a print of any one of these works. Again, thank you all so much for your continued support during these difficult times. Take care and love to all, Jerry and family |
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