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The Museum of the Gulf Coast will be exhibiting the works of Port Arthur artist Maudee Carron, primarily from its own archives from now until Sept. 14.

Carron was born in Melville, Louisiana, in 1912. Her family eventually settled in Port Arthur when she was in elementary school. After graduating from high school, she received several art scholarships. Carron accepted one from the WPA-sponsored Creative Arts School in Houston in 1934 to be closer to her husband. In Houston, she became a part of the intellectual elite called “the left bank on the bayou.” Her studies under Ola MacNeill Davidson catapulted Carron on a lifelong journey of artistic expression in almost every medium, including theater and writing.

Her paintings and sculptures were exhibited in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the following decades. A critic for This Week in New Orleans wrote, “Her work is different, refreshing, and substantial. Critics say she is an artist’s artist.”

After a car accident injured her right hand in 1979, Carron taught herself to draw with her left hand, which she felt reintroduced some spontaneity in her art. Carron often ventured into sculptures using found objects. The exhibit will include several sculptures, one from Singer sewing machine parts.

Curator Robert Fong said, “It has been a real joy getting to know Maudee through her art. She was an important artist for the region, and I am excited that we are able to mount this exhibit.”

At the age of 73, she exhibited at the Kunstraum Gallery in West Berlin with a show titled “Texas Eye Con’s.”

The McNay in San Antonio lists her painting titled “Pinwheel Street” in its extensive collection.

James Surls described her as “a free soul, extracted from all that is pure in humankind, a conduit from the center.”

Maudee Carron died in Port Arthur in 1996 at the age of 81.

Her work is held in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, and the Centennial Museum in Corpus Christi.

Exhibited pieces include donations made to the museum by William Berry, Bill and Anna Lee Draughon, Carol Hudman, John and Orra Eaves, Eddie Savoy, Linnis Blanton, Bob and Martha Troxell, Robert Rourke, Robert Darling, and Katherine Baugh.

Works on loan have also been generously provided for this exhibit by Keith Carter, Dr. Sam Monroe, Andy Coughlan, Pete Churton. Jeff Larson and Jamie Kessler.

The Museum of the Gulf Coast is located at 700 Procter St., Port Arthur.