When architectural lines mingle with flowing, organic forms, it might be in a creation of Waco artist Morgan Eyring. Her work can be seen at a local coffee house and cocktail bar, an I-35 underpass, the airport, the Magnolia Silos and on display at Art Center Waco, where she’s currently serving as board chair. A metal craftswoman by trade and artist by heart and soul, Eyring shares her artistic journey and vision — and also what Wacoans can expect from Art Center’s Flora Cameron Collection to be unveiled this spring.
How did you make your way to Waco?
I am from Ohio and I graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017 with my degree in sculpture. I was working at the college as a student caller at our call center and I was pretty good at asking people for money. The company I worked for was contracted by several universities including Baylor to oversee call center fundraising development. I trained as a program center manager the summer after I graduated and took a job at Baylor post-training. The job at Baylor brought me here, and the community of people that I became connected with and worked with and for really is what kept me here.
What were your thoughts about moving to Waco, Texas — before you got here and then after you arrived? How was it different from what you imagined?
I had some kind of preconceived notions about the different stereotypes of southern living versus, you know, being from the north. And some of those certainly rang true. I think it took me a little while to get used to the ‘Yes ma’am,’ ‘Yes sir.’ sort of attitude.
We do place emphasis on that, but I think it’s mostly meant to be sweet.
Yes! And it took me a little while to realize that. I was like, ‘You don’t need to call me ma’am.’ That’s just not something I grew up hearing all the time. Also, the heat was something that I wasn’t necessarily prepared for. Now I’ve completely adjusted and when it becomes 40 degrees I have to put on my down jacket. I am freezing cold because I’m a Texan now.
You’re an artist and I want to get into that, but tell me about your day job.
I work for Nickell Metalsmiths. We have a shop out in North Waco in the Bellmead area, and we fabricate steel doors and windows. I am a project manager and a lead designer there.
Is that something you ever thought you’d be doing with your degree in sculpture?
It’s somewhat adjacent to sculpture. When I started working for John Nickell, who’s the owner, I started off as a fabricator. So, I was welding and I was building things — windows and doors. It fed that need to make something. I never really imagined that job in particular, but when I look back, it makes sense. I just sort of taught myself and learned from trying out and stepping into several different roles in that business and worked my way into the role that I have today. I’ve been here six years.
What is your role with Art Center Waco?
I am currently the board chair at Art Center Waco. I’ve been the board chair for about a year now and I came onto the board in 2021, right before the Art Center opened its doors on Eighth Street. I was volunteering a little bit prior to becoming a board member and was connected with some of the women, particularly Lisa Monroe and Jill Michaels, who were trying to get some new faces in the door. I have my hands in a little bit of everything there now. I play a big role on the exhibits committee and working closely with [Executive Director] Meghan [Bias] to strategize future plans.
So you didn’t live here when the Art Center was in its former, historic location?
I wasn’t. But when I first moved here it’s funny because I had seen signs for the Art Center and I had a bike. So one day I thought, ‘I’m going to bike to the Art Center today.’ I biked through Cameron Park all the way up those hills, and I made it to the building only to find out that it was condemned already. It was just this empty place and it was a little bit spooky because there were still all the sculptures out there and I was like, ‘What happened?’
Tell me a little bit about the Flora Cameron Collection. Who was Flora Cameron and what is her collection all about? What does it mean for Wacoans?
Flora is a descendant of the Cameron family, William Cameron. She was a huge proponent for collecting art and her collection resided mostly in her home in San Antonio. When she passed away, she wanted to leave the collection to a local arts organization. She had memories of Art Center Waco as well. She wanted to make sure the collection was given to an organization local to Waco to allow Wacoans to view not only art through her eyes, but also just have the opportunity to see some artwork that is a higher caliber, a deep history that otherwise doesn’t exist in Waco.
How many pieces are in the collection — and how would you describe it overall?
There are more than 80 pieces in the collection. There are a few sculptures and there are some fabric pieces, tapestries, but the majority of the collection that Art Center is acquiring is paintings. Flora Cameron loved floral paintings and Texas landscapes. The collection features several German, Russian, French and Vietnamese artists. There is also a wide variety of Taos-based artists, a city that quickly became a hub for artists from all over the world. It’s a really diverse collection and it’s fun to be able to have that here in Waco.
I don’t know if you got to meet her, but I’m wondering what her collection speaks about her as a person?
She died in 2019 but I didn’t meet her. I think she just loved art and color and supporting artists. There are several pieces of historical significance that I think is really exciting to bring to Waco.
When will the collection be unveiled?
We [had] a preview exhibit on that [opened] on March 27 where we [brought] 25 pieces. They [were] stored in a secure facility in Arlington. But we’re bringing 25 pieces here as sort of a sneak peek. And then as soon as that exhibit closes, we’ll be entering sort of a construction renovation stage at the Art Center.
What’s happening with that?
We’ll still be open and we’ll still host exhibits, but part of the gallery will be closed and behind a wooden sort of wall of mystery while things get moved around a little bit: Taking some walls down, building some new walls. Then all 82 pieces will come to Waco this fall. We’ll have a big opening designated to all of the artwork and the new space hopefully in September.
What else should people know about the collection?
There are so many people that are really pivotal in making it all happen. The Cameron Foundation gave a super generous donation of $500,000 to help us build out a space to support the collection because that’s where we were really struggling. We hardly have enough room to store extra tables and chairs, let alone 82 pieces of art that require a different level of security and humidity control and all these things that we just didn’t currently have the facility for. So that was really the big piece that kind of pulled everything together, being able to have the funds to support the renovation to the space to make it all happen.
Let’s talk more about you as an artist. You became known for your contribution to the “Luminary Spirit” project downtown. Describe what it means to you.
That project was a little bit of a pivotal of moment I think in my artistic career. The scope of the project and the opportunity to make a piece of public art was something that I’d not done before. It taught me a lot about how to manage my time and manage projects. I’m not a full-time artist, so being able to learn how to manage a 40-hour work week while also completing projects on the side was something that was new to me. It helped give me the confidence to pursue larger projects and also give me a little bit of credibility in terms of my artistic capabilities and for people.
For people who do not know, describe “Luminary Spirit.”
“Luminary Spirit” is an installation of six four-foot diameter spherical globes that have lights inside of them, so more like lanterns. The project was divided between another artist, Andrea La Valleur-Purvis, and me. We each completed three of these globes and they were all intended to represent Waco in one way or another. I did three and one of them was called “Wild Flora” which was actually kind of an ode to Flora Cameron and it is probably my favorite of the three that I completed. It’s a bunch of plasma cut floral shapes that were inspired by the wildflowers found throughout Cameron Park and throughout the highways here. There’s another one called “Waco Structures” which was the most challenging one to complete for me. But it highlights some of the prominent architectural aspects of Waco, some of the different buildings like the ALICO building and the bridges around crossing the Brazos. The third one was called “Taking Off” and essentially spoke to the history of transportation in Waco and how Waco was kind of pivotal in the evolution of transportation and going from rail cars and the cattle drives to vehicles and then SpaceX.
Do you work in any other medium besides metal?
I have a painting practice as well, but I haven’t picked up a paintbrush just to paint on a canvas in a little while. Working at a metal shop, it’s really easy to then just call metal my medium. I have access to every tool I could ever want and imagine so it’s just kind of been what makes sense for me to right now.
When we walked into One Day, you mentioned that you crafted the beautiful shelving behind the bar. Tell me about that and where else your work is on display around town.
Kyler Griffith, the owner, came to me needing a bar back to house his liquor bottles and wine bottles. He really gave me full artistic freedom and I knew that his style was relatively eccentric, but he wanted it to feel elegant. I pulled together some brass tones and some fun round shapes. I love a blend of the really hard linear, mathematical take on things with some of the organic, more flowing sort of nature. I collaborated with Bryant Stanton on one of the sculptures at the airport, a hanging bird sculpture that is suspended over the security checkpoint at the Waco Airport. That was really fun. Through Nickell Metalsmiths, we’ve done some doors and windows for Magnolia Silos and at the Cottages, as well as fun brass details and mirrors and railings.
How would you describe your artistic style?
I think my style is inspired by the art deco movement as well as architecture. Working in the architecture field, it inspires me to look at buildings or look at the way that things are put together and find inspiration through that. There’s this combination of a little bit more linear, kind of masculine forms, and the counteractive flowing, organic, feminine feel to them.
What I really try to pull into my metal work is a feeling of femininity, whether it’s through shapes or textures or colors, something that I’ve noticed has evolved in my work.
Are there any artists who have influenced your thinking or your style or your work?
Yes. I love Barbara Hepworth. She is a sculptor and builds these really beautiful, large scale organic forms. And I love Julie Mehretu. She is a painter and her paintings are ultra dense and feel super algorithmic.
Do you ever have creative blocks? How do you overcome those?
Totally. One way that I can push myself out of a creative block is by pulling out my grid paper and drawing some shapes. Working in little 2-by-3 rectangles simplifies things in your head because sometimes it can be really overwhelming to think about the entire thing at one time. As a sculptor, you’re seeing 360. So thinking about it just from one side kind of helps to kickstart something.
How do you deal with criticism of your work?
I deal with it better now than I have in the past, having gained a little bit of confidence in my own style, because my artwork is a little funky. It’s not for everybody. I have received — maybe not criticism — but sometimes you want that glowing compliment from somebody and you get an ‘OK’ or ‘That’s interesting.’ But I think criticism is a learning opportunity. So I try to have that mindset and even though I might go home and have a sour moment. At the end of the day, I really try to take any criticism as a learning experience.
Do you have any rituals or processes that help you get creative?
I am always listening to music. There’s Taylor Swift. But lately I’ve been listening to a lot of acoustic guitar, which has been calming and easy to tune into while also zoning out, if that makes sense. I’ve really been loving Doechii lately, and I’m a big Maggie Rogers fan; Sabrina Carpenter. I’m here for all that.
Are there certain messages or themes that you like to incorporate into your work?
When I think about my own personal body of work, it has certainly always kind of gone back to this concept of everything has an energy. I think every person, every object, every particle has a certain energy to it. And that energy impacts any object that it touches or is near or around. So I think this transfer of these different kinds of unseen energies and feelings is something that I try to capture in my work. My most recent piece, called “Ebb and Flow,” was on display at the Art Center for our small works open call exhibit. It was sort of like the ebb and flow of your daily life and decision making. There are going to be waves of hard times that are going to be followed by waves of good. Just learning how to flow with all of that. And so that’s something that I’m trying to kind of build into my work. I’m 30 now, but in my 20s, there was so much of that. One thing that I have felt over the last year has been this newfound sense of stability and comfort in where I am — and confidence, I guess, too.
Do you think art can or should be there to create social change?
Definitely. My artwork I wouldn’t say is necessarily pointed in that direction, but I definitely think that there is a place for that. Whether it’s intended to have a major social or political or community impact, I think when somebody takes the time to stand in front of a piece of art and interpret it on their own, there’s always an opportunity for a takeaway from it. That takeaway for everybody is different. It’s important to allow the viewer to give their own interpretation to a piece. Whether you’re understanding what the artist wants you to understand or not doesn’t really matter. That’s something Waco artist Kermit Oliver solidified for me.
How did you get time with Kermit Oliver?
I had the opportunity to hear him talk about his artwork through Art Center. He said it doesn’t matter what the artist wants you to see in the painting. What matters is what you want to see. That’s something that I had felt, and I never really put words to it. It was really special. He specifically wanted to sit down and meet local artists. I think there were 10 or 15 of us. He took us around his exhibit and talked about his practice.
Do you eventually want to make art full time or do you need that daily grind?
This is the first time in my adulthood that I’ve felt like I’ve had a really good balance of work and personal life and my own practice. So I would love to just continue having that and my work. I really enjoy it. I get to design some really amazing front doors and I get to work with architects and builders, which feeds a little bit of that engineering side of me that gets into the nitty gritty details. I don’t necessarily have the goal to be a full-time artist.
Anything else cool going on in your life outside of work and art?
I’m getting married in June to my fiancé Cameron — no relation to the Camerons. We met on a job site at the Silos. We were both working and he asked someone, ‘Who is that girl putting up shelving over there?’ We’ve been together for about five years and are having a little micro wedding in Colorado this summer.
Do you have a mantra or a quote or some words that you try to live by in your life in general or as an artist or as a person?
I’ve been on and off in a yoga practice, but I’m recently on. In yoga there’s a time in your practice where you set intentions and I’ve realized that those intentions always revolve around one of three things: Be easy, be strong and be open. Those three words can mean different things in different settings.
