The Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET) has opened a new exhibition titled “It’s All in the Details,” featuring approximately 50 works from its permanent collection, many of which have never been exhibited before. The show spans contemporary fine art and Mexican folk art, highlighting intricate techniques and the need for close viewing. Key works include Shawne Major’s mixed-media piece “Syzygy” (2022), Marcelino Eduardo Sánchez Rodriguez’s feather-based “Viva Mexico” (2009), and Mary McCleary’s densely layered collage “The Clouds Grew So Dense, She Couldn’t See” (2015), which had been hanging in the museum’s intern office for years.
The exhibition matters because it showcases the depth and diversity of AMSET’s permanent collection, including a major gift of nearly 500 Mexican folk objects from the John Gaston Fairey collection in 2018. By bringing hidden works into public view and emphasizing the labor-intensive processes of the artists, the show underscores the museum’s commitment to celebrating skilled craftsmanship and encouraging audiences to engage with art on a detailed, contemplative level.