Elyse Gonzales, director of San Antonio's Ruby City art centre, is featured in The Art Newspaper's 'A brush with...' interview series. She discusses her formative experience working at Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery in Houston as a high school senior, which led to an internship at the Menil Collection and a master's degree at Williams College. Gonzales also shares her curatorial interests, including a forthcoming show of Tracey Rose's drawing and video works, and reveals that Ruby City was born from founder Linda Pace's dream of the building, which she sketched and commissioned David Adjaye to realize in 2007.
The interview matters because it offers insight into the leadership and curatorial vision behind Ruby City, a significant contemporary art institution in Texas. Gonzales's personal narrative highlights how early mentorship and exposure to the art world can shape a career, while her reflections on art's purpose—pleasure and human connection—underscore the institution's mission. The piece also connects contemporary art practice to broader cultural influences, such as South African music and Jungian dream analysis, revealing the interdisciplinary thinking that informs curatorial work.