Fort Worth arts leaders praised the supportive nature and mentorship of artist Carol Ivey after her family announced her death Tuesday evening.
Ivey, 76, died “suddenly and quickly” on Sunday Feb. 8, according to a social media post from her family.
More information was not immediately available as her husband, Herb Levy, and family asked the arts community to give them time to process.
“Her light and love remains with us all,” her family wrote on Instagram.
Ivey was a renowned Texas painter and conservationist known for still lifes that often featured windows, fruits, flowers and broken vases. Beyond her skill as an artist and instructor, local creatives said Ivey would frequently attend art exhibitions and offer words of advice.
“She modeled what a good artist can be to their community,” Fort Worth curator Christopher Blay said.
Instead of sending flowers, friends and well-wishers are encouraged to “go see art, donate to a good cause and be kind to each other,” according to the family’s post.
Constant support for Fort Worth artists
Ivey had exhibited at several local and statewide art institutions, including Artspace111, the Hunt Gallery in San Antonio and The Contemporary Austin.
Her works are featured in the private collections of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center and the Diabetes & Thyroid Center of Fort Worth.
Carol Ivey, right, poses with Fort Worth artist Nancy Lamb at Artspace111. (Courtesy photo | Nancy Lamb)
Ivey “showed up to everything,” said Fort Worth artist Nancy Lamb, which inspired others to support local art shows as well.
Lamb and Ivey, both finalists for Houston’s prestigious Hunting Art Prize in 2009, knew each other for roughly 20 years.
“She went to all the lectures and talks and openings,” Lamb said. “She was so funny, and she was just always ready to participate.”
Ivey’s aura was a “strong pink,” full of warmth and sweetness, said Bernardo Vallarino, coordinator with the Fort Worth Art Collective. She stayed engaged with artists’ careers and offered constant positive support, he recalled.
“People like her taught me the importance of being present,” Vallarino said.
Setting roots in Panther City
Carol Ivey poses in front of an artichoke at her old studio on East Lancaster Street in May 2005. (Courtesy image | Loli Kantor)
Ivey was born May 2, 1949, in Sherman to parents Richard and Juanita Ivey. She attended Denison Public Schools and Highland Park High School before completing her study of painting at the University of Texas at Austin in 1971.
She spent most of the 1970s working as an abstract artist in the Texas Capitol. She was instrumental in the establishment of Women & their Work, an Austin nonprofit that supports contemporary art by women.
Ivey moved to Seattle in the 1990s and married her husband there in May 2000. The couple permanently relocated to Fort Worth later that year.
Ivey led several workshops at her Fort Worth studio and taught painting at Texas Christian University. She was often a juror for exhibitions across North Texas.
She also served on the exhibition adviser panel for the now-closed Fort Worth Community Arts Center.
Anne Allen, public art project manager for Arts Fort Worth, said Ivey was responsible for offering the space for Allen’s first artist studio on the city’s westside over 25 years ago.
“She was always bringing happiness with her, and I feel like that giant light has gone out,” Allen said with tears in her eyes.
Blay, the curator, described Ivey’s legacy as one filled with “kindness, friendship and environmental consciousness.” The two spoke about her work during an “Artist on Artist” conversation for Glasstire in 2021.
In that conversation, Ivey explained how her studio and the objects within the space served as the key inspiration for her art.
“I don’t work from photographs, I like direct eyeballs on what I’m doing,” she said. “For me, making these paintings is really about the process.”
Ivey’s grace is something she will undoubtedly be remembered for, Blay said.
A celebration of life will be held at Artspace111 at 111 Hampton St. from 3-7 p.m. on May 9.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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