Four free exhibitions opened Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts in Spring. The shows run through Jan. 2, 2027, spanning Western art, drone photography and two solo tributes.
The museum, at 6815 Cypresswood Drive, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fall lineup was reported by My Neighborhood News.
Admission is always free.
The Main Gallery's centerpiece is "The New American West: By Brush and By Bronze," a touring show pairing Santa Fe painter Kathleen Frank's oil landscapes with sculptor Mark Yale Harris's figurative and wildlife bronzes. Frank has walked hundreds of miles through the Southwest searching for viewpoints. Harris turned to sculpture in the late 1990s after a career in the hotel industry, according to the Museum of the Big Bend, which hosted the show earlier in 2026. His work has appeared in more than 250 exhibitions.
Sharing the Main Gallery is "From the Air: A Different Perspective of East Texas," drone photography by Bill Walterman. His images show small towns and open land from overhead, picking up shapes and textures invisible at street level.
Walterman said drones gave him "a camera with wings," letting him capture East Texas from 100 to 300 feet up.
In the Cole Gallery, "Once in a Lifetime: The Life and Art of Howard Finkel" honors a Houston orthopedic surgeon who spent 32 years in medicine before discovering bronze sculpture in retirement. Finkel, who lived from 1942 to 2018, trained at the Glassell Studio School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The Hillery Community Gallery features "The Art of Les McDonald," watercolors of Texas Gulf Coast wildlife and landscapes by Les McDonald Jr., who lived from 1943 to 2025. McDonald left commercial art to paint full time in 1986.
Two fall events round out the museum's calendar. The 2026 Expressions of Gratitude Fall Luncheon takes place Thursday, Oct. 15, at Shirley Acres. Chaired by Kathleen Castro, the benefit honors State Rep. Sam Harless, with Judge Lincoln Goodwin as guest speaker. The program includes music by the Klein Forest Jazz Band, a Youth Art Council presentation and a silent auction. Tickets are available at pearlmfa.org/events or by calling 281-376-6322.
The museum's sixth annual Día de los Muertos Family Day and Art Market runs Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free celebration includes art activities, performances, food vendors, a community ofrenda and an outdoor market with local artists. Registration is requested at pearlmfa.org/events.
Upcoming at the Pearl Fincher Museum
- Through Jan. 2, 2027 — Four fall exhibitions, free admission, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 15 — Expressions of Gratitude Fall Luncheon, Shirley Acres
- Saturday, Oct. 31 — Día de los Muertos Family Day and Art Market, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., free
