By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Greeting patrons with a smile and a handshake, Danny Asberry El introduced himself as the new curator at Galveston’s Nia Cultural Center at 2217 The Strand, Suite 101, Saturday during Art Walk. While it is true that he is new to his position as curator at the gallery, Danny’s works of art and technology have graced the gallery and Galveston for several years.
“Danny has been here since the beginning,” said Sam Collins, founder of the Juneteenth Legacy Project. “He designed the first augmented reality on the island for five of Galveston’s historical markers.
Danny remained humble and smiled as Sam went on and proclaimed, “He’s a Renaissance man.”
Asberry El is the founder of Solel International, a nonprofit that focuses on empowering communities through arts, culture, education and preservation. He is also the artist who created a 3D sculpture of Jessie McGuire Dent, which was presented to the city of Galveston in 2022.
As an artist, Asberry El finds nature to be his greatest inspiration.
“I love being in nature,” Asberry El said. “Nature is God’s art piece. You can’t top what he has done but I just want to keep creating as much of what I have seen of God’s creation.”
After graduating from Houston’s Forest Brook High School class of 2000, Asberry El joined the Navy.
“I joined the Navy for art,” Danny said. “When I got in, I was the only draftsman illustrator of color.”
He also worked as a mass communications specialist while in the Navy.
His years in the United States Navy included serving in conflict zones during Operation Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. When his years in the Navy were over, he returned to his hometown, Houston, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in business.
His career took him to work for NASA and in the oil and gas industry as a graphic artist. He also taught middle school art.
While teaching art, Asberry El was inspired to bring culture, history and art to a wider audience.
As curator at Nia Cultural Center, Asberry El intends to continue the traditions that have made Nia Cultural Center an appealing attraction for visitors.
“We will be continuing to keep the artwork in the gallery as amazing as it has been,” Asberry El said.
He will be working with local and regional artists to bring their work into the gallery and also bring in artists from other parts of the country whose work is noteworthy in Black American history.
During Asberry El’s inaugural Art Walk as curator, the gallery featured one of the region’s young artists, Reyna Barrientos, who demonstrated her skills by drawing a portrait of Sam Collins.
Another aspect Asberry El’s new position will be to continue the work of collecting stories that reflect Galveston’s African American History. This work means he will be inviting speakers to the center, such as Joseph Cutchins Jr., whose father drove Jack Johnson from his fatal car accident to a hospital in North Carolina.
Cutchins will be a guest speaker at Nia Cultural Center on March 30th.
Asberry El shared that he is excited to be part of the gallery as the curator and has always admired the gallery as a place that communicates the region’s African American history in a digestible manner.
