‘Earth Has No Sorrow’: Visions of a Caldwell County Long Gone
The Observer resurfaces a 50-year-old collection of fine arts photography and unique oral history.
Culture
Captivity Narrative
"News of the World" unsuccessfully tries to redeem the Western at its most harmful.
Strangest State: A Mysterious Monolith and a Fat Cat
The latest from far-flung Texas.
On a Dime
The rules of barrel racing, the only female-dominated rodeo sport, are simple. It’s the execution that’s hard.
What Does “Build Back Better” Look Like for Live Music?
Black musicians were already struggling for resources and recognition before the pandemic. Now, they’re organizing and championing lasting reform in the live music industry.
‘Truly Texas Mexican’ Bites Off More Than It Can Chew
A new food documentary fails to recognize the complexities of Indigenous identity in Texas.
Textile Artist Diedrick Brackens Recasts Symbols of Life and Death in Texas
In his return to Texas, the artist from Mexia uses animals, silhouette, and texture in his latest installation at the Blanton Museum of Art.
On Daily Life in County Line, A Former Freedmen’s Colony
Beatrice Upshaw’s memoir A Biscuit For Your Shoe seeks to preserve the history and heritage of one of East Texas’ first freedmen’s colonies.
In ‘At the Ready,’ Latinx High Schoolers Train to Be Border Patrol Agents
A new documentary tells one story of the border through three conflicted young Texans’ job prospects, and the result is emotional, relational, and hard to categorize.
Strangest State: Fashionable Critters and Creepy Heirlooms
Plus, a dog from Plano shot his owner in the leg.