On Friday, Feb. 21, The Corpus Christi Cotillion Club and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) will be celebrating a 20-year community partnership as they host their annual art event La Merienda, located in the University’s Weil Gallery.
“Our community partnership with TAMU-CC for the past 20 years, has been exceptional,” said Debra Hatch, The Corpus Christi Cotillion Club president. “With the efforts of our membership in concert with the art department’s expertise and hours of hard work, we have had the opportunity to make significant financial contributions to benefit the University’s Visiting Artist Endowment Fund — a fund established to bring nationally recognized artists to the university annually to engage with students and the community.”
Established in 1937 by Ada Wilson and a group of 18 local women, The Corpus Christi Cotillion Club was originally designed as a purely social organization to host festive parties for members and guests. Over time, as the organization evolved, members began to envision more for the group. By the ‘50s and early ‘60s, as society began to change, so too did the organization. The inclusion of a philanthropic element began to take shape and slowly members began to integrate fundraising efforts within the context of their social events to benefit charities of their choosing.
By the late ’70s, the group–looking to expand its philanthropic mission even further–began hosting specific events dedicated to funding local charities. That notion eventually turned into the club’s signature event dubbed La Merienda. A word originating from Spain and Portugal meaning afternoon tea, the name has served as the perfect moniker as the event was held on Sunday afternoons in members’ homes and featured works for purchase by emerging and renowned artists. At that time, La Merienda proceeds benefitted local charities including Metro Ministries, Janet F. Harte Public Library and the Food Bank.
By 2005, La Merienda had become so popular that it outgrew private homes, necessitating a more permanent location to expand the event and engage the extraordinary local art community.
“To expand our reach and find a new home for La Merienda, our first thought was to contact Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s Art Department. We did,” said Hatch, “and it was and continues to be a perfect fit. We believe there is no measure of how beneficial this relationship has been for the Cotillion Club, the University and our entire community. La Merienda provides emerging and established artists the opportunity to show their works to collectors and art enthusiasts, creating understanding, appreciation and investment in the arts which we believe are an integral part of our culture, our society and our community.
“The Cotillion Club is so pleased that the University said, ‘yes’ 20 years ago. When you can create this kind of long-term relationship through a community partnership, you have succeeded in making an investment whose value becomes intrinsic in your community. It becomes part of who you are, and we believe that is certainly a relationship worth having,” Hatch concluded.
The Corpus Christi Cotillion Club is looking forward to showcasing special artists once again this year and invites the public to attend the Saturday portion of La Merienda – Orta Vez – which is Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the Weil Gallery at Texas A & M University Corpus Christi.
