Arts
Bruce and Julie Webb have owned and operated the Webb Gallery in Waxahachie, Texas since 1987. The art gallery is a destination for collectors worldwide who share the Webb’s fondness of art in its rawest and most authentic form. Bruce funneled the eccentricities of his family’s history and a childhood combing through flea markets to develop a love for the odd, handmade and unique. He and Julie have worked over the last 30 years to curate an aesthetic that recognizes contemporary folk art that in Bruce’s words “feels like it’s from another planet.” The couple’s world-class collection of art from fraternal organizations (like the Masons and Odd Fellows) led to Bruce co-authoring a fully-illustrated book on the subject in 2016 titled As Above, So Below: Art of the American Fraternal Society, 1850-1930. The Webbs are a household name in the world of “outsider art” and are participants each year in New York’s Outsider Art Fair.I recently sat down with Bruce and Julie at their gallery where we discussed flea markets, punk rock, Free Masonry, hobos, folk art, the uniqueness of Waxahachie, their friendship with David Byrne, and spending half the year on the road finding treasures.