The Art Depot, a gallery run by Ryder Richards for 4 years, receives a mention in the history of Lubbock DIY art spaces:
Full Empty: An Incomplete History of Lubbock DIY Art Spaces
This article is part of a series of pieces celebrating Glasstire’s 25th anniversary. To see other stories from this series, go here. To see pieces from the month of June, around the theme Built, Not Bought: Artist-Run Spaces, go here.
In the r/Lubbock thread “Punk in Lubbock?” a Reddit user, circa 2015, lamented: “The thing about punk in lubbock, is there is no continuous scene, so punk is reinvented by a couple of bands every year ir so. [sic]”
The same could be said about the art scene. Often led by visiting professors, grad students, or natives who eventually move away, Lubbock’s alternative art scene has gone through spurts and dry spells. But there are those who remember flourishing downtown art spaces, abandoned buildings taken over by art students, and early artist co-operatives — you just have to ask them.
Of this downtown action, “a lot of this,” Whitfill acknowledges, “was spurred in a real way by Sara Waters.” The artist, musician, and TTU professor, who died in 2024, had a studio in Lubbock’s Depot District. The long warehouse with 20-foot ceilings also housed Nola Richard’s studio, whose son Ryder hosted art shows in his galleries the Art Depot and Art Depot Annex, between 2006 and 2008.
