By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
Falcon Art Gallery will celebrate 28 years in Del Rio on Friday, marking a milestone that reflects not only the staying power of its founder, Adrian Jesus Falcon, but a journey that has taken his work around the world while helping shape a local art scene that barely existed when he arrived.
When Falcon returned to Del Rio in 1996 after graduating from Texas Tech with a degree in architecture, contemporary art had little presence in the community. There were no private galleries dedicated to modern work, and opportunities for artists to exhibit outside nonprofit spaces were limited.
By 1998, Falcon decided to change that.
“I didn’t know anything about galleries — zero,” Falcon said. “But there was nothing here for contemporary modern art, so I opened one.”
At the time, Falcon Art Gallery became the first private gallery in Del Rio focused on contemporary
work, a risk that early on offered little indication of success.
“The first exhibition in 1998, I had one person come,” he said. “One person.”
Nearly three decades later, that number has grown into crowds of 60, 70 or even 100 people at events, a shift Falcon attributes not just to time, but to a changing culture.
“What I’ve seen in 28 years is a new generation,” he said. “People who were young then are now 30 or 40. Part of the goal was to educate the public, especially young people.”
That effort has included bringing artists from across the globe to Del Rio — from Paris and Amsterdam to Philadelphia, New Jersey and San Francisco — while also showcasing local and regional talent.
“We’ve had artists from all over the world,” Falcon said. “But what matters is they’re real artists, dedicated to what they do.”
The road hasn’t always been easy.
Falcon said 2013 marked the closest he came to closing the gallery, as financial pressures mounted and community support lagged.
“That was the moment,” he said. “I thought, maybe it’s time to move on.”
Instead, he stayed, balancing his work as an architect to support the gallery while continuing to invest in Del Rio’s art community.
That decision, he said, was rooted in something deeper than business.
“I can go anywhere — New York, Europe — but I stay in Del Rio because as an artist, I’m very free here,” Falcon said.
In recent years, that perspective has evolved further.
Marriage, family and increased travel have shifted not only Falcon’s outlook, but his work itself, moving from darker tones earlier in his career to brighter, more vibrant expressions beginning around 2017. That shift coincided with his marriage and the births of his sons.
“Family changed everything,” he said. “It opened up my work.”
Now, Falcon is looking beyond the gallery and toward the future.
Through the creation of a separate foundation, he is expanding his focus to the next generation, with an emphasis on teaching and providing space for young artists.
“The purpose is to be a kids’ gallery,” Falcon said. “An exhibition and teaching space for young people, just pure art.”
The foundation also carries an international reach, having already participated in exhibitions abroad, including in Venice, Italy, while maintaining its roots in Del Rio.
Falcon has been working for years on the kids gallery, located at 212 Chapoy St., and said he can see the finish line, with hopes for a grand opening before the end of the year.
For Falcon, the mission is simple: leave something behind.
“We’re here for a limited time,” he said. “So we have to take advantage of every day. I want to leave a mark, to teach others.”
After 28 years, that mark is already visible — not just within the walls of a gallery, but in a growing appreciation for art in a community where it once struggled to find a foothold.
And for Falcon, there’s no place he’d rather continue that work.
“This is one of the best choices I’ve made in my life,” he said. “I don’t regret it.”
