The entry to El Paso's main branch of the public library lists writers who have lived and worked in El Paso. The triangle made by
my name and those of the genius Cormac McCarthy  (who became a personal friend during his time in our city) and the inspiring
Sandra Day O'Connor makes me shake my head and smile with self-deprecating pleasure. A printed abstraction of those
​triangulated names made the perfect gift from me to my mother. I loved going to the library.

Other websites:
www.beckyhendrick.com (art, installations, current projects; active sight)
www.beckyhendrickfreeideas.com (art appreciation and creativity, projects and ideas; active sight)
​www.beckyhendrickartlife.ipage.com (overview of art and writing, etc.; inactive sight)

Published Works

Getting It: A Guide to Understanding and Appreciating Art

​In 1999 I self-published 200 copies of this small book, gluing 15 color plates into each book by hand. It was a labor of love. The books quickly sold out through word-of-mouth, mostly to my artist/academic peers across the country. In 2001, Houghton Mifflin published a very handsome spiral-bound book that upgraded the museum reproductions. That version of the book received a lot of attention and good reviews, and I was invited to share the project on national television, NPR, and other noteworthy venues. When Houghton Mifflin sold its textbook division, I reacquired rights to the book; it is currently available in both print version and in ebook format ($5 will provide a nice introduction to the vast subject of ART!) thanks to lulu.com.

About and Through the Arts: 
Lessons and Activities for Creative Teaching and Learning

From a "print job" workbook I used when teaching studio art in the 1990s ("Hands On"), I eventually developed a general workbook of arts activities for Whole Arts, an upper-level course I was asked to design and teach at the University of Texas at El Paso from 2002 - 2010. The course was required of all education majors (K-4th grade) and covered "the arts" --- visual art, dance, music, and theater --- in a deep yet user-friendly way.

The front and back covers shown on the top row are the only covers approved by me and designed with contributions from students. Kendall-Hunt Publishing created the rest and did a fine job reproducing our lecture and lab activities.

Art Boom!
Contemporary Art in El Paso, 1986-2004

From 1986 until 2004 I contributed many articles and reviews of local exhibitions (in El Paso, Las Cruces, and Juarez) for both local and national publications (Artl!es, Artweek, Forum, Newspaper Tree, Artspace, El Paso Times, El Paso Herald Post). This volume, available on lulu.com, contains scans of the original articles and is a good resource of the region's cultural scene during a lively time when contemporary art boomed in the desert southwest.

The Book of Kayiané Rebecca 
A Work of Fiction

This "book" was (is), to me, an art piece rather than a literary one. It was my response to a political season where fundamentalist religion dominated much of the public discourse. The original (1998) version --- pink and simple --- was self-published under the invented "Luna Pi Books"; I'm Southern, I know Moon Pies, and folks who bought a copy at book events around the Southwest got one as a free treat! Since then the book has had several formats, but is now unavailable while I await the energy and will to revise and redesign it.  While very few people "get" my intentions or find this project a likable one --- I hope it isn't offensive, particularly to Jewish readers, but it certainly might be, as the whole story takes great liberties with religious tradition --- it remains, to me, the most significant, although flawed, "piece" I've ever done. Of all the paintings, constructions, installations, and writing, Kayiané (and the process that gave life to her) remains my favorite accomplishment. 

I used a pseudonym here (Ferrell Beck; my name is Rebecca Ferrell Hendrick) in order for the title character to remain separate from me. I am most definitely not Kayainé Rebecca. Her name was borrowed with permission from a young Armenian friend; her friends call her Connie, and her middle name happens to be Rebecca. Every part of the "fiction," including the author's name, has a reason-for-being --- the dog, the peaches, every little thing has a meaningful source. The story "came to me out of the blue," as folks say, on a drive from Colorado to New Mexico, and it satisfied my frustrations during that particularly disturbing political season.
​

________'s Book of Beliefs

Another election season (2004) provoked me to quickly produce a guided journal that encourages people to consider their beliefs: how strong they are, where they come from; etc. _______'s Book of Beliefs is a simple project that anyone can do, with or without outside help, but every four years, I feel moved to revise and reprint it. Someday I might. (It is, I think, still available at iUniverse.com.)