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Humanities Texas is excited to present The Life and Literature of J. Frank Dobie, a new freestanding exhibition that explores how Dobie's work as a writer and folklorist transformed Texas in ways that still resonate today.

In the early twentieth century, Dobie traveled across Texas to document the state's vanishing frontier storytelling tradition. He adapted those folk stories into best-selling books, placing Texas on the national literary stage for the first time. Known as "Mr. Texas" at the height of his fame, Dobie became a cultural hero, but that was only the beginning of his influence. Throughout his long career, Dobie championed civil rights and helped integrate major institutions. As a fierce defender of intellectual freedom, he combated censorship and book banning. As a visionary environmentalist, he fought to protect threatened animal species and natural ecosystems.

Dobie helped his fellow Texans see the value of their own part of the world. He also mentored new generations of Texas writers and thinkers, showing them that their home state provided a rich foundation for authentic literature and free-ranging imagination.

The Life and Literature of J. Frank Dobie is available to reserve now through the Humanities Texas traveling exhibitions program. To learn more about reserving it for your venue, please contact our exhibitions coordinator at exhibitions@humanitiestexas.org.

The Life and Literature of J. Frank Dobie is co-curated by Steven L. Davis, author of J. Frank Dobie: A Liberated Mind. The exhibition is made possible by generous funding from the Summerlee Foundation and the Texas Commission on the Arts.