Rich Samuel never planned to own an art gallery. He planned to play in the NFL. But a torn Achilles tendon in Germany, a chance newspaper interview, and a wildly successful solo art show had other ideas.
Samuel grew up in Wimberley, played college football at Texas Southern, and went on to play professionally in Europe — painting the entire time, shipping canvases back to the States between seasons. In 2020, after retiring from football and walking away from a coaching job that never felt right, he signed a six-month lease on a Craigslist find on East Sixth Street. He called it Richesart Gallery. It is now the only Black-owned art gallery in Austin and one of eight in Texas.
"I realized maybe art's the real love of my life, and football has just been my hobby this whole time — and I just had them reversed," Samuel said.
Samuel had no intention of running a traditional gallery. After studying why art galleries fail, he concluded the model was broken: depending on original art sales left revenue hostage to discretionary spending. He needed something more reliable. The answer was corporate events.
What began as watercolor classes evolved into a full-service corporate experience business. Samuel built an à la carte menu of art-driven activities — watercolor workshops, graffiti battles, printmaking, artist talks, live portrait painting, and art history presentations — bookable at the gallery or any off-site location.
"The corporate world is getting away from renting a hotel conference room and throwing up a PowerPoint," he said. "They want something fun, intentional, and meaningful — and they want to put their money back into the community."
The results have been striking. Lenovo brought Samuel in to speak at their retreat, then paired a graffiti session with a restaurant outing, sending employees home with custom prints and T-shirts. GoDaddy took over the gallery entirely — jazz band, bar, food trucks, live art battle tournaments, and graffiti in the parking lot. McDonald's flew in 50 female franchise owners for a hotel watercolor session that turned into a party. Each experience centers on quality over gimmick: watercolor participants leave with a finished, frame-ready 16x20 piece — something worth hanging.
The gallery holds up to 80 guests indoors, with a parking lot for larger events. All pricing is transparent, with no hidden fees.
"This is what it costs, and this is what you're going to get," Samuel said. "People hate surprises."
Looking ahead, Samuel is targeting professional sports organizations. He's visiting NFL stadiums to paint live inside them, and Q2 Stadium, home of Austin FC, has already hosted two Richesart events. Formal corporate art partnerships with major sports clubs are the goal.
The gallery's five-year anniversary lands in June, anchored by Proclamation Day (June 6), its founding anniversary (June 12), and Juneteenth — celebrated with a 30-artist mental health exhibit, a six-brand fashion show, live music, food vendors, and a boat-turned-floating art gallery on the lake.
The corporate revenue, Samuel says, is what keeps the community side free and accessible. A model he hopes other Black-owned cultural spaces will adopt.
"I want this to always be here for the Black community," he said. "But I want everyone to be here."
Richesart Gallery is located on East Sixth Street in Austin. Corporate event inquiries and à la carte packages are available at richesart.com.
Pull Quote:
"I realized maybe art's the real love of my life, and football has just been my hobby this whole time.”