VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Galveston Arts Center is pleased to host a book signing with Galveston-based author, John Stancik, from 3 to 6 pm on Saturday, July 16, 2011. His latest book, Hydra’s Secret, was published in December 2010.

Set in the year 2056, the Tri United States has outgrown its capacity to feed its people. Even though the Sumon Games keep their minds off the soaring price of gas and overcrowded cities, the constant need for food and basic living essentials is becoming worse. And yet select government officials must address a far greater problem… The Island. Long distance swimmer and historical researcher, Ascen Colbert, discovers a secret island shrouded in fog in the Gulf of Mexico. This discovery, and his subsequent return, will place him in direct contact with Hydra, the Guardian of the Underworld. Uncovering a compromise between God and the Pleiades, Ascen must ultimately battle Hydra for control of planet Earth.

Stancik retired to Galveston in August 2008 and was finalizing his initial novel when Hurricane Ike struck the island in September. Since 1975, he has researched presidential deaths and assassinations, and an Indian curse imposed on the United States. He is also the author of Project Seven of the Common Man.

Galveston Arts Center is operating in a temporary downtown gallery space—the site of the former Maceo’s Spice and Import Company located on the corner of Market and 25th Streets. The exhibition gallery and selections from GAC’s retail gallery, ArtWorks, are open to the public during the summer Monday through Saturday, from 11 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. For further information, call 409.763.2403 or visit www.contemporaryartgalveston.org.