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PUBLISHED STORIES
Galveston County Re-enactment of the Battle of Galveston by Robert Mihovil The damp Galveston air was thick with sea fog when the first volley of sniper fire erupted from the Confederate soldiers positioned on the roof top of the Commerce Building a few minutes before 2pm on Saturday. Quickly, the air filled with smoke and the heavy scent of black powder as the Union soldiers returned fire. The Re-enactment of the Battle of Galveston occurred at 21st and Strand and lasted about 30 minutes before the Union troops sustained heavy casualties and surrendered to the Confederate Soldiers. 
Several hundred spectators lined the Historic Strand to watch the lively re-enactment. There were also living history encampments established by the 19th–Century Living History Association, Inc. and the 1st Texas Brigade. |
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Arts & Culture Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County News Release
The publisher is HPN Books, Historical Publishing Network of San Antonio. The book retails for $49.95 and is available through Mihovil Photography, at 2402 Church St. in Galveston at (409) 771-5668 or art@mihovil.com. The author of the book is Leslie A. Watts, writer, editor, educator and owner of Island Ink and Informatics. Watts has lived and worked in the Galveston area for more than twenty-years. Her free-lance writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Continental Airlines in-flight magazine. Watts is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. The photographer for the book is free-lance photographer Robert John Mihovil. Mihovil shares a unique selection of 145 images depicting the entire region. Combining his professional expertise with a native son’s eye for detail, he has gathered here in convenient book format a collector’s choice of color photographs that focus on Galveston County’s past, present and future directions. The final collection captures the magic of Galveston County’s natural beauty, architecture, rich heritage, unified community and natural resources. The images for the book which took over a year to complete include vivid beaches, long horn steers, windmills, beauty pageants, a train depot, the1894 Grand Opera House, lighthouses, churches, a harbor, coastal birds, the 1877 tall ship Elissa, historic homes, monuments, parades, medical institutions, band concerts, parks, gardens, helicopters, baseball fields, motorcycle rallies, sailboat regattas, marinas, a winery, tugboats, refineries, a convention center, a water parks, carnival rides, grain elevators, an oil pumper, a ferry, an oil tanker, pirates, cowboys, rodeos, sculptures, a heritage museum, a rain water pump, a waterfall, seafood restaurants, cruise ships, endangered animals, a bio containment laboratory, a Mardi Gras celebration, a WWI concrete ship, a roller coaster and a multi-purpose crew vehicle for interplanetary space travel.
Each summer he serves as photography instructor for Texas A&M at Galveston, teaching photography for ages 13-18 at the Sea Camp Program www.tamug.edu/seacamp. Mihovil teaches digital photography at the Galveston Island Arts Academy galvestonislandartsacademy@yahoo.com. Mihovil also produced on high definition Blu-Ray disk, a photo documentary titled “Ike, the Aftermath,” a poignant tribute to Galveston’s indomitable spirit after Hurricane Ike in 2008. To learn more about his photography work, please visit his online web gallery at www.mihovil.com. ### A deep stretch of warm, rippled sand; a soft pink Gulf sunset reflected in an outgoing tide; a picket fence on a dune line at San Luis Pass; and a Sandpiper silhouetted on a cool blue shoreline are few of the featured works in a new exhibit, Beach, Sand and Dunes, premiering at the Hutchings-Sealy Building Artists’ Lofts, 2328 Strand, Suite 200 during Galveston’s ArtWalk. The show opens from 5:00pm. to 9:30pm., on Saturday, November 26.
By ROBERT STANTON As Hurricane Ike approached the Texas Gulf Coast last year, photographer Robert Mihovil knew better than to stick around. After all, he remembered when Hurricane Alicia hit in 1983 – he had covered the storm as a news photographer at the Galveston Daily News, renamed the Galveston County Daily News in 1993 – and he recalled the gripping stories his family shared about Hurricane Carla in 1961. With Ike knocking at the door, Mihovil evacuated with family and pets to Tyler via the Bolivar Ferry. “We were lucky just to get out when we did, just barely ahead of the tidal surge,” he said. But Ike wasn't about to keep Mihovil away from what he loves to do best: focusing his lens on Texas life in a journalistic career that has spanned a quarter century. The award-winning photographer and University of Texas alumnus has clicked more than 3,000 images of the aftermath of Ike. “Right after the hurricane, I felt that it was important to document the devastation to Galveston and surrounding areas, as did photographer Paul H. Naschke after the 1900 Storm,” said Mihovil, 50, who was born in Galveston. “This is history and it needed to be recorded.” The home he shares with his wife Sally, daughter Molly, and two cats and a dog was inundated with floodwaters. “Our home had never had any water in any other hurricane, so we were very surprised when we opened the door to find slimy smelly mud, saltwater and sewage inside,” he said. More than 30,000 color photographs of major attractions and events in Galveston and nationwide that Mihovil had taken in his career survived at his second-floor downtown Galveston studio. His extensive artwork can be found just about everywhere on the island, including brochures, newsletters and advertising campaigns. “Business is slowly coming back,” Mihovil said. “My next move is to help the island get back on track. I've volunteered with the Galveston Recovery Committee and we are working diligently to shape the future direction of Galveston.” Former Houston Chronicle feature writer Steve Long considers Mihovil one of the best in the business. “He is one of the most awesomely talented photographers I've ever seen, and I've worked with a lot of them,” said Long, who publishes Horseback Magazine. “He combines three things: an incredible sense of composition, he chooses his subjects very thoughtfully, and he combines those two incredible talents with the mind of a journalist.” ### Eyes of the Storm http://www.texasexes.org/alcalde/featureptr.asp?p=4358 Photographer Robert Mihovil, BJ ’80, a fourth-generation Galvestonian, has taken more than 3,000 photos of his hometown since Hurricane Ike. The story they tell is one the national media long ago abandoned.
A shrewd law firm has a huge billboard up just after the causeway leading from Galveston: Ike insurance claims unpaid or underpaid? Call us at 713 dot-dot-dot, dot-dot-dot-dot. Eight months after the colossal hurricane surged saltwater over 80 percent of the island, this is Galveston’s daily struggle. Of the 58,000 people living there before the storm, about 45,000 are left. Those who want to rebuild don’t just need the will — they need the money. And recovering it from insurance can be a 20-round boxing match. Photos and documents are needed, inspectors and adjusters come out, more photos and documents are needed. So some haven’t touched a thing. From those who got scrubbing right away to those who had to leave it all lying there, Robert Mihovil, BJ ’80, sees it all. He’s a freelance photographer and what Galvestonians call a BOI, for Born On the Island. Since two days after the storm, he’s been documenting its aftermath each week. Scoping out the 32-by-2.5-mile island, he’ll lift a finger off the steering wheel to wave to guys he knows working on their house repairs. Mihovil cruises through Payco Marina, with its beached boat skeletons, and on to ruined Offats Bayou, past his friend Mike Burbich’s old house. It looks just like a ranch house, sitting there. Except what’s resting on the ground, Mihovil says, is actually the second level — the first floor was swept right out to sea. On the next lot are the mud-encrusted pieces of a neighbor’s life. A lampshade, a beach umbrella, a Folgers can, an English textbook, a satin sheet, and a toy truck are lying among chunks of ruined foundation. Mihovil’s used to poking through the wreckage — he’s up to 3,000 post-Ike images now — but it still feels invasive sometimes. “When you walk around it’s like sacred ground,” he says. “You’re thinking, ‘These are people’s belongings.’ It’s almost like walking in a cemetery.”
Mihovil mentions early that he’s a fourth-generation Galvestonian. His great-grandparents came through the immigration port from Yugoslavia and never left. His father was a tugboat company manager; his grandfather, a chiropractor. Family lore has it that his grandfather survived the 1900 Great Storm strapped to his great-grandfather’s back. Six thousand people (a quarter of the island’s population) weren’t so lucky. For Ike, Mihovil cleared out. He boarded up his house and waited for wife Sally, a nurse, to come home from work at UTMB. They wedged their Labrador, two cats, hard drive, camera equipment, and overnight bags — not to mention their daughter Molly and her makeup, hair dryer, and ice skates — into the car. The Mihovils were among the last to catch the Bolivar ferry (the “back way” off the island) and made it to a cousin’s house in Tyler six hours later. After two days they were back, Mihovil flashing his press creds to get through police checkpoints and onto the closed island. Their friend Ed, a contractor, had already driven by their house and said it looked fine.
But the Mihovils opened the door to a swamp. Ed had missed the water line on the side of the house. Fourteen inches of saltwater, mud, even sewage from a failed nearby pump station had seeped in. Between the stench, the mosquitoes, the trapped-in heat, and the shock of it all —everything on the floor ruined — they spent the most miserable night of their lives. Yet by now it’s clear the Mihovils are among the most fortunate families in their ’50s subdivision of single-story houses. They’re one of only two of 28 families on their street who are back. Robert and Sally had added a second story a few years ago. Now they crowd into that upstairs with Molly — the first floor’s been gutted to the frame. That includes the kitchen, so a cooler and a borrowed dorm-size fridge hold the jelly and drinks. Even the backyard grill is hard to use without a kitchen sink to clean utensils. Oatmeal, Pop Tarts, and PB&J sandwiches have been their staples for months and will be for weeks more, until the house is fixed. Mihovil spends maybe three-quarters of his time now dealing with rebuilding, going rounds with the contractors and adjusters. He dedicates several hours a week to the Galveston Community Recovery Committee. And then as often as he can, he takes pictures, mostly glossy ones for shipping companies or government agencies or tourism brochures. He does occasional portraits but no weddings; place photography is his love. He sees Galveston in the most flattering light possible — the sparkling waves, the tall ship Elissa, the Victorian downtown. Two posters he’s particularly proud of are called “Old World Charm” and “Imagine a Romantic Island.” But he has to shoot what’s there, and right now that’s partly rubble. Certainly, Galveston photographers have seen this before. At UT, Mihovil remembers doing a research paper on an old-time photographer named Paul H. Naschke, who had an extensive collection showing the wreckage from the 1900 storm. “I knew that’s what needed to be done,” Mihovil says. “I’m the local guy, so I knew the places that had probably been hit worst. You know it’s history, so somebody needs to document it so it doesn’t happen again.”
Like many others on the island, Mihovil says, he feels like the news cycle washed right over Galveston, on to the presidential election and the economic plunge. And those are paramount for the state and country, he knows. But the island holds his memories, his family, his labored-over house, his livelihood. At 50, he has a few decades left and a won’t-quit optimism; he talks about recovery instead of the chances of another storm. “In two years, we’re going to be back to normal,” he says, “and in five years, we’re going to be back where we ever were.” — Lynn Freehill
Texas A&M University at Galveston Sea Camp Coastal Photography News Release
Consider Sea Camp Coastal Photography, a unique camp for youngsters hosted by Texas A&M University at Galveston. Openings still remain in the different 2009 photography camps offered this summer including: "Photo-Journalism" June 14-20, "Digitally Capture the Island in B&W" June 21-27, "Advanced Digital" July 5-11, "Digital Art" July 12-18 and "Digital Photography & Multi Media" July 19-25. All photo camps will be taught by Galveston freelance photographer Robert Mihovil, whose work has appeared in feature articles for Coastal Living, Texas Highways magazine, Texas Journey, Austin American Statesman and many other publications. To view some of Mihovil's photographs, go to his online web gallery at www.mihovil.com. "For campers interested in digital photography, these camps will be ideal. For students interested in working on their school yearbook or newspaper, a brand new camp "Photo-Journalism" will help them dramatically. In the Photo-Journalism camp, campers will learn quickly how to select interesting subjects, how to shoot news and feature images and by the end of the week will master the environmental portrait. All camps will be highly creative. Each photography camp will train the students to see photographs and edit their own images while taking photographs at the best locations around Galveston Island at the right time of day," said Sea Camp instructor Mihovil. The cost is $850 for the one-week summer camp. The price includes housing, meals, transportation around Galveston, activities including a pizza pool party at Texas A&M and a cookout at the State Park, a group picture, color prints, certificate of completion and a mini-portfolio or power point presentation. Campers will reside in dormitories at the Texas A&M Mitchell campus located on Pelican Island. Each of the photography camps will only enroll approximately 13 students. "School is almost out for summer. So enroll now in photography camp for fun and to learn digital photography." added Mihovil. If you are interested in photography, art or a photo-journalism career, these are perfect camps for you. For additional information about Sea Camp Coastal Photography, please call Daisy Duerson at (409) 740-4525 or visit the Sea Camp website at www.tamug.edu/seacamp. If you have questions about the needed photo equipment and supplies, please call Robert Mihovil at (409) 771-5668 or e-mail him at art@mihovil.com. Robert Mihovil
March 17, 2009 Robert Mihovil was glad his photo studio was on the second floor of a building on Church Street when Hurricane Ike rammed through Galveston six months ago. The building was undamaged by the storm, and being on the second floor, his equipment was safe from flooding.
Galveston County Galveston Chamber of Commerce News Release GALVESTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE UNVEILS
The cover of The Galveston Island Guide is a beautiful early morning view of the exterior façade of the 1877 Landes-McDonough House located on the corner of 16th and Postoffice in the East End Historical District. The Landes-McDonough house was built by Henry A. Landes, merchant, cotton trader and community leader. Landes was the Mayor of Galveston for two terms after the Great Storm of 1900. His wife Mary Elizabeth, was President of the Women's Health Protective Association which was instrumental in Galveston's recovery from the devastating storm. “Our over 750 members are extremely excited about this publication which includes: Chamber members, a brief history of the Island, Housing, Schools, Health, Economy, Demographics, Attractions, Recreation and much more,” said Fred Raschke, Chair. “The Chamber continues to Promote and Advocate FOR the business community. The Membership Directory and Galveston Island Guide are two of the tools the Chamber uses to achieve that objective. The road back will produce worthwhile results for our businesses, our citizens and our visitors. "
Galveston County Ike The Aftermath by Robert Mihovil News Release ACCLAIMED LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER TO RELEASE HURRICANE IKE DVD
During the next five months, the nationally acclaimed photographer walked, climbed, waded, drove and flew across the island and surrounding areas to accrue a body of work that includes almost 3,000 post-Ike images. The best of these have now been compiled in a new documentary DVD titled "Ike The Aftermath," to be released in November. Unique in that it combines the insight of a native son with a professional’s unsurpassed eye for photographic excellence, the DVD features what many consider to be some of Mihovil's finest documentary photographic work and includes images of not just Galveston Island but of other Galveston County communities such as Port Bolivar, Gilchrist and Jamaica Beach as well. Known widely for his art-quality photography, Mihovil was born and raised in Galveston and is a fourth generation BOI, a local term used proudly by those who can claim to have been "born on the island." The island holds a special place in his heart and in his studio. That combined passion for both photography and Galveston became even more evident after Ike swept across the island on the night of Sept. 12-13, 1008, and Mihovil, along with approximately 75 percent of his fellow citizens, found his home flooded with mud, debris and rank sewage as a result of one of the nation’s most costly and devastating hurricanes. Instinctively realizing the importance of documenting Ike’s ravages, Mihovil’s photo-journalism background swiftly kicked in and he quickly pulled out all to stops to focus his lens – as well as his professional skills and resources -- on the far-flung tragedy left in the storm’s wake. More than mere images, the resulting photos tell both the on-the-surface physical story and the human account of post-Ike Galveston. Mihovil reveals it with a perspective that only an islander could command. No stranger to covering the development of tropical weather systems, Mihovil covered every aspect of Hurricane Alicia back in 1983 while working as a photographer for the Galveston Daily News. "Ike was much worse than Hurricane Alicia," he confides, "much, much worse." Despite the fact that the Mihovil family members are just getting back into their home now, more than a year after Ike, he says he has no intention of ever permanently leaving the Island. He does hope, however, that his new DVD will further reinforce the message of hurricane preparedness and provide support for his fellow citizens and city officials in planning for the future. "I fear hurricanes and I respect their power," Mihovil says. "When the Mayor says it is time to leave, I gather my family and pets and leave." He adds: "No one who has gone through a big one like Ike can ignore a hurricane's potential for human and property loss. But preparedness is the key to minimizing that loss. Ike was the biggest and most destructive storm we have experienced in more than a century. It is my hope that this documentary will be seen as not only a commemoration of Galveston's incredible strength and courage, but that the images it contains will help us remember that we are an island and that we are vulnerable." "Ike was a terrible event and the lessons we learn from it can help us build a better and more secure future for our island home. Hurricane awareness is the key to hurricane preparedness, which is the key to hurricane survival." Those interested in more information on "Ike The Aftermath" can contact Mihovil by phone at 409-771-5668 or go to his online web gallery at www.mihovil.com; the DVD will be available in November by mail and will also be carried by local shops in Galveston’s Historic Downtown Strand District. The next public showing of "Ike The Aftermath" will be at Galveston’s Artwalk event on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Sealy Artists Loft Gallery, located on the second floor of the Historic Sealy-Hutchings Building, 2326 Strand. Showing times are 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The photo documentary will be shown also at the Galveston Chamber of Commerce luncheon at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, at Moody Gardens. Mihovil's documentary will be shown again at a wine and cheese reception at Tina's on the Strand located at 2326 Strand on Wednesday, November 18th.
Sea Camp Board of Advisors http://www.tamug.edu/seacamp/board.htm The Sea Camp Board of Advisors is a small group of talented professionals which meets periodically to offer advice and direction. The Board of Advisors offers useful suggestions to the Sea Camp Director based on many years of research and experience in their fields of interest. Dr. Judy Kiester
Dr. Judy Kiester (Wern) retired from her position as Sea Camp Director in 2006. Having been with Sea Camp since its beginning in 1986, Judy always knew that Sea Camp would touch the lives of kids, but its impact on their life goals, grades and behavior continues to amaze her. Judy is three times an Aggie, having received her B.S. in marine sciences, M.S. in Biology and Ph.D in Zoology from Texas A&M University . Her greatest priority, after the safety of the children, is maintaining the educational quality of the program. She believes that the hands-on approach to learning is the most powerful tool to gain attention, stimulate imagination and motivate children to learn. Judy wants students to experience science as fun and not intimidating. Dr. Brad McGonagle
Dr. McGonagle is the Assistant Vice President for Administration at Texas A&M University at Galveston where he is responsible for overseeing the campus’ Physical Plant, Human Resources Department, Campus Police, Safety Program, Emergency Preparedness and Campus Energy Management programs. In addition to these duties he is also responsible for campus construction and facilities planning which includes serving as the co-user coordinator on the new $53 million Science Building project which is scheduled to open next summer. His most recent special assignment was overseeing the $2.5 million restoration and clean up of the TAMUUG campus following Hurricane Ike. Dr. McGonagle holds four degrees from Texas A&M University with undergraduate degrees in Management, Marketing, a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development and Management. He is a member of the TAMU Letterman’s Association, Former Student’s Association and is on the Strategic Operating Team at TAMUG and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Maritime Administration. Dr. Randall Davis
Dr. Randall Davis, Professor in the Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston has a graduate appointment in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Dr. Davis received a Ph.D. in Physiology from University of California, San Diego. He teaches undergraduate courses in Physiological Ecology of Marine Mammals and Marine Biology Seminars. His research emphasis is on the physiological ecology of marine mammals and birds, comparative physiology and behavior of diving vertebrates, animal energetics and locomotory performance. He has conducted research on six continents, but most of his field research has occurred in polar regions, including Antarctica, Alaska and Eastern Russia. Robert Mihovil
Robert Mihovil is a Galveston/Houston freelance photographer whose work has achieved national recognition through its use in news and general interest publications. Mihovil’s photographs have appeared in feature articles for Coastal Living, National Geographic, Newsweek, Offshore, People, Smithsonian, Texas Highways, Texas Journey, Texas Monthly and Time.Mihovil, age 51, is a fourth generation BOI (Born on the Island). His passion for photography is equaled only by his passion and love for Galveston Island. His photographs capture the historic architecture and natural beauty of the Island. His colorful imagery reflects the way a native Galvestonians sees and appreciates his hometown. For approximately 10 years, Mihovil has served as a photography instructor for the Texas A&M Outreach Program, teaching Digital Photography for Sea Camp from ages 13-18 and Exploritas from ages 55 and over. Mihovil is happily married and has one daughter.
Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County Written by Leslie Watts with Photographs by Robert Mihovil County Judge Mark Henry has announced plans to publish a new coffee table book on Galveston County.
According to Judge Henry, the book is being produced to “offer a unique visual perspective on our region.” The book, he said, is designed to help showcase the county, its vibrant economy and the people who live here. Coastal Visions will be a focal point to proclaim the county’s strength and vitality after our region-wide experience with Hurricane Ike,” Henry said. The book is a “coffee table” book and will contain dozens of original color photographs depicting life, leisure and work in the county. Coastal Visions will be a “landmark publication,” Henry stated, that will be fun to read and peruse, yet will help show the world what our area has to offer. “We intend to present a great visual depiction of the enterprise, the lifestyle and the people that make our area what it is today,” Henry said. A unique part of Coastal Visions is the “Galveston County Partners” section which will include the profiles of many of the region’s leading corporations and organizations. Participation in this section is being offered by invitation to area organizations and institutions that have played a role in the development and economic strength of the county. Income from the “Galveston Partners” section will pay for the entire book project, so that no county funds will be spent on the project. “We believe this is a creative way to allow the private sector to voluntarily fund a county project, providing benefits to the entire county,” Henry added. The “Galveston Partners” section is separate from the main historical manuscript and stories are written by Ms. Watts. Project Manager Joe Bowman will be sharing with regional business leaders the benefits of including their own business profile in the book. In the production of Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County, the County is utilizing the services of Historical Publishing Network of San Antonio as its publisher. The book, when published, will retail for $49.95 and will be available through the county, area chambers of commerce and also at book stores. It will also be utilized as a collateral economic development piece by area chambers and economic development organizations. Many companies may also use the book as prestige gifts and for employee recruiting.
Arts & Entertainment Robert Mihovil Art & Soul Exhibit at ArtWalk News Release
The new photographic watercolor prints by photographer Robert Mihovil, portray the island’s many beach vistas from Beachtown westward to San Luis Pass, all in the golden light of sunset. “If you are passionate about Galveston Island, you’ll love these images,” Mihovil said. “For me, they illustrate the dreamy, warm beauty of the island’s natural landscape,” he said. The framed photographs are produced with archival inks on 100 percent rag, acid-free paper creating the luminous effect of a watercolor painting. “A framed watercolor print of the beach is a perfect fit for historic homes, beach house décor and also makes an excellent Christmas gift,” Mihovil said. A photographer for 31 years and a lifelong resident of Galveston, Mihovil has produced more than 650 watercolor images of island landmarks and landscapes, including the well-known “Imagine a Romantic Island,” which features the Bishop’s Palace and Sacred Heart Church in the fog with the Gulf as backdrop. Mihovil has participated in ArtWalk since the very first event over 15 years ago. Mihovil’s photographs have appeared in Coast Magazine, Coastal Living, National Geographic, Newsweek, Time, People, Smithsonian, Texas Highways, Texas Journey and Texas Monthly. The Austin American-Statesman, Boston Globe, Galveston County Daily News, Houston Chronicle, New York Times have also published his news and feature photographs. Mihovil is currently photographing a book project titled “Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County,” just completed photographing the assembly of the largest cruise ship gangway in the world at the Port of Galveston for a time lapse video and the arrival of the Carnival Cruise Ship Magic. A champagne reception, hosted by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate/Anderson Properties, will accompany the gallery opening. Galveston ArtWalk, an evening of the visual arts, openings and receptions is free and open to the public. ### 2402 Church St. · Galveston Island, Texas 77550 ©2011 MIHOVIL PHOTOGRAPHY |
Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County is a (9x12) inch coffee-table picture book focusing on living in Galveston County. 
A fourth generation Galvestonian, Mihovil began his photography career with the InBetween Magazine and the Galveston County Daily News. His work has since appeared in Coast, Coastal Living, Guidry News, National Geographic, Newsweek, Offshore, People, Smithsonian, Texas Journey and Texas Highways. The Galveston Chamber of Commerce, the Port of Galveston, Scholes International Airport at Galveston and the Galveston Park Board also feature his work in their publications and web site. 
(Historic Galveston Island) -- Are your children interested in digital photography, between the ages of 13-18 and looking for a fun week this summer? 
Galveston, Texas - The Galveston Chamber of Commerce Chair, Fred Raschke and President, Gina Spagnola will unveil the 2009-2010 Membership Directory and The Galveston Island Guide during Artwalk Saturday, August 22, 2009 at the Sealy Artist's Loft Gallery located on the second floor of the Hutching-Sealy Building at 2326 Strand. The Chamber will be celebrating with award winning photographer Robert Mihovil, whose photographs grace the directory cover as well as The Galveston Island Guide cover. The directory appropriately entitled “the road back” is confirmation that "Galveston Island is back to business,” said Gina Spagnola, President of the Chamber. We had record breaking ad sales and were able to include over 125 new members that have joined the Chamber post Ike.” The directory cover by Mihovil, depicts the illuminated Galveston Causeway Bridge at dusk from a very creative vantage point under the bridge. The image emphasizes the stark lights shining into the bay. Even for Galvestonians that traverse the new multi-lane bridge daily, it's an angle that very few Galvestonians have ever viewed before. 
GALVESTON ISLAND -- Finding his own island home flooded with contaminated water, and his art gallery inaccessible after Hurricane Ike swept across southeastern Texas in September of 2008, Robert Mihovil knew he had to get to work, and quickly – shooting photos.
The book, to be titled Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County, will feature photography by noted local photographer, Robert Mihovil (left). His photos will be accompanied by text written by Leslie Watts (right).