“Richard Black: The Art of Cue”

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More About

• Richard Black
• Smithsonian Institution
• National Museum of American History
• Billiards
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

It took Humble-based craftsman Richard Black a few years to figure out what he was doing — the right woods to use, which stones and skins worked best, how to distribute weight to achieve the perfect balance — but once he got it, he started churning out cue sticks that were as much works of art as they were gaming tools. Now his cue sticks are in high demand from pool players and art collectors both — his work is on display in the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian and sells for up to $300,000. His show “Richard Black: The Art of Cue” shows off some of his best work, including cues inlaid with ivory and turquoise and others that mix over a dozen woods. Some of his designs are abstract, others are geometric and still others are artistic representations of real-world images. All of them are beautiful — and functional, although at $300,000 a pop, we don’t recommend taking one down to the corner bar for a quick game.
Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: June 30. Continues through Aug. 26