ISSUE Magazine November 2016

THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC. NOVEMBER 2016

DROPPING ANCHOR PAGE 8

INSIDE: AMSET’S WILSON, ‘CURTAIN CALL,’ SOUTINE, AND MORE

CO

OLLECTING 1 Family 3 Generations Timeless Treasures

N V E CHINA R What’s on Your S Plate?

A T I O N S

Connect with the collections of the Stark and Lutcher family

Exhibition Now on View 712 Green Avenue, Orange, TX

starkmuseum.org

W. M. Guérin & Company (1891 - 1932), Service Plate, porcelain, 11 in. diameter, Gift of Nelda C. Stark, 1980, 41.23.2.A. The W. H. Stark House, Orange, Texas.

ISSUE Vol. 23, No. 3 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick Contributing Writers . . . . . . . . . . Caitlin Duerler, . . . . . . . . . Elena Ivanova, Stephan Malick Contributing Photographers . . . Zack Dubuisson, . . . . . . . . . Caitlin Duerler, Stephan Malick Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Malick

A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director

In wrItIng my lIttle diatribes each month I sometimes feel that I am whistling in the dark. Is anyone really reading these things?

Should they? my last month’s attempt to further define the Studio, and open eyes to our goals and aspirations pointed to the outsider artist, the loner who may feel that there is no place for them in this community. It was my goal to persuade that particular artist that there is a place for them and they are welcome in this community. to my delight there was a response to my cry in the wilderness in the form of a man I’ll call wayne. wayne has come to the Studio through the years to enjoy the shows or buy art supplies (when we had them available), but never brought the results of the use of those He told me that he read the article and was moved the Studio was about and promised he not would lurk in the shadows any

The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors Corporate President . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Corporate Vice-President . . . . . Angela Scheibel Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Winston Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Armitage Members at Large: . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, . . . . . . . . . Olivia Busceme, John Fulbright, . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick, Tim Postlewait . . . . . . . . . . . John Roberts, Caitlin Duerler Tenant Representative . . . . . Elizabeth Fontenot Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth French

The A r t Studio, In c.

720 Fr anklin Beaumont, TX 77701 409-838-5393 www.ar tstudio.org info@ar tstudio.org

The ISSUE is a monthly publication of The Art Studio, Inc. Its mission is to publicize The Art Studio and its tenants, and to promote the growth of the arts in Southeast Texas. ISSUE is also charged with informing TASI members of projects, progress, achievements and setbacks in TASI’s well-being. Further, ISSUE strives to promote and distribute the writings of local authors in its “Thoughtcrime” feature.

ISSUE is provided free of charge to members of TASI and is also available, free of charge, at more than 30 locations in Southeast Texas.

Regular features include local artists of note and reputation who are not currently exhibiting at TASI; artists currently or soon to be exhibiting at TASI; Instructional articles for artists; news stories regarding the state of TASI’s organization; and arts news features dealing with general philosophical issues of interest to artists.

Contents Sarah Beth Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 “Curtain Call” Review . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Garret & Laurette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Soutine in Smilovichi . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Mail Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Around & About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Cover photo by Stephan Malick

longer, but participate in the shows and activities!

On top of that, he gave me the opportunity to see his work which he brought and displayed for me to see. I was delighted and impressed. the work was direct and personal, speaking from his life and his interpretation of it. He has a distinct style all his own and is truly original.

After enjoying the work we talked for a long while, and then he became a member of tASI to show his commitment to be a part of this arts community. He said he’s made contact at lamar I highly recommended and encouraged. He left with a big hug and a smile on his face, as did I, both of us feeling like a barrier had been broken and a great future was in store for the two of us.

I will never again question whether some-

See VIEW on page 12

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Sandra Laurette and Suzanne Garrett Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 5

Holiday Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 3

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Stimulating Curator

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Volume 23, No. 3

AmSet’s Sarah Beth wilson straddles past, present to present art to SetX

“tHree AlS” (1993) By gael Stack, is an oil painting taking up most of the wall opposite Sarah Beth wilson’s desk, with marks emulating chalk on a chalkboard.

Her office includes a shelf with too many books — from early world art through living texas artists, as well as a drawer overflowing with gallery guides from previous museum and exhibition visits. even though this is her working space, the art with which she surrounds herself provides a stimulus for creative thought, a veritable microcosm of the galleries she curates.

Story and photos by Caitlin Duerler

the Art museum of Southeast texas curator says she remembers reading about “liminality” and its application in the art museum, in Carol Duncan’s essay ‘the Art museum as ritual.” liminality is the theory of putting the viewer into a different physical and mental space when they cross the threshold of a museum.

“As a curator, we are working to create a space that help builds a mindset while looking at works — that is something that is important to me,” she says. wilson, an Orange native living in Houston, has been commuting to Beaumont for the past two years after some friends sent her the job listing for the curator position at AmSet. Prior to that, she was working

at a Houston gallery and teaching art history courses at lone Star Community College.

“I wasn’t actually looking for a job at the time — I knew it was a dream job and I didn’t want to pass it up,” she says. while working her master’s in art history at texas Christian University in Dallas, her research interests focused on Italian renaissance and Baroque. while her postgraduate work provided her the foundation in researching and curating a show, wilson wanted more from the curatorial experience besides hanging pictures in a gallery — which turned her on to contemporary art.

Art Museum of Southeast Texas curator Sarah Beth Wilson, center, helps artist Ann Wood install her show “Curtain Call.”

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Volume 23, No. 3 “there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty and touching the art,” she said. “In grad school, I studied abroad and did research and such, but you are at looking at books, or something hanging in the museum. the advantage of working with living artists is you get to see their studio and feel what it is like to work with them.”

For wilson, studio visits with artists around the state and across the country are pertinent when planning a show. while some curators may just correspond with the artist via phone or email, she makes sure she meets in person with the exhibiting artist, taking a peek inside the mind of the artist not only through what they say, but how they live and work.

“It is very important to me that at the first studio visit,” she says. “I start thinking about their aesthetics, even little things like fonts to use on the invitations — things start coming to mind on how I can put the exhibition together. you can tell a lot about someone by the way they live and how their studio looks. I think that is a key part in the curatorial process when working with contemporary artists.” while the shows she curates may focus mostly on works produced by living artists, she still draws connections between her intensive studies in 15th- and 16th-century art. the most recent exhibit at AmSet, “Curtain Call,” is a case in point.

“Ann wood’s process, for example, has a lot of connections to the processes in renaissance workshops,” wilson says. “I have been thinking a lot about these workshops while we are installing the work because we are all in there helping.

It’s still her idea that she is bringing to fruition and she is overseeing everything — although technically she didn’t push every single pin.” many museums who show contemporary work focus on older, more established artists. wilson hopes that by offering a breadth of work, AmSet can continue its reputation of showing artists engaged in the contemporary art world and local talent.

“It is really important to me that AmSet not only have our foot in contemporary art, but also give respect to the past and the history there,” she says. “I think it is important to have a mix of shows — variety not just in style and subject, but also the artist and whether they are a young, emerging artist or more established and mature in their career.”

Another important factor in determining shows is the audience, wilson says.

“I want to bring new things here, but I also have to think about what the audience here is going to like and what is going to appeal to them,” she says. “I want to put up a show that people find intriguing, and are fascinated with and want to learn more. At the same time, it needs to be approachable — to know that your audience is going to relate to it. you can cultivate that over time, and there is also an art to that. I am working on this art and, overtime, that is something I can develop.”

In her effort to mix up the kind of shows the museum offers, wilson says she is willing to step outside of her comfort zone.

“I want to challenge myself — we are actually going to

See WILSON on page 12

Sarah Beth Wilson stands in the front lobby of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas.

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Savage Confections

wood’s AmSet exhibition, ‘Curtain Call,’ subverts, repulses, delights Review and photos by Andy Coughlan

On tHe FACe OF it, the gallery is filled with a syrupy confection of “girly” pastel colors and surrounded by gaudy gold frames — an explosion of stereotypical femininity. But if one draws back the metaphorical curtain, one sees a dark, harsh imagery full of violence, that turns one’s initial impression on its head. that is the real beauty of Ann wood’s “Curtain Call,” a multimedia installation on display at the Art museum of Southeast texas through nov. 27.

the museum’s gallery space has been opened up for wood to fill with her unique blend of scrapbooking and crafting creativity. entering the gallery, the first thing one is confronted with fountain statue that is a twisted version of the classical fountains one finds in europe. the fountain is composed of dogs climbing and barking. But what is it they are climbing on? Oh, it is a dead stag. they are not frolicking as much as attacking in a feeding frenzy.

So this is not your grandfather’s pretty prancing animal fountain. to further add to the disconnect between the surface niceness and the dark underbelly, the construction is dripping with what looks like blue icing, like a giant layered cake. the whole thing looks like elsa from “Frozen” cast a spell on it.

It is precisely this dichotomy between sweet and bitter, nice and nasty, feminine and masculine, which gives the exhibition its strength. we are enchanted and appalled at the same

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time — although the violent undertones are also deliciously appealing as well, if we are truthful with ourselves. wood’s work draws on the history of art, from george Stubbs lion attacking a horse, to the dead animals hanging in the kitchens of the Dutch masters. During a gallery talk at the opening reception, Sept. 16, wood said that she seeks to subvert the old masters, taking male images of death and violence and feminizing them. the pretty-ness of the work is at odds with the subject matter, but that is the point. the almost saccharine girly-ness of the work is marvelous. everywhere one looks, pinks and pastel colors assault the eyes. yet the beauty only glosses over the darkness and violence that reveals itself with careful viewing.

In “Balloon,” a pile of butchered rabbits lay in a pile. the blood that runs from the assemblage spills on to the floor. yet even there, it morphs into something resembling sugar glass, all shiny and smooth — one almost wants to break a piece off and experience the sugar rush. wood deliberately uses materials that have traditionally been in the domain of the feminine — scrapbooking materials, craft paints and even doll hair. the gallery is dominated by “nest,” a large, colorful webbed piece of “candy” that invites the visitor inside, ready to suffocate them in a sugary confection. made of fake doll hair, fake flowers and puff balls, “nest” looks like it is made of strung-out pieces of scavenged gum. walking through the construction, the hanging “tentacles” catch on one’s head. After a while, the piece becomes overwhelming, the same way that one gets sick of candy after a while. wood describes it as a “craft project gone wrong.”

Ann Wood’s “Curtain Call,” on display at the At Museum of Southeast Texas through Nov. 27, features highly feminized renditions of the typically male imagery from art history, such as the title piece, above. Wood starts with sketches on tracing paper that she overlaps to define a rough idea.

the title piece, “Curtain Call,” is a large assemblage that draws on the classical images of reubens, Stubbs and other masters, complete with an opulent golden frame.

From a distance it is epic and sumptuous, but a closer look reveals the lions chomping down on the prancing white horses. this is no happy frolic, but nature playing out its daily ritual of survival.

It took two weeks for the galveston-based artist to install the show, and the attention to detail shows. every single item had an installation element to it, with the artist employing AmSet’s staff to push pins, and wood joked, during the opening reception, that, “It takes a village to do something like this.” wood uses poured plastic to create a frosted cake look.

She rarely uses paint, joking that she has a “craft store philosophy.” the materials are accessible and the installations draw on the tradition of women’s scrapbooking. the works are layered both literally and figuratively. the layering begins with wood sketching images on tracing paper and overlaying them to develop the image. wood’s work comments on the misogynist perception of women’s work — that it is pretty without depth. Basically, these installations are brightly colored images of death and violence.

“Curtain Call” is a visual feast that is exciting and dark — and is also a lot of fun. wood leads us down a fairytale path but, as we know, granny’s gingerbread house isn’t always what it seems.

AmSet is located at 500 main St. in downtown Beaumont.

For more, visit www.amset.org.

Ann Wood’s “Still Life With Balloons” features the carcasses of rabbits leaking blood — or is it sugar glass — onto the gallery floor.

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With a little help from their friends garrett, laurette celebrate friendships in ‘Anchors’ exhibition in november

FOr SOme, relAtIOnSHIPS Are a fleeting thing. People come. People go. But for others relationships can be the foundation for a lifetime. that’s the idea behind “Anchors,” the exhibition of Sandra laurette, Suzanne garrett and friends running nov. 5 through nov. 25. the exhibition will include the artists’ select friends, linnis Blanton, greg Busceme, Phil Fitzpatrick and meredith “Butch” Jack, that have mentored the pair over 30-plus years of being involved at the Art Studio.

Story and photos by Stephan Malick

Artist Sandra Laurette works in her tenant space at The Art Studio, Inc.

Conversations at the Studio often start or end up in the organization’s kitchen table. the Studio, for many artists, is like a home away from home. laurette and tASI founder greg Busceme, along with his daughter Olivia were sitting in the kitchen as laurette worked copper wire into a bird’s nest while waiting for garrett to arrive after a full day of teaching at Odom Academy, and the arrival of a photographer from the Beaumont enterprise for a scheduled shoot in their space. laurette segues into her discussion of the upcoming exhibition with reflection on her past summer and chal-

lenges after overcoming serious health issues. “everything in the known world changed in my life this summer,” she said. “I spent April to July in the hospital and I want people to discover what the show the incorporates, and I want people to see what this show means to us.” laurette is sparse on the details of show to not spoil what will be represented, but to also build a sense of anticipation of what to expect. laurette and garrett represent the longest tenured tenants at the Studio, with laurette logging 33 years in resi-

November 2016 ISSUE • 9

Volume 23, No. 3 dence, she joined two months after the Studio opened in 1983.

“I was there from the beginning, and from that time there were these four men (Blanton, Busceme, Fitzpatrick and Jack) that guided me, us, with their knowledge and support,” she said. “these men have been our anchors through sculpture and claymaking, casting metal and, essentially, everything we have tried to do.” garrett had arrived and echoed much the same. “the ‘Anchors’ show is also about how these men have anchored us to the studio too,” she said. “they’re our anchors in the art world. they anchor both of us in the art world.” garrett and laurette came to Beaumont on different paths but with similar backgrounds, and met at the Studio on the advice and encouragement of Fitzpatrick, then an art professor at lamar University. laurette is originally from Bridgeport in the Upper Peninsula of michigan, near Saginaw. garrett is originally from lubbock.

Both grew up in families where money was tight and a DIy work ethic was natural part of life.

Family commitments brought both women to Beaumont. laurette’s husband, richard was a sailor whose work brought them here and garrett came with her husband for work. the history for the pair is so long and involved that laurette and garrett, along with Busceme, trade stories around the kitchen table about who remembers what. the scene is one of heavy duty (and funny) banter back and forth about who knew whom from what point of the Studio’s different locations, and what year and location it took place.

“Phil Fitzpatrick encouraged me to get studio space to work and to get with Sandra at the Studio,” garrett said. “And we’ve had that working relationship ever since.” the dynamic between the pair is one of support and feedback more than actual collaboration on works.

“She does as she does and I do what I do,” garrett chuckles,with laurette nodding in agreement.

An observer only has to watch the pair parry back and forth to realize the depth of their collaboration and friendship.

“But we are total opposites in every way,” they laugh in unison.

“Sandra is always sure she’s right,” garrett said. “She may be wrong, but she is always right.” laurette counters quickly.

“I’m seldom wrong, I’m invariably right and people just need to meet that,” laurette said. “Ask me a question and I’ll give you an answer. I’m the only person Suzanne will say no to.”

Honestly underlines their relationship laurette adds. “we are a marriage of convenience that became a great friendship,” laurette said. “we are the only people we can rely on — we are night crew. we can depend on one another. we share the same space and our work habits are the same.” the pair said that each drives the other to work hard and to foster a dedication to their individual art.

“I can’t collaborate with anyone,” laurette said. “I’ve tried. we’ve only ever collaborated a couple of times. we both are too consumed with what we make to turn it over to someone else.” garrett emphasizes the pair’s sense of trust in each other’s opinions and points of view. “the way our collaborations works is the sharing of ideas, of

See ANCHORS on page 12

Suzanne Garrett works in the studio space she shares with Sandra Laurette. The pair will host “Anchors, beginning Nov. 5

A Date with Soutine: My Trip to Smilovichi

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“my paintings are a heap of shit, but better than modigliani, marc Chagall, and Kremegne.

Some day I will destroy my canvases but (I am) too cowardly to do it.”

— Chaim Soutine

BlOODy CArCASSeS, DeAD CHICKenS, ghoulish faces.... even today, having been desensitized by artists like Damien Hirst and other exponents of creepy images, we may wince at the sight of a flayed beef carcass painted with a brutal honesty by Chaim Soutine. At the same time, these works are capable of casting a spell over the viewer; we feel entranced, simultaneously attracted and repelled by the artist’s powerful vision. notwithstanding the morbid subject matter, Soutine’s paintings command staggering prices at auctions. In may of 2015, at Christie’s auction house, “le Bœuf,” (circa 1923) achieved a record price for the artist — $28,165,000. this fall, I traveled to Soutine’s birthplace — the village of Smilovichi (Belarusian: Smilavichi), located about 20 miles south of minsk, the capital of Belarus, to pay homage to one of the most original artists of the School of Paris that briefly flourished before world war I. the morning was grey and rainy. my fellow travellers included a married couple, Alexander Shibniov and Irina moigis, both artists, and nadezhda Usova, a curator from the national Art museum of the republic of Belarus. As we drove on, Irina shared a fascinating memory of her father, a native of Smilovichi. “when I told my dad that I wanted to be an artist, he cautioned me saying, ‘they are all poor. there was an artist in our village, he was a son of a tailor, and the family was so poor, so poor.... One day he left and nobody knew what happened to him.’ It was much later that I realized who he was talking about.”

At the beginning of the 20th century Smilovichi, or Smilovitz according to the Jewish tradition, was home to a mutli-ethnic community which included Jews, Belarusians, Poles, russians, and tatars. Although different in their religion and culture, they cohabitated peacefully, as was typical of small settlements where everybody knew everybody. western provinces of the vast russian empire were largely spared the horrors of violent anti-Jewish outbursts known as porgroms, which were the scourge of southwestern and southern provinces. A magnificent twintowered Polish kościół and a russian Orthodox church graced the market square then; while the latter has been recently rebuilt, only a leveled ground remains on the spot where the kościół once stood. the Jewish population, however, prevailed. According

Story and photos by Elena Ivanova

EVA by Chaim Soutine is known as the most expensive painting in Belarus.

to the 1897 census, out of 3,133 residents, 2,094 were Jews. the village had five Jewish prayer houses. most of the residents were artisans who sold their fare in minsk.

Salomon Soutine, the father of the future artist, was one of

them. He worked hard to provide for his family — a wife and 11 children; Chaim was number 10.

Despite the devastation brought by the revolution, world war II and years of the Soviet regime that tried to

November 2016 ISSUE • 11

Volume 23, No. 3 eliminate all signs of the past, Smilovichi has miraculously preserved some vestiges from the days when young Chaim walked its unpaved streets. An overgrown old park and a derelict manor house, the seat of the prominent moniuszko family, which Soutine once painted, are still there, although the manor is being renovated by a new owner and may be seen only from afar.

Following the advice of the locals, we strolled down a quaint old street lined with wooden houses dating back, if not to Soutine’s era, at least to the early 1920s. “you’ve come to see where the artist lived?” an ancientlooking man greeted us as we clicked our cameras. He could not remember the name of the artist, but he knew why tourists were flocking to his neighborhood.

However, the most memorable sight of all was an old Jewish cemetery. It is nothing short of a miracle that it survived; very few of them still exist, defying numerous trials and tribulations of the past century. As we were driving towards the location, we saw nothing but a vast field overgrown with tall dry stalks of prairie grass. It was only when we walked into the field that we literally stumbled upon graves barely visible among the vegetation. As if on cue, the sun burst through the heavy curtain of clouds and revealed to us the hidden necropolis. Standing among these stone gravestones covered with elaborate Hebrew inscriptions, I was thinking of Soutine’s paintings in which life and death are intertwined — mysterious, macabre and beautiful at the same time.

Smilovichi cherishes the memory of its famous son. In 2008, a museum titled “Space of Chaim Soutine” opened in the building of a former boarding school; my friend nadezhda Usova was one of the co-founders. today it features high-quality copies of Soutine's paintings as well as photographs, documents and artifacts from the early 20th century. Until 2012 there were no Soutine works in his native country. today, the national Art museum of the — “eva,” on loan from Belgazprombank, a commercial bank that bought this canvas at the Christie's in 2013 for $1,805,000. this work is known as “the most expensive painting in Belarus.” we were greeted by the museum Director Svetlana Khasenevich; having fortified ourselves with coffee, we proceeded to tour the facility.

An ancient torah that once must have been a proud possession of a wealthy family or a synagogue is prominently displayed in the glass showcase. It was badly damaged and, therefore, rendered unusable for the prayer, but the beauty of its calligraphy is undiminished. two letters written in yiddish caught my eye. Soutine’s sister was asking her brother artist for help. “my dear brother,” one of them read, “I am destitute and you are my only hope....” the letters was dated 1932 and 1938. Apparently, Soutine, who by then had achieved recognition and financial success, regularly sent money to his starving family in Soviet russia and stayed informed about their life. this connection ended with the onset of world war II. After France surrendered, the artist had to leave Paris and hide in order to avoid arrest by the gestapo. On Aug. 9, 1943, he died of a perforated ulcer. He probably never

learned that his relatives managed to escape from Smilovichi before the nazi occupation, but many of their neighbors did not. In October of 1941, the entire Jewish population of the village — 2,000 people — were executed and buried in a mass grave. today a memorial stela marks the spot of this tragic event.

One of the museum galleries is dedicated to another famous artist born and raised in Smilovichi — Faibich Schraga (Sam) Zarfin, Soutine’s younger contemporary. It is believed that little Schraga used to watch Chaim painting and was encouraged by his example. they met again in Paris in the 1920s and stayed in touch for several years. recently the Zarfin family donated to the museum a number of the artist’s textile designs along with contemporary cloth samples based on these drawings. luminous and colorful, they resemble Zarfin’s paintings which often shimmer like stained glass windows.

However, the museum occupies only a small portion of the spacious former boarding school. the rest of the facility is taken by the studios of the Creative Center for Children and youth. It was Saturday and the place was buzzing with activity with kids making all sorts of artwork under the tutelage of their teachers. what a contrast to the bleak childhood of Soutine who was severely beaten for his creative exploits by his neighbors, orthodox Jews, who considered any graven image a blasphemy.

It seems symbolic that the Creative Center is facing a red-brick building of a former Jewish school. Over a hun-

See SOUTINE on page 12

Kids at the Creative Center in Smilovichi, top, work on art projects. A man works on a bee hive installation, above.

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SOUTINE from page 11

Elena Ivanova, above, stands next to Standing Next to a Zarfin painting and wearing a scarf after Zarfin’s design. Chaim Soutine’s “Carcass of Beef,” right, is in the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis.

ANCHORS from page 9 having someone to run things by,” she said. “It’s constructive criticism, Butch (Jack) always taught his students this way. Feedback throws you to a different idea, a new way of looking at things.” the ‘Anchors’ exhibition brings their relationship together, and that of their friends, full-circle.

“Artists need validation, often from an opposition of the very idea you are working on,” laurette said. “It makes us better artists. what have I done that is working? I never found any of these discussions the least bit uncomfortable, even from the beginning. we have always found each other’s comments very accepting and constructive. “this show is more about community, It didn’t begin that way, but that is how it ended up. we are all from the same cut. It was very easy to ask because we have so much history. we are working partners, drinking buddies and we have so much history together.” laurette said when she got ill, she began by

dred years ago, a Jewish teenager left Smilovichi, with its old-fashioned lifestyle, to pursue his dream and achieved greatness. maybe a brighteyed kid whom I saw working on a collage, a painting or a sculpture one day will amaze us with a vision as extraordinary as that of his famous countryman.

Our visit to Smilovichi culminated with a exciting event — installation of a sculpture by a contemporary artist Pavel Voynitsky. titled “Beehive” and assembled from discarded wooden beehives, it evokes the image of the famous la ruche in Paris, a phalanstery that housed poor artists, many of them from russia, including Soutine. we all helped to ensure that the new work stood safe and secure on the lawn in front of the museum to pique curiosity of both visitors and young artists who may feel inspired to seek nontraditional ways to express their creative impulses. to read more about “Space of Chaim Soutine” in Smilovichi visit www.soutine-smilovichi.by. the museum of Fine Arts Houston has two paintings by Soutine, “young girl with a Doll” (1926–1927) and “the Chicken” (c. 1926).

being tired and ended up in the hospital, and garrett spent a lot of time with her. the show had been scheduled some time ago and garrett was concerned they may have to call it off. laurette said, “no we’ll be able to do something,” garrett remembers. laurette was determined not to let this show go by. “we all worked together for so long out of necessity, that was the basis of our original relationships, and through that we became great friends,” laurette said. trust and respect allow the two to always move constructively toward their artistic goals.

Sandra is the one person that I can trust completely when I ask her about something I’m working on,” garrett said. “I may not take her advice or do what she says, but I know she will always be honest about what I’m doing.” the opening reception for ‘Anchors’ is 7 p.m., nov. 5, at 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont.

For more information, visit www.artstudio.org, find tASI on Facebook, or call 409-838-5393.

WILSON from page 5 have a photography show and look at different media and think outside the box with that,” she says. “I want to make sure we have a variety, and not just solo and theme shows. there is so much art out there and I want to tap into that. I keep a list of artists I want to keep on my radar — that list is always growing.”

Visiting artists and exhibitions outside of Beaumont and the state of texas helps wilson form a framework for her vision, but she likes the intimacy of working locally.

“Sometimes, I feel like in a big city with too much going on, you can feel stifled,” she says. “Beaumont has its perks of being smaller, but has an active arts community — I do think there is a lot of room for growth and original creativity.” tracking trends in contemporary art is impossible because it is always changing, wilson says.

“I see some things that I think are so bizarre and I find fascinating, but I am not sure how it would relate everywhere,” she says. “I try to look at it with an open mind. Sometimes the building or place where you see the art changes how you feel about it at that moment. to me, that’s liminality — having the space altered and creating a work of art in that atmosphere.”

Volume 23, No. 3

THE ART’S IN THE MAIL

FOr mOSt mUSeUm eXHIBItIOnS, it is taboo to touch any work of art. the works on display are almost always made by an artist out of reach of the visitor. “the great exchange” at the DishPhotos by man Art museum crushes both of those Zack museum norms in this exhibition of Dubuisson mail art. “the show is called ‘the great exchange’ to encourage others to connect with each other and their friends, even the artists if they want to — all of their addresses are available on their title cards,” curator Alyssabeth guerra said. “many of the visitors have been writing to the artists. you don’t have to have a ton of talent to make mail art — it just has to be personal and thoughtful.” the art form has evolved from just illustrations on envelopes and the exhibition is a survey of living artists who are actively corresponding using the post and pushing the envelope on what can be considered mail art.

“I wanted to get a wide range of works that are considered mail art to represent that mail art can be whatever you want it to be, you can be as imaginative as you want with it,” guerra said. “you can make something really small or send something crazy like a plastic pigeon. you don’t have to use regular envelopes — you can make your own with mechanisms and different pockets. I wanted people to experience the full spectrum of older works and living mail artists.” this is guerra’s first show to curate after earning her bachelor of arts in general studies with an emphasis in studio art, art history and history from texas tech University in 2014. She works as assistant to the director at the Dishman, and for her debut show wanted to do something for the community and include her love for postal correspondence. “mail art is something I have been doing for seven years but also have an interest in as an art historian,” she said. “the students at lamar University were on of my biggest motivations — when I was a student, I felt like I would really dried out from all the studio classes while the mail art was invigorating.

“I think it was so refreshing because the focus of that mail art is the personal conversation you are having with your friend and it is energizing and therapeutic to combine the conversation and the artwork. you can even incorporate the conversation in the art — it’s really fun.”

One of the displays, “the world’s Smallest Postal Service” by lea redmond, includes a miniature writing desk equipped with letters and envelopes for the like of lilliputions. Another display by margaret Haas includes samples of commercial stationary works and a custom Dishman Art museum stamp. the show also includes a documentary which traces

Story by Caitlin Duerler

November 2016 ISSUE • 13

“The World’s Smallest Post Office,” above, is a project of Leafcutters Design Studio. Artist Lea Redmond designed tiny envelopes and packages that can be read using a magnifying glass. Margaret Haas of Paper Pastries specializes in custom rubber stamps, calligraphy and other stationary items and designed a stamp for the Dishman, bottom. Curator Alyssabeth Guerra drew art from across the U.S. and Europe.

some of the history of mail art from ray Johnson in the ’50s to artists currently working with mail art. Older artists include John Held Jr. who is an art historian who has been making mail art since 1976 and e.F. Higgins who has been making his own postage stamps since the mid-seventies.

“For the theme of the show, I wanted it to be an exchange because it is interactive,” guerra said. “ I wanted to get a wide range of works that are considered mail art to represent that mail art can be whatever you want it to be, you can be as imaginative as you want with it. you can make something really small or send something crazy like a plastic pigeon. you don’t have to use regular envelopes — you can make your own with mechanisms and different pockets. I wanted people to experience the full spectrum of older works and living mail artists.” the exhibition also includes a table with colored pencils, pens and postcards to encourage visitors to make their own mail art and drop it in the postbox for the museum to mail and begin their own exchange with the art form.

“It’s a non-precious art form,” guerra said. “the worth of the work isn’t in the material necessarily or who made it — it is worth on the personal level. It has worth because your friend made it for you and it is precious because it was especially made for you.” “the great exchange” is on view through november 20. the Dishman Art museum is located at 1030 e. lavaca in Beaumont.

Around & About

14 • ISSUE November 2016

Volume 23, No. 3

If you come across any interesting exhibitions, museums or other places on your travels, share them with us. Call 409-838-5393, or contact us through our web site at www.artstudio.org. Be sure to include the location and dates of the subject, as well as any costs.

NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

Individual

linnis Blanton Caitlin Duerler wayne russell goodman gail Hancock nikita Harris Carol mackey Family/Group

the High Street Gallery will host an exhibition of photography by Lacie Grant, 7-10 p.m., nov. 12. the gallery is located in Victoria House, 2110 Victoria St., in Beaumont. “lacie’s artwork is breathtaking and creative,” Olivia Busceme, gallery director, said. “I feel that the art she produces goes beyond the title of photography and transforms into something else entirely. we are very excited to have this unique showing at High Street.” entry is free and the work will be for sale. refreshments will be available at the event. “the idea is to invite others into a personal space that usually goes unseen,” grant said. “most are open about documenting happy emotions and highlights of life but what about the dark spaces in between? I feel these fragments of ourselves are equally important to share.” grant, who has been mastering her craft for 12 years, describes her work as, “Honest and very belonging to me.” Her influences include the symbolism of Frida Kahlo and surrealists such as Salvador Dali.

“Jim Henson's ‘labyrinth’ led to my love for elaborate costumes and fantasy. this movie also directed my attention towards David Bowie which birthed my fascination for flamboyant personalities and avant-garde fashion,” grant said. “recently I have been viewing more religious works of art. the ornate details and

content are alluring and mysterious to me. ” For more information, email victoriahousetx@gmail.com, or visit the High Street gallery Facebook page.

—————————— the MENIL COLLECTION is screening a rare, unfinished film by Andy warhol, SUNSET is a meditation on the temporality of an everyday phenomenon. warhol began making the film in 1964 when the menil Collection founders John and Dominique de menil commissioned the artist to create a new film, one with spiritual significance. warhol shot sunsets in San Francisco, east Hampton, and new york City, but never completed the project, stating, “I filmed so many sunsets for that project, but I never got one that satisfied me.”

Here, a sunset over the Pacific Ocean in California unfolds as a slow and colorful shift of atmospheric light at dusk. As the sun sinks to the horizon, the deep voice of the singer nico, who was then working with the Velvet Underground, is heard reading poetry off-screen.

Sunset was restored and re-released in 2000 as part of the Andy warhol Film Project, begun in the 1980s to research, catalogue, and preserve the artist’s moving-image body of work.

Daily screening of the 16mm film will beheld wednesday through Sunday at 6 p.m.

Anthony & Karie Busceme Adam & Heather Butler Sarah m. Cannatella margo Holst James & elaine morris Jef russell III Friend/Business

Suzanne & lee roy garrett Jo rita & Steve lyle roger & Sharon mcCabe erma & Chris richter Sustaining

mona A. Havorsen

Mission Statement Founded in 1983, The Art Studio, Inc. is devoted to: providing opportunities for interaction between the public and the Southeast Texas community of artists; furnishing affordable studio space to originating artists of every medium; promoting cultural growth and diversity of all art forms in Southeast Texas; and providing art educational opportunities to everyone, of every age, regardless of income level, race, national origin, sex or religion.

PURPOSE The purpose of The Art Studio, Inc. is to (1) provide educational opportunities between the general public and the community of artists and (2) to offer sustained support for the artist by operating a nonprofit cooperative to provide studio space and exhibition space to working artists and crafts people, and to provide an area for group work sessions for those artists and crafts people to jointly offer their labor, ideas, and enthusiasm to each other.

VIEW from page 3

GOALS 1. To present public exhibitions 2. To provide educational opportunities 3. To provide accessible equipment for artists 4. To provide peer feedback through association with other artists and crafts people

one reads my views or not. I have positive proof that my messages will reach the right person at the right time. what’s important is that we continue to reach out to this prolific Arts collective we are blessed with in Southeast texas, and embrace the diversity, originality and the veracity of the individuals who are willing to create their unique form of art in this community, creating the amazing cultural explosion that we are now experiencing.

OBJECTIVES 1. To present nine art exhibitions per year 2. To maintain equipment for artists in a safe working environment 3. To provide better access to artists for the public 4. To offer regularly scheduled adult and children’s classes 5. To develop and maintain public activities with all sectors of the community 6. To develop and maintain equipment to aid artists in their work 7. To provide a display retail outlet for artists 8. To expand programming and activities with increased facility space

Patron

Scott laBurn

Thoughtcrime

Volume 23, No. 3

Your-Scene-Is-A-Hole

Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer ISSUE solicits and publishes the work of local authors. Poetry, short fiction, scholarly works and opinion pieces may be submitted for review. All works must be typed and may be sent to TASI by email or by messaging the ISSUE Facebook page.

The opinions expressed in “Thoughtcrime” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TASI, its Board of Directors, ISSUE’s editorial staff, or donors to TASI. Send typed works to: ISSUE, 720 Franklin, Beaumont, TX 77701 or e-mail info@artstudio.org Authors must submit a daytime telephone number and email along with all submissions.

Pen names are acceptable, but authors must supply real names for verification. All printed works are protected by copyright. The author retains rights to any published work. ISSUE does not notify of rejection by mail or telephone.

the people you use and actors you pay share but one role: “to be Friend no.1” the attempt on the program is the unprovoked scream, a conforming yell for “simple” and “small”.

I hear the orchestras synthesize only grins on the surface.

Deep below the dense stage of mundane; It does not satisfy what’s truly craved.

this is not why I’ve came.

In order to feel part of it, I must dilute to ten percent. thinking to know your audience, you make them believe they’re just like you, or at the very least, the part you are enacting.

But never, have you realized, the comfort of it not being true? the public’s grasp fails to see past the curtains.

Oh how they only want to be entertained?!

Oh how they hate to think of what’s next! you make the stage for only your friends, but have you noticed any lines or thing you have changed?

I am the sun that burns your skin,

the profit from lies is the overlooked crime, I reverie your mind will be the one day to chime:

I am the water that kills your thirst.

the world is our castle, I am the gate, I hold the sword that guards your treasure. you, the air that I breathe,

and the light of the moon on the sea by the beach.

the songs sung that I longs to reach I fear I’ll drown in your love rough.

And which desires you are going to give me.

Just to look is treasure enough,

you will be mine, you will be mine.

Stephan Malick

welcome your guests! they all think like you!

Kick out the riff-raff! they don’t sound like you!

Paint the town with copies of tries.

Ask for your fare! offer glimpses of art for a small charge. light the way for the actors and lies!

the scene is a hole, the plays are a scam. looking around at the crowd; all I see is a big sigh. the hero is an idea, a cheap herd of tranquilized answers. the victims are you and the folks in your town. no one can save you, and neither should I.

Mine

Down the path leads to your pleasure

November 2016 ISSUE • 15

Jose Sosa

“I refuse to attend your circus of mimes, I refuse to believe you’re all this town has” “ACt II, scene 4!” did we really move on? tilt your head up.... you’re still in the hole!

All's fair

things change; he's young, she's sentimental folks come and go with the by and by, they're both absurdly temperamental he said he loved her (people lie) Folks come and go with the by and bye, her feelings tend to rush ahead He said he loved her; people lie in the throes of passion red.

Her feelings always rush ahead pushing proper sense aside

with heaving thrusts of roaring red til sighs in blue, side by side.

trust feelings first, put facts aside (they muddle the beauty of love and stuff) Breathe in, breathe out--you're side by side until the day when love turns tough.

Can't muddle the beauty of love and stuff, he's changing, young, and temperamental she fights him off, but love is tough--they're both so wild, so sentimental.

Lucy Biebel

720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Permit #135 Beaumont, TX

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INSIDE • GARRET AND LAURETTE’S ‘ANCHORS’ • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • AMSET’S SARAH BETH WILSON • SOUTINE MUSEUM

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These people are the life blood of our organization. WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! To volunteer, drop by The Art Studio, Inc., or call 409-838-5393.

elizabeth Fontenot Bryan Castino Heather & Adam Butler rhonda rodman Sue wright Cyndi grimes rhonda mcnally Andy Coughlan John roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Caitlin Duerler Stephan malick terri Fox Avril Falgout michelle Falgout Stacey Haynes Joe winston John Fulbright mark Jacobson nathaniel welch gina garcia Hayley Hardin Jack Hays tyler Hargraves Aslinn garcia Chase Kiker Paisley Polk Zoe williams rana matthews michael Beard Brittany tawater Juliet goldstein Caroline Badon Jake Hollier Breanna workman David granitz Pat grimes

FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

THIS MONTH:

Suzanne Garrett • Sandra Laurette a

OCTOBER 1-26

GALLERY RECEPTION IS OCTOBER 1, 7-10 P.M.

this project was funded in part by the B.A. & e.w. Steinhagen Benevolent trust through the Southeast texas Arts Council.

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