ISSUE October 2019

THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.

OCTOBER 2019

INSIDE: TROUTMAN’S COMIC VISION, ANTONI GAUDI, CRYSTAL BRIDGES AND MORE

ISSUE Vol. 26, No. 1 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Contributing Writers . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elaine Wikstrom Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elijah Malick

A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director

WE HAD AN ENTHUSIASTIC gathering at TASI’s annual meeting Sept. 11. It gave us a chance to introduce some of the people who continue to make The Studio’s mission possible.

I was happy to see familiar participants and thrilled to meet new visitors coming to see what The Studio can offer them and what they can do for The Studio. TASI has always been an open and inclusive organization. We serve a broad spectrum of citizens in Southeast Texas, especially the young members of this region.

The Art Studio has nurtured the young people in this community for 36 years. Art shows, music events, school visits, summer arts and volunteer days are among the ways we provide a place for young artists to develop their skills, grow and carry on a rich tradition of being untraditional.

An organization that does not have a vision for the future is doomed to not have a

The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors Corporate President . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Corporate Vice-President . . . . . Angela Scheibel Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Logan Murphy Members at Large . . . . . . Stephanie Chadwick, . . . . . . . . . Olivia Busceme, Allison Kainer, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Saar, . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, Sara Tuell, . . . . . . . . . . . John Rollins, Laurie Gordon Tenant Representative . . . . . Elizabeth Fontenot Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Orta

The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin Beaumont, TX 77701 409-838-5393 www.artstudio.org info@artstudio.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 Antoni Gaudi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Above Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Christopher Troutman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Crystal Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 Carter at Dishman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Around & About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Cover design of Christopher J. Troutman

by Andy Coughlan

future. Without a plan for the future it would be difficult to see how to remain relevant in an ever-changing world.

The web is a rich resource as far as the visual arts are concerned. More people can see your work from any place on the planet. It is a big plus for exposure and possibly sales, or just sharing your work. That being said, I feel we are missing something if the canvas transforms into a computer screen. Looking at a product online is no guarantee of what you may receive.

In the same vein, art requires view of the work and the ability to read the textures and nuanced lines and use of the brush. Although putting a show online could be financially more feasible and viewers can see the work, we are missing the substance of the experi-

See VIEW on page 13

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Christopher Troutman: Sequential: Studio Art and Comics Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 5

Kelli Schofield: Equilibrium Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 2

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4 • ISSUE October 2019

Volume 26, No. 2

Genius ? Madman ? Both ?

Architect Antoni Gaudi magnificent master of Modernism This is the first of a three-part series on the Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi

BARCELONA — IT IS FAIRLY EASY to get a look at works of art. Want to see a Picasso? There’s a show somewhere.

Maybe pop to a Miro exhibition playing nearby. Hop in the car and visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for their latest Van Gogh exhibition. Or check out the Rauschenbergs at the Museum of the Gulf Coast. There are exhibitions of art by Monet, Rembrandt, Leonardo somewhere accessible on a fairly regular basis — and that doesn’t include the individual paintings in museum collections that are on permanent display.

But what about architecture? One can’t jump in the car to see the latest touring house that has been shipped over from, for example, Spain. In order to see a great architectural artist’s work, one must necessarily be onsite. So, for a chance to see the works of Antoni Gaudi, a trip to the Catalan city of Barcelona was the only option.

I had read many books over the years about Gaudi’s work and devoured many pictures. But seeing the artistry and attention to detail, to see the buildings as more than the sum of their parts, was breathtaking. My original intention was to write a single article about Gaudi, but I quickly realized that would be woefully inadequate. So this is the first of three that will,

Story and photos by Andy Coughlan

One of Casa Batllo’s apartments, top, and the facade of Casa Vicens, above, both designed by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona.

Volume 26, No. 2 hopefully, at least go part way to exploring the brilliance of Gaudi’s creative output — a brilliance that rivals the greatest painters and sculptors.

Gaudi was born June 25, 1852, in Catalonia in Northeast Spain. There is some speculation where he was born.

His father was a coppersmith, and his mother was the daughter of a coppersmith. Young Antoni was intelligent, but at age 6 he was diagnosed with an unexplained condition that affected his muscles and bones. Doctors suggested limiting Antoni’s physical activity, and the boy was carried to school on a donkey, which led to ridicule from other students and made the already quiet boy more introverted.

Antoni enrolled in the Escoles Pies, a Catholic school in Reuss, when he was 11. According “Antoni Gaudi: The Life and Legacy of the Architect of Catalan Modernism”

by Charles River Editors, he was unmotivated by subjects he was not interested, but excelled at geometry. However, it was at Escoles Pies that Gaudi discovered his deep faith, which was only to intensify and was to drive his career toward his ultimate project — La Sagrada Familia.

But for now, he was looking toward a career.

When he was 16, Gaudi moved to Barcelona to train as an architect. After taking preliminary courses to be eligible, Gaudi was accepted at Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura — the Upper Technical School of Architecture. He was a frustrating student, often skipping classes to study on his own, which earned him rebuke, before showing up with drawings or projects that surpassed the original brief. Throughout his life, Gaudi preferred his

October 2019 ISSUE • 5 own company and his own way of working.

As his self-studies progressed, Gaudi began to gather his influences — Gothic art, Far-Eastern architecture, Art Nouveau among them — and he followed the philosophy of English critic John Ruskin and Arts & Crafts founder William Morris of “artisanal ornamentation.”

Gaudi was certainly eccentric. As well as being a solitary figure, his daily routine consisted of large amounts of water, fresh air and a diet of lettuce dunked in milk, unsalted nuts and stewed vegetable stalks. He was also known to snack on raw eggs, shells and all. He would eat plain bread and crackers with a splash of olive oil. “Life and Legacy” also claims Gaudi would only eat “after having rinsed his hands with clean drinking water and the spaces between them then meticulously scrubbed with coarse breadcrumbs.”

When his mother died in 1876, Gaudi took commissions in order to pay his tuition bills. He advertised his service at discounted rates to anyone who would take a chance on him and slowly built his résumé. After many rejections, he was finally commissioned design the niche and apse of the Monastery of Montserrat. The project was completed without a hitch (and on time, something that would not always be a Gaudi trait), and his reputation quickly grew. As well as architectural projects, he also worked for the industrial machinery firm Padrós i Borras as a draughtsman.

In 1874 he joined the army as an administrative assistant, serving three years without seeing action. In 1876, Gaudi was part of the design team for the Centennial In-

ternational Exhibition in Philadelphia, the first official World’s Fair in the U.S. They presented a decagonal brick building that wowed the 10 million visitors.

Finally, in 1878, the dean of Escuela Técnica picked four students based on their portfolios for early graduation, Gaudi being one. Typically, Gaudi was unimpressed with the honor, arguing that the degree was a formality as he already considered himself a fully practicing architect.

At the graduation ceremony, the dean uttered words that have become an essential part of Gaudi lore. “I am not sure to whom I presented a diploma today,” he said, “to a genius or a madmen.”

The answer to the question is undeniably and magnificently both. Seeing a Gaudi house up close is a marvelous experience. The attention to detail, both inside and out, reveals an obsessive personality who is not content to let the tiniest feature be less than perfect. And the ornamentation is stunning, with the artist’s hands on everything, from door handles to light fixtures, from chimneys to windows.

Two excellent examples in Barcelona show Gaudi’s development — Casa Vicens and Casa Batllo. Vicens is an example of Gaudi’s incorporation of Eastern influences.

Casa Vicens is located in the Gracia suburb and was built 1883 to 1888 (although Gaudi initially received the commission in 1878 fresh out of school). The use of glass tiles and the geometry of the design shows the artist’s early

See GAUDI on page 6

The facade of Casa Batllo, left, and a detail of Casa Vicens, above, both designed by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona.

6 • ISSUE October 2019

Volume 26, No. 2

GAUDI from page 5 mastery of ornamentation.

In “Gaudi: The Complete Buildings,” Rainer Zerbst writes, “One can hardly imagine a more extravagant debut for a young architect. It rises before one like a fairytale castle from the ‘Arabian Nights’ … And yet, in reality, it is quite a small house, and not even the home of a prince, but the residence of a brick and tile manufacturer” (Manuel Vicens). Zerbst adds that the house combines the Spanish bourgeois tradition (using surprisingly cheap stone) and the centuries-old Arabic tradition. Casa Vicens, Zerbst argues, is Spanish at the bottom and becomes more Arabic towards the top — maybe even Persian.

Casa Vicens has the look of a house built of Lego pieces, with angular pieces stepped out from walls that incorporate towers. The tiles form checkerboard patterns of blue and white on the upper floors, and the orange accents are tiles illustrated with roses like those that grew in the Vicens garden. It is the towers and the checkerboard tile work that is most reminiscent of the Moorish structures of southern Spain. Casa Vicens is a stunning piece of ostentation, revealing a young architect in no doubt of his ability. Others, less sure of themselves, would have made their first commission safer in its creativity. Not our mad genius.

Perhaps it is here that a quick history of Spanish tile is needed, before we move from the checked Casa Vicens to Casa Batllo. Spain had a reputation for fine tile during medieval times and pre-dating the Muslim invasion in 711. Churches and palaces incorporated the tile, and it quickly spread to ordinary homes (something that is still evident today), especially in indoor patios. Glazed tiles are enameled with metallic and glass oxides, making them durable and also glossy. In Casa Vicens, Gaudi used the tiles in an artistic and exciting, yet traditional manner. For Casa Batllo, he literally broke with tradition.

Casa Batllo (pronounced bat-yo) is located at 43, Passeig de Grácia. It is one of three houses dubbed “Manzana de la Discordia” — the Block of Discord — by Barcelonans. The name comes from the Greek myth of the wedding between Peleus and Thetis. All the gods were invited to the wedding with the exception of Eris, the goddess of discord. Eris came to the wedding bearing a gift of a golden apple inscribed with the word “kallisti” — “for the fairest”. The goddesses fought to claim the apple until Zeus ordered Paris, the Prince of Troy, to select the fairest goddess. He chose Aphrodite. Of course, the whole thing kicked off the war between the Greeks and Trojans — Helen, a thousand ships, etc. — but you get the point.

In this case, three relatively non-descript buildings were commissioned by three different Modernist architects. Casa Llao Morera at No. 35, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner; Casa Amatller at No. 41, designed

by Joseph Puig i Cadafalch; and Casa Batllo, commissioned by the textile merchant Josep Batllo I Casanovas, which was to refurbish the existing Colegio Teresiano. It should come as no surprise that Gaudi’s contribution is

The ornate chimneys at Casa Batllo in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudi.

my favorite, although the other two are magnificent in their own right.

By 1904, when Casa Batllo began its reconstruction, Gaudi was at the peak of his powers, with his grasp of the interplay between natural forms and functionality. Gaudi removed the existing façade of the building and replaced it with curves and plant-like balconies. The coating of the building has shapes and textures that look like a lizard’s skin and the curve of the roof certainly looks like scales.

Gaudi gutted the building and inserted his singular vision. The hallway resembles an undersea cavern with the wooden staircase leading to the surface. Our tour group was the first in the first-floor apartment (I totally recommend the guided Gaudi walking tour, not least because of the line skipping feature). The few minutes we were alone allowed us to bask in the brilliance of Gaudi’s vision. The pillars by the front windows supported the original front of the building, showing where he had built out the façade. The woodwork was flowing and organic, with each wall unique. Gaudi’s hand is in every aspect of the design, from the ornate door handles to the stained glass that is inserted into the wooden wall frames.

The ceiling swirls around as if one is standing inside a giant seashell circling a chandelier. In keeping with Gaudi’s philosophy that there are no straight lines in nature, every wall is curved. The apartment is a holistic experience of human functionality and natural spirituality.

The house has a traditional central atrium that runs from floor to ceiling to aid with air circulation. Gaudi tiled the entire five-stories to subtly fade from light blue at the bottom where the light is darkest to darker blue at the top

near the skylight, giving the illusion of a conformity of color. Gaudi thought that the Mediterranean light was the most beautiful and made sure that it seeped into the building at every opportunity.

Of the three architects on the block of discord, only Gaudi also refurbished the back of the house, unseen from the street. On the back terrace, one sees an ornately tiled wall that serves as a plant holder. Even the backside of the roof line is decorated with broken tiles.

Climbing the curved and carved organic-looking stairs, one finally reaches the roof with its strange sculptural chimneys, each unique in shape and decoration. It is almost surreal; no wonder Salvador Dali revered the architect.

The house is an amazing work of art, made all the more impressive by the fact that all of the ornamentation is also highly functional. Everything is designed to make the operation of the household run smoothly, from the smallest cubbyhole to the air ducts and lighting.

Also on display are examples of the furniture that Gaudi designed to be in the home, each piece unique and reflecting Gaudi’s philosophy that “Nothing is invented, for it’s written in nature first.”

While we may wander the halls of museums gazing at the greatest master artists, Gaudi’s museum is the city of Barcelona itself. Turning a corner and encountering one of these magnificent artworks is as thrilling as any artwork in any forum.

Next: Park Guell — creating art and community

October 2019 ISSUE • 7

Volume 26, No. 2

State of The Studio meeting highlights accomplishments, upcoming agenda

Above Board

Stephan Malick, TASI Board Chairman The Art Studio, Inc. staff and board members Laurie Gordon Lescher, left, Stephanie Chadwick, John Rollins, assistant director Stephanie Orta, Kelly Murphy, director Greg Busceme, Michael Saar, Stephan Malick, Olivia Busceme, Elizabeth Fontenot and Sarah Tuell.

THE END OF SUMMER marks a transitional time for The Studio and the upcoming calendar year as it marks the start of our exhibitions and events season.

To better serve TASI, the board of directors developed a yearly, summer strategic workshop program that began formally in 2018, and its the latest itineration was completed this August and culminated with our now annual open meeting that took place Sept. 11.

This meeting is a part of our strategic planning process and is an opportunity for our membership, patrons and the community at-large to give input and foster awareness and support for TASI programming and projects.

The board has worked diligently this past year on a number of issues involving governance and management of the organization to encourage its growth and success.

Among the areas that the board implemented and reviewed included corporate formalities, financial oversight, programs and planning, and legal compliance.

However, there are several other matters

for a board to review and act upon annually. These reviews and actions should not just be performed at the annual meeting (that would be overwhelming), and they also need not be timed with the end of the calendar or fiscal year. Regardless, they should be scheduled every year.

Topics that the board addresses during its monthly meetings are broad. Some of the more prominent topics for annual review are best outlined below in suggestions by the NEO Law Group, specialists in nonprofit law and governance, that directors should consider, and the board should look to these areas by first reflecting on past activities, and then anticipating or looking forward to potential issues for the future: •NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS. Are there any officer or director positions which must be elected? The board should review the organization’s bylaws to ensure that elections (including re-elections and responsibilities) are being held consistent with the requirements stated in the bylaws.

The make-up of the board changes from time to time as individuals fulfill terms and

resign. Recruiting proactive, communityoriented directors is a paramount activity to lead TASI to achieving its goals.

•BUDGET AND GRANTS. Before a new fiscal year, the board should review and approve a budget for the upcoming year. A budget is an important planning tool that encompasses an organization’s programs, mission and strategic plan. The organization’s staff will likely be charged with preparing the budget, but the board should review and approve the budget with care. Grants are of special concern to TASI, in that this type of funding often assists in the completion of capital projects and assists in sustaining operations. Grant deadlines and requirements can be assisted by board members and community stakeholders.

•ADMINISTRATIVE PERFORMANCE. The board is charged with reviewing administrative performance and generally should provide the executive staff with some form of annual performance review. Job descriptions may occasionally change as the organization grows and evolves, and it is important to review and revise job descriptions, duties and compensation, as necessary.

•MISSION. Is TASI carrying out its mission goals effectively? The board should review the organization’s purpose statement and mission against the activities it conducted over the year. Has the mission strayed from the purpose statement in the articles of incorporation or bylaws? Are activities being conducted outside of the organization’s legal and fiscal parameters?

Generally, the board must approve any changes to an organization’s mission.

•PROGRAMS. It is always a good idea for the board to review the Studio’s strategic plan and receive a program report from the staff and tenants regarding the past year. The board has a responsibility to monitor the progress of strategic plans, or

See ABOVE on page 12

8 • ISSUE October 2019

Volume 26, No. 2

TROUTMAN DRAWN TO COMICS

Christopher Troutman draws on a tablet in his office in Lamar University’s art building. Troutman combines hands-on and digital drawings to create his graphic works.

THERE IS A TENDENCY to dismiss comic book art, as if its commercial application somehow makes it a lesser art form. But if one were to tell Christopher J. Troutman that his art has a comic book flair, he would take it as a compliment.

Troutman, associate professor of drawing at Lamar University, will present “Sequential: Studio Art and Comics,” at The Art Studio, Inc., Oct. 5-25, opening with a free reception, 7 to 10 p.m., Oct. 5.

“I was trying to think of what to call the show, and I always have ‘narrative’ or ‘time’ or something in my titles

Story and photos by Andy Coughlan

these days, because I like comics,” he said. “I did a search to see what are comics called? — sequential art or this and that. I remember seeing an NPR story with someone saying, ‘You don’t need to call them sequential art or graphic novels. All that is trying to make them sound so important.

They’re just comics, all right. Just chill.’ So, I thought, all right, I’ll just put them both in there.”

Troutman often features large-scale images that incorporate panels or juxtaposed images that seem spliced together from different stories. It is the panel work that is the most obvious nod to his love of comics.

“Comics have always been a background for me, so they

Volume 26, No. 2

October 2019 ISSUE • 9

pop up in all the different things that I do,” he said.

Troutman said he got into comics by watching “The Maxx” on MTV’s Liquid Television in the ’90s.

“They make 12-minute episodes from the comics — they’d even take panels from the comics and animate them, just move them around with voiceovers,” he said. “I started buying the comics and doing thousands of drawings of the Maxx character.”

In college and grad school, Troutman did comics for the school paper, but he said he hasn’t seriously done a graphic novel or anything like that, just a few page stories.

“I’m just daydreaming about, if I do a comic it will be about this, be about that,” he said. “We’ll see. I usually just come into big drawings because I think I have a hard time being patient enough to plan out the story, do all the layouts. I feel like there’s so much prep work. If I do it, I just want to go ‘first panel’s blah, second panel’s blah, then blah, then blah, then blah.”

Troutman’s drawings have the feel of being panels from a larger narrative, as if we are seeing a story that is unfolding just beyond our reach. But he said he has not thought about putting the large drawings together.

“I feel each one has its own story,” he said. “I remember going through Google and finding Degas drawings and paintings, where it looks like there’s the same person — the same hat — and trying to put them in order in the same document to make a story, so it’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

The exhibition will feature drawings and paintings, and some drawings in ink that are large and some smaller pieces that Troutman exhibited in Japan in a sumi-e exhihibition.

Troutman’s wife, Rie Fujimaki, is Japanese, and the pair lived there from 2003-2006, where they taught English at a school. It was there he really drew influence from the art and combined it with his comic-book background.

Troutman wanted to teach art so he built a portfolio and the pair moved back to the U.S. so he could go to graduate school at Long Beach State University. He is now into his seventh year at Lamar.

Troutman will also feature some of his digital drawings, a project that he developed for a creative faculty fellowship.

Troutman draws on a tablet before printing out the images and adding paint to the large-scale prints.

“The point was that I would study how to use the software and then bring that into classes and also have some exhibition opportunities for students in Japan,” he said.

An exhibition of student work will be held in Japan next summer.

Troutman adds the ink or paint to the print to make the prints one of a kind.

“I did that to put my own touch to it, to make it one of a kind,” he said. “I’m not comfortable with the idea of being able to print out a whole bunch of them.

Most of Troutman’s digital work has been black and white, but he plans to develop his skills with color — both digital painting and actual paint, whatever will stick to the paper.

Drawing with a stylus requires a different set of skills than traditional mark making with a pencil or charcoal, Troutman said.

See TROUTMAN on page 10

“Two Bridges Miyakonojo Beaumont” by Christopher Troutman

10 • ISSUE October 2019

Volume 26, No. 2

TROUTMAN from page 9 “You have to find a way to make it look good,” he said. “If you are drawing by hand, for whatever reason, there is more control — more pressure you get a thicker line, less pressure you get a thinner line.”

The brushes that are in the software do not yet match the feeling of hands-on tools. Troutman said he works on lots of drawings trying to figure out how to get the digital drawing to have the feel of the non-digital.

“I’m having a hard time figuring out a system to

make it go fast,” he said.

Troutman said that students who have experience with hands-on drawing tend to find something lacking in the digital application.

“You’re missing that tactile experience,” he said.

“There’s something more immediate about ink on paper.

(Digitally) you can control-Z and get rid of it. (On paper) you have to find a way to make it work — it’s a different kind of relationship.”

Troutman takes disparate elements and splices them together to create a single split narrative. Sometimes, the images are told in the same way from slightly differ-

ent angles in the same drawing. In the image on the show’s invitation, he has superimposed the familiar Beaumont landmark, the Jefferson Theatre, over an image from Beppo, Japan. In another, he has a single image of a train going under a bridge, but one quickly sees that it is two images spliced together.

Troutman makes no apologies for drawing on his love of comics and weaving them into his art.

“If you’re talking about the elevation of the comic, maybe you’ll see that there are some features to comics that are pretty interesting, that connect to other forms of art,” he said. “I think it’s a valid form of content.”

Christopher Troutman assembles drawings to create a large collage in his office in Lamar University’s art building.

Volume 26, No. 2

October 2019 ISSUE • 11

Crystal Bridges a Walmart legacy BENTONVILLE, Ark. — ART — LARGER-THAN-LIFE sculpture, fantasies in blown glass and a seemingly endless array of gallery-grade works — aren’t the first things that come to mind in connection with Walmart.

But go to the birthplace of the retail behemoth, Bentonville, Arkansas, and you’ll see that it should.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has a permanent collection starting in the colonial era and ranging to the present. Something for everyone doesn’t begin to describe that kind of territory.

Landscapes of the American West, devoid of people in many cases, leave the viewer to think the idealized land could be theirs for the taking — ignoring the fact that Native Americans often already lived there, as accompanying information cards pointed out.

A sculpture by Randolph Rogers of “Ruth Gleaning,” inspired by the biblical story, is breathtakingly lovely and surely enough to stop Boaz in his tracks.

Susie J. Lee’s “Johnny,” a 30-minute silent video of a man sitting alone in front

Story and photos by Elaine Wikstrom

“Soel d’Oro,” or Golden Sun, is one of five of Dale Chihuly’s works installed as part of the museum’s permanent collection in May and part of a popular 2017 presentation at the site, according to museum information.

of a video camera, stopped museumgoers in theirs. A museum publication described this type of work as one of a series of portraits based in time, with all the tics and nuances of movement in the human face. Taken aback, people watched to see if his eyes were following their movements.

The dye diffusion transfer prints of David Levinthal starred Barbies outfitted in their glam couture and baseball action figures in what appears to be, well, action.

And more, always more.

The summer exhibitions included Nature’s Nation, a display of what was described as 300 years of attitudes toward our environment expressed in art. The outdoor Color Field, an installation that will remain through Sept. 30, is explained in the museum brochure as “a form of abstraction that relies heavily on color and surfaces devoid of realistic representation.”

In simpler language, the field was a source of great fun – Sam Falls’ giant wind chimes, Nacogdoches artist Jeffie Brewer’s funky animals and a group of TYPOE’S large “Forms From Life” pieces that produced a distinct urge to play with them as you would a toddler’s building blocks. A grid by Spencer Finch, “Back to Kansas,” displays 70 colors, each named for something in the “Wizard of Oz” film.

As daylight fades, they all appear to turn gray, a brochure promises.

This fall, starting on various dates in October, are Crystals in Art, North Forest Lights and an Infinity Mirrored Room.

Off in another corner of the 120 acres of Ozark mountain landscape, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House sits, acquired by the museum in 2013 and relocated from its original site along the Millstone River in New Jersey, according to the museum website. Docents tell of its dismantling, each piece numbered and carefully packed away, a story that also was told in a CBS Sunday Morning segment in 2015. In 2017, Architectural Digest noted the relocation in Arkansas, complete with nine slides of the interior and exterior.

The 1,700-square-foot house stands almost as a reproach to lush lifestyles and

“Monochrome II” (2010-2018) features recycled aluminum canoes and small boats “frozen in time and space,” by Nancy Rubins, Topanga Canyon, California. overstuffed furniture, instead emphasizing simplicity and efficiency with its built-in furniture and spare style. The beauty is in the design touches and the floor-to-ceiling glass that welcomes the landscape as the only décor it needs.

Named for a nearby natural spring, Crystal Bridges is the work of Alice Walton, daughter of the late Sam and Helen Walton, according to a Bentonville travel guide. Although right in the city itself and connected by a walkable trail, the area has a remote quality that lets visitors forget its presence. The museum architect was Moshe Safdie, and his creation is described on the website as “a series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds.” Glass balls by Dale Chihuly, titled “Niijima Floats,” dot the surface of one.

It was blind luck that we had set aside a full day for the museum, where visiting the permanent collection and the house that Wright built was free, sponsored by Walmart. Fees are charged for the special exhibitions, and for any guided tours offered, such as the one for the house (even with the self-guided free tours, you’ll have to get a time assignment). The prices for an in-house lunch are not out

of line for the type of venue.

Hours are seasonal, but don’t plan this for a Tuesday. It is the one day the facility is closed, and the only thing you’d see is Roxy Paine’s “Yield,” a tree-like dendroid at the museum entrance — beautiful in itself but only the promise of things to come.

For more, visit CrystalBridges.org.

Amanda Ross-Ho of Los Angeles created “The Character and Shape of Illuminated Things.” Museum information says the green neon frame in front of the woman’s face is a “sculptural rendering of smartphone facial recognition software.”

12 • ISSUE October 2019

BOARD from page 6 at least set progress benchmarks. The board will want to make sure that programs and plans are on target and adapted as necessary.

•FORM 990. Most tax-exempt organizations other than churches must file either the Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-N (e-postcard) or the 990-PF. The filing must take place by the 15th day of the fifth month after the fiscal year is over. The board, or an authorized committee of the board, should review this form before submission to the IRS. The Form 990 review is integral to sustaining the Studio’s non-profit status.

•BOARD. The board should review its own composition and performance and determine, based in part on such review, its recruitment, training/development, meeting, oversight, policy development, and planning strategies.

•COMMITTEES. The board should examine its committee structures and performance of each committee. The board should distinguish between board committees and other committees, selectively appoint committee members, ensure proper delegation to and oversight of the committees, and shed unused or ineffective committees.

•LEGAL COMPLIANCE. With staff input, and

Volume 26, No. 2 the assistance of legal counsel, as appropriate, the board should review the organization’s past legal issues and identify and assess its current and future issues. The board should ensure compliance is a priority and set the proper tone at the top. Charities should consider applicable laws regarding qualifications to conduct activities, required licenses and permits, nonprofit and 501(c)(3) compliance, facilities and real property, intellectual property, employment practices and internal policy compliance.

•RISK MANAGEMENT. With staff input, the board should identify and assess the organization’s risk areas, ensure the development and implementation of appropriate risk management policies (including proper training of staff and volunteers), and review the adequacy of the organization’s insurance coverage.

In addition to the reviews and actions described above, the board may want to schedule time at each meeting to consider one or more generative questions about how to make the organization more successful in the future. These questions may encourage board members to close out the year with a critical and nurturing eye to the larger picture and organizational climate.

Such questions include: What is happening in the environment that will affect our mission or organi-

zation? In this context, directors should think not only about assets and programs, but also about how to directly respond to the organization’s mission and objectives. For example, if an organization’s goal is to eradicate homelessness in a city and programmatic activities include running various soup kitchens, the organization may want to consider other ideas that could address homelessness. Should the organization get involved with advocacy? Are there other possible actions that may directly speak to the organization’s intended outcome?

How do we continue to recruit board members?

How do we advance the desired composition of our board? Do we have diversity goals? Are we meeting them? Are there questions we should be asking ourselves that are reflective of our specific circumstances?

Meeting a board member’s legal or fiduciary duties is a much greater task than simply staying out of trouble. It’s about protecting, overseeing and directing the organization with reasonable care toward its mission. Preserving the status quo is often not the most valuable strategy for doing so. Reserving time to discuss various possibilities, including those not easily accessible, is an essential part of fulfilling the board members’ legal duties.

NEW! 1 Cup at a Time for Keurig Available at Market

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Volume 26, No. 2

October 2019 ISSUE • 13

VIEW from page 3 ence. What’s missing is the community interaction, the human contact, the chance for open discussion, and the chance to muse over, in person, the art that stands before us.

Ultimately, watching a theater performance, dance recital, poetry reading, symphony or visual art exhibition is a personal experience — being there to contemplate the art, to see it in the round, to hear directly the human behind the instrument, to walk around a vast gallery of art objects to contemplate, wonder and be inspired.

There is no technology more precious than the eyes and imagination and no better location than simply being there.

The Studio’s structure — the physical plant — houses the love, joy, frustration, debate and dialogue that makes art real, substantial and truly a human experience.

The Art Studio is offering an opportunity for artists to show in a smaller intimate setting.

The Pop Up Gallery will soon begin taking applications for the chance to exhibit in this space. The shows will run for two weeks. I hope to present one or more artists at a time. The Pop Up will run for approximately three months and will follow with an exhibition of studio residents. That will be followed by a permanent collection show.

Since we have so few exhibits for individuals, and because there are so many deserving Southeast Texan artists who want the chance to present their work, it seemed apparent we need to address this deficiency.

Our goal is to assure our artists, artisans and crafters that there is an opportunity to showcase their work and a reason to “Follow Your Bliss,” as Joseph Campbell would advise.

Applications will be on the website soon.

SUPPORTS THE ART STUDIO, INC.

info@signinternational.com 409.832.0117 7398 College St. in Beaumont

Dishman hosts Carter exhibit “KEITH CARTER FIFTY YEARS” will be on display at the Dishman Art Museum, Sept. 28 through Nov. 28. The welcoming reception will be held Oct. 25, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Often called a poet of the ordinary, awardwinning photographer Keith Carter is known for creating mysterious, ghostly images of animals, still-lifes, portraits and natural scenes all rooted in what he calls the gumbo culture of his native Beaumont and East Texas. This exhibition celebrates his incredible career and features work from his recent publication, “Keith Carter: Fifty Years.”

“For decades my photographs have explored our relationship to time, place, memory and vernacular culture,” Carter said. “I tend to think of them as a visual diary. I often draw from the world around me, literature, the animal world and folklore to examine externally objective, yet internally boundless themes where our chaotic world is at once both mysterious and ordinary.”

Carter’s explorations include the use of the traditional chemical darkroom and arcane historical processes, as well as contemporary

“Patricia”

by Keith Carter.

practices. In doing so he hopes to examine both the history of photography and our own shared natural histories.

“It is rare that my work is shown in my own region, so I am indeed pleased to be working with Dennis Kiel, director of the Dishman Art Museum, and exhibiting at our university’s art museum,” Carter said.

Admission to the Dishman Art Museum is free of charge and open to the public. For more information about the museum, please visit lamar.edu/dishman.

SUPPORTS THE ART STUDIO, INC.

cueblue.com 713-357-6650 2024 Naomi St, Houston, TX 77054

14 • ISSUE October 2019

Volume 26, No. 2

Around & About

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 website at www.artstudio.org. Be sure to include the location and dates of the subject, as well as any costs.

brant, and at times collaboratively painted works by internationally recognized artists such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (1932–2002), Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford (1922–2007), Emily Kame Kngwarreye (ca. 1910–1996), Gulumbu Yunupingu (1945–2012), John Mawurndjul (b. 1952), and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri (b. 1950).

“Mapa Wiya (Your Map’s Not Needed): Australian Aboriginal Art from the Fondation Opale” is curated by Paul R. Davis, Curator of Collections.

The Menil Collection is located at 1533 Sul Ross St. in Houston.

For more information, visit menil.org. _______________

Kunmara (Mumu Mike) Williams, Pitjantjajara language group. “We Don’t Need a Map (Mapa Wiya), 2017. Ink and acrylic on found map. Image courtesy of Fondation Opale, Lens, Switzerland.

The MENIL COLLECTION is hosting MAPA WIYA (YOUR MAP’S NOT NEEDED): AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ART FROM THE FONDATION OPALE through Feb. 2.

Meaning “no map” in the Pitjantjatjara language of the Central Australian desert region, the exhibition title is drawn from a recent drawing by artist Kunmanara (Mumu Mike) Williams (1952–2019), the first showing of his work in an American art museum. His recuperation of official government maps and postal bags is a pointed response to the foreign cartographies of the country that Australian Aboriginal peoples embody.

Country is the foundation for the autonomous ways of the Aboriginal peoples.

Vast deserts and rainforests with their distinctive rock formations and water holes, and other meaningful spaces, including the land on which cities have

been built — these are the diverse terrains of their lives. They are places in which the laws and primordial creations of ancestors are always present, where painfully violent colonial histories are memorialized, and potential futures are reclaimed in song and dance. Knowing the land, moving through it, and living with its deeply embedded song lines animate the rich visual expression of Aboriginal artists.

Reflecting on the long history of art making and different ways of Aboriginal peoples, “Mapa Wiya” highlights work created after the 1950s and includes more than 100 contemporary paintings, shields, hollow log coffins (larrakitj or lorrkkon), and engraved mother of pearl (lonka lonka or riji) held by the Fondation Opale in Lens, Switzerland, one of the most significant collections of Aboriginal art.

The exhibition showcases large, vi-

The MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON is hosting MISS IMA HOGG & MODERNISM through Nov. 3.

Ima Hogg is widely known for donating her home — Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens — and her collection of early American decorative arts and paintings to the MFAH in 1957. Nearly two decades before that, she also made a significant gift to the museum of early 20th-century prints and drawings.

This exhibition marks the 80th anniversary of Hogg’s first major gift of modern European and North American works in 1939, a donation that would continue throughout the next decade.

“Miss Ima Hogg & Modernism” showcases a selection of these works on paper.

Hogg (1882–1975) was one of the first American collectors of modern art in Texas at a time when avant-garde art was still generally misunderstood. Over the course of her travels in Europe and North America, she amassed an important collection of more than 100 prints and drawings by artists including George Bellows, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, José Clemente Orozco and Pablo Picasso.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is located at 1001 Bissonnet in Houston.

For more information, visit mfah.org.

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.

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 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

October 2019 ISSUE • 15

Volume 26, No. 2

I’m not your Someone

Thoughtcrime 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 St. 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 rejection by mail or telephone.

Your Work is Done

And It Was Good

Full moon in the morning sky…

We sat around a table, laden with summer fruit.

The knowledge of our shared God seemed sweetly near as we held up the white wine in a gesture of silly hubris – we toasted ourselves – Engineers and Poets.

We talked of subatomic particles converging in an incomprehensibly distant dimension.

Theology and science are lost tribes searching for truth.

Einstein did not believe that God played dice; There is no chance happening in the world we know.

It is all planned and predictable somewhere in a formula.

His pickled brain has wandered far from the familiar head, haloed in white, electrified hair.

Higgs Field bosons career among us.

Blessings of grace deliver us.

The God of Abraham and Moses said, “Let there be light.”

Quantum physics proclaims it so.

And it was good.

The wine and the summer fruit.

Do you ever sleep!

A specter in the early dawn, Translucent is this dimming beam…

Its light fades…

Its work is done.

It laughs at us…it scoffs at us, As we scurry ‘bout like ants.

For it has labored diligently, So creatures of the night can see, to hunt their prey, to feed their young, to build their homes.

The night shift, The moon’s their gift.

Now its light fades…

Its work is done.

The waning of this loyal light,

You must redeem…

Your work is done.

Dorothy Sells Clover

I am not your someone.

I’m just your guide, The light that shines on All that is wrong inside Showing you what can And what should be, But I’m not for you And you’re not for me.

I will flicker and dance Like the flame.

I look tempting, But go the other way.

Enjoy my light and Use my warmth To revitalise you And help you see That there is so much better out there.

I set you free, But remember my voice Is just a guide That helps you see All that’s inside

She stands before me with that look in her eye, that makes me wonder if I am being praised or chastised.

The intrigue lies in the confusion — I’m never really sure if I am sinner or saint.

Andy Coughlan

Kate Ellen

that wander in the twilight span.

Renew your strength, regain your gleam…

Because of my light, others are Drawn To Me Like moths to a flame.

Exposing your rights And also your wrongs Just enough light To guide you along So that you Are Not a l one

Jesse Doiron

The savior of all friend and foul The resting time for mortal man…

I will be a radiant star Guiding lost souls On perilous journeys.

The answer lies somewhere in-between

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INSIDE • TROUTMAN’S ‘SEQUENTIAL’ ART • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • ANTONI GAUDI’S MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE • CRYSTAL BRIDGES

When you support The Art Studio with your membership, you receive ISSUE, Southeast Texas’ and Southwest Louisiana’s alternative press, as well as class schedules, invitations to opening receptions and various Studio functions.

Volunteers 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 Rhonda McNally John Roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Stephan Malick Michelle Falgout Stacey Haynes Joe Winston John Fulbright Mark Jacobson Nathaniel Welch Gina Garcia Jack Hays Aslinn Garcia Paisley Polk Zoe Williams Rana Matthews Caroline Badon James King Madison Rose Stuckey Dawn S. Fischer Madison Bonds Chris Garcia Taylor VanDevender Jaycie Henderson Nathan West Kay O'Neal Olivia Busceme Chad Barrows

JOIN US

FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

THIS MONTH:

Christopher Troutman: Sequential: Studio Art and Comics OPENING RECEPTION IS OCTOBER 5, 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.

ISSUE

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