ISSUE, December 2019

THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.

DECEMBER 2019

INSIDE: WINTER WASTELAND BEAUX ARTS BALL, SAGRADA FAMILIA, GEEK’S GUIDE, AND MORE

ISSUE Vol. 26, No. 4 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc.

A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Contributing Writers . . . . . Stephan Malick, . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Dixon, Caitlin Duerler Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elijah Malick

OCTOBER WAS AN EVENTFUL month full of adhoc events peppered into our usual schedule of activities.

The basis of the hoopla was the exhibition presented by Christopher Troutman, drawing professor in the Lamar University department of art and design, that created quite a bit of excitement around The Studio.

Three Lamar faculty members, Troutman, design professor Sherry Freyermuth and adjunct instructor Sirena Le Burn brought their drawing and graphic design classes to The Studio to view and critique the exhibition, and to participate in the Life Drawing Group held at The Studio every first and third Wednesday of each month.

Students were treated to a tour of the facility and a short history of The Studio’s humble beginnings, along with the drawing experience. We were delighted with the faculty’s decision to utilize our facility and broaden the students’ perspective on what other opportunities are available in the arts community.

An important part of The Studio’s mission is to offer space and support for artists, especially those coming out of college and needing a facility to continue their work.

Collaborations like these are vital to the ar-

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, . . . . . . . Laurie Gordon, Michael Saar, . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, Sara Tuell, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Rollins Tenant Representative . . Elizabeth Fontenot Assistant Director. . . . . . . . Stephanie Orta Administrative Assistant . . . . Michelle Cate

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 Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. . . . . . . . Page 4 Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza . . . . . Page 7 Winter Wasteland Beaux Arts Ball . Page 8 Geek’s Holiday Guide . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Lequeu at Menil Drawing . . . . . . Page 13 Above Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15

See VIEW on page 13

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO DECEMBER

FEBRUARY

Holiday Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 5-7

Amanda Barry & Kailee Viator: A Common Occurrence in Time Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 1

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ART STUDIO

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Membership in The Art Studio, Inc., provides invitations to all exhibitions and one year of ISSUE, the monthly arts magazine of The Art Studio. It also gives free eligibility for members to enter the annual membership art exhibition (TASIMJAE) and participate in various exhibitions throughout the year.

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Cover design by Andy Coughlan

tistic health of our community.

I am thrilled that the faculty of Lamar University’s deptartment of art and design has become more involved in the Southeast Texas arts community, and thankful they are able and willing to share their considerable skills and wisdom with us.

As The Studio grows we must have a way to keep up with the volume of administrative requirements that comes with every activity. Stephanie Orta has done a “phenomenal” job of taking the reins and handling an awesome amount of paperwork, finances, events, printing and mailing, and a plethora of details that has made The Studio run more efficiently. To keep up the pace we had to look for another person as administrative assistant. Luckily we were able to acquire the assistance of Michelle Cate, formerly with the McFaddin-Ward House, skilled in archival preservation and office administration, as well as being an excellent photographer.

Another addition to the administration is Studio board member Laurie Gordon, who has taken on the daunting task of directing

Renewal?

Patron: $500 Angel: $1,000 Benefactor $2,000 Life Member: $10,000 Artist?

THE ART STUDIO, INC. for office use pd in comp issue thanks

If yes, list medium

The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin, Beaumont 77701

$

4 • ISSUE December 2019

Volume 26, No. 4

Faith in the Art

Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece, divinely inspired

This is the last of a three-part series on the Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi

BARCELONA — “I am an atheist. What is happening to me?”

These words, attributed to a visitor, describe the inspiring beauty that is the Sagrada Familia, the architect Antoni Gaudi’s final masterpiece. A South Korea Buddhist said he “discovered the divine that is present in Gaudi’s work…and seeing and admiring his work, he discovered the existence of God.” Whether one has a Saul-like conversion or one is simply overwhelmed by its artistic beauty, visiting the Sagrada Familia is an inspiring experience.

Gaudi’s work was inspired by the natural world. His houses were curvilinear swirls, and Park Güell fit into the hills as if it had magically sprouted from the rocks, bursting forth with flora and fauna (although all the “natural” elements were added by Gaudi to the previously barren hillside). The architect’s work

Story and photos by Andy Coughlan

was not just a celebration of nature, but to the creator of nature.

Gaudi was fervently devout and believed that to be inspired by nature was to be inspired by God. He wrote, “Those who look for the laws of nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.” All inspiration was divine, and the most divine inspiration is evident in what was to become Gaudi’s masterpiece — la Sagrada Familia.

All the photos in all the books cannot prepare one for its majestic brilliance. Just walking around the outside of the still unfinished cathedral is breathtaking. As befits Gaudi’s style, the building looks organic, like it is has grown, and is still growing, from the earth — in fact, it very much is still growing.

The walls appear to be carved out of clay with inlaid sculptures of man, flora and fauna.

No wall is like another, and the towers reach out the scrape the sky, as if reaching for heaven.

The nave of the Sagrada Familia, top, incorporates columns built on parabolic curves.

The exterior, above, has an organic feel.

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Sagrada Familia was not originally Gaudi’s commission. In 1882, one of Gaudi’s former professors at the Barcelona University of Architecture, Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano, was commissioned to build the church of Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family). He was charged with following the plans left behind by Josep Bacabella, a bookseller and founder of the Association of Devotees of San José, the parish’s alliance of clerics and laymen. One of the lay members was the architect Joan Martorelli I Montells, whom Gaudi had met through Eusebi Güell.

Montells had strong opinions and annoyed Villar by questioning his progress and motives. When the pair failed to agree on the materials to be used, Villar became frustrated and resigned. Rather than take over the project himself, Montells offered the job to the 31-year-old Gaudi — it was a project that would consume the next 40 years of his life.

In hindsight, Gaudi was the perfect man for the job.

He was a perfectionist with very little social life, and his religious fervor was well known. The custodian chaplain of Sagrada Familia, Mosén Gil Parés, wrote, “(He) was a constant model of virtue, of total sacrifice, with the shining lights to which, to our eyes, seem to surround Gaudi with the aura of holiness.” Gaudi took communion every single day at the closest chapel and confessed his sins (mostly about his quick temper). He is also said to have consulted God about work problems and creative blocks.

Gaudi regularly sought out charitable causes and worked with Parés to create a string of schoolhouses which Gaudi paid for out of his own pocket. Sagrada Familia would become unofficially dubbed the “Cathedral of the Poor.”

By the time Gaudi took over the project, only the crypt and a few sections of the main structure had been built.

The original blueprints called for the structure to be 295 feet long, with five naves, with four of them being 100feet high and 100-feet across, with the other being 150feet tall and 49-feet across (work on the naves would not begin until 1987, 104 years after began work on the proj-

Antoni Gaudi, above left, would create his designs through the use of models that hung upside down to utilize parabolic curves.

The exterior of the Sagrada Familia is peppered with scultures. The image above is a detail of an entire series that depict the life of Christ. Gaudi intended the building to be a visual storybook.

ect. The choir galleries — the chancels — would accommodate 1,500 singers, and the church would have a 13,000 capacity.

Gaudi’s design calls for 18 spires of various heights representing the 12 apostles, the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Each of the evangelical spires will be topped with their traditional symbols (a winged man, a winged lion, a winged bull and an eagle respectively).

Gaudi’s process defies conventional wisdom. His initial

drawings for Sagrada Familia convey more of a sense of the structure than fully-detailed plans. Gaudi preferred to let the building evolve as construction developed.

Rainer Zerbst, in “Gaudi: The Complete Buildings,” writes that the drawings are “atmospheric portraits.”

That is not to say that Gaudi’s structures were not well

See GAUDI on page 6

6 • ISSUE December 2019

Volume 26, No. 4

GAUDI from page 5 thought out. Although the church is built on Gothic principles, Sagrada Familia does not incorporate flying buttresses, what Gaudi called “crutches.” The flying buttresses were needed in classic Gothic cathedrals to stop the high walls from bowing out. Without them the walls could not sustain the weight. However, Gaudi developed the use of parabolic curves and slanted columns, eliminating the need for wall supports.

A visit to the Gaudi museum offers fascinating insight into his process. Prior to building models which acted as the blueprints for the church, he suspended string with small sandbags which pulled the string taut. In effect, Gaudi designs the building upside down, with the string forming the parabolic curves which, when upright, give the building its strength.

Gaudi, of course, also draws from nature for the load bearing, in this case eucalyptus trees. As a result, the nave of Sagrada Familia resembles a giant stone forest.

Typically, no two columns are the same. Standing in the nave is like being engulfed in the forest, especially when the sun shines from the stained-glass windows. The windows lowest to the ground are rich with color and bathe the nave — and the visitor — with light. The whole effect is to put the visitor in the midst of nature with the tree canopy high above. It is a stunningly moving experience.

The exterior of the building is full of nooks and crannies that feature nature motifs and animals, mosaic patterning, and myriad sculptures that tell the story of Christ. Riener Zerbst argues that Gaudi intended Sagrada Familia to serve as an oversized book, with its stories literally built into its edifice. Everywhere one looks, there are new symbols to find.

Gaudi worked feverishly on the project, although he knew he would never see its completion. In 1914, he left

his house in Park Güell and moved into the Sagrada Familia so he could be closer to the work. There he lived in squalor with a harsh regimen of fasting and prayer.

He eventually stopped changing his clothes. A former dandy, it is said his clothes, even his underwear, were held together by pins. He lost a lot of weight. The Sagrada Familia had consumed him.

On June 7, 1926, the disheveled architect was on his way to a local church, distracted, no doubt, by some problem to be worked through, he failed to notice a tram as he crossed Gan Via de los Corts Catalanes. He was struck and sent several feet. Such was his appearance that passersby left him on the side of the road, presuming him to be a tramp. After several hours he was

spotted by a doctor who took him to hospital. The next day, the Sagrada Familia’s chaplain happened to be at the hospital and identified Gaudi, but it was too late.

Gaudi died on June 10, at the age of 74.

Construction continued slowly after his death hampered by lack of funds and by the Spanish Civil War. Gaudi always had faith that the work would continue.

Although parts of the basilica, along with Gaudi’s models and plans were destroyed by Catalan anarchists and fire, the plans were reconstructed and work continues. There are plans for work to be completed by 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death, but that seems unlikely. But there is no hurry. When Gaudi was asked about the slow pace of construction, he simply said, “My client is not in a hurry.”

Gaudi had complete faith that the church would be finished. “I will grow old, but others will come after me,” he said. “What must always be conserved is the spirit of the work, but its life has to depend on the generations it is handed down to and with whom it lives and is incarnated.”

It is important to remember that Sagrada Familia was and is still privately funded. Every visitor who pays their 15-20 euro entry fee contributes to the construction and upkeep of the building. In this way, it has moved away from a mere Catholic church into a universal symbol of the spiritual.

It is for the artist to explain the source of his inspiration. Wherever the art comes from, we must just give thanks.

The altar of the Sagrada Familia shows Gaudi’s flair. Rather than affixed to the wall, the crucifix, above left, floats above the altar.

A gold Christ, left looks down from high above the city. It symbolizes Christ’s ascension. A 3D rendering, above, at the Gaudi Museum shows how Gaudi used string and small weights to work out his designs.

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TASI to host annual arts sale, Dec. 5-7 Forget fighting the crowds at the big box stores. Don’t throw your money away on an overpriced trinket that will not be appreciated. Spend your holiday gift-buying cash on unique arts and crafts by local artists.

The Art Studio, Inc. will host its annual Holiday Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza, Dec. 57, featuring a range of items from painting to ceramics, jewelry, photography, ornaments and much more. The event will be held at The Studio’s facility at 720 Franklin St. in downtown Beaumont.

Shop-O-Rama will be structured differently this year, taking place over three consecutive days instead of the usual two Saturdays.

“We want to participate on First Thursdays, outs and about in Beaumont, and have a more family-oriented opportunity to both buy and create art,” Stephanie Orta, TASI assistant director, said.

As well as the usual opportunities to buy unique, hand-made items, Orta said, The Studio will host a hands-on art activity, although plans have yet to be finalized.

The First Thursday event on Dec. 5 will see The Studio stay open from noon until 8 p.m.

On Friday, Dec. 6, the sale will continue dur-

ing regular hours, from noon to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, The Studio will open at noon and continue through 10 p.m. to incorporate the regular Saturday gallery reception.

“We’ll segue into our regular sort of reception slash Christmas party,” Orta said. “A Christmas party is really is what it is, and a celebration of our three-day Shop-O-Rama Holiday Extravaganza.”

Any local artist or crafts person who creates unique items is invited to participate for a vendor fee of $25. Vendors should sign up for a space by Nov. 30.

“They can come and set up, and they pick their own hours,” Orta said. “They can also leave it there.”

The Studio charges a commission of 25 percent for sales it processes on consignment, but if the vendor stays with the stall and sells themselves there is no commission. However, commissions or donations are appreciated, Orta said.

The reception on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. will be chance for artists and patrons alike to share a festive atmosphere, Orta said.

“Who doesn’t enjoy a Christmas party,” she

said. “Let’s get glammed up. We’ll probably have a photo booth, too. So memories will be made — and it’s our last chance to celebrate before the New Year.”

The Studio’s annual event supports local artists, as well as offering shoppers an alternative choice for their gift giving.

“You also want to check out what’s new, because a lot of people are creating new artwork and trying different mediums,” she said. “It’s a chance for great Christmas gifts, all handmade items and unique finds.”

Vendors are responsible for their own setup and takedown, Orta said.

“We’re just encouraging those to show what they’ve created, or maybe just unload what they have been storing away,” she said. “I know many of my artist friends will say, ‘Oh, nobody will buy it.’ and then they’ll put it out there and it’s bought in the next 10 minutes.”

The Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza has become a staple of the holiday season and this year’s event promises a little something for every taste.

For more information, or to be a vendor, call 409-838-5393, or email info@artstudio.org.

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Welcome to Annual Beaux Arts Ball WANTED: EXPERIENCE OF POST-APOCALYPTIC insanity with hours of mind-blowing entertainment, mayhem and merriment.

You’re thinking about the Winter Wasteland, the theme for this year’s Beaux Art Ball, to be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, at The Art Studio. The BAB is TASI’s largest and most festive fundraiser of the year supporting programming efforts throughout the year.

“While considering the theme for this year’s ball, I wanted to focus on something everyone would be able to participate in,” Ball chairwoman Shanna Hawa said. “I wanted to encourage guests to create their costumes, not buy them; to be creative, have fun and express themselves as they would imagine how life would be after the end of the world.”

The lineup of events will include the crowning of Overlord and Overlady for the most creative costume, a toxic Fall-Out Fashion Show and a Thunder Dome dance party. A Dystopian Drag Show will be one a variety of live performances to surely nuke one’s brain.

“The Art Studio is a place to engage in art, participate in art and live through art,” Hawa said. “So this year, whether you’re an artist yourself or simply a supporter of the arts, we selected a theme where everyone can express themselves in truly unexpected ways.

“The night will feature live music, a variety of dance performances and dancing, a DJ with a special lightshow, and, a silent auction from artists around the area.

Hawa and co-creative chair Larena Busceme have survived the barren landscape to bring SETX what will be a visceral trip into an alternate reality. Their effort with past events, including last year’s Moulin Rougethemed party, will ensure participants have an extraordinary sensory experience, with the help of sounds, visuals, and interactive elements.

“When Shanna first shared her

Story by Stephan Malick

December 2019 ISSUE • 9

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the Wasteland set for Jan. 18

concept for this year’s Beaux Arts Ball, I immediately wanted to be a part of the crew,” Busceme said. “When you partner a knockout theme with Shanna’s passion and professional production experience, the outcome is going to be top notch.

“The ‘Wasteland’ theme offers participants an opportunity to get creative and look to unconventional objects while assembling their garb. Distressed materials, reworked athletic equipment, and even mysterious plastic hoses all have their place in this world — anything goes.”

Hawa, along with husband Jeremy — also owners of Light Strike Productions — have created a one-of-a-kind video to give friends of The Studio an appetite for mayhem and an aesthetic for costume ideas. The video is shared in TASI’s Facebook page, as well as on Vimeo at vimeo.com/372950154, and other platforms.

“We plan on periodically releasing some videos showing people’s costumes and make-up ideas as we count down days until the event,” Hawa said. “We really want everyone to get excited and create a costume. We will have some special prizes for the winners of the contest. We will also have some online events to build anticipation and also to win some prizes.”

In addition to all the activities, music and shows, the 18-and-over event, will feature adult beverages, heavy hors d’oevres and sweets scavenged from throughout the wasteland.

Tickets are $50 through Jan. 17, and are $60 at the door. Online purchases may be made visiting The Studio website at www.artstudio.org or the event link on Facebook. Click the tickets link to purchase with a credit or debit card.

Tickets are also available, 1-5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, at The Studio, 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont. Tickets will also be available Dec. 5 during the all-day First Thursday Holiday Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

For more information, call 838-5393, visit www.artstudio.org, or visit The Studio Facebook Events page.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

10 • ISSUE December 2019

Volume 26, No. 4

There’s no place like the From The Fly to The Doctor to Galaxy Quest, The Geek has your nerd gift covered

Commentary by Jeff Dixon Dixon is pretty sure we’re spiraling toward the dystopian future of “Robocop.” At least he hopes so. “Handmaid’s Tale” seems like a bummer.

THE FIRST COLD SNAP has come and gone which means the pumpkins are all rotted by now and the lines at the mall have gotten out of control. So take a load off and put your feet up, I’ve come to deliver the good news of pop culture consumerism. Heed my call, friends and neighbors, and don’t be left out in the cold, so to speak.

GALAXY QUEST 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION — You know when I started the Geek’s Guides I was recommending anniversary editions of movies from the ’70s and ’80s, and now I’m sitting here drinking coffee while two children sleep in their cribs just down the hall telling you about these motion pictures that came out when I was in high school. Shit’s rough all over I guess. Anyways, often called the second best “Star Trek” ever put to celluloid, this parody turned beloved cult favorite has certainly earned a proper home video release. Unlike the bare bones releases before it, this edition contains several behind the scenes documentaries on the makeup by Stan Winston, as well as the lore in creating the “Galaxy Quest” show, deleted scenes, and a Thermian language audio track for anyone out there who is definitely not an alien from space.

THE FLY COLLECTION — Now this is a weird one. It’s not often originals are packaged with the remakes or even sequels

to the remakes, but these are confusing times. This box set collects the original 1958 “The Fly,” “The Return of the Fly,” “Curse of the Fly,” the David Cronenberg remake titled “The Fly” and the sequel to that film, the cleverly named “The Fly II.” Now I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that “Return” is any good or that I’ve even seen “Curse of,” but I will tell you this, three out of five ain’t bad. It’s just flat out not bad, which is how I would describe both of the remaining movies that don’t star Jeff Goldblum, because, as we all know, that film is pure gold. Am I rambling? I feel like I’m rambling.

RED DWARF SERIES XII — Hitting store shelves and digital warehouses everywhere, it’s the newest season of the longest running sci-fi comedy on the BBC and perhaps anywhere, honestly.

I mean I don’t know if Japan has a sci-fi comedy series that’s been running for longer than 31 years, I know we don’t ... where was I? Right. “Red Dwarf.”

Look I don’t really have the space available in this publication to explain a show about the last human in the universe and his holographic dead roommate and a creature that evolved from their cat millions of years ago and an android they picked up on a ship full of dead people that he falsely assumed where alive. I just don’t.

I only have time to tell you that there are no less than eight behind the scenes documentaries on this Blu-Ray. There’s also deleted scenes and alternate takes. It’s a full two hours of extra features plus the actual season itself. Madness.

GOOD OMENS — Based on the novel

by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, this Amazon Prime series starring David Tenant and Michael Sheen is, at its heart, a very pure and true tale about friendship.

Speaking of Michael Sheen, have you guys been watching “Prodigal Son?” If you haven’t you need to check it out because Sheen is giving the performance of a lifetime in this show. And that’s not to take away from

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Geek’s for the holidays classic Doctors, so if you have any Whovians on your list this will make a perfect edition to their library.

the other incredible actors, namely Tom Payne and of course Bellamy Young who is just putting on a clinic as far as playing a sympathetically manipulative heavy.

It’s without a doubt the most compelling procedural crime show on television right now and it’s a damn shame more people aren’t talking about it. But back to my earlier point — “Good Omens” is great.

DOCTOR WHO STARRING JOHN PERTWEE SEASON FOUR — Much like how everyone agrees that your favorite “Saturday Night Live” cast is the one that was on when you were in high school, there’s no one that’s going to replace your first Doctor, and for me that was Jon Pertwee. When I discovered “Doctor Who” on PBS in my youth I had no idea about the lore or the history of the show, but I did know the Doctor got into all sorts of adventures involving aliens trying and failing to invade our planet, and at the age of 10 that’s pretty much all you needed to grab my attention. Hell even now you don’t need a hell of a lot more.

These seasons have always been difficult to come by but lately the BBC has been releasing seasons of the

I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES by CHARLES BRANDT — Compiled over the course of four years of interviews, Charles Brandt painstakingly details the life of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a man so well connected and so good at his job he just might be the only person on the planet who is 100 percent sure about what exactly happened to the late Jimmy Hoffa. Sheeran was an enforcer for, shall we say, undesirable parties that operated in the criminal underworld of New York and Philadelphia during the height of the mob’s stranglehold on the teamsters union. It was known all across the East Coast that if Frank showed up at your door, chances weren’t too great you would live to see tomorrow, and if you did you’d be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your days. I’ve been devouring this book for weeks now and I can tell you it’s one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. Buy it for your friend that understands why “Goodfellas” is a better gangster movie than “The Godfather.” Yeah I said it.

THE INSTITUTE by STEPHEN KING — I remember a few years ago when King announced he was going into semi-retirement and the literary world had a nervous breakdown. But in the years since he’s consistently turned out some of his best work since the ’80s so it’s kind of turned into a Jay-Z type of retirement where it’s just a slow down of work rather than actual stoppage. His latest release draws inspiration from his early novels “Firestarter” and “Carrie,” as well as the X-Men comic books, and centers around a government compound where children

with enhanced abilities are put through rigorous tests for unknown but surely nefarious reasons.

OUR PATHETIC AGE by DJ SHADOW — This 23track odyssey features guest appearances by Nas, De La Soul, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, Gift of Gab, Run the Jewels and many more pillars of the hip hop community. 90 minutes of music, y’all. I shouldn’t have to sell you on this, I really shouldn’t. I can honestly say if none of that got you even the least bit hyped then maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you look for in a hip hop record. Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and ask yourself what you’re even listening to these days.

HIGH ROAD BY KESHA — Okay so technically the fourth studio album from Kesha doesn’t drop until Jan. 10, but if you preorder it for someone digitally they’ll get a code that will download the lead single “Raising Hell” automatically. By the way that new single is fire, and if it’s any indication of what to look for in the album as a whole it looks to be a return to her roots for Kesha, and a fusion of the desperately fun and whimsically wasted pop sounds of her first two albums and the more soulful introspective tones of her last release. And I am here for it. Out of literally everything on this list I can safely and unabashedly say that I am the most excited for this. Happy New Year indeed.

And so another year gone and another Geek’s Guide complete. I hope this all made sense. Between the recent arrival of my daughter and the continued overwhelming presence of my son it’s hard to tell if any of this is real or some half remembered dream. For all I know I’m standing in the kitchen right now warming a bottle of milk at 4 in the morning. But on the off chance this is real, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mahalo!

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Volume 26, No. 4

VIEW from page 3

us on grant applications as well as serving as Treasurer for the Studio board.

We were encouraged by the visit from our good friend and former Beaumont resident, Tony Chaveaux from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Gary Gibbs, executive director for the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) who were on hand for the official designation of the Downtown Beaumont Cultural Arts District (DBCAD) on Oct. 26.

We also went to a grant workshop presented by our two honored guests that was encouraging for our future funding. With the staff that we have and the support of our board members and friends we have a good chance to receive an NEA grant which would give us funds for the year-round interdisciplinary youth classes. TCA would also be helpful in the operational and program support, possibly funding for Bandnite or other performance events.

The Port Neches Art Walk was held Nov. 6 and The Studio was there in force. We were in a small building that served as a venue for more than 15 artists from Southeast Texas. We were excited when patrons showed an interest in our utilizing the facility and they asked if we would move in. That’s a bit of a big step for us but the enthusiasm for our services has opened some possibilities that we need to explore.

We were excited about the apparent local enthusiasm! It creates an opportunity for the Studio to reach new audiences and identify new artists.

We are sorry to announce that our good friend, fellow artist and Summer Artskool printmaking teacher, Neal Pitak has passed away.

He was an enthusiastic artist and avid bicycle rider. He loved to share his knowledge of printmaking and was a warm and sincere person and we will miss his loving hugs. He will truly be missed.

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SUPPORTS THE ART STUDIO, INC.

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

st Thursday @The Studio DECEMBER 5 Free Seaport Coffee & drinks (BYOB) • Free Family craft activities • Holiday Shop-O-Rama opening night

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ACTIVITIES BEGIN AT 5 P.M. 720 FRANKLIN IN DOWNTOWN BEAUMONT

December 2019 ISSUE • 13

Volume 26, No. 4

Lequeu’s encyclopedia of imagined architecture THE 18TH-CENTURY FRENCH Revolution may best be remembered for the use of the guillotine to chop off the heads of monarchs, but the ideological repercussions of overthrowing the government extended beyond the political sphere. The intellectual current of the Enlightenment leading to the revolution not only sparked the 1789 coup d’état, but also impacted literature, visual arts and architecture. Enraptured by a spirit of change, the architect Jean-Jacques Lequeu was inspired to draft hundreds of radical and strange buildings — none of which were constructed — that would reflect both the building’s function and enliven the senses.

“Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect” at the Menil Drawing Center in Houston exhibits a selection of Lequeu’s architectural works, portraiture and erotic drawings. At the end of his life, after unsuccessfully trying to sell lots of his more than 800 drawings, Lequeu donated these illustrations to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris in 1825. More than 100 years later, the works were rediscovered and a selection eventually was exhibited in Paris and the United States in the 1960s, influencing a generation of artists such as Claes Oldenburg.

During the pre-revolutionary years, Lequeu was trained as an architect and recognized by his teachers and peers as a master draftsman. However, with the turmoil of the political revolution and its intellectual repercussions which questioned the styles of forms of architecture, job opportunities for architects were sparse and he was employed in Paris as a cartographer, surveyor and draftsman. In the Napoleonic era, Lequeu mapped the growing French Empire of the early 19th-century. Lequeu’s drawings are inspired both by foreign architecture of French colonies and other nonwestern cultures in addition to the format of the illustrated and text entries of Denis Diderot’s Encyclopedia project of the 1750s. Works of civic and landscape architecture are rendered in precise geometric and organic forms, with smaller bodies of detailed texts explaining materials and sources of inspiration despite the impossibility of their construction.

The architectural drawings on display in the exhibition creatively imagine global structures in blueprints with detailed notes of the influencing styles, mythologies and materials needed in the buildings’ construction. Works like the “The Barn and the Gate to the Hunting Pleasure Grounds” amusingly propose that the architecture of the barn be structured into the shape of a giant cow, its bovine occupants entering the building through the “front legs.”

The “Gate” depicts both its function with the taxidermized trophy heads flanking a series of column as well as engages the senses, with text describing the material and smell: “carved in pigstone, a lime-like substance mixed with sulfur which, when rubbed, gives off a smell of cat’s urine, rotten egg and sulfur.”

The gardens and grottoes depicted by Lequeu similarly are accompanied by smaller bodies of text in the style of encyclopedic entry. In “Le bosquet taillé de l’Aurore est sur la hauteur du grand parc, à l’orient,” loosely translated as “The cut grove of Aurora, at the highest point of a large park, east view,” a painstakingly manicured private garden captured at sunrise plays with various interpretations of the east. From the explicit reference to Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, depicted emerging from the central willow trees, to architectural inspiration from Arabic styles encountered by French colonizers in North Africa “east,”

Story by Caitlin Duerler

Jean-Jacques Lequeu, “He is Free” (Il est libre), 1798. Ink on paper, 14 7/16 × 19 5/16 in. (36.6 × 49 cm). Collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Photo: Bibliothèque nationale de France, dépt. des Estampes et de la photographie Lequeu’s work creatively interprets the many ways “east” can be illustrated.

The grottoes that Lequeu illustrates can be traced to influences in Roman mythology with natural caves with water sources understood as the home of nymphs and the Muses, inspiring the construction of manmade grottoes in many 15th and 16th-century Italian Renaissance villas.

“Section perpindiculaire de la caverne un peu travaillée du petit parc, des jardins delectable d’Isis, clos rondement; et que la compagnes heureuse aux îles fortunes environne; Sepulchre de l’auteur, frère de Jésus; il a porté sa croix toute sa vie” prominently features such a grotto, with the mythic Isis as its central figure hidden in an underground cavern. In the top right hand of the image, Lequeu imagines a sepulcher for his embalmment, a monument formed of columns of parallelepiped rectangles, or a prism formed of six parallelograms, carved with both representations of the architect and his tools, including a compass, quills, rulers and pencils. Even though none of Lequeu’s drawings were developed into real structures, nor had they received recognition in his day, the architect memorializes himself and his profession in a monumental format reserved for renowned contemporaries in science, government, arts, religion or monarchs.

In the grotto image and reflected throughout many of his works of civil architecture, is Lequeu’s interest in anatomy, with forms of the building having corporeal characteristics, such as the curves of a woman’s body or in the case of “Section perpindiculaire de la caverne un peu travaillée du petit parc…,” a woman on her back with her

knees bent, with the center cave cut out emulating the vaginal opening of a woman giving birth. In the explanatory texts accompanying such architectural drawings, other bodily references such as “orifices” describe various passages illustrated in the works.

One series of portraits displayed in “Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect” explores the architect’s interest in facial physiognomy. From grimaces with his tongue sticking out to a yawn and a contorted facial expression with a prominent wink, Lequeu precisely renders a variety of expressions.

In the spirit of post-revolutionary sexual liberation, a small selection of four erotic works engage both with this interest in anatomy and architecture. Whether featuring a nude female occupying an architectural space like “Il est libre” from the early 19th-century or in the work “Et nous aussi nous serons mères” (1793/1794) with a nun flashing a breast to the viewer, Lequeu charges classical forms with an erotic spirit. While the Menil Drawing Center exhibition takes a tame approach in mostly focusing on Lequeu’s civil and landscape architectural drawings, the preceding exhibition at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris earlier this year included dozens more erotic drawings, further illustrating the architects desire to use bodily forms to generate a new architectural language.

“Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect” is on view through Jan. 5 at The Menil Drawing Institute at the Menil Collection Campus, located at 1533 Sul Ross St. in Houston.

For more information, check out www.menil.org.

14 • ISSUE December 2019

Volume 26, No. 4

Above Board JUST LIKE SOME OF the recent cold fronts moving into the area, TASI’s board is working to instill clear and professional governance to ensure the organization’s vision and mission.

In a process that began over a year ago, the TASI board is amending, creating and seeking specific processes and procedures that take away some of the guesswork from routine programming to ensure our members, tenants, patrons and guests have the most engaging experience possible with us.

No two non-profits institutions are the same, but governance and leadership share many traits across private and private sectors. Good leadership is rooted in the ability to achieve growth and sustaining the engagement of people to, hopefully, accomplish something extraordinary together.

There are tried and true equations that can be applied to achieve this, but I’ll only torture readers with ones that are most mission critical: Methodical processes Clear goals Fair compensation and recognition Clear communication and respect Relationships are often transactional — and that’s OK — what matters to most is whether your team is engaged in what they’re doing and want to remain engaged for personal or group achievement.

It doesn’t matter in which sector that leadership is taking place as each requires people who have been engaged and want to remain engaged for personal and group accomplishment.

A challenge for The Studio, like many non-profits, is that it takes both paid and unpaid people to fulfill our mission.

We mostly engage people initially through volunteerism and membership participation. We have to work from a different sense of equity than a business operation. TASI is committed to “community equity,” and that is a mix of financial resources, but also social value.

We strive to build and maintain relationships to acquire what is “in-kind” streams that don’t always measure in a financial sense, but has significant value to TASI. For example, we rely on volunteers and their time, donated goods, and pro-bono expertise that a for-profit would otherwise have to pay for in a vendor relationship.

The social return is important, as is the relationship potential that can be made from in-kind associations. The lack of social return can be detrimental especially in small or niche communities. Governance is about being inclusive in hearing feedback from community stakeholders and incorporating this reflection into courses of action as needed. Stakeholders will often tell organizations exactly how they feel — the challenge is whether or not your organization leadership is listening.

Standing alone is not necessarily a sign of leadership — it could very well be indicative of the opposite. There are certainly variables organizations have little or no control over, but building and maintaining good governance processes mitigates any runaway factor. In fact, good governance can prevent catastrophe.

Leadership and governance are a continual process, much like keeping a musical instrument in tune. It has to be tweaked

Stephan Malick, TASI Board Chairman

here and there to perform the way you want or need it to.

Every board member, tenant and employee are involved with this dynamic. Organizations are real-time learning laboratories where people have to take the time to help everyone understand the complexities of issues, how to work effectively with diverse people, and how to implement the best practices of leadership.

Core competencies The Studio board of directors is committed to improve.

Financial Management: By nature of our work and that of our tenants and partners, we deal with narrow profit margins and we need to make sure all of our financial arrangements are equitable to all involved. Additionally, where grants are concerned we are entrusted with public funds (tax dollars) and private giving. We need to be compliant in ensuring we disburse funding clearly and show stakeholders connections of how their giving is at work.

Human Resourcing: I read somewhere that money doesn’t change the world, people do. We must better know how to assign people to tasks and manage those tasks and workers with a sense of fair accountability. We embrace diversity of our community, but we’re committed to better demonstrate those cultural competencies that bring out the best in people to work together to do great things. Our resources are limited, so we must be committed to including diversity in our community to find the best people to help us realize our vision and mission.

Program Knowledge: Part of our professional competence is to seek and attract those experts that can grow our programming in concert with TASI goals.

Governance: Every nonprofit organization must have a board of directors. The TASI board is committed to training on the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards. Your feedback is always wanted and appreciated. So often, organizations are averse to feedback — we want to know what you’re thinking.

Planning: Sustainable arts programs will never be able to reach everyone who can benefit without community involvement and participation. We attempt to create realistic plans and we seek to build relationships (yes, that word again) to further any plans.

Community Relations and Communication: The most effective nonprofits are “in touch” with the community ithey serve.

We cannot be afraid to tell our story, seek financial resources via fundraising, meet and greet, network, and be visible in and to the community. We are a community-based organization which was founded by Greg Busceme to be of benefit to this community.

I want everyone to know that The Studio is an artifact of a learning culture and we have a learning agenda we are building and implementing. Some items in this are singular events, but most of it will be ongoing — learning never ends.

Our learning will at times take place with formal training, but also through experiential learning where other leaders and organizations share their stories and experiences, case studies, discussion questions, and organic conversations. The key will be in implementing policies and procedures when necessary.

According to Giving USA, Americans contribute almost $500 billion to charitable organizations annually. Add that to the tax dollars allocated to non-profit organizations plus the income that groups like TASI might earn through tenant fees, rentals, event tickets and art sales, it doesn’t take an economist to realize the scope of the nonprofit sector.

The IRS states they are 29 different types of non-profits and the primary objective is not to make taxable monetary profit, but that the public good is its primary goal.

That is The Studio’s goal — to ensure art resources in our community be the best they can be.

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 non-profit 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

December 2019 ISSUE • 15

Volume 26, No. 4

Moon or man

Thoughtcrime Sleep Tight

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.

I can't remember being cared for You know, in a maternal way-The wipe of your hair off your brow And a look in your eyes to see if you're ok, Not until I met my (step)mum.

I was reminiscing last night about my childhood After a day of homophobic slapsMy mum just listened on the phone And made sure I understood It was all a bunch of crap.

I am not evil She assured.

I need to let go of the brainwashing I have endured I am kind I have value That's where I am-Broken Shattered Tired And a little bit blind To all that I am That is great inside, To be hiding for so long Coming out should make me Happy and free, But it hurts when folks change they way they Look at me Hug me Talk to me Stand far from me Glance at me As if I’m in sin...

What sin have I committed?

What IS my crime?

Please cast the first stoneFor I have lived in Africa Isolated and alone

The shadow people come at night and take me away from me, and when they leave, they leave a fright; it’s such a sight to see.

A little boy alone in bed, curled tightly in a ball.

His face and bottom wet and red, no memory at all.

I used to worship men But life has taught me It is far better to admire the moon and stars.

Steadfast, predictable, stable Celestial beacons are.

But anything that walks the earth You can not depend upon.

I gaze longingly towards the clear night sky Amazed, impressed, astonished At its boldness.

Men attract me that way.

But eventual their light turns dim

But, then, I wake from sleepless dream, no shadow people there, remembering how it would seem to last and last forever.

Every night Weather permitting I have a standing date Or I can sit And be received, kissed, and caressed by the moon and stars They attract me that way.

Jesse Doiron

Dorothy Sells Clover

Away from my family No holidays, no trips home For decades No vacation, no pay.

No savings, no luxuries, So that I could save Teens without parents Kids without hope For them, I have sacrificed all I know, Adopted them as my own Given them my heart and my home.

I have done my part to help the poor Sacrificed my convenient life To live in a place So uncomfortable Endured bullying Because I’m foreign Just to serve.

I have poured out my soul I have loved Those who don't love back Those who expect my help Without thought of the costs.

Those in painI have been hopeless while bringing hope I have TRIED...

Giving my ALL that I can muster inside.

I have felt the ache of the starving mum And gone without food To help someone.

I have done So Much Good But my accusers who live in their western houses * With their flushing toilets

And their hot showers Never worrying if they'll have enough Water to bathe or fill a cup Using plastic And wasting stuff Buying their Starbucks While fretting over their debts They say God is not evident in me because I'm Gay Throwing scriptures at me And telling me I've run away From a god I can’t understand Who heals insured white folks And is ruled by a man Who only loves some of his children If they are the right race And will kill his own son And not extend grace to me...

While I'm still searching For my god whether it's a he or she I will continue to do what is ethical I will live my life as the hands and feet Of One Thing LOVE And if that means I'm not a Christian Then GOOD. Kate Ellen

720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701

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

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

INSIDE • WINTER WASTELAND BEAUX ARTS BALL • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • ANTONI GAUDI’S SAGRADA FAMILIA • THE GEEK’S HOLIDAY GUIDE

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:

DECEMBER 5, NOON-8 P.M. • DECEMBER 6, NOON-5 P.M. DECEMBER 7, NOON-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 DISTRIBUTION POINTS DOWNTOWN THE ART STUDIO, INC. 720 FRANKLIN ART MUSEUM OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS 500 MAIN BABE DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS MUSEUM 1750 IH-10E BEAUMONT CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 801 MAIN BEAUMONT ART LEAGUE (FAIRGROUNDS) 2675 GULF ST NEW YORK PIZZA & PASTA 790 NECHES SETAC 701 NORTH STREET, STE. 1 STARBUCKS EDISON PLAZA TEXAS ENERGY MUSEUM 600 MAIN SOUTH END/LAMAR UNIVERSITY CARLITO’S RESTAURANT 890 AMARILLO @ COLLEGE SUNRISE 2425 S 11TH SIGN INTERNATIONAL 7398 COLLEGE SWICEGOOD MUSIC CO. 3685 COLLEGE LU ART DEPARTMENT DISHMAN ART MUSEUM UNIVERSITY PRESS 202 CARL PARKER BUILDING OLD TOWN ALDEN HOUSE SALON 2415 CALDER ANNA’S MEXICAN BAKERY 2570 CALDER JAVELINA TATTOO 2510 CALDER CHAPAS TAMALES 2305 CALDER THE BREW SHOP 2410 CALDER HEADSTRONG HAIR STUDIO 215 18TH ST. JASON’S DELI 112 GATEWAY SHOP CNTR KATHARINE & CO. 1495 CALDER TACOS LA BAMBA 2005 CALDER RAO’S BAKERY 2596 CALDER CENTRAL/WEST END BAR LOCAL 6358 PHELAN COLONNADE CENTER SMALL TOWN VINYL 6356 PHELAN COLONNADE CENTER BASIC FOODS 6220 PHELAN BEAUMONT COMMUNITY PLAYERS 4155 LAUREL BEAUMONT VISITORS BUREAU IH-10 COLORADO CANYON 6119 FOLSOM JERUSALEM CAFE 6260 PHELAN KATHARINE & CO. CARRY-OUT CUISINE 4455 CALDER GUITAR & BANJO STUDIO 4381 CALDER LOGON CAFE 3805 CALDER MADISON’S 4020 DOWLEN RED B4 BOOKS 4495 CALDER REED’S LAUNDRY 6025A PHELAN @ PEYTON ICON 6372 COLONNADE CENTER THIRSTY’S 229 DOWLEN PARKDALE RAO’S BAKERY 4440 DOWLEN PORT NECHES THE AVENUE COFFEE CAFÉ 1226 PORT NECHES AVE. ORANGE STARK MUSEUM OF ART 712 GREEN AVE.