Issue Magazine - June 2013

THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.

JUNE 2013

INSIDE: TASI ARTSKOOL, GEEK’S SUMMER GUIDE, CHEF MONICA, SLOW ART, AND MORE

Life Drawing Wednesdays.

6-8 p.m. $5.

Open to everyone.

Join the facebook Figure Drawing group Become a member of The Studio — it’s worth it.

SEE MEMBERSHIP FORM ON PAGE 3.

A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director

WE ARE TAKING A break. A break away from the show and publication schedule, and entering the summer ArtSkool program, classes and bandnites. One reason we have a break in summer is to curb the expense of exhibitions and the subsequent printing and postage. That money gets diverted to supply teachers with materials for teaching and teachers’ pay. We also take in more tours and workshops, demos and classes during the hot time of the year.

I love the change of pace and the 60 days I don’t have to worry about invites and mailing, newspapers or “Views from the Top.” Summer is a good time to catch up on memberships to be sure your invite will arrive on time for the first show of the season in September. We always get excited before the first show for the chance to show what we’ve done with the facility, and the skills we have and are developing.

A return addition to our kiln collection is the salt kiln, named after the glazing ingredient, salt, NaCL. During the latter part of the firing (around 2300F) sodium cloride is shot into the kiln that is full of unglazed or near unglazed pottery. As the salt goes into the kiln, the chlorine and sodium molecules divide, sending sodium on a mad dash to the silica in the clay. Sodium is an unstable element and needs to attach to some other element or compound that is compatible, in this case, clay. This forms sodium silicate, the chemical name for simple glass. This glass creates a coating on the clay that is quite handsome and always surprising.

Soon we will start repair work on the reduction kiln that fires stoneware items at tempera-

ISSUE Vol. 19, No. 9 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tracy Danna Contributing Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Ivanova, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lainie Harris, Jeff Dixon Contributing Photographers . . . . . . Pete Churton, . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy, Lainie Harris Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betty Smith The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors President Ex-Officio . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Vice-President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela Busceme Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Roberts Treasurer/Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy Members at Large: . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth French, . . . . . . . . . . Andy Ledesma, Stephan Malick, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Butler

The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin Beaumont, TX 77701 409-838-5393 www.artstudio.org artstudio@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 Love For Lynne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 TASI ArtSkool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Chef Monica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Geek’s Summer Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Slow Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 TASI Alternative Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 Fresh Start at BAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 Art & Photo Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 Around & About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Exhibitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO JUNE

SEPTEMBER

The Alternative Show Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 1

The Tenants Show Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 7

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ART STUDIO 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

tures rivaling the salt kiln. Both kilns were damaged during the year of the hurricanes. Both had structures fall on them, crushing the arch (roof) on both. These have been out of commission for about eight years — it is time to get back up to speed.

We are on a search to find new candidates for the board of directors of The Studio.

Expectations are to raise funds, help with events, direct major fundraisers and support the resident artists. We are at the final stage of reenacting our nonprofit status, a task that has occupied more than two years of our energies. With the generous leadership of CPA Lauren Brooks, we will regain our status that was put on probation until particular paperwork was complete.

Our status will be enacted retroactively, back to November 2010. I wanted to get our status well in hand before we established a new board, to avoid confusion in house.

One commitment this summer is a personal one — to start making pottery again. I’ve shirked my first love in art to rebuild my second love in art — The Studio. However, it occurred to me that I am doing no one any good if I am not putting in my share of art and pottery to sell and to offer for donations to our favorite charities. I actually have nothing left to donate and I am down to one favorite mug. So if I seem more preoccupied than usual(absent minded some people say), forgive me. I must indulge in my raison d’etre, not only for myself, but to reconnect me to the clay community and the reason I got into the business in the first place.

Have a fantastic summer and don’t forget to keep them cards and letters coming in.

Renewal?

Patron: Angel: Benefactor Life Member: Artist?

$500 $1,000 $2,000 $10,000

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If yes, list medium

The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin, Beaumont 77701

$

4 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

Photos courtesy of Beth Gallaspy and Pete Churton

Love for Lynne Lokensgard Art community gathers to celebrate long career of Lamar art history professor STUDENTS, COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS of Lynne Lokensgard gathered at three arts locations around Beaumont, May 4, to celebrate her 40-year career as art history professor at Lamar University and her public service as advocate and mentor to the Southeast Texas arts community.

The celebration began at the Beaumont Art League, followed by a reception at Art Museum of Southeast Texas. The event finished at The Art Studio, Inc. The event drew a large group and the evening featured music and tributes. Participants covered the range of students from 1973 to the present, with many former students coming from across the country to join the party.

Volume 19, No. 9

June 2013 ISSUE • 5

TASI Summer Skool for Fun THERE ARE FEW THINGS that kids look forward to more than summer fun. There are few things that strike terror in the hearts of students more than summer school.

But The Art Studio aims to find that “cool” balance between school and fun with its “ArtSkool” summer classes, July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2.

The sessions are open to student ages 10 and up. The weeks are divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The cost is $200 for one week, or $100 if the student takes only the morning or afternoon session for a week. All supplies are included.

The morning sessions include drawing, paper mache and printmaking. The afternoon classes include ceramics and photography. Students taking both weeks will get a different experience each time, coordinator Andy Ledesma said.

“What they’ll do is one of the sessions we offer per cycle — and we have morning and afternoon sessions — and then they’ll rotate,” he said.

“This year it’s going to be a re-boot. Even if a person has done paper mache in the past, they’re going to get a totally different experience. And if they are a beginner, they’ll still be able to get the same experience, because we are going to explore different ways of building — they are actually going to be more hands on this time around.”

A variety of artists are teaming up to offer instruction in a range of different media. The faculty will include artists such as Ledesma, Sheila Busceme, Elizabeth Fontenot, Greg Busceme and Joe Winston.

This is the third year that The Studio has offered its

Story by Andy Coughlan

ISSUE photo by Elizabeth Fontenot

ArtSkool classes.

“We’ve had a chance to get some good feedback from the students and parents,” Ledesma said. “With each year we’ve tried to change things up, as far as the approach.

“I’m going to incorporate some things that I have learned recently, and try to make the class fun by introducing a looser structure but still have the same amount of projects.

“We tend to have more projects than other people would have because we have one structure that’s a requirement and one where the student decides what they want to do with the techniques they’ve learned.

The weekly sessions will end with an exhibition of student work in The Studio’s gallery.

“I expect the show to have a real impact because we are going to start planning it right from the first ses-

ISSUE photo by Elizabeth Fontenot ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan

Students of the 2012 ArtSkool kearn raku firing with Greg Busceme, top, cermics, left and paper mache.

sion,” Ledesma said. “Not only will they be designing the art products, but they will also be designing the presentation, the space they will be presenting in.

“They will be coming up with a one-week art show.”

The exhibitions will be on the Friday afternoon of each week and are open to everyone.

There is no limit to how many students are accepted. Last year, between 20 and 30 students participated in at least one session.

Art classes offer a great experience for kids, Ledesma said.

“It’s up to each organization to make the experience unique,” he said. “The Art Studio is unique in that it houses a bunch of different kinds of artists and a bunch of different ideas. Every year we try to share as much of that as possible.”

Ledesma said that exposing children to the arts teaches them to think outside the box, to explore processes that have been around for hundreds of years.

“In a sneaky way, in a standard day, figuring out the projects, they go through social studies, math, economics, learn team dynamics — in the midst of the fun they become better citizens and are better equipped to think better.

“Stuff that they might be bored with at school, they are learning to use to make a fun thing.”

Students should dress for mess, with an apron or smock recommended. Cell phones will not be allowed in class.

Students attending all day should bring a lunch.

Beverages are supplied.

For more Information, call 409-838-5393.

The Art Studio, Inc. is located at 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont.

6 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

Sometimes a sandwich is just a sandwich…

& sometimes it’s a work of art

Chef Monica Cobb brings world of experience to culinar y artistr y CRUISE DOWN CALDER AVENUE in Beaumont most weekday lunchtimes and one will see a white horse trailer adorned with a painting of Elvis.

Normally, there are between 10-15 people milling around. Some are seated and eating. Some are just waiting for their “Bánh Mon.” Chef Monica Cobb has built quite a reputation for her French-Asian inspired sandwiches, which she sells from the window of her Bánh Mon Renegade Food Truck.

Monica’s sandwiches are her version of the Bánh Mi, which is Vietnamese for bread. She wanted to sell street food and attempted to sell hamburger and Italian sausage sliders, but that was not the success she hoped for.

“I went out and sat on the curb, then literally the Bánh Mi popped in my head, and I knew it was flavors that I loved — it was a little bit of a psychic intuition,” Story by Lainie Harris

Monica said.

The “Bánh” is the bread, and the “Mon” is the filling — as well as being a play on her name.

Monica has been a chef for more than 15 years. She attended Lamar University to major in Marine Biology, but deep down she really wanted to be an artist — of any form.

While in school, she worked as a waitress at Cody’s restaurant with her friend, Jennifer Nichols, a photography student.

“Whenever possible I would get in the kitchen and cook staff meals for all of the employees,” Monica said. “I remember Jennifer said that I should be a chef — ‘That’s an artist.’ From there on, I pursued a career in the culinary arts.

“For me, it’s a lifestyle and the only way of life I know. It’s a life of art, pretty things, delicious smells, fabulous textures, dangerous and intense situations, and hard work with an intensely satisfying payoff — a desire to do it all again the next day.

“I live to create and I live to serve my

creations.”

Monica left Beaumont and moved to Hollywood, Calif. shortly after college.

“I crashed on a friend’s couch and started out working as a waitress at Louisa’s Tratorria,” she said. “I went to every little restaurant in the area looking for kitchen work, but no one was interested in hiring a greenhorn with absolutely no experience, just sheer drive and determination. I even looked into culinary schools, but they were all too expensive. I was not going to give up.”

Monica decided, on a whim, to search for a chef to study under.

“One night, I told my roommate that I was going to go to a bar and look for a chef in chef pants and talk my way into a job,” she said.

She ended up at the Red Rock Tavern on Sunset Boulevard, located right across from world-famous Spago restaurant, where she spotted a female chef in red and white checked chef pants at the bar ordering drinks.

“If I had calculated correctly, I’d be catching her after a long night on the

ISSUE photo by Lainie Harris

Chef Monica Cobb serves one of her French-Asian inspired sandwiches to Sarah Douglas at the Bánh Mon food truck on Calder Avenue in Beaumont.

line, maybe half drunk and in the mood to talk shop,” Monica said.

Monica’s calculations were correct.

“First thing I said to her was, “Are those chef pants?” She replied, ‘No, I wear them because they make my ass look so good.”

The woman said she was the chef de cuisine at Spago, run by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck.

“I was so green that I didn’t even know what Spago was or who Wolfgang Puck was, and I asked her if the restaurant was good,” Monica said.

By the end of the night, Monica had made a solid connection with Chef Gina DeCew, so solid that DeCew told her to come in the following Thursday night and hang out on the line, and see if it was what she wanted to do with her career.

When Monica told her co-workers, she said they “freaked out.” Spago is Puck’s flagship restaurant, which introduced the first open-kitchen concept in America and created California cuisine.

“I got nervous, but somehow I knew that this was just the beginning of a life full of surprises and hard work,” she said.

Monica said she went into Spago and fell in love.

“I came in through the back door of the prep kitchen and immediately I was immersed in a sea of white chef coats, sharp knives, flames, boiling pots of stock, camaraderie, and lots and lots of talent,” she said.

“I waited at the open line kitchen in the dining room for Gina to come down stairs. I watched the sous chef, Lori, prepping sauces for that night’s dinner. Lori’s arms were scarred with burns and cuts.

“I watched in awe as she chopped gallons of vegetables, the whole time looking at me and having a conversation about the culinary arts. I thought then, ‘I’ll never be able to cut like that.’”

DeCew finally came downstairs, looked at Monica and said, “Oh, it’s you and you remembered. Go upstairs and put a chef coat on and put your things in a locker.”

Monica spent the night working the line, as well as the pantry station.

Volume 19, No. 9 “I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said.

Monica asked every question she could to figure out how she could get a job at Spago. One of the line cooks told her to attend the culinary school that she and the other line cooks had gone to, and then call DeCew for a job.”

After the dinner shift DeCew asked Monica to meet for a drink after work at the Red Rock.

“In no time, Chef Gina changed my life forever,” she said.

DeCew asked if Monica had a car, a job, and where she wanted to live. DeCew offered Monica a job as a line cook at Spago, the opportunity to rent her guest house for $300 a month, and told her to sleep on it.

“I accepted right away, and had to leave right away just so I could breathe — and then scream at the top of my lungs all the way to my friend’s place,” Monica said.

She worked at Spago for a year before being awarded a scholarship to Westlake Culinary, the school that the Spago line cooks attend. During the day she studied under Cecelia DeCastro, who opened all of the restaurants with Wolfgang Puck during the 1980s, and worked at Spago at night.

Cecelia basically trained chefs for the Spago lifestyle, Monica said.

Spago, Hollywood closed in the 2001, once the twenty year lease was up.

Monica moved on to be the private chef for Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, and spent time studying the art of French pastry at Les Deux Cafe in Hollywood.

Then, for three years in a row, she followed a band of neo-gypsy techno artists and spent time in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada at Burning Man, where she was a macrobiotic chef for a colony of free-form artists.

“Every year at the end of the summer, myself and 35,000 to 40,000 other free-form artists would build an amazing city on a lifeless desert floor and live it for seven days, and then burn most if it and take the rest down — leave no trace,” she said.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Monica left the states and moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she lived on a parked 1901 River steamboat, the Le Pache, on the Nile River in Zamalek, a district of Cairo.

She was hired to open an Asian fusion, Thai-concept restaurant for an Egyptian tycoon.

“It was the hardest thing I ever did,” she said. “I was alone, a female chef from America and I didn’t speak the language.”

The restaurant, L’Astique, is still open today and is successful.

Monica said she ventured into Italy, Belgium and London before running out of money.

She returned to the West Coast and began working as the private chef to the creators of “American Idol,” spending time between Beverly Hills and Hawaii.

“I eventually came back to my roots here in Southeast Texas,” she said.

She grew up in Kirbyville and later moved to Vidor where she completed grade school. While attending Lamar, her boyfriend at the time, John Cobb, was beginning his portrait-painting career. When she returned, she married him.

“My husband is the most talented person I know,” Monica said. “He is an amazing portrait artist, he is in a rock ’n’ roll band, jams on the guitar, sings, plays the piano and the banjo — he blows my mind with his talent. He works out of a brightly-lit studio behind my kitchen at home.

“We are lucky because we get to do what we love and get paid for it, too.”

Monica and John have two children.

June 2013 ISSUE • 7

ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan

Chef Monica Cobb, left, and Hannah Persia prepare food at the Bánh Mon food truck on Calder Avenue in Beaumont.

“We are older now and a lot more grounded, but the drive and imagination to create is a constant,” she said.

Monica has not forgotten the help she got when she was starting out, and she is keen to pass on her knowledge. Hannah Persia, Monica’s protégé, has cooked with her for more than 10 years. Hannah is a graduate from both the Culinary Institute of America and Ole Miss, with a degree in restaurant management, and works alongside Monica at Bánh Mon. “Hannah is my soul cooking partner,” Monica said.

“I’m excited for our future. For now, we are making Bánh Mon magic in a converted horse trailer.”

Part of Monica’s cooking philosophy is to use locally grown product. She is part of the Slow Food Movement of Southeast Texas, which promotes a food

and farming policy that is good for the public, the planet, farmers and workers.

“Cooking and creating is an evolution of life’s experiences,” Monica said. “I express myself through my food. I travel to Southeast Asia and many other foreign lands in my mind, and express my imagination on my plates and in my Bánh Mon sandwiches.

“I am now in my late thirties, and I’m just as excited about my future as I was at the beginning,” she said.

The Bánh Mon trailer is located at 4585 Calder Ave. in Beaumont. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For menu, visit www.banhmon.com., or visit the Facebook page by searching Bánh-Mon-RenegadeStreet-Food.

8 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

The geek’s guide (OR, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO TEAR YOURSELF WELL, SPRING HAS FLOWN by with her usual two week briskness and the summer doldrums are officially on their way. No doubt you’ll be knee deep in crawfish boils and wedding receptions. I know I will.

So if you’re interested in air conditioning or music not hand picked by a man with a MacBook plugged into a speaker, we should be off to the races.

Commentary by Jeff Dixon (Jeff Dixon loves movies and comic books in a way that often terrifies him. You can follow his insane ramblings on Twitter @RoiVampire if he let’s you.)

THE PURGE — I don’t know where this fascination with horror that Ethan Hawke has suddenly developed came from but I do know that I like it. From the folks that brought you “Sinister” comes a horror movie ripe with satirical possibilities. Once a year for twelve hours all emergency services within the United States are suspended and all crime is legal. This is a story of that night.

The Purge

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING — From the director of “Marvel’s The Avengers” and the creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” comes a black and white Shakespeare production shot on a shoestring budget! Honestly this film looks as comforting as a warm bath or a cold glass of beer. Starring a host of Whedon alumni including Amy Acker and Nathan Fillion, this little project was shot in between the director’s days filming Mark Ruffalo pretending to be a green monster.

THIS IS THE END — James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel and Craig Robinson versus the apocalypse. Oh and they all play themselves. Also, Rihanna probably dies in this movie, once again failing to shine bright like a diamond. If you’re wondering, the first time was in the cinematic achievement known as “Battleship.”

WHITE HOUSE DOWN — I know what you’re thinking. Wait, the same guys who made that awful “Godzilla” movie are behind the second movie this year that’s basically Die Hard in the White House?

Yes and yes. But unlike that first one you don’t have to listen to Gerard Butler attempt what studio executives think is an American accent. Also, name the last good movie Gerard Butler made — “300” right? That came out more than six years ago. The last good movie Channing Tatum made was “21 Jump Street,” which, at the time of this writing, is one year old. It’s just math folks.

PACIFIC RIM — Speaking of giant monsters, I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better formula for a summer blockbuster than giant robots fighting giant monsters. From director Benicio Del Toro comes a love letter to the Toho monster movies of Japan. If you need more than that I submit to you a cast that includes Charlie Day

Volume 19, No. 9

June 2013 ISSUE • 9

for summer AWAY FROM

NETFLIX OCCASIONALLY…) the top five most popular characters in comics. Yes, dear friends long before Robert Downey Jr. put on his iron helmet there was a time when you couldn’t swing a dead Phoenix without hitting a comic guest starring Wolverine.

watch I of course mean listen to. Early reviews indicate just holding it in your hand can turn your t-shirt as black as a moonless night.

of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” We can only hope for a game of “night crawlers.”

THE WOLVERINE — Here’s a question: how much do you want to watch Hugh Jackman fight hundreds of ninjas and cut them to pieces? The answer ought to be “a lot.” You’re in luck, citizen, because that is exactly what you’re going to get in this little motion picture.

Based on the acclaimed mini series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, this is the tale that launched Wolverine from a guy on the X-Men to one of

SMURFS 2 — We should all be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen. Write your congressman and let’s get a head start on legislation to prevent a third outing. It’s too late to stop the Chipmunks but these little blue bastardizations of our childhood can still be vanquished.

SUPER COLLIDER by MEGADETH — Remember when metal meant something?

And I mean something besides skinny boys with hair in their faces screaming unintelligible lyrics while their even skinnier guitarists try desperately not to sound like the former emo band members that they are?

Me too. Thankfully one of the greatest metal bands to ever crawl out of the depths of Hell is releasing what could easily be described as the loudest record of the year. Featuring 11 tracks that will surely drive your parents or legal guardians insane, this is the album to watch for this summer. And by

BEN FOLDS FIVE LIVE by BEN FOLDS FIVE — Earlier this year Ben Folds Five reunited for a world tour. This album features tracks recorded during those shows from Tokyo to Toronto and a lot of places in between. The years have definitely been kind to the band and they remain as tight and energetic as ever.

The disc will be available on iTunes, on a double vinyl and a, let me make sure I’m reading this right, a compact disc, whatever that is.

And that’s it’s for me. I know we’re a little heavy on movies this year but what do you want from me, it’s summer. I’ll be preparing my palate for the wealth of finger foods being served at the barrage of weddings this summer. My advice to you would be to avoid three-piece suits all together and spend a few air conditioned hours in a cinema. God knows I’ll be dreaming of it.

10 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

TAKE YOUR TIME

Slow art movement promotes patience, reflection for understanding “No, no. Turn around.

Do it doucement. Do it very slowly.”

— True Lies, 1994 THE WORD “SLOW” HAS many negative connotations. Who wants a slow watch, a slow car or slow service? Being called “slow” is an insult.

Our age is all about speed and instant gratification. People want action-packed movies, cars that accelerate to high speed in seconds, instant communication via internet....

Slow-going things are often perceived as boring; in any case, who has the patience to wait for something good to happen if it takes too long?

However, important things may and do get lost in out relentless quest for speed. Just like our palate becomes desensitized to subtle flavors of gourmet foods after a prolonged exposure to fast food, our ability to savor the world diminishes as we try to make it to the finish as soon as possible instead of taking time to enjoy the process.

Julian Treasure, the chair of the Sound Agency and a renowned sound Story by Elena Ivanova

expert, described the increasing inability of people to listen and, as a result, the loss of the art of conversation, as a very serious social problem in today’s world. In his talk on TED, “Five Ways to Listen Better,” Treasure said: “Listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding.... A world where we don’t listen to each other is a very scary place indeed.”

He commented that, instead of listening, we resort to recording information or to isolating ourselves with our selective “channels” by using headphones, thus turning the shared soundscape into individual “bubbles.”

Consequently, we do not hear the subtle and the understated; media has to scream at us with catchy or foreboding headlines. To improve one’s listening skills, Treasure suggested to take time each day to savor our sound-filled environment, or, in his words, “the hidden choir” of the world, and to try to discern different “channels.” His other advice is to practice a three-minute silence.

What Treasure said about listen-

ing can also be applied to looking. This vital skill is equally threatened by our quickening pace of life. Our visual world is as “noisy” as our soundscape, and we depend on our ability to process information quickly. As we drive on the highway, we make instant

decisions based on reading the signs which we see for a split second. We follow effortlessly a story by piecing together a rapid succession of scenes

See SLOW on page 13

Photo courtesy Henry Ramsey

Judy Taylor ponders Nicolai Fechin’s “La Abuela,” left, during the Slow Art event at the Stark Museum of Art. Thomas Moran (1837-1926), A NORTHER IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, top, 1884, oil on canvas, 25 x 51 inches, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 2007.1.1

Volume 19, No. 9

June 2013 ISSUE • 11

BAL ‘Fresh Star’ show to open June 8 THE BEAUMONT ART LEAGUE is seeking entries for “Fresh Start,” a concept show scheduled to open with a reception, 7-9 p.m., June 8.

The idea behind the show is to get more artists involved (in the Art League),” Elizabeth Fontenot, the show’s organizer, said. “We already have an established figure show and portrait show, and I wanted to give artists — and the League — a reason to expand their boundaries and their experiences.

“I’m hoping to get a greater variety of art and artists in a single show.”

Entries will be accepted 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 29-June 1.

Cost is $10 for members and $15 non-members, which covers three entries.

Fontenot said the idea is to encourage artists to do something they are unfamiliar with, to push the boundaries of what they do.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be weird,” she said. “It is a chance to share something you haven’t shared before, or do something new for you — and it’s probably new for the community as well.”

It’s an open-ended show, open to all media and subject matter, Fontenot said.

The show draws its inspiration from the Art League’s 70th anniversary. The idea is to look to the future.

“Hopefully, we can get some new perspectives over at the League and get new people involved,” Fontenot said.

Fontenot said the League has established figure and 3D shows, and she wants to allow a space for other forms.

“I hope to break through the idea that everything has a niche, and put everything on the same playing field,” she said.

“I feel that people can get entrenched in their own styles. For example, I normally do paintings and prints, but I am thinking of showing some ceramics.

“The show is meant to get you thinking on a new train of thought.”

For prospectus, visit www.beaumontartleague.org.

June show a real free-for-all ARTISTS LOOKING FOR A place to show off their latest creations need look no further than The Art Studio, Inc. in June.

The annual Alternative Show, a first-come, first-served art exhibition, will be on display June 1-29.

The show will open June 1 with a reception, 7-10 p.m. at TASI’s gallery, 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont.

Entry is free and submissions will be accepted 2-5 p.m., May 2830. There is a limit of five pieces per artist, and pieces must be delivered in person. All works must be show ready, and wall pieces must be wired (no sawtooths).

“This is a great opportunity for artists of all ages to exhibit their work in a relaxed setting,” Andy Coughlan, TASI tenant, said.

“There are no judges and everyone is accepted, so it is a great chance to have your work shown in a gallery.

“The Alternative Show has traditionally been a show where anything goes. We have had work that represents all ages and all levels of experience. Many local artists have used this opportunity to first show their work.”

For more information, call 409-838-5393, or visit www.artstudio.org.

Art, photo competitions to mark Sabine Pass sesquicentennial September marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Sabine Pass and entries are being sought for the “Dick Dowling Sesquicentennial

Art & Photography Exhibition,” scheduled for the Texas Artists Museum in Port Arthur. Entries will be accepted at the museum, July 30.

Photo courtesy Lynda Guillory

The show opens Aug. 1, with a reception Aug. 8. The exhibition will transfer to Dick Dowling Park in Sabine Pass, Sept. 6-8, and will be on display as part of the sesquicentennial celebration.

The exhibition’s theme is the Civil War. Entry is free and open to anyone.

Categories include photography, crafts and painting, with separate sections for professional, semi-professional, nonprofessional, beginners and students.

There is a cost of $5 for adults and $3 for under 18.

“It can be anything Civil War related,” organizer Lynda Guillory said. “It could be anything, it could be a cemetery, it could be clothing — it doesn’t have to be Sabine Pass at all. It is anything to do with the Civil War.” All photos and paintings must be original, but Guillory said people can do a painting from an old photograph.

“It could be a painting of a field, or a photo of a cannon — it could be anything,” Guillory said. “They can even

do a logo celebrating the 150 years.”

The photos must be matted but not framed.

Guillory said she hopes people will donate their art to be part of a permanent collection that will be shown every year.

The Battle of Sabine Pass took place on Sept. 8, 1863, and was the result of a Union expedition into Confederate-controlled Texas during the American Civil War. It has often been credited as the most one-sided Confederate victory during the conflict.

The event Facebook page features Civil War photographs for painters to reference.

Texas Artists Museum is located 3501 Cultural Center Dr. in Port Arthur.

For information on the exhibition, call Guillory at 409-549-2601, email dickdowlingphoto@live.com, or visit the Dick Dowling Art & Photography Competition 2013 Facebook page.

12 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

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

“The playwright, David Rambo, has found an artful way to tell the story of America’s transition from the calm of the 1950s to the constant flux of the 1970s. He tells us the story of one woman’s struggle to cope with the changes in the world around her. The true beauty of the work is that he chooses the irrepressible Ann Landers to be that woman,” Young said. “Through her wit and straight-talk, he is able to tackle huge themes like marriage and divorce, war and peace, celebrity and privacy, without lecturing.”

Drawing from the life and letters of Ann Landers and with the cooperation of her daughter, Margo Howard, Rambo has created a touching play that the Los Angeles Times calls “...folksy, funny, straightforward and validating ...a smile-inducing, tear duct-activating reunion with a woman who might have been a stranger but seemed like family...engaging from beginning to end.”

Since its 2005 debut at the Old Globe in San Diego, “The Lady With All the Answers” has been mounted in more than 50 regional productions, including an offBroadway production at the Cherry Lane Theatre that earned Judith Ivey a Drama Desk and Lortel nomination for her portrayal of Ann Landers.

The Beaumont Woman’s Club is located at 575 Magnolia in downtown Beaumont.

Reservations may be made by calling 409-543-4915, or online reservations at facebook/com.outsidethe boxbeaumont. _________________

Outside the Box will present THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, a dinner theater production at the Woman’s Club of Beaumont, May 31 and June 1.

The show begins at 6:30 p.m.

The production, which features Roxane Gray as Ann Landers, will take place in the grand ballroom following a four-course dinner.

Tickets are $65.

“After the very successful Valentine’s Day dinner theater show, we decided to do another production,” director Ramona Young said.

“The Lady With All the Answers,” written by David Rambo, takes place in 1975, 20 years after Eppie Lederer took over the Ann Landers advice column that changed the social landscape of the last half-century and made her “America’s Therapist.” While struggling to write the most difficult column of her life, Ann Landers breaks down the fourth wall and shares some of her favorite letters and memories with us.

INDIAN DISH FRIDAYS at

BEAUMONT FRIED CHICKEN Corner of 7th and Calder

Different delicious Punjabi dish each week

409-813-1200

Tsarist Russia and great songs will fill the Port Arthur stage this summer as LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-PORT ARTHUR, IN CONJUNCTION WITH PORT ARTHUR LITTLE THEATRE, stage the classic musical “FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.” The show will be presented July 18, 19, 20, and July 25, 26, 27 at 7:30 p.m., as well as July 21 and 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Director Keith Cockrell said he is returning to

“Fiddler” after 16 years because it is a great story with great songs — and to attract a large audience.

“Which is absolutely a legitimate reason to pick it, because the reason you get an audience is because it may be the best musical script ever written,” he said. “Certainly it is some of the best music ever written for a musical.

“There are cute musicals out there where the script doesn’t mean anything. This is as good as a Pulitzer Prize-winning play — the script itself has that kind of depth, that kind of humor. It’s hilarious and at the same time it is very touching.”

“Fiddler” is a family-friendly show with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. It is based on the story “Tevye and his Daughters” by Sholem Aleichem. The show also features original choreography by Jerome Robbins.

The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. Tevye must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters — and with the impending eviction of the Jews from their village.

The musical features such classic songs as “Matchmaker,” “Miracle of Miracles” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and many others.

For information, call Cockrell at 409984-6338.

For reservations, call 409-984-6111.

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K R O W T R A

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JOIN TODAY!

AC X T SE ORG .

Volume 19, No. 9

SLOW from page 10 on a movie screen. We efficiently navigate between several pages that are simultaneously open on the computer monitor.

Are we losing our ability to see “the subtle and the understated” in the visual culture as we become better and better in responding quickly to the information conveyed in succinct video bites? There are indications that we are. For several decades, art museums have been conducting studies in regards to how long visitors look at works of art. According to one study, museumgoers spend an average of 17 seconds looking at individual painting and that’s a generous estimate. Most visitors succumb to the “museum shuffle:” they read the wall text and, after a brief scan of the work of art, move on.

A world where people are too impatient to spend time in order to connect with a work of art on emotional, intellectual and aesthetic levels is no less scary that the one where people do not listen to each other. The loss of listening and looking leads to the intellectual impoverishment of modern society since these abilities are germane to the appreciation of culture.

Art museums always have been the biggest advocates of looking and listening. Both are important parts of the art appreciation process: individuals sharpen their observation skills in the process of sharing their reflections about works of art. Recently, a new movement, dubbed Slow Art Day, has swept through museums around the world. It has become a popular annual event during which visitors are encouraged to spend no less than 10 minutes looking at one work.

Ironically, the idea of Slow Art Day belongs to a man who is neither a museum curator, nor an artist. Phil Terry is the CEO of Creative Goods, a consulting firm that helps corporate executives to relate to their customers.

“My wife kept dragging me to museums,” said Phil. “I did not know how to look at art. Like most people, I would walk by quickly.”

The program officially launched in October of 2009, when 16 museums and galleries in the United States, Canada and Europe committed to host Slow Art Day in spring of 2010. Three years later, on April 27, 2013, 274 museums around the world engaged their visitors in looking at art slowly and sharing their experiences at a social gathering after the viewing.

The process is simple: interested individuals sign up to participate in the event and on the chosen day come to the local museum where they spend no less than 10 minutes looking at each painting and maybe sketching and taking notes. There are no particu-

June 2013 ISSUE • 13 lar rules or instructions other than straightforward tips suggested by Phil Terry, such as “look closely and back up,” “there is not a right or wrong way,” “be naive, be patient, allow the experience to unfold” and , most importantly, “breathe.”

Some museums prefer to provide participants with a list of works, while others let visitors choose works on their own. It appears that the majority of museums encourage visitors to look at about five works during the event, which makes the total viewing experience about 50-minutes long.

The organizers of Slow Art Day recommend that the discussion that follows the viewing take place outside the galleries — in a cafe or a museum lobby. It may seem strange at first glance, however, there is a reason.

When the participants do not have the work of art in front of them, they have to rely on their memory and their notes, which makes them more focused during the observation process.

After the latest Slow Art Day, the internet exploded with emails from event hosts all over the world. As a museum professional, I never felt more a part of the museum community. My colleagues excitedly reported on the day’s progress in their museums using more exclamation marks than any style manual would recommend. What happens when people are looking at a work of art for an extended period of time? Obviously, they notice details which escaped them during a regular visit when they looked at many works in a cursory manner. But this is not all. Visitors often comment on how completely different their experience was when they gave themselves time to look at every square of a painting or every angle of a sculpture.

Some compare it to a treasure hunt, some emphasize the increased emotional involvement, some experience a surge of a creative energy which compels them to write a poem or make art.

This spring, the Stark Museum of Art hosted its first Slow Art Day. As the coordinator of this event, I can testify that it was an unforgettable experience for both the visitors and the museum staff. We had a highly motivated group of thirteen people who had great observations and reflections to share about the five chosen paintings. The list included a romantic landscape of Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt; a stormy seascape by Thomas Moran; a genre painting featuring a group of Indians riding on a buffalo hunt across a snow-covered plain by Henry Farny; a modernist painting of a canyon by Emil Bisttram; and a portrait of an elderly woman by Nicolai Fechin.

During the discussion that followed the viewing at Star and Crescent Moon Cafe in Shangri La Gardens, I

Emil James Bisttram (1895-1976), THE CANYON, 1950, oil on canvas, 40 x 25 inches, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 31.223.1

asked our group what painting they liked the most. The majority voted for Fechin’s portrait titled “La Abuela.” A deeply emotional response to this portrait is summed up in this poem written by one of the participants: Strong mouth Penetrating eyes Eternal face Temporary clothing Many smiles in the lines around the mouth Much sun on the skin The most controversial painting was Bisttram’s “Canyon.” Unlike the more conventional landscapes by Bierstadt and Moran, Bisttram’s painting is composed of flat, angular forms

which convey an idea, rather than portray a true-to-life image, of a rocky, confined space. This is how one of the participants commented on the group’s heated conversation about this work: “I loved the reaction during the discussion. This piece was polarizing and the volume went up a notch. As a more abstract painter, I loved the fact that this painting seemed to force the most visceral response.”

I also experienced a surge of creative energy as Slow Art Day came to an end. No, I did not write a poem, nor did I pick up a paint brush.

I kept thinking about the many ways I can incorporate looking at art slowly into educational programs for all ages.

14 • ISSUE June 2013

Volume 19, No. 9

CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS ‘Family Histories’

by Mar y Sibande Lamar University’s Dishman Art Museum is hosting “Family Histories,” featuring murals by contemporary South African artist Mary Sibande.

Exploring constructions of gender, class and race, the exhibition will run through Aug. 16.

Based in Johannesburg, Sibande employs the human form as a vehicle to explore the construction of identity in post-Apartheid South Africa. Her work also attempts to critique stereotypical depictions of women, particularly black women, in our society.

The Dishman Art Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday, and is located at 1030 East Lavaca, Beaumont, Texas. Free museum-dedicated parking is available in front of the Dishman during museum hours.

Call 409-880-8959 for more information or visit lamar.edu/dishman.

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.

Abigail McLaurin Solo Exhibition June 1 to June 30 at the Texas Artists Museum, 3501 Cultural Center Drive in Port Arthur.

Artist reception is June 13, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The Art Studio is looking for energetic people who have a few hours a month to help us in the following areas:

OFFICE SUPPORT BUILDINGS & GROUNDS SPECIAL EVENTS • MAILOUTS If you are interested in one or more of these opportunities or if you know of anyone who might be, give us a call at 409-838-5393

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.

2.

3.

4.

To present public exhibitions To provide educational opportunities To provide accessible equipment for artists To provide peer feedback through association with other artists and crafts people

OBJECTIVES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

To present 10 art exhibitions per year To maintain equipment for artists in a safe working environment To provide better access to artists for the public To offer regularly scheduled adult and children’s classes To develop and maintain public activities with all sectors of the community To develop and maintain equipment to aid artists in their work To provide a display retail outlet for artists To expand programming and activities with increased facility space

Volume 19, No. 9

June 2013 ISSUE • 15

Thoughtcrime

What Have I Done? compelled the fertile bell of earth to put forth plant and petalled birth forced life into existence with a shove

The Steadfast Truth

and ungloved, filthy hands A situation has the tendency to distort the expression

cut into the belly of the ground and ripped a baby from the womb

Of yourself A particular set of circumstances will cast hues and tones of Color onto your palette of self-perception

declared the dirt a follower of mine and told it to obey not sun and moon nor rain and wind but every furrow

The struggle emerges as

in my sweaty, harrowed brow

Self seeks steadfast truth Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer ISSUE solicits and publishes the work of local authors.

Poetry, short fiction, scholarly works and opinion pieces may be submitted for review. All works must be typed and may be sent to TASI by email or by messaging the ISSUE Facebook page.

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

All printed works are protected by copyright. The author retains rights to any published work. ISSUE does not notify of rejection by mail or telephone.

demanded love when all I’ve done is take advantage of its nakedness

There is a struggle because

and kicked it down and damned

Truth, for some of us— is hard

the damage I have done in days of

And Steadfastness— Well, that too

dousing, drowning, digging, dumping

Reveals my weaknesses

till its done growing, dead tired of me and given into dust hoping that in death

While keeping reign on helplessness and victimization

I'll bury it for good in some untended,

Rely on good judgment and a

unmarked grave beside a fruit tree

Functional mind and

with simple marker reading:

Keep your eye on the steadfast truth.

rest in peace my dearest garden bed

Cathy Atkinson

Jesse Doiron

WE WANT YOU FOR BAND NITE Hear original music by local musicians at For upcoming gigs, visit The Studio’s facebook page

$5

admission

All ages welcome • 21 and up BYOB and have your ID.

720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701

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

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

INSIDE • GEEK’S SUMMER GUIDE • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • SLOW ART • CHEF MONICA

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 Andy Ledesma Rhonda Rodman Sue Wright Cyndi Grimes Rhonda McNally Andy Coughlan Ben Jennings Beth Gallaspy John Roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Haley Bruyn Bryan LaVergne Gabe Sellers Ian Grice Abby McLaurin Samantha Wheeler Scott & John Alexander Heather Adams Terri Fox April Falgout B.J. Bourg Michelle Falgout Dana Dorman Reagan Havens Anna Buchele Nick Wilcox Stacey Haynes

JOIN US FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH THIS MONTH:

JUNE 1-29 GALLERY RECEPTION IS JUNE 1, 7-10 P.M.

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