Art
At Galveston Arts Center This Month:
“Standard Tan” Opens March 9th
Galveston Arts Center presents a solo exhibition by Austin-based artist Brad Tucker opening Saturday, March 9th,6-9pm, with an artist talk beginning at 6:30pm. Tucker’s exhibition, “Standard Tan,” includes a collection of wood, fabric, and painted sculptural objects that explore color, texture, and language. Often mimicking tools and utilitarian objects, his work plays with the loose ends of craftsmanship at the border between painting and sculpture. Tucker’s experience as an artist, skateboarder, musician, and teacher reveals itself in his work through the use of abstracted shapes, text, and sound elements encountered in his daily life. This exhibition will remain on view through June 2nd, 2019. Also on view in the second-floor 1878 and Brown Foundation Galleries, New Orleans-based artist, musician, and puppeteer Miss Pussycat presents an installation of her puppets and their worlds for the exhibition “The Puppet Worlds of Miss Pussycat.” In GAC’s second-floor vault, Miss Pussycat’s partner Quintron presents one of his most notable inventions, the Drum Buddy. “DRUM BUDDY (Miss Pussycat Model)” is a one of a kind version of his light activated, analog synthesizer, installed to activate the unique acoustics of one of GAC’s historic vaults. These exhibitions will remain on view through April 21st, 2019. The galleries and the ArtWorks Museum Store are open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 11am5pm, and Sunday 12 noon-5pm. Admission is free at all times. GAC is located at 2127 Strand St., Downtown Galveston. Events Conversations @ The Center features artists and arts professionals who speak about and show images of their work, practices, professions, or
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discuss timely issues in contemporary visual art. The 2019 series highlights Texas-based authors who have published books on topics in contemporary art, joined in conversation with individuals that give special insight into local and regional connections to their work. All events are free and open to the public. Scheduled are: • March 31st (2-3pm): Jay Wehnert and Recie Kraemer - Author Jay Wehnert will speak about his book, “Outsider Art in Texas: Lone Stars,” in conversation with Galveston resident Recie Kraemer, owner of Karol Virag’s Decoupage House. • May (2-3pm): Pete Gershon and Michael Tracy - Pete Gershon will speak about his book, “Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston, 1972–1985,” in conversation with an artist featured in the book. Art Club for Kids (Tuesdays, 4:15-5:45pm) Perfect for home-schoolers or after school, this mixed age art club centers on the student-directed exploration of drawing, painting, sculpture, and more. Instructors focus on expanding students’ experience of art beyond the school classroom and introducing novel art techniques, tools, concepts, and inspiration. GAC instructors teach expressive arts practice, where kids use traditional art techniques to develop essential skills like intuitive reasoning, investigative play, and self-confidence. This program is designed for students in grades 3-9. Cost depends on how many sessions your child attends. Every Tuesday (Tuesdays, 6-8pm): Ceramic Studio - Learn hand-building techniques in pottery, figurative sculpture, and glazing with earthenware clay. Create sculptural relief tiles, full 3-D sculpture, functional pottery and tableware, figures, and more. This course uses ancient methods that don’t require a potter’s wheel, including coil construction and slab-construction.
Students will learn how to securely join corners and handles, make lids fit properly, and various kinds of surface treatments, textures and glazes. Fees are $50 for two sessions or $75 for four sessions. Join at any time! March 9th (10am4pm): Polymer Clay Workshop - This workshop will be with award-winning designer Paula Kennedy. Join Paula for her quarterly workshop and learn how to make imitation wood-patterned coasters. They have the look of real wood, and liquid won’t hurt them. Take yours home at the end of the workshop. This is for adults and teens ages 14 and up. No experience necessary. Tuition is $75 and all materials are provided. Mondays starting March 11th-April 15th (5:307:30pm): Printmaking Studio - GAC’s Spring Printmaking Sampler course will cover a variety of printmaking techniques, taught by graphic designer/printmaker Betsy Campbell of Betsy by Design (pictured above). In this 6-week course you will also get comfortable with printmaking terminology and conventions like how to use registers, sign and number your editions, create a series, and more. This is suitable for beginners or experienced printmakers. All materials included. The 6-week course is $150. Spring Break Art Camps Tie in with Current Exhibition In conjunction with Galveston Arts Center’s current exhibition, “The Puppet Worlds of Miss Pussycat,” young artists will get the chance to create their own puppet theater production over Spring Break at this year’s PUPPETPALOOZA, a five-day art camp that meets for three hours a day in GAC’s studio classroom. Local youngsters and those visiting Galveston over the break can enroll now to participate from Monday-Friday, March 11th-15th. Two sessions are offered to
accommodate artists of different ages: one from 9am to 12 noon for artists in grades 1-3, and another from 1-4pm for artists in grades 4-8. Grade levels listed are suggestions, however the youngest campers must be at least 6 years old. Campers will enjoy an in-depth guided tour of the exhibition. They will then get to create their own production while learning and practicing storyboarding, creative writing, character design, kinetic sculpture, structural engineering, voice acting, set design, collaboration, and teamwork. On the last day of camp, the students will perform and record their puppet show for a live audience of their adoring fans. “Kids are natural puppeteers,” according to Miss Pussycat, the New Orleans-based artist and musician behind the exhibition, which includes over 50 homemade puppets, puppet theaters, videos, storyboards, photographs, and ceramics statues of puppets created for her complex, highly amusing puppet shows which she has been performing to live audiences in underground venues around the world for the past 20 years. She herself got started as a child in her youth ministry at the Southern Baptist Church of Antlers, Oklahoma, and will be back in Galveston later this March to do a special workshop with second grade students from Parker Elementary. The Spring Break PUPPETPALOOZA art camps will be taught by Nellie Cornett, local artists and art teacher at Satori School, and Cristal Aldrete, local ceramicist and art teacher at the Resource and Crisis Center and the Ronald McDonald House for GAC’s multi-site weekly outreach program Art for All. PUPPETPALOOZA Art Camps are held in the fully accessible studio classroom at Galveston Arts Center’s downtown location at the corner of Strand and 22nd. GAC members can receive a $30 discount off the $150 tuition for the week. All materials are included. Online enrollment is currently open at: galvestonartscenter.org/puppet-camp-2019 The Puppet Worlds of Miss Pussycat is on view now through April 21st at Galveston Arts Center. Admission is free at all times; photographs are allowed, but viewers are asked to please refrain from touching the artwork.