Staff Report - Howard Taylor
SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES Friday, June 20, 2008
Everyone knows that, "Water and oil do not mix." This is an expression
that is often used to describe groups or ideas that don't seem to work together
logically. Some people believe art and science are two fundamentally different
enterprises and ways of thinking that don't mix well. At the San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts, we believe we are on the path to demonstrating that this is
not true.
Working together, the San Angelo Independent School District, the Upper Colorado River Authority and the museum have just launched a pilot program that will involve nine middle school students of diverse backgrounds, all of whom are gifted and enthusiastic students.
The young students will assist in designing exhibits and education products that will be used in a wonderful, renovated older building on Oakes Street, the Concho River Basin Aquatic Research and Education Center. The Upper Colorado River Authority will use this building for public programs to challenge and inform the community about the vital issues related to regional water quality.
The students also will be challenged to learn about our local concerns related to water quality and, through their creative thinking, art and design, convey those ideas to others.
One thing the students will certainly learn is that in terms of water quality - water and oil and all of the other toxic runoff of our modern civilization do not mix! They will be made aware of the fact that San Angelo lives in one of the most water-challenged environments in our nation.
I fully expect that in a few years, when they are adults, some of the children participating in this pilot project will help lead the way toward solutions related to environment issues that will have an impact on the entire world.
This will be the result of a wonderful mixture of art, science and community
institutions working together for a better future.
By Sun Cha, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Friday, June 6, 2008
If you want to sign your child up for the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts' summer program, come on out to Family Day on Saturday.
If not, come on out anyway.
Although the main purpose of Family Day is to register children for the Summer for Kids program, it evolved into an activity and art-filled day for the entire family.
"This event traditionally kicks off our Summer for Kids," said Howard Taylor, museum director. "It's registration for anyone who wants to sign up. About 15 years ago, we decided to add a lot of activities while people are here so they can have something to do."
He said the museum holds Family Day twice a year, but he hopes to expand it to once a month.
"It's lots of fun. We have refreshments and various things going for the families," Taylor said. "It's kind of like a party, free and fun. We make the museum free that day as well."
Jade Norris, museum educator and coordinator of Family Day, said families will be able to participate in several activities.
"Everyone, especially those who don't come out to the museum, can find out what the museum does all the time," Norris said.
She said people can participate in making sun prints, drawing, painting, collages and more.
"It's a good way for families to come and have a nice day together, to bond together," Norris said. "I always find that the adults have just as much, if not more, fun than the kids do."
Taylor said those who do not wish to enroll in the Summer for Kids program are still welcome to join in the activities.
About 500 people attended Family Day last year, Taylor said.
"It's a very good turnout," he said.
By Nicole Sawatzky, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Friday, June 6, 2008
Young minds are about to get a chance to think outside the box.
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts will begin its Summer for Kids art classes Monday. The longtime annual program is designed to give children more exposure to art.
"It's our summer program for children ages 3 to 12. What we do is we offer classes for seven weeks in the summer. They're able to come to the museum for an hour a day and get to work with different techniques and materials," museum educator Jade Norris said.
The program features a new art project each week. Scheduled activities include drawing, American Indian art, mask making, pottery and more.
"It's a way to expose them to new things," Norris said.
Classes are divided by age. Younger children may learn only the basic methods, while older children learn more advanced techniques. Norris said children in the 3- to 4-year-old classes should have a parent, older sibling or other relative attend the class with them.
"It's a good experience because they get to work together and make something together," she said.
Registration is required for the program, which more than 800 children participated in last year. Participants can register at the museum's Family Day on Saturday.
Norris said the children enjoy working on the various art projects, some of which they may not experience at home or at school.
"They always have those cute little smiles on their face when they finish," Norris said.
Staff Report - Jade Norris
SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES Friday, May 30, 2008
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is asking for volunteers for its SAMFA
Family Day.
Volunteers are needed to set up, clean up, assist children with art activities and assist with registration for the Summer for Kids program.
The Family Day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 7 at the art museum, 1 Love St.
To volunteer or for more information, call Jade at (325) 653-3333.
Staff Report - Howard Taylor
SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES Friday, May 16, 2008
In front of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, looming over the banks of
the Concho River, is a giant longhorn bull. He stands more than 10 feet tall
and weighs more than a ton. He looks as though he has just stopped grazing
and is ready to move to the riverbank to refresh himself.
Fortunately, this bull will stay exactly where he is until early September. He is the creation of master sculptor Joe Barrington of Throckmorton. Barrington's amazing work can be seen in museums, sculpture gardens and private collections throughout the country. In commenting on this work, Barrington said, "My images are drawn from a lifetime of living in rural Texas, with the people, animals and folklore being an integral part of the tales I share."
The bull is on loan from a private collector. After visiting San Angelo, it will reside permanently on the ranch of its owner. From the perspective of craftsmanship and skill, this massive sculpture is an amazing work to behold. Barrington grew up around welding, and his father gave him his first welding lesson when he was 2. It is amazing to see how he can take heavy sheets of steel and cut and weld them into shapes and forms that possess an uncanny sense of life.
The art museums in Midland, Odessa, Abilene and Albany also will be featuring a major work by Barrington this summer.
These four museums, together with SAMFA, have come together to help celebrate West-Central Texas as "the space for art" and as a destination for visitors from other parts of the country to see and experience the wonderful museums, cultural amenities and communities of our region.
We have created a Web site, westtexastriangle.org, that will connect you with each of the museums and their local chambers of commerce. We are regularly running full-page ads in Texas Monthly magazine and major travel publications, and we are seeing a significant influx of visitors from outside the region.
We certainly want everyone in San Angelo to visit our museum first, but we encourage you to see and enjoy the truly remarkable cultural richness that exists within these other great communities that are only a very short drive away. You won't want to miss all the sculptures by Barrington, an artist whose work is powerful enough to require a vast area of Texas to be truly appreciated.
By Nicole Sawatzky, Special to the SAN ANGELO
STANDARD-TIMES
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Former San Angeloan and poet Max Preston will give a poetry reading from his
new book, "The Phoenix Collection and Other Poems," as part of the
Downtown Artwalk event today at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
"I have memories here in this book that are part of my life in San Angelo," Preston said.
He lived in San Angelo for 18 years. He moved from the city in 1977. While here, he served on a number of community panels, including the Tom Green County Bar Association and the Tom Green County Library Board.
Although "The Phoenix Collection and Other Poems" is Preston's first book, the former GTE vice president said poetry has been a part of his life for decades.
"I actually started in high school," Preston said. "It was one of those things where you write poetry about situations and memories and never show anyone."
Preston said his late wife, Norma, urged him to publish his writing. It was also Norma who helped establish a tie with the San Angelo museum. She was a skilled artist, and some of her works are part of the museum's collection.
"We have around five paintings of her artwork in the permanent collection," said Karen Zimmerly, museum collections manager. "So we have a relationship with Max."
After he remarried, Preston's second wife, Patricia, continued to encourage him to compile a poetry collection.
"Both my wives had pushed and said, 'Look, you have these folders full of poems that are actually very good,'" Preston said.
"The Phoenix Collection and Other Poems" includes poetry about a wide range of subjects, from spirituality to nature. The book received high praise from Lee Smith, New York Times bestselling author, who called his poems "experiences to identify with, lines to savor."
Preston said he tries to write his poetry in a way that all readers can identify with.
"If you can't make it accessible to the people, you haven't done a good job," Preston said.
By ANGELA SHAFFER, Special to the SAN ANGELO
STANDARD-TIMES
Sunday, April 20, 2008
What happens when there's a ceramics show in town, but you know next to nothing
about art, much less ceramics? Don't worry - the 17th annual San Angelo National
Ceramic Competition has a little something for everyone.
The show opened at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts with an awards reception Friday night, but the interesting part takes place after the prizes have been awarded and artists praised.
The best part of this show is when you show up and see all of the amazing, weird, and just plain cool pieces on display.
Open until June 22, the ceramics show has everything from the mundane to the zany, but one thing's for certain - people won't be bored. Fans of the TV series "The A-Team" will appreciate Jason Huff's Mr. T-Pot, a small teapot sculpture that captures the image of Mr. T perfectly. From the layered gold chains to the audacious gold glitter adorning the pot's base, this Mr. T speaks to visitors. He says, "I pity the fool."
If that isn't your cup of tea, try first-place winner Steve Hilton's "53.405 53.406 53.407." The piece is bizarre and awe-inspiring. A 2005 graduate of Arizona State University, Hilton said the inspiration for the prize-winning installation came from money - or lack of it.
"I came up with the idea by recycling clay pieces discarded by undergraduates while I was a graduate student," he said. "I was broke, and I hated throwing anything away."
A world traveler educated in geology, Hilton's piece is evocative of South Dakota's badlands and the atolls of the South Pacific rim, places where he's lived and worked. Multicolored and jagged, the individual stoneware bits create stark mountains, dark pits and swirling vortices. It is art that simply can't be missed.
If you're looking for something a little lighter, try second-place winner Leslie Lewis' "Siren's Song." Women everywhere are likely to love these curvy beauties that do not represent sex symbols. With heads raised, eyes closed and mouths open in song or supplication, these gals have lived long and full lives, and it shows. They are realistic portrayals of women - the ones that have seen it all and still rise daily to fight the good fight. No wonder each of the sirens is adorned with her own set of golden wings.
This art show will offer you dancing bottles, a dangling bleached heart and amoebas dancing with water lilies. The spritz and glitz of this year's show is thanks to juror Anna Harris. Harris was saddled with the seemingly impossible task of whittling thousands of entries down to a comparatively meager 130 pieces.
Curator of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Miss., Harris said that this year's show is impressively varied in content and style.
"I really love the whimsy and fun present in lots of the work," she said. "There's lots of light and fun pieces that borrow from pop culture. Everyone will find something to love."
An added treat to this year's ceramics show was a workshop at the Chicken Farm Art Center hosted by ceramicist Jack Earl. For seven hours, participants in the workshop were treated to Earl's vision - a lifetime of experience and a love for clay.
"When I was younger, I copied everything my teachers did, and one of those teachers worked in clay," Earl said. "I picked it up, and it's stuck ever since."
That's not what Earl sees as the primary goal of teaching or artwork.
"People can learn the general techniques," he said. "But it's character that makes the artist. Perseverance just can't be taught."
By Rick Smith, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Friday, April 18, 2008
A recent endowment of more than $250,000 will help the San Angelo Museum of
Fine Arts continue to enhance its national reputation in contemporary ceramic
arts, said Howard Taylor, executive director of the museum.
John and Darlene Williams, owners of Trinity Ceramics Supply of Dallas, made the gift as "seed money" for a permanent endowment for the museum, Taylor said.
He said the Dallas couple have been supporters of the museum for more than a decade.
The recent gift coincides with today's opening of the 17th National Ceramic Competition at the museum. Taylor said the Williamses' endowment will support the competition as well as other ceramic events held at the museum.
Taylor said the national competition and SAMFA's ceramics collection have "helped put the museum and the community on the map."
The ceramics competition, held every other year, is a three-day event that includes workshops, a symposium, receptions, exhibits and discussions.
The event is hosted by the museum, The Chicken Farm Art Center and Angelo State University. It attracts more than 200 artists and collectors from around the nation as well as scores of local art patrons, students and others.
The Williamses' endowment will be held at the San Angelo Area Foundation, a community foundation established in 2002 that is overseen by a volunteer board of directors from this area.
Local ceramics competition showcases medium's diversity
By Jenny Michaud, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Friday, April 18, 2008
From the depths of the Earth to the outskirts of the imagination, the art that comes from clay never ceases to amaze even a seasoned ceramics critic.
According to organizers of the 17th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition, this year is no exception.
The event, which kicks off today, has long been a collaboration between the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, the Old Chicken Farm Art Center and the Art Department at Angelo State University. Nearly 500 ceramics artists from across the continent submitted pieces for consideration in the competition.
It was up to this year's juror, Anna Harris, to sort through more than 1,000 slides of the artists' work and narrow it down to an exhibit of 120 pieces. Those pieces will be on display at SAMFA through June.
"It's really fun and very overwhelming," she said of the task. "You want to have a wonderful show that's representative of the world of contemporary ceramics."
Harris is curator of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Miss., and of a traveling exhibit featured through the weekend's festivities. George Ohr was an early American potter who has only recently been recognized for his contributions to modern art.
SAMFA Director Howard Taylor counts Ohr among the early pop and funk artists, and called him an eccentric who was ahead of his time.
Harris agreed.
"He was one of the first artists' potters," she said. "He was really one of the first abstract artists in the 20th century. Even today, his work feels contemporary."
Harris added that she took inspiration from Ohr's whimsical and innovative work when selecting pieces for the upcoming event.
"A lot of these artists are doing new and amazing things," Harris said. "The variety is amazing. It's well-rounded. It shows all of the elements."
The competition is only part of the fun throughout the weekend. Organizers take this time to showcase the diversity and creativity involved in working with clay.
Various workshops, gallery openings and receptions will take place.
Taylor emphasized that the ceramics competition is a communitywide event. All activities are open to the public, and free transportation is provided around downtown on opening night.
Harris said eventgoers can all find something that catches their eye, inspires them or even makes them laugh.
"It's a lot to take in. It's really neat just to see the variety,"
she said. "It's going to be a great show."
By Nicole Sawatzky, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Sunday, March 30, 2008
You won't find these flicks in Tinseltown.
On Tuesday, the Best of the Fest video event at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts will give film lovers a chance to see some of the best in short films.
"It's a program that's done through the Video Association of Dallas," said Valerie Bluthardt, program manager at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. "They have done this for 20 years. It's a competition that they do, that people submit videos."
Tuesday's event will feature a collection of the best entries from the competition, both professional and amateur. The films include a wide range of subjects and styles - animation to drama.
"Most people, when they think film, they think film classics. This is something that is different," Bluthardt said.
The event is one that is usually found in larger cities, but has drawn a good local attendance, she said. The short films differ from traditional movies, and sometimes include "edgy" material.
"You need to come to it with a little bit of an open mind," Bluthardt
said. "It gives you a different perspective on what's going on (in) the
video and film world."
San Angelo Live recently featured an online exclusive interview with artist Dixie Friend Gay whose paintings are currently on display at the Museum. Read the interview here!
By Howard Taylor, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Friday, January 4, 2008
On Dec. 20, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts broke ground for the next phase
of adaptive re-use of a block of buildings it owns on South Oakes Street,
adjacent to the museum, called the South Oakes Street Cultural and Education
Center.
The museum has been gradually repairing and upgrading these facilities. The former gas station at South Oakes and Love streets has been restored, and an adjacent building at 421 S. Oakes St. has been converted to a community space known as the Coop Gallery.
The new phase of construction will remodel the building at 415 S. Oakes St. in a joint venture with the Upper Colorado River Authority. The UCRA will operate a "Concho River Basin Aquatic Research and Education Center." Partial funding for this building is the result of a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This is an extension of the recently completed Paseo project that is a major element in filtering storm water runoff and helps to improve the Concho River's water quality.
With the completion of the education building on Oakes Street, the UCRA will be able to undertake ongoing education programs related to the Paseo area and the entire Concho River ecosystem.
There will be emphasis on programs and exhibits for children, many of which will be undertaken jointly with the art museum.
The entire complex of buildings will feature regular exhibits and programs for children such as a recent art exhibition in the Coop Gallery that featured a special ecology-based project done in collaboration with Fort Concho and Santa Rita Elementary schools.
The museum will continue to raise funds for two other phases of this project.
We will build an open-air deck linking Oakes Street to the nearby art museum and complete the two buildings at 421 and 423 S. Oakes St. for use as an artist-in-residence apartment and studio. A final phase will include an adaptive re-use of the former gas station.
The effort to acquire these properties began in 2002 under the leadership of Angela Williams, a museum board member and former board president. It has taken years of hard work, numerous donations and hours of donated labor from various community groups. We are deeply grateful to the visionary people who have brought us so far and know that this project will have an enormous impact on the overall attractiveness and livability of our community.
Howard Taylor is the director of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Contact him at director@samfa.org or (325) 653-3333.
By Jayna Boyle, SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Pictured Left to Right: San Angelo Mayor, J.W. Lown, European
Union Ambassador, John Bruton, SAMFA Director, Howard Taylor.
The idea of improving education for everyone in a community struck a chord
with several San Angelo leaders who attended a luncheon featuring John Bruton,
European Union ambassador to the United States.
The ambassador, who was on a three-day trip to San Angelo from Washington, D.C., is a former prime minister of Ireland and helped transform the Irish economy into the "Celtic Tiger," one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. While speaking Monday in San Angelo, Bruton outlined what has led to Ireland's economic success, and some local leaders drew parallels with concepts San Angelo is trying to adapt.
"The smallness and remoteness of San Angelo is a strength," Bruton said. "People who are outside investors know that they will have community support."
He attributed Ireland's economic success to these factors:
The country joined the European Union in 1973, giving the country access
to the largest market in the world.
The decision was made in the 1960s to make secondary education free.
Ireland invested in technical education for high school graduates. "Synergy
between university and businesses is an explanation for Ireland's success,"
Bruton said.
The country established a 12.5 percent corporation tax on trading income that
will not increase for the next 20 years.
Ireland is a small country, so those wanting to establish businesses or trade
in Ireland have fewer people and steps to go through.
"That intimacy I've seen in San Angelo - people don't need to give someone
a business card when they shake hands because they already know each other
- is a tremendous asset," Bruton said.
People like living in Ireland. Residents have activities and interests, as
well as a sense of history.
"That's why I commend San Angelo - for its celebration of history,"
Bruton said.
The ambassador visited Christmas at Old Fort Concho on Sunday and saw a depiction of times when the fort was in use.
Mayor J.W. Lown said he was pleased with the full house at San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts on Monday that greeted Bruton - about 175 people came to hear him speak at the luncheon, which was hosted by the Standard-Times.
The mayor drew a few similarities in economic approaches between Ireland and San Angelo. He said the city is working to make San Angelo a place where people want to live, and the half-cent sales tax for economic development helps.
Lown also said the idea of investing in education and creating a trained work force is something that the city is interested in. The city recently approved a $163,000 economic development incentive for Howard College to help fund the renovation of the West Texas Training Center.
"We recognize that people have to have jobs for the future," Lown said.
LeAnne Byrd, chief academic officer of the Howard College campus in San Angelo, said the community college, and the West Texas Training Center are working to promote technical education in the Concho Valley.
She said it was nice to hear Bruton validate that push.
"He said we need to be ready for the next thing," Byrd said. "The key is finding out what is going to be the next thing. We're always having to train for what doesn't exist yet."
During a question-and-answer segment later Monday, Bruton said that if San Angelo were in Ireland, it would be the third- or fourth-biggest city. His advice for San Angelo is to continue strong K-12 education and go to great lengths to prevent dropouts.
He stressed that education is important for everyone, saying, "We need infantry as well as generals."
A. Mario Castillo, a San Angelo business owner and president of The Aegis Group, Ltd. in Washington, D.C., persuaded Bruton to visit San Angelo. He brought a group of boys from the West Texas Boys Ranch to Bruton's luncheon, calling the group "San Angelo's future leaders."
Castillo and Bruton are neighbors in Washington, and last Christmas, Castillo told him he needed to visit the city.
"I said he needed to come to San Angelo to see real hospitality," Castillo said. " I called the mayor and told him to invite the ambassador."
Bruton's 25-year-old son, Matthew Bruton, accompanied his father on the trip to San Angelo. Matthew Bruton said he doesn't often travel with his father on business trips, but he wanted to see rural America.
"People are so friendly here in a way that's really welcoming," Matthew Bruton said. "I feel like I'm back in Ireland, in a way, because the people have that warmth."
By ANGELA SHAFFER
Special to the SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Art combines fun, education, and the merriment of Christmas in its latest exhibition.
The museum's second-floor gallery houses two displays - gifts given to typical children of the late 19th century on loan from Fort Concho, and postcards and paper dolls from the Raphael Tuck and Sons Company.
The Tuck exhibit doesn't just offer a glimpse at dolls and cards. The British mid-Victorian era company was responsible for the popularization of both postcards and Christmas cards. But what makes the exhibit truly special is that the pieces are on loan from Christopher Tuck, a former San Angelo resident and descendant of Raphael Tuck.
SAMFA Director Howard Taylor said the Tuck exhibit is particularly special because of the San Angelo link.
There is also a portrait of Tuck given to him by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and illustrations for Charles Dickens' "The Pickwick Papers" on display.
"We
have a local tie to the company that created the Christmas card, and that's
really something special," Taylor said.
The first third-floor gallery hosts art from Skeeter and Linda Bockman. The couple creates images of endangered African animals from recycled metal. Upon entering, you're greeted by a yawning hippo and the promise of a metal safari. Look right, and you'll see a large silverback lowland gorilla, complete with fingers and toes made of railroad spikes.
The museum, Taylor said, "shows only top-notch artwork. When we take interest in a folk artist like Skeeter, it means that his work is exceptional."
Upon entering the third floor's back gallery, you'll be welcomed byan array of spectacular and precise pieces by Karl Bodmer.
Bodmer
was an early Victorian-era artist who was commissioned by the naturalist Prince
Maximillian to capture the spirit of native Americans during an exhibition
along the upper Missouri River in 1832.
While Bodmer's pieces are attractive in prints and online, the actual art is an impressive sight to behold. The detail of facial features and coloring is extraordinary.
Many of the 73 Bodmer pieces on display are hand-colored aquatints, a form of printmaking that uses acid to etch into copper or zinc plates that are then placed into a printing press to create the final work of art. The result is apparent in the collection's vivid colors and lifelike imagery.
Move
onto the roof and you'll be greeted by a colorful flock of 11 sheep that look
westward, keeping a keen eye on downtown San Angelo. If you missed October's
Sheeptacular parade downtown, come see what all the hubbub was about.
Though the sheep were interesting on their first public appearance, they are an amazing sight close-up.
Taylor invites everyone to see the current exhibits, on display until Jan. 6.
"Come to the museum, and you'll definitely be treated to a wonderful
show," he said.
Howard Taylor
San Angelo Standard-Times
Friday, November 23, 2007
In 1984, I experienced my first holiday season in San Angelo.
I was amazed by the wonderful and joyful way that this community celebrated the season.
Besides the spectacular Christmas at Fort Concho event, there were endless other offerings throughout the community. Today, Christmas at Old Fort Concho remains as exciting as it ever was and is a fresh and new event each year.
All the other cultural organizations add their own flair to the season. The Civic Ballet's Nutcracker, the highly entertaining offerings of the Civic Theatre and the brilliant holiday concerts produced by the Symphony make our town a holiday wonderland.
In recent years, other events have emerged, such as the celebrations at the Historic Orient and Santa Fe Depot and one of the nation's most-dazzling Christmas light displays. All these events can be looked on as a gift to the community, and as we attract more and more visitors during this season, as a gift to the world.
Each year, the art museum contributes its own special offering. We are particularly pleased this year to present a special exhibit called "The Gift."
The tradition of gift-giving during the holiday season around the time of the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice goes back to ancient times and spans many cultures. The exhibit takes a look at gifts that would have been given to children as long as 150 years ago.
It highlights a collection of rare items from Rafael Tuck and Sons, the British company that, in the Victorian Era, created the printed Christmas card and paper doll. Former San Angelo resident Chris Tuck, a descendant of Rafael Tuck, lent us this remarkable collection.
The museum also will host a flock of "painted sheep" on our rooftop deck. They were created through a project organized by Downtown San Angelo, Inc. and will eventually be displayed throughout the city.
We'll also have two other exciting exhibits: one featuring an amazing menagerie of folk sculpture animals, and the other the engravings of one of the most important artists to explore the early American West.
These exhibits open on Thursday, Nov. 29, with a free public reception with refreshments from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. They continue through Sunday, Jan. 6. Call us at (325) 653-3333 for more information.
All of us at the museum wish you a warm and wonderful holiday season!
Howard Taylor is director of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
BY ANGELA SHAFFER
Special to the San Angelo Standard-Times
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts stepped outside its usual boundaries Saturday.
The first annual Eco Fair was held on and around the museum's grounds, inviting
people to see art and learn about environmental issues. Santa
Rita and Ft. Concho Elementary Kids perform eco songs at the Museum.
The day opened with a dedication ceremony for the new Eco Ponds, a four-tiered structure between the museum and Celebration Bridge. Using reclaimed and cleansed runoff, the ponds serve as visible evidence that green projects don't have to be unsightly. The ponds will be stocked with aquatic life, including minnows, catfish and local plants.
The ponds are the culmination of a decade-long project aimed at cleaning up water runoff from storms and other sources that used to drain into in the Concho River. Mayor J.W. Lown stated that the Concho hasn't experienced a mass fish kill in five years thanks to water filtration systems in place along the river.
Remodeling of several museum-owned properties on South Oakes Street will begin in early 2008, and those buildings will be used as educational environments, specifically targeting water conservation and cleansing.
The event hosted many vendors and information booths, including artists from the Chicken Farm Art Center and several energy agencies, but the day's primary focus was on the preservation of the environment.
SAMFA Director Howard Taylor believes the focus on environmental issues is not only a timely but necessary component of the art community.
"Part of the job of museums is to be provocateurs," Taylor said. "We chose to create the Eco Fair because the art museum is not just about art, but the world we live in and, without a doubt, critical issues and how we deal with these issues."
Gary Gibbs, executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts, believes that the water reclamation project and others like it are needed for the community to gain awareness of ecological issues.
"I think it's an absolutely wonderful example of art partnering with governmental agencies to create a project that's going to bring higher global awareness to the community," he said. "In the arts, and especially in this community, there is an inherent atmosphere of cooperation to get projects out there."
Fifth-graders from Santa Rita and Fort Concho elementary schools had a Trash-to-Treasure project on display. Students gathered items that would otherwise have gone into the trash and created anything from soda-can sculptures to a work of fish made from plastic bottles.
Santa Rita teacher Tracey Ferguson said the project "helps us to realize that our trash can be recycled into something useful."
Keep San Angelo Beautiful and the San Angelo Friends of the Environment were also on hand to educate the public about landscaping and recycling options. SAFE director Terri Calderon said that even though it's not traditionally a common practice to recycle, current events, popular figures and word-of-mouth have helped the community to participate in recycling more. She urges community members to remember that "it's really easy to lessen the footprint that we leave."
SAFE sold reusable, eco-friendly canvas bags to support the financial demands of the center and gave recycling bins away. Calderon wants everyone to remember that Texas Recycles Day is Nov. 15, and that the center will accept numerous items free of charge.
The BigBag1 was also on display. Created by the West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, the BigBag1 is an 8-foot high canvas bag. The "Bagonaut," Holistic Rodeo director Egan Sanders, was on hand to discuss the environmental benefits of reusable shopping bags.
"These are great for everyone. There are bare-bones bags, canvas and designer bags," he said.
The bags are on sale at Albertson's grocery store and will soon make an appearance at H-E-B.
Martha Visney has been involved with SAMFA for many years, and knows that sometimes people think the museum is only for wealthy people. "The museum is here for the entire community," she said. "It is a learning environment, and it's for everyone in San Angelo."
She hopes more people will come and learn, not only about the artwork that the museum offers but also about local and global environmental concerns.
Taylor recognizes the importance of the community members in the creation of projects such as the Eco Ponds. "This is a grass-roots, home-grown project," he said. "That just makes me happy."
Howard Taylor
Friday, October 19, 2007 San Angelo Standard-Times
In front of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday, there will be a ceremony to mark the dedication of the new Aquatic Ecosystem and completion of El Paseo de Santa Angela.
This will be an event of major historic significance. The Paseo was conceived more than 15 years ago as part of a plan for linking some of our community's greatest assets such as Fort Concho to downtown.
The museum's board and staff led the way in the conception of this plan, which, under the dynamic leadership of Lee Pfluger in partnership with the city, the Standard-Times, dozens of other businesses and hundreds of volunteers, has become a vital force in the heart of our community.
This last 100 yards of the Paseo is the most dramatic and exciting piece of this vast effort of urban renewal. It is the outcome of public-private partnership and resources and input from citizens and numerous agencies.
The Upper Colorado River Authority led the way, working closely with the city of San Angelo. It is a space that will immediately impress all who go there with its beauty and the way in which it unites the formerly disconnected elements of the Celebration Bridge and Concho River, the RiverStage, the 9/11 Memorial, the museum and the pathway that leads to the Fort Concho National Historic Landmark.
This space also includes four aquatic life ponds that filter river water and collected rain runoff and return the cleaned water to the river. The project will serve to educate all of us about our river assets and the need to protect them.
On this exciting day, the museum will present art activities for children, craft booths, entertainment, exhibits and products that highlight conservation, and a fishing competition for children. This event, called Eco-Fair/Family Day, will become an annual event and underscores the museum's commitment to encouraging sound ecological living.
We will soon be partnering with the river authority in a new education center the agency will develop on museum property. We are creating a support group to help us relandscape and interpret the grounds of the museum using native plants.
From the beginning, the museum has looked at the community as the greatest work of art, and we are very pleased to help celebrate this historic day in the life of our community.
Howard Taylor is the director of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
By Rick Smith San Angelo Standard-Times
Friday, October 19, 2007
Saturday's
first Eco Fair is really three celebrations rolled into one.
1. It's an expanded, eco-friendly version of an old favorite celebration:
Family Day at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
2. It celebrates the completion of the final piece of El Paseo de Santa Angela.
3. It celebrates the latest step in a 10-year program to clean up water that flows into the North Concho River.
Eco Fair is a new event that combines fun family events with ideas on how
to help protect the planet. The fair will feature art, food, drinks, demonstrations,
exhibits, speakers, music and more.
The Paseo-to-Celebration Bridge link is a walkway built around a series of
four ponds, water channels and terraces that descend to the river. The walkway
includes steps as well as ramps.
The ponds eventually will become a "living laboratory" of native
fish and aquatic plants.
The walkway runs from the "old" Paseo path (which ended alongside the museum) to Celebration Bridge.
The new pathway also links the Paseo to the museum, the Sept. 11 Memorial and the Don Aylor Sr. Memorial RiverStage.
The third reason for the celebration, the part you can't see, may be the
most important. A huge structure, buried near the pathway, captures and cleans
runoff water from the museum's parking lots, then releases it into the ponds
or river.
"We wanted the public to see that you can do a good, efficient job of
storm water treatment without making it unsightly," said Fred Teagarden,
senior hydrologist for the Upper Colorado River Authority in San Angelo.
The new treatment device is the last piece of a 10-year program to filter storm water along a 4.75-mile stretch of the North Concho.
Fred said the program, which was undertaken by the UCRA, the city of San Angelo and other agencies, is a success.
"We've really made a difference and improved the water quality through downtown," he said.
I can't vouch for water quality, but the look of El Paseo has improved dramatically with its last link in place.
Before, the tiered path ended abruptly at an ugly parking lot between the museum and RiverStage.
Now it flows steadily downhill, finally joining Celebration Bridge by the mermaid statue.
When I visited Wednesday, workers were putting finishing touches on the walkway and ponds.
Even with the landscaping not quite complete, the walkway and water look gorgeous. They tie the museum, memorial, RiverStage and river together like a ribbon and bow on a special gift.
Saturday's Eco Fair is the perfect way to celebrate this special present that's for us and for future San Angeloans.
Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact him at rsmith@sastandardtimes.com or (325) 659-8248.
If you go
What: Eco Fair Family Day and dedication of the Upper Colorado River Authority
Water Reclamation Project.
When: Dedication of the reclamation project is at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The
Eco Fair follows from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: In and around the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St.
Cost: No admission cost to the fair or museum. A few events, such as the fishing
fiesta and pumpkin painting, do have small fees.
For more information: See www.samfa.org or call 653-3333
By PAUL A. ANTHONY, San Angelo Standard-Times
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A trio of San Angelo organizations received grants Wednesday from the Texas Commission on the Arts.
The grants, which provide essential funds for arts-related budgets and programs throughout the state, will help fund museum salaries and a summer music series in San Angelo.
"In the nonprofit world, a single dollar can make a huge difference," said Lorie Cantu, executive director of the San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council. "That's more that we can put in the community."
The Cultural Affairs Council received nearly $16,000 from the commission - $6,500 to fund its annual summer Cactus Music Series and nearly $9,400 to subgrant to other San Angelo arts organizations and programs, such as the Angelo Civic Theatre, the Boys & Girls Club and the San Angelo State School.
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts received about $6,500 for museum salaries, said museum Director Howard Taylor, and the San Angelo Symphony Society received nearly $3,000.
The grants are awarded each year from a pool of applicants, Cantu said.
The Cultural Affairs Council received nearly triple the amount it received last year, she said.
SAMFA received about the same amount it did last year, Taylor said.
The grants come just before a visit to San Angelo by newly appointed Texas
Arts Commissioner Dr. Gary Gibbs, who will visit the museum Oct. 19, Taylor
said.
BY ANGELA SHAFFER, Special to the San Angelo Standard-Times
Saturday, September 29, 2007
You can see it all for free today.
Across the country and in San Angelo, today is National Museum Day. Started by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., National Museum Day encourages museums nationwide to offer free admission for one day to encourage people to become more culturally and artistically aware.
This year, four San Angelo museums are participating - the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Fort Concho, the Railway Museum and the Nature Center. All entry fees will be waived for the day, but donations are appreciated.
Bob Bluthardt, director of Fort Concho and organizer for San Angelo's participation in National Museum Day, said the museum at Fort Concho has a special display courtesy of Bill Stevins, a longtime volunteer at the fort.
"Bill's donated a world-class collection of books, military paraphernalia and weaponry," Bluthardt said. "Many of the swords and other weapons are authentic; others are replicas."
Stevins said all the weaponry on display is from the mid- to late 19th century, and many of the weapons would have been used at post-Civil War outposts such as Fort Concho.
Stevins first visited Fort Concho in the 1950s and worked at the fort as a living history volunteer from the early '80s until a few years ago, Bluthardt said. Stevins now volunteers as a docent and will be available today at Barracks 1 at Fort Concho.
Visitors are welcome to tour the fort's 40-acre grounds and museum. Staff will show visitors the buildings, including the barracks, commissary, headquarters and officers' quarters buildings. Living history volunteers will answer questions.
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is hosting exhibits of the work of Jesus Moroles, a sculptor who works primarily with granite, and Jeffrey Mongrain, an artist who specializes in visually arresting ceramics.
The San Angelo Nature Center offers exhibits including Baby, a 15-foot Burmese python, two bobcats and a large collection of insects and arachnids.
The Railway Museum chronicles the history of railways in San Angelo, offers a variety of historical photographs and a host of model train displays. The museum's latest project is a model of railway areas in West Texas and the Copper Canyon region of Mexico.
Bluthardt encouraged San Angelo residents to enjoy the city's museums.
"To have four functioning museums in a city of this size is pretty spectacular,"
he said. "I want everyone to come out and have a good time."
Howard Taylor, Arts Department
Friday, September 14, 2007 San Angelo Standard-Times
In the museum world, September marks the beginning of the new season.
In reality, the year never ends — the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is intensely active 362 days a year, taking time off only for Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s days.
We are open for visitation six days a week and more than 2,000 hours a year. We also offer another 2,000 hours of programming that often takes place on weekends or in the evening.
This past week, we initiated our exhibition season with the sculptural work of one of the nation’s most remarkable young artists, Jeffrey Mongrain.
Some of our exhibits are easy to grasp, but others are more challenging. Jeffrey’s work falls somewhere in between.
From the printed information, labels and other information we offer, you will be able to learn more. We offer group tours and work with our audiences to help them understand the artist’s intentions.
Sunday at 2 p.m. also marks the beginning of our Chamber Music Series, which this year will feature eight performances by nationally recognized musicians. The first program is a wonderful group called Wayanay Inca that performs Indian and South American music.
In the course of the coming year, there will be nearly 300 programs at the museum, including exhibition openings, films, lectures and artist demonstrations.
The American Association of Museums notes that 800 million people visit museums in our country annually, and this number continues to grow.
It’s also obvious to us through our records of attendance that we attract a strong representation of every age and ethnic group in the community and, indeed, thousands of visitors from around the nation and world.
There are two significant aspects to our attendance.
One is that approximately one-third of our audience is comprised of smaller groups such as social clubs, military units and people who associate for special things such as book clubs. They have a sense of comfort and belonging when they come here.
The other side of our attendance is that we are a community crossroads; it is common to see large groups of people who are made up of a wide range of backgrounds attending events such as openings.
The museum is a place for everyone, and everyone is always welcome.
By Jenny Michaud, San Angelo Standard-Times
Thursday, September 13, 2007
An
exhibit opening at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is timely during the
week that we remember 9/11, said Director Howard Taylor.
“The Sculpture of Jeffrey Mongrain: Secrets and Revelations” opens today and continues through Nov. 4. The artist’s sculptures examine people — their presence, the things they leave behind and the objects we look to in their absence.
“It’s interesting that objects are so symbolic of human beings and their spiritual needs,” Taylor said. “These things become very deep and contemplative about the human experience.”
“The Luckiest Man” is a large wall piece. Ripples on the surface of the black clay disc represent the sound waves from the famous speech made by Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium. A hole in the center of the piece holds grains of sand from the stadium’s home plate.
“An Evening’s Breath” is a sculpted pillow suspended in air. The pillow retains the impression of a sleeper’s head, and in place of it is 8.5 ounces of water — the amount of water vapor respired by a woman during eight hours of sleep.
Some of the pieces might not yet be on display. A shipping mishap damaged some, and they are being reshipped by the artist. However, Taylor said the exhibit and opening will happen as planned.
Karen Zimmerly, collections manager of the museum, said the exhibit has an intellectual element beyond the pieces’ aesthetics.
“It’s not something you’ve seen before,” she said. “It really makes you think.”
Taylor calls the artist’s work serene, elegant, minimalist and provocative. It’s also spiritual.
In addition to his sculptures, Mongrain specializes in large, site-specific installations in religious spaces around the United States and Europe. The SAMFA exhibit will include large, framed photographs of the installations.
Mongrain’s works have appeared at Christus Church in Cologne, Germany, Cathedral of St. John of the Divine in New York City, La Scala Santa in Rome and Corpus Christi Church in Baltimore.
Zimmerly said one of the interesting aspects of the installations is seeing the contrast of contemporary art in old-world settings.
Taylor added that museums and churches have something in common — providing a place of sanctuary in times of need.
“One of the roles that museums have is of being a place of contemplation,
of quiet,” Taylor said. “In a sense, the exhibit is kind of like
a chapel.”
We have been working hard over the last several months to put together a new e-newsletter called the SAMFA GRAM. This newsletter will be e-mailed bi-monthly to anyone who requests it, and it will also reside on our website. It includes feature articles, events, staff news, and much more.
E-mail joy@samfa.org to sign up for the SAMFA GRAM or go directly to the online newsletter.
_________________________________________________
The following articles appeared in the San Angelo Standard Times, other publications, or were written by SAMFA staff.
Family Day last Saturday was a great success! Thank you to our education program
sponsors Ethicon, Citigroup Foundation, and Target, our volunteers
from Central and Lakeview High Schools and our Board of Trustees.
We had an array of art activities for the whole family, a jumper for the enjoyment
of the kiddos and registration in the Museum for our Summer for Kids program.
A few classes are still open so give Jade, our Educator, a call at 325-653-3333.
SAMFA opened 3 new exhibits on Friday evening, April 27th, 2007. Different
Directions: Coming Together in Clay, Multiplicity, and the works of Danville
Chadbourne will all remain on exhibit through June 7, 2007. Invited artist,
Robert Farmer, sponsor and owner of Trinity Ceramics, John Williams, and invited
artist, Louis Katz talk over the clay sculpture, Goober the Dog,
by Farmer. Pictured in the top left corner is a snapshot 
from one of the artist-led workshops (in this case Kent McLaughlin) that took
place Saturday morning at the Old Chicken Farm Art Center. In addition to
art openings and workshops, there was a BBQ dinner Saturday evening followed
by live music and dancing at the Chicken Farm. If you didn't make it to the
festivities this year be sure to make time for Ceramic Weekend next April
when we celebrate the 17th National Ceramic Competition!
l-r: Howard Taylor, Director, SAMFA, Lynn Barnett, Executive Director, Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, Phillip Collins, Chief Curator, African American Museum of Dallas, Janet Seibert, Civic Arts Coordinator, Austin, Tx, Jesús Moroles, Artist, Rockport, Tx, Jill Nokes, Horticulturist and landscape designer, Austin, Tx.
Panelists speak about public art on Thursday, March 22 at the Museum as part of the 3 day event Shaping San Angelo- A Celebration of Sculpture and Public Art. Shaping San Angelo is the San Angelo Schools Foundation's 2007 fundraiser- a collaborative effort involving the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Downtown San Angleo, Inc, the newly-created San Angelo Public Arts Commission, and numerous corporate and private benefactors.
San
Angelo Standard Times
By Rick Smith (Contact)
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Image at left titled Wood Shed
Photographed by Darwin Harrison
Some of you will love the photographs in an exhibit at the San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts.
Some of you won’t.
You could say the same of the West Texas scenes the photos capture. After all, out here, what you see is what you get: achingly bare fields; long-abandoned buildings in small, struggling towns; weather-beaten old men who have spent their lives working — hard — outdoors.
However, art alters our perception of the world and helps us see the familiar in new ways.
Is a straight-on snapshot of a rusty, decaying metal building art?
All I know is that, after seeing this show, I’ll never pass by another abandoned service station without taking a second look.
Don’t be put off by the show’s fancy title — “Vernacular Sightings.”
Vernacular means speaking like the natives — using the common, everyday language of the people who live in a particular place.
The three photographers do this, focusing on ordinary West Texas scenes: a man on a porch swing; a pink house in Marfa; a white, plastered wall.
The results are anything but common.
Two of the photographers, San Angelo native Jason Reed and Austrian Uli Eig-ner, focused on regions south and west of San Angelo.
Their photographs include several portraits of people in places where they live or work — including X B Cox Jr. and his wife, Melba, in San Angelo; Pete Billings in Langtry and Danny Berzoza in Big Lake.
They also took time to look for the unusual in everyday scenes in small towns: an old evaporative “swamp cooler” air-conditioner balancing on a pole by a building in Sanderson; a long-vacant stone foundation from a former oil town in Pumpville; a plain white plaster wall — shining like a movie screen — in Langtry.
Writing about their photographs, the two said they were intrigued by the pull of the past in West Texas, by the emptiness, the isolation and the wide-open feel of this place and the effect those forces have on the people and the land.
“The white plastered wall of the abandoned gas station exists as it does because of time, the weather and the lack of human contact — not because of some town plan or historical designation,” they wrote.
“The weathered face of Pete Billings exists because he worked outside all of his life, not because he is trying to fit some predefined fashion.”
The third photographer, Darwin Harrison, grew up in West Texas and frequently travels this area, working as an architect and freelance designer.
Anyone who spends time crossing West Texas by car knows there’s lots of time for looking but not much to look at.
Or is there?
Darwin sees what most of us overlook.
In his photographs, a simple wooden shed squatting in the middle of a scrubby field becomes the focal point for a series of seven large color photographs taken over a period of two years.
In the photos, earth and sky constantly change as weather and earth and vegetation go about their business.
Only the shed remains the same: solid, constant, unperturbed by time and wind.
Writing about his photographs, Darwin said his images show us “that the ordinary, everyday buildings and places of West Texas are quite noble and grand, full of life and worthy of a second look.”
I’ll second that.
Darwin’s photographs focus on the Panhandle and South Plains, but they also include shots from West Texas towns such as Eden, Brady, Big Spring, Sterling City, Colorado City and San Angelo.
You will see several places you recognize. You will also see places you’ve driven by hundreds of times and never noticed until now.
Photographs, he said, can “isolate and expose” qualities in people and places we might otherwise miss.
They help us take notice. Help us see. Help us find the extraordinary in
something as ordinary and everyday as a man on a porch swing; a pink house
in Marfa or a white, plastered wall.
youngsters’
creativity
Photo by Cynthia Esparza
Donovan Kading, a Bonham Elementary School third-grader,
dried marker on the foil he used to decorate his paper violin Tuesday morning
after a presentation given by the San Angelo Symphony and the San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts. About 80 third-graders at the school, who were shown the 16
violins finished for The Painted Violin Project, listened to Dorothy Douthit
play and talked with one of the artists.
San
Angelo Standard Times
By Matthew Phinney
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Dozens of students in San Angelo learned Tuesday that art is something to
fiddle with.
“There is no right or wrong,” said Jade Norris, educator at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
“Just do what you like. Do what you feel.”
About 80 Bonham Elementary third-grade artists turned a paper violin into their own creative canvas as part of an educational program called The Painted Violin Project designed to get students involved in art.
The campaign will be brought to 15 San Angelo campuses and is geared around the “For the Love of Music” art exhibit. That exhibit and two others will be unveiled Thursday and remain on display until Feb. 10 at the museum, at 1 Love St.
For the violin project, 16 area artists turned real violins into works of art that will be up for auction on Feb. 10 in a joint fundraiser for the San Angelo Symphony and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
On Tuesday, students listened as Dorothy Douthit played the violin and talked about the instrument. She had the students clapping along to fiddle music, and listening quietly to slower songs.
The students then watched a slideshow of the 16 pieces that will be highlighted at the museum.
The works include a violin turned into the whale that swallowed Jonah in the Bible, a rendering of the Flight of the Bumble Bee and a depiction of the Roman emperor Nero, who, according to some legends, fiddled as Rome burned.
Hector Garcia, who runs the Texican Chop Shop with the locally based band Los Lonely Boys, talked to the students about the violin he helped create at his custom auto shop. The violin is “classic low-rider green” and is signed by the blues-rock trio of brothers, along with a message for students to follow their dreams.
Art is everywhere, Garcia said. Sometimes a person just has to look harder to see it.
“The imagination is so vivid,” he said. “That’s what excites the mind. I think it can expand boundaries when they realize that they know there are good things on earth. We have enough destruction.”
After the presentation, students were left to create their own work.
Four classrooms bubbled with excitement as students dug their hands into buckets of art supplies. They used colored feathers, pipe cleaners, marker, colors and anything else they could to create a violin.
Katie Robinson, 8, and Ashley Lara, 9, made tie-dyed violins. Donovan Kading used foil for a violin’s neck, cotton balls for the tuning knobs and pipe cleaners for strings.
The only rule was, there was no rule.
Young students introduced to art tend to be more interested in art as adults than students who weren’t, Norris said.
“We wanted the kids to make the connection that music and visual art
all makes a connection,” Norris said. “All of it follows the same
idea. We want to get them involved before people start telling them they shouldn’t
be creative.”
ol
Program
Join in the fun as school children from around San Angelo take part
in a unique experience with local artists, art teachers, the San Angelo Symphony,
and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts!
Over the next two weeks, elementary school children in San Angelo will be
presented The Painted Violin, a program which brings together a violinist,
an artist, and a child's imagination. The presentation includes a lesson on
the history and sound of the violin with a slide show highlighting the sixteen
violins painted by local artists for the Painted Violin Project. Children
then take that message and produce their own masterpiece, creating a work
of art on their own paper violin. This is a great way to expose children to
the power of music, art, and creative spirit. 
Fannin Elementary Students show off their work, Great Job Guys!
San
Angelo Standard Times
By Jenny Michaud
Monday, January 15, 2007
Photo right by Cynthia Esparza
Barbara Barnhart (right) discussed the face of Elizabeth Steving’s violin
piece with her during the unveiling of 13 violins Thursday at the River Terrace
Restaurant. Barnhart also had a violin shown that night. The artists, all
local, had about four weeks to complete their works for the joint project
by the San Angelo Symphony and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
Pictured in the top left corner is "Flight of the Bumble Bee" painted
by Peggy Niño.
At first it was hard for Jennifer Odom to fathom the idea.
The act of taking a musical instrument, removing its strings, sanding down its surface and covering it with paint was something Odom, executive director of the San Angelo Symphony, would never do.
Instead, she posed the challenge to 16 area artists, whose efforts can soon be seen around town as part of “The Painted Violin Project.”
The project is a joint effort between the symphony and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Odom borrowed the concept from similar projects around the country and decided to bring it to San Angelo.
Starting Tuesday, the 16 violins will be split into groups and displayed at various locations in San Angelo. Several of the violins also will be taken to local schools, giving students a chance to learn about the violin and about creative art.
The entire collection will be displayed at the SAMFA from Feb. 1 until Feb. 10, when they will be auctioned off as part of a Valentine’s dinner and dance to benefit the symphony and the SAMFA.“I fell in love with the idea and thought, what a great combination,” Odom said before an exclusive unveiling ceremony last week, “I wanted to bring it here because there’s such a great collaboration with the arts in San Angelo.”
For the project, the symphony bought old violins on eBay and at thrift stores for $10 to $15 apiece.With the help of SAMFA Director Howard Taylor, the artists were selected and given a violin with the instructions to interpret it with their own visions.
“We really chose people that we thought could respond to it,” Taylor said. He added that the 16distinctive pieces that resulted represent a “variety of attitudes” from the artists.
The Texican Chop Shop even lent its talents to a violin. The instrument is covered in brilliant green auto paint and signed by San Angelo musicians Los Lonely Boys, who are involved with the shop.
While the body of the violin remains intact, the results do vary greatly. One violin is painted like a fish with purple and blue scales, and sprinkled with gold glitter. Another is covered in heavy mosaic tiles, seashell pieces and barbed wire.
Artist Max Hulse has been painting for many years and owns a gallery in the Cactus Hotel, but said the project was a new experience for him.
“At first I was overwhelmed with the prospect of painting a violin,” he said, “but then it kind of evolved.”
Hulse said he was encouraged as he realized he could paint not just the front of the instrument, but the sides and back as well.
His take is an Impressionistic wildflower scene, adorned with a golden piece of jewelry shaped like a bee. He had been looking for a butterfly to complete the scene but happened upon a bee instead.
It was then that inspiration struck him, he said. His piece is called “Flight of the Bumblebee.”
Hulse’s daughter, Elizabeth Steving, also crafted a work for the project, using the violin in a larger work using paint, decoupage and wooden pieces.
“I just kind of went crazy with it,” Steving said. “I kind of wanted to do something with the way music makes you feel. Music is fire and soul and color and passion.”
For some of the artists, such as René Alvarado, it will be hard to part with their creations. He said he grew attached to his piece, “Eve,” which he painted to emphasize the female form and its similarities to the shape of a violin.
This was his first time painting an instrument, but Alvarado said he is now encouraged to paint another.
“I just kind of approached it the way I do a canvas,” he said.
Several of the violins, including Alvarado’s, are still playable, something that impressed Odom.
“Most of them are very respectful to the instrument,” she said, adding that she is pleased with all of the results. “We have a lot of talent in San Angelo.”
The Painted Violin Project
Beginning Tuesday, groups of painted violins will be on display at various locations across San Angelo, including both branches of San Angelo National Bank, San Angelo Community Medical Center, the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Royal Estates and Sunset Mall.
The violins will be reunited and displayed at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St., Feb. 1-10. On Feb. 10, they will be auctioned off to benefit the SAMFA and the San Angelo Symphony, which cosponsored the project.
San Angelo Museum
of Fine Arts
One Love Street
San Angelo, Texas 76903
Fax: (325) 658 - 6800
Phone: (325) 653 -
3333
e-mail:
museum@samfa.org