The Conference, held at Texas A&M Kingsville, showcased dynamic speakers, educational workshops, and interactive sessions, including the renowned ONE FOOT faculty and professional attendee art exhibition.
For more details on the conference schedule, please visit the official conference webpage.
Discover the event's highlights in a captivating newsletter produced by Board Member Dan Sorensen from Odessa College.
A Celebratory Renewal of Gathering to Inspire Multi-Cultural Creativity
OCT. 13-15, 2022 • Hosted By El Paso Community College
EL PASO, TEXAS • PLAZA HOTEL • PIONEER PARK
Visit Conference Page
Pending bill for download
The following data was collected from a 2020 summer survey sent to TASA members
Check out the photos from the January 2020 Drawing Marathon at Lamar University!
Read MoreI know everyone is busy trying to put traditional classrooms online and think this article by Shannon Najmadadi on the students’ perspective is interesting.
If you have other articles related to the students’ perspective, please share them in the comment section of this thread.
The recap of ART WORTH!, the 2017 TASA conference in Fort Worth, TX.
Mission Statement
Texas Association of Schools of Art (TASA) welcomes all artists/educators and students to be part of an organization created at the request of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 1970. Since its origin, TASA has been a forum for art department faculty members at two-year and four-year public and private higher education institutions to discuss trends and issues in art and academia. TASA takes an active role in advocating for improvement and discussing issues facing educators in art. As a community it offers members a chance to network on many levels, ranging from exhibition and employment opportunities, and professional collaborations.
Conference Highlights
Key Note Speaker: Benito Huerta. Huerta received a B.F.A. degree from the University of Houston and his M.A. from New Mexico State University. He was Co-founder, Executive Director and Emeritus Board Director of Art Lies. His work was featured in a second one-person exhibition at William Campbell Contemporary Art, Fort Worth, in March 2018. Recent one-person exhibitions include Kirk Hopper Gallery, Dallas, October 2016; Reavley Gallery, Cole Art Center at Stephen F. Austin University, April 2017; the Houston Museum of African American Culture; the Wichita Falls Museum of Art; and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Other recent one-person exhibitions took place at the Glassell Gallery, Shaw Center for the Arts, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago in 2011. Huerta was the recipient of the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art's 2002 Legend of the Year Award and Exhibition and was the first artist selected for the inaugural Maestros Tejanos Exhibition in 2008 at the Latino Cultural Center, Dallas. His work is in several museum and corporate collections throughout the United States.
Special Guest Speaker: Sedrick Huckaby. Huckaby is known for his monumental scale of painting, with his largest painting thus far being his 80-foot-long, four-part painting, A Love Supreme, painted over a period of eight years, which earned him the Guggenheim Fellowship. Huckaby is also the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation award and is the Texas State Artist for 2018. Other awards include a Louis Comfort Tiffany grant, Elizabeth Greenshield award, Brandeis Mortimer-Hayes Traveling Fellowship, Davidson Family Fellowship, and Texas State Artist Designee - 2018. After earning a B.F.A. at Boston University in 1997 and an M.F.A. from Yale University in 1999, he returned home to live and work in Fort Worth, where he was born in 1975. Huckaby's work has entered the permanent collections of the American Embassy in Namibia; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Huckaby is represented by Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden in Dallas.
2017 One Foot Show Juror: Sara-Jayne Parsons. Sara-Jayne Parsons is the director and curator of The Art Galleries at Texas Christian University. Her dissertation for the Ph.D. in art history at the University of Texas, Liminal Britain: Place and Memory in British Photography since 1979, is in progress. She earned an M.A. in art history at the University of North Texas (1996) and a B.A. (Honors) in Art History & Publishing at Oxford Brookes University (1992). Sara-Jayne Parsons specializes in contemporary art, contemporary photography, collaboration, and curatorial practice in contemporary art. Her curatorial practice is informed by working in close partnership with artists to produce new works through commissions and exhibitions. Previous collaborations included Ayman Baalbaki, Sebastiaan Bremer, Daniel Bozhkov, Jyll Bradley, Gina Czarnecki, Hew Locke, Janek Schaefer, and Emily Speed.
2017 Paul Hanna Award Lecture: Roger Colombik. Colombik received his B.F.A. from University of Illinois-Champaign in 1984 and his M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1987. He navigates a diverse artistic practice that embraces a passion for sculptural objects, and he continues to explore the material and conceptual possibilities of metal casting and fabrication. In addition to his studio practice, he has spent over two decades studying regions of the world that are transitioning to civil society. Socially engaged projects are undertaken in milieus where traditions and cultural heritage collide head-on with westernization and government malfeasance. The work incorporates oral history archives, photography, publications, and intervention. The Republic of Georgia, Burma, and Armenia are a few of the countries that he has engaged in his research. His Paul Hanna lecture, "Artists in Time of War: Reflections on Howard Zinn and the Artist's Role in Civil Discourse," introduced a wide range of artists--writers, activists, visual artists--whose works continue to make a significant contribution to our society's capacity to understand and build a more empathetic, compassionate, and intelligent community.
"Life in Labudio: Science + Art in the College Classroom‚"
Erin Blythe and Jay Kurima are award winning educators at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences (TABS) early college high school. Erin Blythe earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her Master of Art Education degree from the University of North Texas. As Fine Arts Chair, she teaches dual credit studio arts and art history courses to high school students in Fort Worth ISD through the ongoing partnership of TABS and Tarrant County College, Trinity River Campus. Jay Kurima has been an international staff developer for AVID for over 10 years. He has professionally developed teachers in 15 different states and 4 continents and serves as the science department chair and technology liaison for Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, where he teaches AP Physics 1 and Innovation, Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences (IDEAS.) IDEAS is a collaboration between himself and Ms. Blythe. The class is funded by the Amon G Carter Foundation and is based on STEAM and the maker movement ideals. In this course, students tackled community issues with design and science. Erin and Jay sometimes refer to their collaboration of physics and art as "Phart."
"Curating the landscape: An Art Exhibition for BRIT‚" Barbara Koerble grew up in Northwest Missouri. After completing a B.F.A. in ceramics at Northwest Missouri State University, she moved to Texas to pursue graduate studies in studio art and art history, and completed an M.A. in art history at UNT in Denton. She has been an adjunct art professor at Tarrant County College since 2012, and currently teaches art history survey and art appreciation courses at TCC‚ Trinity River campus. She also works at the Afterimage Gallery in Dallas, and is active as a freelance writer and independent curator. Barbara previously collaborated with Exhibits USA to curate a traveling exhibition on the architecture of ballparks, which toured the U.S. for two years. ¬†In 2017, Barbara curated two art exhibitions in Fort Worth: Hightailing It: Artists Look at the Landscape for the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and Recombinant Abstraction for the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. She has published articles about art and architecture for more than two decades, and most recently her art writing has appeared in Glasstire: Journal of Texas Visual Art.
"Fort Worth Public Art: Opportunities and Challenges for Local Artists"
Devon Nowlin is a Fort Worth native who holds a BFA from the University of North Texas (2004) and an MFA from Texas Christian University (2011). Primarily known for her figurative paintings, Nowlin also explores the relationship of contemporary art to consumer culture through a diverse array of media. Recent exhibitions include "Casual Luxury Complex" at Artspace 111, "Don't Deny Your Heart" at Stephen F. Austin State University, and "Cult of Personality" at David Shelton Gallery, Houston. Nowlin has taught at TCU, The Modern, and the Rachofsky Warehouse and is currently the Assistant Registrar at the Amon Carter Museum. Her presentation focused on FWPA as an example of a municipal percent-for-arts program that seeks to have local artists compete with national and international professionals for a well-rounded civic collection.
"3-D Printing for Clay"
Karmien Bowman‚ work has been collected internationally. She has presented pedagogy lectures, ceramic workshops, artist‚ talks, and has been included in area and national exhibits with awards. She has been recognized in her field by Who‚ Who in America, Who‚ Who American Teachers, and Texas Clay Art. Karmien published articles in the field of Ceramics and her work has been included in various articles and books, including Daryl Baird's‚ From a Slab of Clay. Karmien's TASA presentation was about innovative CAD applications to building clay forms.
Grand Studio is a shared workspace created by Fort Worth artists Timothy Harding, Devon Nowlin, Tiffany Wolf Smith, Christopher Bond, and Sydney Williams. The 5,000 square foot warehouse includes five individual bays for the artists, a large common area with shared tools, and storage for the Grand Studio artists and two additional Fort Worth artists. Works by guest artists will be on display.
Panel Discussions
"All Things ACGM and THECB"
Mark Greenwalt led a discussion about how to coordinate strategies for formally addressing the THECB on issues for this upcoming year.¬† Topics range from a report on the elimination of sophomore level studio courses from the ACGM; options regarding media-based learning methodologies in Art Appreciation courses; creative arts core courses and electives in support of a variety of gen ed "pathways" leading to a transfer degree (i.e., pathways for non-art majors); transferability/course numbering issues; potential for Visual Arts ‚"Field of Study"; and a proposal to include ARTS 1313 Foundations of Art for inclusion into the Creative Arts core.
"Lessons learned from the DCCCD Appeal and how to move forward"
Natalie Macelao, Omar Hernandez and Jenifer Rose organized a panel discussion at TASA about Dallas Community College's efforts to keep level II studio courses in the ACGM, and their experience with the appeal process.
MUSEUM and STUDIO TOURS
Visiting guests were treated to a special behind-the-scenes peak at some of the inner workings of three international known museums of fine art. Museums included:
- Amon Carter Museum of American Art
- Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
- Kimbell Art Museum
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY ART FAB LAB (TCU College of Fine Arts)
Participants viewed the interdisciplinary fusion of new and emerging technologies with a traditional studio arts practice, including methods of virtual craft and digital fabrication and all types of time-based media and installation. The new media studio houses a fully stocked robotics and engineering lab where students can work/hack/make interactive and robotic components for their projects, complete with soldering stations and a small bandsaw and tool cabinet.
GRAND STUDIO
Grand Studio is a shared workspace created by Fort Worth artists Timothy Harding, Devon Nowlin, Tiffany Wolf Smith, Christopher Bond, and Sydney Williams. The 5,000 square foot warehouse includes five individual bays for the artists, a large common area with shared tools, and storage for the Grand Studio artists plus two additional Fort Worth artists.
Synopsis of Conference Events
As submitted by the Board of Directors and Staff of TASA
Select Museum Tours
by Carol Fairlie, Sul Ross State University
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
The behind the scenes of the Amon Carter led by conservation and installation staff, was wonderful and I was glad I had a few students with me! Beginning with the restoration area, we were shown various processes of mounting and restoring works on paper and also an elaborate process of archivally mounting a large (5 ft.) Polaroid negative. We then went into the vaults and looked at the handling and framing areas that are used as preparatory areas for the installation of shows, and finally went to the area where the decision's on how shows will be presented was done. Here they had various paint swatches for the walls and materials for temporary walls and pedestals. Most fascinating to me were the elaborate Maquettes of each show they had installed, scaled to size with different layouts and wall colors for each exhibit.
Kimbell Art Museum
Casanova: The Seduction of Europe special exhibition
Taken directly form the museum's description, "Casanova: The Seduction of Europe" explored life in the eighteenth century through the eyes of one of its most colorful characters, Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798). Renowned in modern times for his amorous pursuits, Casanova lived not only in Italy, but also in France and England, and his travels took him to the Ottoman Empire and to meet Catherine the Great in Saint Petersburg. Love - romantic, carnal, or a combination of the two - seems always to have been on his mind. He witnessed the birth of libertinage, a movement advocating the abandonment of polite society - conventions regarding love and sexual expression. The exhibition explores the artistic expression of eighteenth-century Europe's evolving views on sex and love. Theater was in Casanova's blood, and he found endless influence in the worlds of fantasy, storytelling, and music offered by the Venetian theatrical demimonde. Quickly, however, he learned that not all acting requires a stage. Throughout his life he traveled under assumed names, donning different costumes. This well-designed exhibition uses paintings, sculpture, and prints plus period items to emphasize the grandeur of Casanova's time.
Lecture by Sedrick Huckaby in the UTA painting studios
By Joe Pena, Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
Sedrick Huckaby, Assistant Professor of Painting at the University of Texas at Arlington, treated TASA members to an intriguing lecture on his upbringing in Fort Worth, his previous and current body of work, as well as his studio practice in the painting studios.
During his presentation, Huckaby spoke of his undergraduate studies at Boston University followed by his graduate work at Yale, both difficult programs of which I'm sure he is passing his knowledge and experience from those intense periods onto his students based on the quality of work being produced in the undergraduate and graduate painting studios at UTA. On this note, Huckaby's bravado brushwork and unapologetic use of impasto I can assume is hard to resist in the classroom based on the number of students carrying his artistic torch and getting impressive results. I was so impressed with one of his current graduate students, Spencer Evans, that I asked if I could use an image of his painting on display as the poster image for our painting symposium at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi which took place in the spring of 2018. www.osobaybiennial2018.com
Huckaby delved into his body of work entitled "Love Supreme (Spring"), featuring large scale paintings of draped quilts on canvas inspired by the song of the same name by jazz musician John Coltrane, as well as his series "Big Momma' House," based on his maternal grandmother created over a two-year period. Huckaby also discussed his purchase of his grandmother's home of which he has plans to covert into a gallery and art center.
University of Texas at Arlington Biennial Faculty Exhibition
by Chad Farris, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
This year during the October 2017 T.A.S.A. conference participants were given the opportunity to view and speak with gallery director Benito Huerta at the Gallery at The University of Texas at Arlington. This is the sixteenth "Faculty Biennial," a showcase for recent work created by the Department of Art and Art History faculty. The Faculty Biennial shows to be an opportunity for the University of Texas at Arlington Art and Art History faculty to present new ideas that creatively investigate new modes of expression. Students, visitors and fellow faculty will enjoy seeing new innovations and work from faculty at The University of Texas at Arlington. This year's exhibition consisted of 35 faculty members working in a wide variety of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, glass, printmaking, film/video, digital imaging and visual communication design. The department's art historians also have recent publications on display. This was a well-received exhibition by TASA members and participants.
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY'S ART FAB LAB
by Linda Fawcett, Hardin-Simmons University
On Friday of the conference, after lunch and a fun visit to the UTA Gallery, a bus took some of us to the optional tour of Texas Christian University's Fab Lab. It was located in the TCU Mary Courts Burnett Library. We were given a tour by the lab "Innovation Collaborator," Brad Trussell. The facilities were impressive, with multiple 3D printers, a high definition 3D scanner, a large-scale plotter, and a laser cutter/engraver. It was explained to us that this lab was available to all TCU students, faculty, and staff, as soon as the lab staff made sure they knew how to properly use the equipment and were aware of the other related policies.
Our group also visited the TCU Art Department that also had impressive equipment for its faculty and students to use, including a CNC Router, letter press, Risograph, a very wide printer, and much more. At the end of the tour, we launched into an impromptu discussion about the Maker Movement, very well organized with conferences and a website. Apparently, the movement has up until now been largely about fabrication with little aesthetic input but is now embracing and seeking artists to be a part of. (FYI, its website is: makerspace.com.) Emphasis is placed on how the "IDEA" comes first, and the fun is in re-purposing tools and techniques to accomplish said goal. Another subtopic was how art programs are becoming recognized as a kind of "front door" for ideas within the science and technology world, leading to a concurrent push by art programs to find collaborative ways to tap into STEM grants to promote innovation within the sciences, technology, engineering, ART and math fields (STEAM!).
The Void, by Brian Row, 7"H, 5"W x 1.25"D, Clayboard, hydrocal, dried rose, paint, ink.
It’s Very Unclear I Hear AKA What Don Reitz saw at the circus made Ken Ferguson sick and Kirk Mangus jump for joy, by Christopher Leonard, 12"H x 12"L x 4"D, Ceramic tile, sprigs, and smashed pot fragments formed/forced/coerced into a mysterious mosaic nestled inside of a scrap wood frame., 2016
Study of Kali, by Carol Fairlie, Oil on Linen
Study for Feral Fracking Series, by Linda Fawcett
Karmien Bowman
Concentric Stairs, by Chris Troutman, charcoal on paper, 12x12", 2017
Fragile Things, Sharon Covington
Jennifer Herzberg
A study for a dagger to the heart, #2, by James Joffe, 12”x12”, Acrylic on birch panel, 2016
Images from 2017 TASA conference, Art Worth in Fort Worth, October 2017
Dave Bown Projects 14th Semiannual Competition: Grand Prize Winner!
Her installation, Domestic Brutality, created for What A Bloody Mess: works by Hollis Hammonds, Jenn Hassin & Claude van Lingen and exhibited at grayDUCK gallery in Austin, TX, was chosen as the grand prize winner for the Dave Bown Projects 14th Semiannual Competition, curated by Alison Hearst, Associate Curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Benjamin Sutton, News Editor, Hyperallergic, Brooklyn; Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art.
(Read More<http://hollishammonds.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=63477627a6d059b43e7c995d2&id=992cb21e74&e=1e8c9ce46d> )
Above: Domestic Brutality, 2017
Acrylic, objects, chalkboard paint & chalk marker , 96" x 144" (243.9 x 365.8 cm)
The Paul Hanna Lecture exists to provide a forum through which a selected studio artist can make a presentation at the annual TASA conference. The lecture may include PowerPoint prefer and other visual aids. An honorarium will be awarded. A TASA committee will review proposals. Notices of acceptance and rejection will be sent. Non-members who teach art in Texas colleges and universities may qualify for submission of a proposal by simply joining TASA (individual membership).
Call for Paul Hanna Lecture Proposals Form (PDF)
Deadline for submissions is AUGUST 27, 2017
It’s a sad truth most artists must reconcile at some point in their creative lives: the role of the arts is constantly being questioned. Some people question whether the arts are necessary or justified, most often when the subject has to do with funding arts curricula. For others, there is no debating the belief that the arts have never been more important to our society and should be fully integrated into our lives, our community and education in general.
First, art is the barometer that measures levels of cultural sophistication. Throughout human existence, we have learned about cultural accomplishments from the cultural artifacts left behind. Many of these artifacts have left behind permanent marks on the planet. Consider the construction of Stonehenge, the Greek Parthenon, the Roman Colosseum, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, gothic cathedrals, St. Peter’s Basilica, Meso-American pyramids, the Taj Mahal and even, the Statue of Liberty. Each of these iconic structures also is a piece of art that communicates important messages about the time, place and context in which the structure was created.
In addition to providing commentary about the larger culture, art makes life more manageable, tolerable and enjoyable. One may not think about more utilitarian items and places as “art,” but they do contribute to one’s aesthetic experience. Think about the iPhone, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Call of Duty: Black Ops, floor rugs, royal processions, Gucci’s Spring line, Versace furniture, Ducati motorcycles, Land Rovers, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, Calvin Klein, Calatrava bridges, sunglasses, military uniforms, Star Wars, Rolling Stone Magazine covers and the Transformers. Now, remove any element founded in creativity, art and design, and all that remains are piles of materials that require human imagination and visual thinking.
Art forces humans to look beyond that which is necessary to survive and leads people to create for the sake of expression and meaning.
Our own city, Fort Worth, is home to three world-renowned museums: The Amon Carter Museum of American Art, The Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum. This city’s moniker of “Cowboys and Culture” is apt—a merging of Fort Worth’s rich western history as equally shaped by cowboys, expansive ranches, the Chisolm Trail AND important fine art institutions. It is the cultural arts that elevate our city onto the international stage.
Art can communicate information, shape our everyday lives, make a social statement and be enjoyed for aesthetic beauty. Tarrant County College reinforces Fort Worth’s rich culture. Each campus offers a variety of fine art experiences for students of all majors to attend and become inspired. These opportunities include theater performances, music concerts, dance performances and visual art gallery exhibitions. Trinity River Campus is even home to a large techno-centric art collection. These free resources represent an extension of the classroom and can be utilized and appreciated by the entire community.
In an informal conversation with Scott Robinson, dean of humanities at the Trinity River Campus, several Design I students were discussing the importance of art and why it is necessary in an academic environment. Through much discussion and some arguing, the group concluded that the arts are necessary to give meaning to things. The sciences provide the facts and information that give order to our world and are at the vanguard of innovation and human achievement. For example, science can teach us about the life cycle of organisms. It explains why organisms age, it provides the ability to prolong life through medicine and it gives an insight into the workings of death and decay.
On the other hand, art can give meaning to the concept of death. Egyptians mummified individuals and laid them to rest in magnificent tombs, while present-day humans place loved ones in the ground (or in mausoleums) and decorate that resting place with plaques, memorials and flowers. El Dia de los Muertos celebrates the passing of loved ones and remembers them through visitations, offerings and the belief that their souls remain near. These cultural practices, combined with our scientific understanding, allow us to process life and death more holistically.
The focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is one of the current buzzworthy initiatives in academia. The acronym can easily be transformed into STEAM by the inclusion of art into the formula. Art should be included and the focus should change. The exclusion of the arts is a disservice to the world’s youth. A popular bumper sticker asserts that “Earth” without “art” is just “Eh,” a desolate and meaningless place. We can do better than that. We must. Art is the key.
-Angel E. Fernandez, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth
Photos by Barbra Riley
The TASA conference kicked off with a reception at the Museum of the Big Bend on Sul Ross Campus. Finger foods, wine and “locally produced beer” donated by the Big Bend Brewing co. was served and the museum curatorial staff mingled with the group. The exhibit “Big Bend Legacy” greeted TASA members as they entered the Museum of the Big Bend. The “Big Bend Legacy” is housed in the main part of the museum displays the distinctive natural history, human history and confluence of cultures in the Big Bend region. Beginning with the Native Americans, who inhabited the area for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans, the Spanish, through their system of missions and presidios, imprinted their customs on the region only to be replaced by the nation of Mexico. and the westward expansion of the United States brought a unique culture to the Big Bend. In the Main Gallery of the Museum was the Ken Ratner Western Art Collection, A Feeling of Humanity, an exhibition features 70 works by both contemporary artists along with works by early 20th century painters. The reception ran from 5:30 – 7:30 and was followed by a relaxed party at the Studio of Carol Fairlie, in downtown Alpine.
Inspired by the Xin Dynasty terra cotta warriors and motivated by the threat of presidential nominee Donald Trump’s proposed wall, Lara constructed a life-size army of ceramic mariachi warriors bearing the likeness of immigrants who have crossed the border by foot. The Xoloitzcuintli, a sacred dog of the Aztecs, protects the double-faced soldiers, who are facing toward a new life yet simultaneously looking back to their homeland. This exhibition was created specifically for Marfa where the majority of boarder patrol agents call home.
A miniature modern day Xoloitzcuintli
The Ballroom has supported the production of Ditherer, a newly commissioned virtual reality experience from the Institute. This project will use a HTC Vive VR headset to transport users into an infinite warehouse that features an assortment of products for sale and anticipates surreal, near-future shopping. IfNf is working with 3D artist Gary Tyler to create an experience that is both a commercial trap and an escapist fantasy. This installation will be hosted alongside the IfNf (newly-commissioned work from artist collective the Institute for New Feeling) video, objects from the Institute’s product line, and the other AFI 2016 international selections.
TASA member, Lisa Ehrich, Brookhaven College at Marfa Ballroom
This wonderful show in a very raw space showed off a collaborative spirit and great innovation with Texas Tech students, faculty and alumni
These magnificent paintings are reminiscent of Barnett Newman, Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly dashed with inventive minimalistic compositions and forms marked with vibrant red orange. Kremer, born 1971, is interested in a term “Art Scrub”, a photoshop technique where you can erase an image within the space. His paintings are magnificently aware of both the negative space within the paintings and how the paintings collectively work with each other and the gallery space. A powerful visual sensation is the result of this precision.
He was the founder of the ILYB (I Love you Baby) artist collective in Houston and owned two design studios called the Speared Peanut and Oilpan (currently).
Painter Paul Kremer: Paintings are acrylic on canvas
These sculptural objects were spectacularly ethereal.
Owned by artists Buck Johnson and Camp Bosworth
Unusual art objects and gallery artists
Hand carved door and gallery attached to the oldest cathedral in Marfa
Juror: Ellie Meyer holds Texas K-12 art teacher certification and BFA, MA and MBA degrees. She taught business, art and art history courses at the University level as well as art to elementary and junior/senior high school students for 15+ years. Meyer has been active in fund-raising, development, and program planning in the non-profit sector serving on the Board of Directors of several and Executive Director of not-for-profit organizations in both New York City and Marfa, Texas where she currently lives. Prior to becoming Director of Akira Ikeda Gallery in NYC 1993-95 she worked for artist Donald Judd for eight years. She joined the Judd Foundation in September 2015 as Catalogue Raisonné Research Manager.
Juror: Ellie Meyer
As we know, the 2014 Core eliminated studio art classes from the options of classes students could take. Although a few Community Colleges were initially successful in their efforts to restore some of the studio classes, recently, the THECB rejected these studio classes (again) from the Core because they have determined “while the activities themselves are important, the courses do not fulfill the purpose of the Texas Core Curriculum.”
Most art faculty understand and agree that there is great value in meeting the goals of the core objectives in the “Creative Arts” category through courses in the studio arts. TASA is, therefore, investigating the possibility of developing 3 new Art Appreciation courses that unite appreciation content with studio media. Preliminary communication with the THECB is underway to clear the path for this proposal.
TASA Proposal: Appoint a curriculum committee to review, edit and/or develop current course learning outcomes for the existing ARTS 1325, Drawing and Painting for non-majors to include and require the traditional lecture based content an analysis found in art appreciation and art history courses. The curriculum committee would also develop the course description and course learning outcomes for two new art courses (Ceramics and Sculpture for non-majors and Digital Art and Photography for non-art majors) to require the traditional lecture based content and analysis found in art appreciation and art history courses. All of these courses proposals would then be sent to the Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee (UEAC) for discussion edits and approval.
Other ideas were discussed as:
Last fall 2015, most of us returned from the summer break only to find out that the THECB had posted seven studio courses that were scheduled for deletion from the course inventory of Texas Community Colleges for Spring 2017.
ARTS 2324Life Drawing II ARTS 2349Digital Art II
ARTS 2327Sculpture II ARTS 2367Watercolor II
ARTS 2334Printmaking II ARTS 2336Fiber Arts II
ARTS 2342Art Metals II
The two-year gap between the announcement and the deletion was, according to the Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) Advisory Committee, intended to give colleges a chance to respond, appeal, and/or make adjustments to their schedules. Realizing the negative consequences of such actions, the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) Art Curriculum Committee decided to follow the appeal process outlined by the ACGM.
Summary and timeline of the DCCCD actions:
September 2015 –DCCCD Curriculum Committee begins work following the ACGM guidelines.
March 2016 - DCCCD Curriculum Committee submits the appeal to the ACGM.
April 2016 – ACGM representative, Rebecca Leslie, responds that the appeal is incomplete and will require additional information, but fails to be specific.
August 2016 – Rebecca Leslie notifies DCCCD Curriculum Committee that they have posted a new form (in February ’16 without informing anyone) need to resubmit using the new form.
October 2016 – Conference call with Rebecca Leslie and DCCCD Art Curriculum co-chairs clarifying the necessary additional information.
November 17, 2016 – DCCCD reps plan to attend the ACGM Advisory Committee fall public meeting in Austin.
December 2016 – DCCCD Art Curriculum Committee intend to resubmit the appeal on the new forms.
May 3, 2017 – DCCCD reps plan to attend the ACGM Advisory Committee spring public meeting in Austin.
In short, the new form requests not only the letters of support from at least 5 state universities that they will receive each of these courses as transferable credit, but also evidence that these courses specifically fit into a degree plan. Additionally, they want this information signed by the Chair or Dean of the Art Department and the Provost or Chief Academic Officer of that university.
The rational for these course deletions, according to Rebecca Leslie, is to facilitate students transferring as quickly as possible to the university and not waste time taking extra classes at the community colleges. When asked about the impact on students who may only get an Associates Degree as a terminal degree, or students transferring to private universities, or students who are in articulations that require these classes, or students who need more preparation prior to transferring, or NASAD standards, she was disinterested. She stated that the ACGM Advisory Committee is only concerned with issues that impact the transfer curriculum.
TASA support:
DCCCD appeal documents:
Curriculum Letter Nov 1, 2016
Texas 60x30 talking points
Brookhaven Sculpture II Syllabus
Texas Tech Sculpture II Syllabus
In the early part of October 2016 at the T.A.S.A. Conference, I attended a lecture by Mary Bones the Curator & Collection Manager, Museum of the Big Bend. She dives right into a part of Texas Art/Artist history I was unaware of. I found this talk to be informative and leaving me with more questions than answers. Such as are there more Lost Colonies of artist and creators still not being talked about in Texas or am I just unaware of Texas based Art history and its contributors.? This lecture sparks the imagination and makes one wonder if on some level it was easier to be an artist in an earlier time. I am attaching a link to a shortened version of this talk. I think you will find it interesting and that it will spark your curiosity about Texas and Texas artist.
Elizabeth A. Yarosz-Ash, Professor of Art and 1991 Hardin Foundation Distinguished Professor at the Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.
An established and prolific artist in her own right, Yarosz-Ash presented an intriguing seminar on Digital Sketching in the drawing classroom using iPads and sketching software in lieu of traditional materials.
Beginning with an introduction on examples of digital drawings created by the artist David Hockney on his iPhone, Yarosz-Ash then discussed how she organized and presented her concept for the course to the administration, subsequently receiving funding to continue. She then proceeded to explain how she planned the course following a similar structure of a traditional drawing class and included examples of student work before the use of the new media. She then discussed the various software apps she experimented with, including Brushes, Redux, Zen Brush, and Adobe Photoshop Sketch, as well as multiple touchscreen tools including the iPencil and the Sensu Brush with those I have mentioned as being successful for the purpose of the class.
Yarosz-Ash further explained the numerous strengths in the use of the iPads as opposed to traditional media which included students’ incentive to take risk considering the ease of erasing unwanted areas of the drawing, and then reverting to the previous drawing after deletion, as well as the ability of some of the sketch programs to record the progression of a drawing and replaying them in front of the classroom during critiques. A handy tool indeed considering we only see the final work from most assignments.
Yarosz-Ash then discussed the initial difficulties of enlarging the digital drawings with resulting pixilation but that the use of the software Blow Up by the company Alien Skin allows images to be increased for printing while retaining high resolution. She also spoke about which paper was best suited for printing the digital drawings on (Strathmore Printmaking Paper – 189 lb., followed by Strathmore Drawing Paper- 80 lb.) and the preparation of the paper using digital ground medium and acrylic gesso.
Lastly, Yarosz-Ash showcased the resulting student drawings both on screen and on a table (printed and framed) after the intensive course which were impressive to say the least. She continued by stating that she invited an artist to serve as a juror to place the drawings who was not aware of their digital origins and expressing disbelief after the judging.
I would like to extend my congratulations to Mrs. Elizabeth Yarosz-Ash on a successful course experimentation (and presentation), having attempted to run a similar project in my painting courses to no avail due to funding. However I do question the necessity of fooling the invited juror as a means of validifying the use of the new media. Perhaps it wasn’t her intent to downplay that they were digital drawings or perhaps I misinterpreted, but personally I feel digitally created work has earned the right to stand alone on its own merit especially with the amount of stunning work being created in this day and age.
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