Conference Theme - Fluid Dynamics: Navigating the Evolving Arts

The Conference was at the beautiful Trinity River Campus of the Tarrant County College District. The facilities were acquired from Radio Shack which included a cataloged art collection, state of the art audio visual equipment, and contemporary architecture.

The location of the conference and hotels were near the latest Ft Worth hot-spot- the So7 district. "The Shops at So7 is pedestrian friendly and home to a lively mix of shopping, dining and entertainment. From karaoke and burgers to French cuisine and wine bars, So7 offers something for everyone year round. Walk from your door and enjoy shopping, dining, entertainment and people-watching just minutes away."

During the conference attendees had access to the Ft Worth Cultural District. Where else will you find six world class museums all in one setting? From ancient artifacts of the Far East to exhibitions about the American West, the Fort Worth Cultural District museums are your window to the art and science of the world.

Keynote Speaker: Van Romans

Rethinking the Role of the Artist

Mr. Van Romans was the keynote speaker for the 2011 TASA conference held Saturday evening at the stunning Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus. Romans earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture, from the University of Southern California. For more than 30 years, Mr. Romans was a professor of exhibit design and museum management.

In his more than 25 years with the Walt Disney Company, Mr. Romans created galleries and cultural exhibitions throughout the world. He established the company’s collections management program and implemented museum standards for the care and control of the Walt Disney Imagineering art collection of over 100,000 works.

He has served as a key advisor to museums throughout the world including the Smithsonian, The Palace Museum in Beijing, The National Museum of New Zealand, The Venezuela Museum of Anthropology, and the United States State Department’s Art in Embassies program. His current position is President of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; a stunning science and history museum that feels as if it was created for visual artists.

Van Romans embodied this year’s conference theme: Fluid Dynamics-Navigating the evolving arts, particularly the evolving boundaries between art, education and related fields. In his keynote address, Romans encouraged the audience to take on any opportunity that presents itself. His was the designing of a shoe store that catapulted him into the long and fruitful career mentioned above. -Angel Fernandez

Paul Hanna Lecture: Robbie Barber

The Paul Hanna Lecture for the 2011 Texas Art School Association was given by Robbie Barber, sculpture professor at Baylor University. Robbie’s lecture focused on the development of a body of work rooted in rural North Carolina. Robbie shared a photo log of a changing landscape once dominated by tobacco farming using traditional methods. One of the key elements was the old smokehouse architecture used by the farmers to cure their product. Robbie has documented how these structures have changed over the years as they fade back into the surrounding landscape. Other
influences include old tools, trucks, trailers, and a myriad of other found objects that populate the landscape and flee markets of Robbie’s home state. Robbie continued his presentation by showing how his sensitivity to the aesthetic feel of early 20th century North Carolina translates into carefully constructed sculptures with a unique sense of play and imagination. Examples included flying house trailers, giant baby carriages made out of old airstream parts, miniature smokehouses with poetic appendages made of pipe and gauges, and a wall installation of improvised hammers. In recent years Robbie has embarked on a series of cast iron figures with painted surfaces. We will look forward to how this line of inquiry will play out in his work. -Fred Spaulding

One Cube Foot Exhibition

The TASA 2011 One Cube Foot Exhibition was held at the East Fork Gallery in Ft. Worth on Saturday, September 24th, 6:30-7:30 PM. The Awards Juror was Heyd Fontenot, Director of UTD Central Trak, an internationally recognized artist.

2011 Conference Itinerary (PDF)

2011 Conference Brochure (PDF)

Hosted by Dallas/Ft. Worth Consortium

2011 Conference CO-CHAIRS: Omar Hernandez and Scott Robinson