TASA Envision: The Newsletter of the Texas Association of Schools of Art

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!).









 

TASA 2016 Conference Photos

Photos by Barbra Riley

TASA Conference Kick Off

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.

Highlights from Chinati Weekend Marfa Gallery Tour

Kruger Gallery
Artist: Rodrigo Lara Zendejas

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

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Marfa Ballroom is featuring AFI which is an international collaboration organized by Whitechapel Gallery, London, that showcases emerging artists working in video and animation.

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

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Out and About

Amber and Son Editions: Master Printer

Drive Through at McDonalds in Alpine, Texas

Garza Marfa Furniture and Textile Design featured in Architectural Digest

Laszlo Thorsen-Nagel Studio

Leslie Wilkes, painter based in Marfa, represented by Kruger Gallery, Chicago

Marfa Brand Soap: Campfire

Ranch Dressing Boutique: Vintage artifacts and clothing

Sumi Ink on board

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West, Far West: Lubbock / Marfa

This wonderful show in a very raw space showed off a collaborative spirit and great innovation with Texas Tech students, faculty and alumni

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Hotel Paisano Atrium Gallery

Time Ghost

Carol Fairlie

Gregory Teagarden

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Eugene Binder Gallery: Frozen Territory

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

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Mary Shaffer Studios
Glass and sculptural objects

These sculptural objects were spectacularly ethereal.

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The Wrong Store and Gallery

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

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Big Bend Museum at Sul Ross University

One Foot Exhibition

Gallery Greasewood, Hotel Paisano

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

First Place TASA Member and President Elect Mark Greenwalt

Karmien Bowman, Rescue American Pie

Carol Fairlie - Light and Shadow

Linda Fawcett, Autumn (study)

Amorette V. Garza, Tchotchke

Hannah Dean, untitled

Susan Fitzsimmons, untitled

Ramon Blanco-Barrera, student

Core Curriculum Panel Discussion - TASA 2016

Panelists: Mark Greenwalt, College of the Mainland; Rebecca Dietz, San Antonio College; Amorette Garza, Del Mar College; Lisa Ehrich, Brookhaven College/DCCCD

• During this session the following topics were discussed:
• Current status of art education in the general education core curriculum
• TASA’s initiative to develop 3 new courses for the core
• THECB’s intent (via the ACGM) to delete 7 second - semester sophomore level studios
• The DCCCD’s Art Curriculum Committee update on their appeal to removal of these courses
• TASA’s efforts to support the appeal and strategies moving forward

CORE Issues

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:

• Utilizing ARTS 1313 Foundations in Art (for non-art majors) as a Core class
• Developing a 3000 level portfolio class that Community Colleges could teach for those students preparing to transfer

ACGM issues

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:

• Carol Fairlie, TASA president wrote a letter of support for the 1st appeal submission.
• TASA representatives plan to attend fall and spring ACGM Advisory Meetings.
• 2 and 4 year institutions will work together on articulations or 2 + 2 agreements.
• Universities will help facilitate completion of new forms.
• Other community colleges will launch the appeal process.

DCCCD appeal documents:

Curriculum Letter Nov 1, 2016
Texas 60x30 talking points
Brookhaven Sculpture II Syllabus 
Texas Tech Sculpture II Syllabus    
 

The Lost Colony: 1921-1950 - Texas Regionalist Paintings

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.

 The Lost Colony

Digital Sketching with Elizabeth A. Yarosz-Ash

By Joe Peña, Assistant Professor of Art, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi

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.

Texas Rock Art and Education

TASA Conference 2016 Review:

Texas Rock Art and Education, Andrew Tegarden, University of Arizona

Watercolor by Forrest Kirkland, 1934, depicting pictographs along stratified limestone layers at Paint Rock, Concho County, Texas, 41CC1 (Kirkland & Newcomb, 1996, plate 104, courtesy of Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, TMM 2261-103).

Author Note

Andrew Tegarden, Department of Art and Visual Culture Education, University of Arizona, Tucson.

Andrew Tegarden has taught with various schools and programs in New Mexico and Texas, including at Sul Ross State University, teaching art history, art appreciation, and art education.  He is currently working on a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in art education.  Rock art is a major topic of research for him, both art historically and in terms of its prospects for students.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew Tegarden, 2865 E. Sylvia St., Tucson, AZ85716.  Contact:  ategarden@email.arizona.edu

TASA Conference 2016 Review:  Texas Rock Art and Education

The attendees had to do a fair amount of driving to get to Alpine, Texas, but the annual TASA conference this year hosted by Sul Ross State University was an exciting one.  Along with the art administration-specific discussions and TASA work sessions, there were workshops on digital sketching and glass fusing, as well as a large dose of art history presentations and tours.  Art history talks filled a large portion of the Friday sessions, and the TASA conference included bus tours to the Chinati Foundation Open House and the rest of Marfa, where artist Donald Judd kept a residence and established permanent installations.  The conference was a chance to take stock of a wide range of contemporary, historic, and ancient art in far-west Texas. 

On the ancient end of things, I presented on Texas rock art and its educational opportunities.  It stands to reason that where there’s rock—canyons, boulders, and geologic outcrops—there’s rock art, and the western half of the state has a lot of both.  The rock art in Texas, like Texas itself, is unique and convoluted.  The first half of my presentation focused on a short survey of rock art regions in Texas and publicly accessible rock art sites.  Hueco Tanks State Park, Big Bend National Park, Seminole Canyon State Park, Paint Rock in Central Texas (privately owned but accessible by special permission), and Palo Duro Canyon State Park all have rock art sites that can be visited by school groups.

The second half of the presentation focused more specifically on educational approaches.  Most of the audience was studio professors, and I thought it would be useful to talk about how rock art was made.  It’s basically taboo to make rock art today, except maybe for graffiti artists, but it’s interesting how rock art can represent a do-it-yourself process and aesthetic.  We looked at how rock art was applied and how brushes, pigments, and binders were made prehistorically (see Wright, 2016, and Malotki, 2007).  I’ve always been intrigued by rock art because it creates a direct connection for the artist between the materials and the art.  The ‘making’ is pure, and for us today, it’s an example of a stark alternative to buying supplies and selling art as a commodity. 

The presentation also brought up various art education pedagogies that can be employed by educators, either in lecture format or during field trips.  I emphasized place-based, environment- and community-engaged, and post-colonial education.  Place-based education is grounded in the resources, issues, and values of the local community and environment, and uses place and geography as integrating contexts (see Powers, 2004, and Coutts & Jokela, 2008).  Ecological and social thinking are activated together in place-based education.  Fieldtrips are opportunities to get different places and different voices involved in education.  I’ve seen rock art site visits become transformative experiences for students in part because it gets them out of the classroom and studio, out of the urban environment, and into different terrains.

We also talked about a more difficult set of issues related to Texas rock art, like colonialism, cross-cultural conflict, land rights, and heritage.  This range of socially-important issues can be put into a unique focus with rock art, and post-colonial pedagogy offers practical ways of dealing with it.  One way to do this is to bring in voices in equitable ways from the Native American, Mexican-American, and rancher communities—all people involved with the heritage of rock art sites.  It’s a way to counter-balance viewpoints so no single worldview dominates.  This is important because it acknowledges that colonial mindsets still exist, and the colonial hold on knowledge still needs loosening (Sefa Dei & Doyle-Wood, 2006).  Another acknowledgment is that archaeological research and education can sometimes be exploitive of cultural resources.  The aim of post-colonial education is to offer a critical look that helps to give the discussion depth.  Other methods include talking about instances of resistance (like Comanche raids against the Spanish, or Apache hold-outs in the Big Bend), Native American diaspora and the history of the border and immigration, and cultural hybridity (like Indian cowboys, buffalo soldiers, and Christianity in Native American communities) (Kanu, 2006, Kincheloe, 2006, and Sefa Dei & Doyle-Wood, 2006).  Rock art in Texas offers a visual and place-based context for all of this. 

The talk generated a good audience discussion at the end.  It was one of the earliest presentations on the docket the morning after everyone’s long trip out to Alpine, so I think the coffee must have helped the discussion along.  It makes me think that we should have pots of coffee at every early class we teach, especially if it involves art history.  As an aside, included here is a short list of rock art research institutions in Texas.  If you or any of your students are interested, these are good places to go to get involved or learn more…besides the rock art sites themselves, of course.

Institutions in Texas that Research Rock Art:

Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas

Sul Ross State University Fine Arts and Communication Department, Alpine, Texas

Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, Comstock, Texas

Rock Art Foundation, San Antonio, Texas

Regional and county archeological societies

References

Coutts, G., & Jokela, T. (2008). Art, Community and Environment:  Educational Perspectives. Bristol and Chicago: Intellect Books, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, The University of Chicago Press.

Kanu, Y. (2006). Reappropriating Traditions in Postcolonial Curricular Imagination. In Y. Kanu (Ed.), Curriculum as Cultural Practice:  Postcolonial Imaginations (pp. 203–222). Toronto, Buffalo, and London: University of Toronto Press.

Kincheloe, J. L. (2006). Critical Ontology and Indigenous Ways of Being:  Forging a Postcolonial Curriculum. In Curriculum as Cultural Practice:  Postcolonial Imaginations (pp. 181–202). Toronto, Buffalo, and London: University of Toronto Press.

Kirkland, F., & Newcomb, Jr., W. W. (1996). The Rock Art of Texas Indians (1996 reissue). Austin: University of Texas Press.

Malotki, E. (2007). The Rock Art of Arizona. Walnut, CA: Kiva Publishing.

Powers, A. (2004). An evaluation of four place-based education programs. Journal of Environmental Education, 35(4), 17–32.

Sefa Dei, G. J., & Doyle-Wood, S. (2006). Is We Who Haffi Ride Di Staam:  Critical Knowledge/Multiple Knowings - Possibilities, Challenges, and Resistance in Curriculum/Cultural Contexts. In Y. Kanu (Ed.), Curriculum as Cultural Practice:  Postcolonial Imaginations (pp. 151–180). Toronto, Buffalo, and London: University of Toronto Press.

Wright, A. M. (2016). How Did People Make Rock Art. Archaeology Southwest Magazine, 30(2), 12.

Report on TASA Meeting with the THECB on February 6, 2015

Here is the report (Word file and PDF file) of the meeting (Feb. 6, 2015) between Carol Fairlie, President of TASA and Richard Lubben (TASA Board Member) with Dr. Rex Peebles, Assistant Commissioner of THECB. It is an effective start with assertive and meaningful communication with THECB. But there is still work to be done and TASA is on it.

Master Syllabi - five master syllabi for the art studio classes that were approved by the THECB for the creative arts core area at South Texas College this fall:
ARTS2356 Master Syllabus (Microsoft Word file) ARTS2356 Master Syllabus (PDF file)
ARTS2348 Master Syllabus (Microsoft Word file) ARTS2348 Master Syllabus (PDF file)
ARTS2346 Master Syllabus (Microsoft Word file) ARTS2346 Master Syllabus (PDF file)
ARTS1316 Master Syllabus (Microsoft Word file) ARTS1316 Master Syllabus (PDF file)
ARTS1311 Master Syllabus (Microsoft Word file) ARTS1311 Master Syllabus (PDF file)

TASA thanks Carol Fairlie and Richard Lubben for their outstanding work. If you wish to extend your thanks and encouragement directly to Carol and Richard, please send your emails to rdlubben@southtexascollege.edu and fairlie@sulross.edu !

Creative Arts Core Component Area and Studio Art Courses

The below link is to Amarillo College’s 2013 core submissions and can be used as an example for your upcoming core proposals.  (Check with your institutional Curriculum Office for deadlines to the THECB.  South Texas College has a Nov. 15 deadline so it is coming up very soon.)  As you know, Amarillo College was the only institution that had studio courses accepted into the core by the THECB last year.  Please notice the use of key words and the amount of detail that seems to be required for an acceptable application.  To increase your chances for a successful application include an explanation of how each of the four core objectives will be covered and assessed and how each course fulfills the core objectives using a grading rubric.  We are no longer using Exemplarily Educational Objectives (EEO’s) so those along with the ACGM page number can be omitted from the application.  You should use the new CLO’s and course descriptions listed on the ACGM link below.  Lastly, please also find a letter of support from the TASA Board (link below) that you can print and include with your core inclusion requests when submitting through your college’s Curriculum Office in November.  We hope it will help explain how studio courses do belong in the Creative Arts Core Component Area.

Amarillo College Core Submissions:
https://www.actx.edu/courseproposal/proposals_approved.php

Downloadable grading rubrics for core objectives and team member critique sheet.  Click on the “Competencies and Rubrics” link to download the general rubric form and modify for your department if needed.
https://www.actx.edu/iea/index.php?module=article&id=67

ACGM Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual:
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/UndergraduateEd/WorkforceEd/acgm.htm
Select “Studio Art & Art History” in the discipline areas and then click on “run”

Notice that several courses have revised course descriptions and Course Learning Outcomes (CLO’s).  Your Fall 2015 Master Syllabi should be updated with this new information when submitting your core inclusion justifications.  The staff member reviewing your core justifications will likely review your Master Syllabi when making his or her decision regarding approve or denial to the core.

TASA Letter to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Subject: Creative Arts Core Component Area and Studio Art Courses
PDF file
Microsoft Word Document

TASA Core Survey Results (three survey summaries) - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xwnzo61vyfses1r/AAAap8iJxRFTgOlBn_lOrnIpa?dl=0

Richard Lubben
Board Member (2011-2017) 
South Texas College
Art Dept., 3201 W. Pecan Blvd.
McAllen, TX 78501
rdlubben@southtexascollege.edu

Welcome to TASA!

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.  It has been, and continues to be, a forum for art department faculty members at two-year and four-year public and private higher education institutions.

TASA has tackled important issues such as transfer credit between institutions and common numbering of art courses throughout the state’s institutions. Some of the most recent issues have included the dilemma facing photography programs regarding wet versus digital processing. In the past TASA made recommendations to the Coordinating Board concerning the 124-hour rule, mandated by the state legislature, for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. As the future of higher education evolves and expands, TASA looks to continue addressing important issues that have a significant impact on students and curriculum. Membership in TASA provides a unique opportunity to be involved in these discussions and have an active role in Texas art education.

Annual TASA conferences are occasions for artists to exchange ideas ranging from higher education to artistic processes and theory. Conferences are held in different cities and colleges throughout Texas. Conferences feature a variety of lectures from artists, gallery representatives, and art historians discussing cutting edge ideas and relevant issues from today’s global art community. Hands on workshops ranging from instructional planning and organization to experimenting with various 2d and 3d studio media are showcased and open to all attendees. The TASA conference experience also provides time for members to network on many levels ranging from exhibition opportunities, employment opportunities, and professional collaborations. TASA invites you to join and participate in a unique organization that opens the lines of communication between art educators, students, and departments across the state!

-TASA Past President Omar Hernandez of El Centro College, Dallas TX