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President’s
Palette
By
Coleen
Bradfield
It is almost June and time for summer and the end of another school year. That also means it is time to announce our College Arts Scholarship recipients. By combining our resources with the Arts Council again this year and with the ad-ditional generous support of Astin Winkler Charitable Trust we were able to increased our scholarship funds and award three $1,000 scholarships. The scholarship winners are as follows:
Chandler Lee-Ann Bowersox of A&M Consolidated High School has already been accepted to Texas A&M Univer-sity. Chandler is planning a career in art education and art psychology. Chandler is a member of National Honor So-ciety, has received 6 gold medals in the Visual Arts Scho-lastic Event with 4 perfect scores and wants to give back the skill and love of art influenced by her own art teachers. (Untitled by Chandler Bowersox)
Jacob Davis of Bryan High School has already been accepted to Texas A&M University and plans to major in Visualization in the College of Architecture. Jacob’s future plans include working for Pixar. As a participant in the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event he received a perfect score both years. Jacob is involved in many community activities as well as being a scholar athlete and third generation artist. (Untitled by Jacob Davis)
Ryan Kreider of A&M Consolidated High School has also been accepted to Texas A&M University. Ryan plans to major in Vocal Performance and Music Education. Ryan has received state level recog-nition for his vocals as well as the lead in three school musicals including the role of the beast/prince in Beauty and the Beast.
As a non-profit organization with a mission focused on the promotion of the arts in the Brazos Valley giving back to our community by supporting the education of our young artists is an excellent means by which we help achieve our goals.
I hope to see many of you on June 3rd during the removal of your art from the member show and/or the evening meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the Arts Center.
Wishing you each a wonderful summer,
Coleen
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BVAL CALENDAR REMINDERS
November 5th Member Show
“The Journey”
Intake: November 2 from 10 am-2 pm
Reception: Tuesday November 5 from 6 pm -7:30 PM
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GENTLE REMINDERS
June 3rd BVAL meeting will be held in the evening at the Arts Center 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. with a time to discuss and critique art work you would like to bring plus an in-formal discussion and presentation by photographer Gustavo Castillo on the best ways to photograph your art work. This will be the last regular BVAL meeting until September 9th.
The take down of the member show will be June 3rd 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. All art work must be picked up on that day as BVAL does not have a way to safely store any remaining art work. Any members planning to attend the evening meeting of BVAL at 6:00 p.m. may make arrangements with Coleen by emailing her assurance that they will be at the evening meeting and will pick up their art work then.
We will not have a KAMU feature artist this summer. If you would like to sign up to be a KAMU feature artist beginning in the fall send a photo of the painting you would like to use to Coleen along with the width and length and your preference of month to be featured beginning with September.
Membership dues for 2013/14 will be $40 and there will be a special drawing for two $50 gift cards for all who have renewed or joined prior to the end of August. There is no meeting in July or August. Membership runs August 31st to August 31st and the first meeting in September will be on September 9th due to the holiday on Sep-tember 2nd.
For those of you regularly paint in the Arts Center Studio on Wednesdays and those may want to begin the following schedule has been set up for the summer to work around the children's art camps that will be going on during the summer. Please note that there is also a time on Saturday when you can meet your BVAL artist friends in the studio to paint.
Wednesday Painters
June 5 & 12: All day camp, studio will be unavailable.
June 19: Half day camp, studio will be open for painters from 1-6pm.
June 16: No camp
July 3: No camp
July 10 & 17: Half day camp, studio will be open from 1-6pm.
Most Saturdays the studio is free (10am-2pm) for anyone to use. The only exception is July 6th – we have an event in the building that afternoon and they will be setting up in the studio beginning at around noon.
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Brazos Valley Art League News
Paint Days at the Arts Center: Wednesday’s Bring your own supplies and paint with your art league friends between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. No instructor and no fee. Wednesday Classes at the Frame Gallery 216 N. Bryan Ave., Downtown Bryan . Contact Ceci Luepnitz (979-693-7248 or Greta Watkins (979-777-3230) with questions.
Adult Water Color Classes with Chris Wilson in the Arts Center Studio. Will meet in the Arts Center Studio 9:30 a.m. til 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays. For additional information please contact Chris at iamchriswilson@verizon.net.
Children's Art Classes with Marti Dunn afternoon art classes for children are being held in the Arts Center Studio room. Anyone interested should contact Marti or ACBV. Marti Dunn-oldartlady@yahoo.com or 979-696-2787 (Arts Council).
Christy Town is teaching a drawing class on Saturday mornings in the studio room at the Arts Center. Anyone interested can contact Christy at christytown2012@gmail.com.
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The KAMU-TV Feature Artist For May is Miriam Rieck
KAMU-TV will feature one painting each month by a selected BVAL
artist. At the end of each month a painting will be taken to the
KAMU-TV studio where it will be hung on the set of the Brazos Valley
Magazine for the following month. The painting will be visi-ble
during interview time on the show which shows three times per week.
The artist’s name and painting name will be acknowledged on the
credits for each show. The shows are scheduled for Thursdays 8:00
p.m., Saturdays 6:00 p.m. and Sundays 5:00 p.m. There can be no
glass covering the art work and no or very little white should be
viewable.
If you are interested in being a KAMU-TV feature artist please send
a short resume and picture of the painting you would like shown to
either Shawn Corbett at ahopefulmad-ness@gmail.com or Coleen
Bradfield at sunnyscb@gmail.com as they will be selecting new
artists each month and transporting the paintings to the studio.
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Check out exhibiting opportunities on both the BVAL and ACBV web sites. Look for Call for Entries Community Gallery at Large on either site www.bvartleague.org or www.acbv.org for a link to the municipal circuit application. The application packet offers information and venues in addition to the ones exclusive to BVAL that can be signed up for at monthly meetings.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS:YOURS TRULY HAS HER FIRST
SOLO EXHIBIT
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
Miriam Rieck/Wylde Soul Photography
THE VILLAGE CAFÉ
DOWNTOWN BRYAN
AUGUST 1-AUGUST 31
OPENING RECEPTION
AUGUST 9TH 6:30—8:30 PM
I am so excited and look forward to seeing you all there. Feel free to check out my humble beginnings on my facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/WyldeSoulPhotography?fref=ts
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LSAG Convention July 19 – 20, 2013, will be held along side the Artist Expo Houston in the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Go to www.lonestarartguild.org for information. BVAL members placing 1st through 1st hon-orable will be eligible to compete. All others are welcome to attend.
LSAG Yearbook Cover Contest (front and back covers)
Entry size is 8” H x 5” W. The front cover must have “Lone Star Art Guild” and “2013-2014” as part of the design. The art work must be an original by the artist and for the first time may be done in color or a black drawing ready for reproduction. Two Xerox copies must accompany the art work. Winners will receive a check for $50 each front and back covers. Entries need to be sent to: Barbara Westbrook, 2976 C.R. 218, Bay City, TX, 77414 by May 1st, 2013.
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Gustavo Castillo is hosting regular meet ups for photographers and those interested in taking photographs for ideas for your future artwork.
The next meet up will be in Calvert on June 23rd at 9:30 am
It will be a walking tour of Downtown Historical Calvert and then off to the Calvert Cemetery.
Afterwards stay around and gather for lunch and discussion.
For more information: Please contact Gustavo at 979-446-2127
Or check him out on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gustavo-Castilla-photographer-and-print-maker/59298052721?ref=ts&fref=ts
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CALL FOR ARTISTS – NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTISTS (NSA) is accepting submissions for its 29th Open Juried National Show, September 21, 2013 through October 31, 2013. Open media and over $2000 in awards and prizes. Hosted by Brazosport Art League, 400 College Blvd., Clute, TX. Juror is well known artist/instructor Chuck Rawle, www.chuckrawle.com. DEADLINE for online submissions is June 17, 2013. Prospectus will be available at www.nsartists.org or www.OnlineJuriedShows.com direct. For more information call S. Pinkerton, (832) 752-3280.
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Check out exhibiting opportunities on both the BVAL and ACBV
web sites. Look for Call for Entries Community Gallery at Large on
either site www.bvartleague.org or www.acbv.org for a link to the
municipal circuit application. The application packet offers
information and venues in addition to the ones exclusive to BVAL
that can be signed up for at monthly meetings.
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Paint Days at the Arts Center:
Wednesday’s Bring your own supplies and paint with your art league
friends between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. No instructor
and no fee. Wednesday Classes at the Frame Gallery 216 N. Bryan
Ave., Downtown Bryan . Contact Ceci Luepnitz (979-693-7248 or Greta
Watkins (979-777-3230) with questions.
Adult Water Color Classes with Chris Wilson
in the Arts Center Studio. Will meet in the Arts Center Studio 9:30
a.m. til 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays. For additional information please
contact Chris
iamchriswilson@verizon.net.
Christy Town
is teaching a drawing class on
Saturday mornings in the studio room at the Arts Center. Anyone
interested can contact Christy at christytown2012@gmail.com.
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Watercolor Workshop
Hosted by Robyn Glass
(Certified Art Teacher and Professional Artist/Designer)
Dates: June 19, 20, 21- 2013
Time: 9:30 am -12:00 pm
Location: Living Water Pottery
101 North Dowling Road, College Station, TX 77840
(979)820-3864 / (979)703-6433
Cost: $110.00 per student - limit 10
Materials will be provided.
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LSAG Convention July 19 – 20, 2013, will be held along side
the Artist Expo Houston in the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and
Convention Center. Go to www.lonestarartguild.org for information.
BVAL members placing 1st through 1st hon-orable will be eligible to
compete. All others are welcome to attend.
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BVAL Members
Following is new information regarding our partnership with the Arts
Council about the new CGAL (Community Gallery at Large). Read
carefully as this will explain how to exhibit your artwork within
these highly visible venues.
There will be a total of 7 venues. Four of those will be
exclusive exhibits to BVAL members only and the process of signing
up for these venues will be the same as in the past. Members will
sign up for a preferred time period on the spreadsheet made
available during meetings and online. A copy is also attached here.
The other 3 will be a juried process and open to all artists with
preference being given first to BVAL members. This application will
be available to download and print from the link provided here, in
the newsletter, and on both websites www.bvartleague.org
andwww.acbv.org. An opportunity to demonstrate and market your art
in person will also be available for First Fridays in Downtown
Bryan.
All venues will be advertised, provided with professional signage,
and promoted as original art for purchase.
Venues:
BVAL exclusive exhibit venues:
- Downtown Uncorked
- Arts Center Studio
- Brazos Center 8' case
- Brazos Center 18' case
Municipal Circuit venues: (juried process)
- College Station City Hall
- Brazos Valley Council of Governments
- Navasota City Hall
First Friday demo artists (contact Logan program.director@acbv.org)
We are accepting applications at this time for the Municipal Circuit
venues.
The BVAL exclusive venues are also available. See the attached
spreadsheet then contact Barbara Germanbgermanhouston@yahoo.com or
Rachel Lowen-stein RLowenstein@acbv.org to schedule your exhibit.
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From Wayne Etter of St. Andrew Episcopal Church:
Hello All, We hope that you are beginning to plan for Art Step on Friday, June 7, 2013. We look forward to wel-coming you back to St. Andrew's and we will do our best to help you share your creations with oth-ers. Although Wayne Etter will be handling space reservations, both Jim Kracht and Wayne Etter will be present on June 7. St. Andrew Episcopal Church activities will include: Parish Hall: Exhibits from several art organizations and independent artists. Parking Lot: Farmers' Market along the Parish Hall wall and the wall of Mr. G's building. Church: Details on the stained glass windows tour and music program will be provided later. All exhibitors will be asked to sign a liability waiver. If you signed a waiver for the March 1, 2013 Art Step it will be in force for calendar year 2013. The 26th Street parking lot entry will be closed on Friday, but you can enter the lot through the 27th Street entry to unload. You will not be able to park in the area near the Parish Hall except to unload be-cause that area is reserved for the Farmers' Market. You can park in the back part of the lot near the 27th Street entrance. Someone will be at the church beginning about 1:30 PM on Friday afternoon so that you can set up. Please do not arrive earlier than 1:30 PM as no one will be available to let you in. We ask that you remove your exhibits by about 9:00 PM Friday evening because there are events planned at the church on Saturday. If there are complications, please let us know and we will try to set up a removal time early on Saturday morning. If you plan to exhibit, please contact Wayne Etter (etterwayne@yahoo.com) with the following informa-tion. Name: Email: Phone: Address: Type of art to be exhibited: Amount of table space needed: We hope that we will have another wonderful Art Step and we would like you to be a part of it.
Jim and Wayne
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The Children's Museum is once again holding an Art Summer Camp. This year's camp will run July 15-19th for ages 4-6 and 7+. Amy Hall, Director of Education is on the search for guests to come in for camp, either for the week or just for a day. Please contact Amy at the email or phone number below if you are interested.
Amy Hall Director of Education 111 East 27th Street Bryan, Texas 77803 P: 979-779-KIDS (5437) F: 979-775-4908 education@cmbv.org www.cmbv.org
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Obituary Notice:
In the past month we lost two members who had been a part of the Brazos Valley Art League for a long time. They are Rosalie Cotropia and Rebecca Lloyd.
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The SEAD Gallery now has open call for entries for the 2013
Gallery
Exhibition Season. You can download the entry form here:
http://seadgallery.agxdev.com/files/2012/11/SEAD_CALL_FOR_ENTRIES_2013.pdf
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Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable
Q: Why do I have to write an artist statement? It's stupid. If I
wanted to write to express myself I would have been a writer. The
whole idea of my art is to say things visually. Why can't people
just look at my art and take away whatever experiences they will?
A: Artist statements are not stupid; they're more like essential.
And you don't have to be a writer to write one. And peo-ple already
look at your art and take away whatever experiences they will. Your
artist statement is about facts, a basic introduction to your art;
it's not instructions on what to experience, what to think, how to
feel, how to act, or where to stand, and if it is, you'd better do a
rewrite.
On this planet, people communicate with words, and your artist
statement introduces and communicates the language component of your
art. People who come into contact with your art and want to know
more will have questions. When you're there, they ask you and you
answer. When you're not there, your artist statement answers for
you. Or when you're there, but you don't feel like answering
questions, or you're too busy to answer questions, or someone's too
embarrassed to ask you questions, or you're too embarrassed to
answer questions, then your pal, your artist statement, does the job
for you. So let's get busy and write the damn thing…
Just about all artists want as many people as possible to appreciate
their art. A good artist statement works towards this end, and the
most important ingredient of a good statement is its language. WRITE
YOUR STATEMENT IN LAN-GUAGE THAT ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND, not language
that you understand, not language that you and your friends
understand, not language that you learn in art school, but everyday
language that you use with everyday people to accomplish everyday
things. An effective statement reaches out and welcomes people to
your art, no matter how little or how much they know about art to
begin with; it never excludes. Rest assured that those who read your
statement and want to know more will christen you with ample
opportunities to get technical, metaphysical, philosophical,
personal, emotional, moralistic, socially relevant, historical,
environmentally responsible, political, autobiographical, anecdotal,
or twisty with jargon-Like an introduction to a book, your statement
presents the fundamental underpinnings of your art; write it for
people who like what they see and want to know more, not those who
already know you and everything your art is about. In three to five
paragraphs of three to five sentences each, provide basic
information like WHY YOU MAKE YOUR ART, WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE
IT, WHAT IT SIGNIFIES OR REPRESENTS, HOW YOU MAKE IT, WHAT IT'S MADE
OUT OF, and perhaps briefly, WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. Don't bog readers
down, but rather entice them to want to know more. As with any good
first impression, your statement should hook and invite further
inquiry, like a really good story is about to unfold. Give too
little, not too much.
People have short attention spans. When you overload readers with
details, you risk drowning them in minutia, and dis-couraging those
who might otherwise persevere if you keep it simple. Address and
answer commonly asked questions about your art. Save the complicated
stuff for those who progress to the next level. Don't worry about
having to satisfy your dedicated fans. You won't bore them and you
won't lose them; they already love you. And if they have questions,
they know how to get them answered. Remember-- your statement is
about broadening your audience, not keeping it static. You'll have
plenty of time to give your most recent converts the grand tour--
LATER, NOT NOW-- you have to convert them first.- LATER, NOT NOW.
Plus this... you're statement is about you, so personalize it. Write
it in the first person, not like you're talking about yourself in
the abstract. Infuse it with your unique perspective. Whenever
possible, make it conversational, like you're speaking directly to
readers (note: a good editor can work wonders here). The more
complicated, theoretical, arcane, inscrutable, bloated, pompous,
elitist, egotistical, bombastic, arrogant or impersonal your
statement, the more trouble people will have trying to hack through
it and connecting with you and your art on meaningful levels. Few
readers want to burn calories trying to decipher complexities; they
burn 'em all day long. For now, they just want to see your art, take
it easy, have fun and enjoy themselves.
Additional considerations:
- Not all artists can write well. If you're in that category,
think seriously about hiring a professional writer or edi-tor,
preferably one with an art background, to help you convey what you
want your statement to convey in language that ordinary everyday
people can understand.
- Make "I" statements rather than "you" statements. Talk about
what your art does for you, not what it's supposed to do for the
viewers. This doesn't mean you start every sentence with "I," but
rather that you respect people's auton-omy and allow them to respond
to your art however they wish.
„h At all times, give readers the option to agree or disagree with
you. Never pressure them or attempt to dictate outcomes.
- Avoid comparative or evaluative comments that have been made
about your art by third parties such as gallery owners, critics,
collectors, or curators. These belong in your bio, resume or
curriculum vitae. In your statement, they're name-dropping; in your
curriculum vitae, they're testimonials.
- Connect what your art expresses with the medium that you're
expressing it in. For example, if your art is about world peace, and
it consists of twigs protruding from pieces of clay, explain the
connection. Arbitrarily stating that twig/clay protrusions represent
world peace leaves people wondering. If of course, the object of
your art or your statement is to leave people wondering, then that's
OK. In art everything is OK, but in order to succeed as an artist,
someone beside yourself generally has to get the point of what
you're doing.
„h Be specific, not vague. For example, if your art is "inspired by
assessments of the fundamentals of the natural world," tell which
fundamentals you're assessing and how they inspire you.
- Avoid obscure references to music, art, literature, history,
or anything else that requires detailed explanation or gobs of
previous knowledge. If you have to make such a reference, explain it
fast so that people know what
- Avoid comparing yourself to other artists. If other artists
influence you, fine, but don't say, "Like Picasso, I do this" or
"Like Judd, I do that." Instead, say something like "Picasso's Blue
and Rose paintings influence how I use yel-low." Better yet, leave
other artists out of your statement altogether. Let the critics
decide who you're like. Plus you don't want to invite comparisons
between yourself and the greatest artists who've ever lived. We all
know who the victor's gonna be there.
* Don't instruct people on how to see, feel, behave, respond, or
otherwise relate to your art. Nobody likes being told what to do.
Instead of saying "You will experience angst when you see my art,"
say "This art expresses my angst" or "I ex-press my angst through my
art." Or go see a therapist and work it all out.
Before you go public with your statement, get feedback. Show your
art and statement to friends, friends' friends, and maybe even a
stranger or two. Make sure they get it, that they understand what
you want them to understand. When they don't, or you have to explain
yourself, do a rewrite and eliminate the confusion. If you need
help, find someone who writes or edits and have them fix the
problem. Many times, a little rearranging is all that's necessary to
make your state-ment a clean clear read.
No matter how good your statement is, know up front that most people
will read it and move on; only a few will want to know more, fewer
yet will want to know everything, and fewer yet will ultimately
progress to the point where they actu-ally buy something. That's
simply the nature of art and personal taste. Having said that, never
underestimate the power of an effective statement to intensify,
enhance and advance how people experience your art.
More articles like this can be found at: http://www.artbusiness.com
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Membership Drive for 2013/14
See the Membership Renewal Form.
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Join the conversation Brazos Valley Art League On Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brazos-Valley-Art-League/151391644927609
Coming Soon:
On Yahoo as a group
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BVAL meets on the First Monday of the month
at noon at
The Arts Council Building
2275 Dartmouth
College Station, Texas
979-696-2787
Www.bvartleague.org
To join the Brazos Valley Art League, you can download the
membership form from the website or you can contact:
Wimberly Sharkey
wimsart@gmail.com
979-680-8610
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ADD YOUR WEBSITE TO BVAL
If you have your own website and would like to be included as a link
from the BVAL website, contact
webmaster@bvartleague.org
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