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THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC. MAY 2013

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ISSUE Vol. 19, No. 8

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy CoughlanCopy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tracy DannaContributing Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Ivanova

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristen StuckDistribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betty Smith

The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors

President Ex-Officio . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg BuscemeVice-President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela BuscemeChair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John RobertsTreasurer/Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth GallaspyMembers at Large: . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth French, . . . . . . . . . . Andy Ledesma, Stephan Malick, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Butler

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The ISSUE is a monthly publication of The ArtStudio, Inc. Its mission is to publicize The Art Studio andits tenants, and to promote the growth of the arts inSoutheast Texas. ISSUE is also charged with informingTASI members of projects, progress, achievements andsetbacks in TASI’s well-being. Further, ISSUE strives topromote and distribute the writings of local authors in its“Thoughtcrime” feature.

ISSUE is provided free of charge to members of TASIand is also available, free of charge, at more than 30 loca-tions in Southeast Texas.

Regular features include local artists of note and rep-utation who are not currently exhibiting at TASI; artistscurrently or soon to be exhibiting at TASI; Instructionalarticles for artists; news stories regarding the state ofTASI’s organization; and arts news features dealing withgeneral philosophical issues of interest to artists.

Contents

Blackout Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4Love For Lynne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6TASIMJAE in Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7Amy Faggard: 0913 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8Who Are You, Ultima? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10Around & About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12Thoughtcrime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13

Cover photo of Amy Faggard

by Andy Coughlan

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIOMMAAYYAmy Faggard, TASIMJAE 2012 Winner

Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 4

JJUUNNEEThe Alternative Show

Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 1

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ART STUDIOMembership in The ArtStudio, Inc., provides invita-tions to all exhibitions andone year of ISSUE, themonthly arts magazine ofThe Art Studio. It also givesfree eligibility for membersto enter the annual mem-bership art exhibition(TASIMJAE) and partici-pate in various exhibitionsthroughout the year.

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THE GAS HEATERS RETURN to collecting dustfor the next nine months as we go into thewarm days of summer, looking forward toenjoying the toasty respite from a chilly,wet winter.

As far as a “State of The Studio”report goes, we are in a stable state ofexistence. We are spending less on opera-tions and earning more from sales.

We have all spaces rented to 20 artistsin residence, along with a couple of inter-mediates.

Classes have revived after a four-yearslump, as is evidenced by the LifeDrawing class and the work of individualteachers.

Although not to 1990s levels, classesare showing a good comeback for youngpeople and adults, as interest outweighseconomics and stimulus outweighs bore-dom.

Band Nites are showing modest butsteady gains with expected increases inenthusiasm, reflected in a new crew incharge of the event. As always bands mustplay their own original music, and this isthe draw we depend on for innovative andunique presentations.

Young musicians see The Studio as arite of passage for their band.

Because of this, and the potential for

future members, Band Nite is one of ourstrongest assets for the inovation of newmusic and the investment in the interestsof young people. If you haven’t been to aBand Nite lately, you owe it to yourself togo.

Art exhibitions are the only eventsthat did not go through a slump as partici-pation seems to peak during especiallytough times economically. This is attribut-able to the lack of weekend travel and alack of funds. Art exhibitions, as an event,open the door to people looking for cheapfamily activities.

Art sales have been considerably bet-ter than average and has held to thattrend after the new year. I account for thisin light of a buy local mindset and othereconomic conditions.

We continue to work on our facility,but we must make some key decisions onwhat to build and for what function. Nearfuture- — a covered deck out back of theclay studio would really help with theStudio congestion we are suffering.

Further in the future — a metal fabri-cated facility divided into one part ware-house/ metal works, one part perform-ance space.

While I’m dreaming — A/C every-where and new bathrooms, too.

A View From The TopGreg Busceme, TASI Director

4 • ISSUE May 2013 Volume 19, No. 8

POETRY IS DIFFICULT FOR most peo-ple. Whether it is struggling for arhyme, or just worrying if thatdeep, personal meaning is eitherobscure or too obvious, it is an artform that people tend to avoid.

But what if there was a sim-ple and effective way to “write”poetry without ever having tocome up with just the right word?In fact, the only thing to consider

is which words to discard.Welcome to blackout poetry.The Writing Center at Lamar University hosted a

Blackout Poetry Workshop, April 4.“April is probably one of the most literary

months,” Jennifer Ravey, Writing Center director,

said. “The week of April 17 is National LibraryAppreciation Week and April 23 is World BookNight.”

Ravey said that when she was asked to organizean event to commemorate the month, she wanted todo something other than a reading.

“I wanted to do something more interactive,” shesaid, “something we can actually do as a group.”

Blackout poetry consists of taking a marker to aprinted page — a newspaper, magazine or an oldbook — and redacting, or crossing out, some wordson the page. What is left is the poem.

“The great thing about blackout poetry is thatyou don’t have to know how to spell, you don’t have toknow how to write,” Ravey said.

“The restriction frees you. You are bound by thewords on the page, but it also gives you the freedom

not to have to think of them yourself. It’s just creative,innovative and fun. There were a lot of people laugh-ing (during the workshop).”

Part of the fun of creating a blackout poem ismanipulating the available words, often at theexpense of “normal” syntax.

“(I was) asked, ‘What do you do about punctua-tion?’” Ravey said. “Well, you either put it in yourself,or you don’t have it. It gives the poem multiple waysto be read. For example, mine doesn’t have any punc-tuation. I know where the line break is, but the factthat there is no line break gives a freedom to thereader.”

Blackout poetry certainly has its roots in the cal-ligrams and cut up poems of the Dada and Surrealistmovements, but writer Austin Kleon is the man cred-ited with the recent popularity of the form. In 2010,

Story byAndy

Coughlan

DISCOVERING THE ART OF REDACTING EVERYDAY WORDS

Poem by Lorin Carrell

Poem by Ryan Null

Volume 19, No. 8 May 2013 ISSUE • 5

Kleon published “Newspaper Blackout,”a collection of poetry created by redact-ing articles in the New York Times.

“It’s actually a lecture he toured allover the country and his publisherasked him to write a book,” Ravey said,adding that she came across it aboutfive years ago when a student did ablackout poem for a class project.

“I thought it was fascinating,” shesaid. “What Austin Kleon does, peoplewill send in their poems and he publish-es them on his blog.”

While some people choose to neatly

black out the words, other scribble ordraw lines from one word to another.There are no rules as to how it “should”be done.

As Ravey thumbed through theexamples from the workshop, she saidshe loved the variety of techniques. Shereferred back to a blackout poem shehad seen before.

“What I like is that someone creat-ed a map out of theirs, so it became notjust the words, but also the image,” shesaid. “It’s like e.e.cummings — thestructure is part of the meaning.”

Ravey said that some of her favoriteart incorporates words with the images.

“Poetry that incorporates the visualis a whole other level,” she said. “I lovea photograph that there’s one word, andit might be completely obscured, butyou see it and it informs your opinion ofthe photograph.”

“When I teach poetry, studentshave hang ups about it, they just do,”she said. “So one of the things I say is,‘What do you not like about poetry?’ Sothey say, ‘I don’t know what it means, Idon’t understand it.’ Well then, pick meout the words in this poem, the wordsthat stand out to you. They do and I askthem, ‘Why did that word stand out toyou? What is it about that word? Is it themeaning that you derive from it? Is itthe order?’ Once they look at it thatway, sometimes if you change the per-spective and have them pick out thoseimages — those feelings — it complete-ly changes it for them.”

Ravey said that people tend to gothrough phases when they are youngwhen they write poetry.

“You go through this phase whereyou are young and hormonal and youget all that out on paper,” she said.“Then suddenly it’s an embarrassment.And it is personal and that becomesharder for people.”

Blackout poetry, with its restric-tions, allows people to be free to com-pose poems in a fun way without theworry of being judged.

So for any budding poets out there,grab yourself a Sharpie and go for it.You can even use this article.

For more information, visit austin-kleon.com.

For more blackout poems,see Thoughtcrime, page 13.

Brook Gipson, left, and Adam Haskett, right, wrote theirblackout poems from the same article with very differ-ent results.

Poem by Daniel Vallee


Art community to celebrate Lokensgard’s 40-Year career STUDENTS, COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS of LynneLokensgard will be gathering at multiple locationsin Beaumont, on May 4, for a progressive series ofevening events to honor and celebrate her 40-yearcareer as art history professor and her public serv-ice as advocate and mentor to the Southeast Texasarts community.

The retirement celebration will be held at threedifferent locations starting with refreshments at theBeaumont Art League from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., fol-lowed by a cocktail reception at Art Museum ofSoutheast Texas, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and finish-ing at 8 p.m. at the Art Studio, Inc., where she willbe an honored guest during the exhibition openingof local artist Amy Faggard.

All events are free and open to the public —everyone is welcome.

Lokensgard began her Beaumont teachingcareer at Lamar University in 1973 and soon begantaking a leadership role as advocate and supporterof the arts both inside and outside the classroom.

In the classroom, her enthusiasm for art historybenefited many hundreds of students, includingmany who were not art majors, enrolled in her ArtHistory Survey and Art Appreciation courses.

Jarvis Quach, a former student, recently com-mented on her inspirational teaching: “Dr.Lokensgard is the one who made me love art somuch.”

During her tenure at Lamar, her repertoire ofcourses spanned the history of civilization andincluded numerous disciplines from Architecture,

African and Asian Art to the Renaissance, 19thCentury, Symbolist and Contemporary art.

Paul Manes, New York artist, former student(and Beaumont native), said, “Dr. Lokensgard has a

vast knowledge of art history. Her years of singularteaching capabilities leave the university at a losswith her retirement. It will be hard to fill her shoes.”

Outside the classroom, she has been a tirelessorganizer and curator of art exhibitions within theDishman Art Gallery at Lamar, where she served asdirector for 20 years, as well as assisting numerousother arts organizations including the GoldenTriangle Aids Network, Beaumont Art League, TheArt Studio, Inc., and Art Museum of SoutheastTexas.

The event is being hosted and organized by agroup of former students, spanning several decades,working in partnership with the Beaumont art com-munity.

“It’s a perfect way to celebrate the career ofsomeone who has had such an influence — whohelped nurture an amazing culture of artists, collec-tors and supporters throughout Southeast Texas,”said former student Amy Richard.

“We can’t ever thank Dr. Lokensgard enoughfor the knowledge, encouragement and passion forart that she has imbued to us all, but we’re going totry.”

Evelyn Brown, another former student, said,“Her professional career is one to admire and cele-brate. What an engaged, active, and approachableeducator and friend she has been in our art commu-nity and in friendship through the years.”

For more information about this event, emailMelanie Lanuza at [email protected], orAmy Richard at [email protected].

Alternative ShowI T ’ S T I M E Y O U E N T E R E D !

ENTRIES ACCEPTED MAY 28, 29 AND 30OPENING JUNE 1

a first-come, first-served, free-for-all art exhibition

YOU MAKE IT, WE’LL SHOW IT!

Lynne Lokensgard stands in front of La Bocca della Verità (the Mouth ofTruth) in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome,Italy, during a 1995 Lamar University trip. Photo courtesy of Terri Fox


“Rosie,” a papier mache sculpture by Avril Falgout

TTAASSIIMMJJAAEETHE ART STUDIO, INC. MEMBERS JURORED ART EXHIBITION

LISA REINAUER WAS NAMED winner of TASIM-JAE 2013, at a reception held April 6 in TheStudio. Reinauer previously placed first in2003.

Reinauer, who is chair of the art depart-ment at McNees University, earned first placefor her oil painting, “Chronos Rings,” aboveright.

Second place was awarded to Faye Nelsonand third place was awarded to Jody Reho.

Honorable mentions were awarded toMichael Mason, Cynthia Courville Fontenot,Joyce Philen and Sam Keith.

More than 80 entries were submitted forthe show, and 30 pieces were accepted forexhibition by juror Megan Young, director ofthe Dishman Art Museum at LamarUniversity.

Reinauer was awarded a cash prize andwill host a solo exhibition in May 2014.

LISA REINAUER NAMED WINNEROF 2013 MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION


AMY FAGGARD, BRINGS VISION

AMY FAGGARD’S ENTIRE

WORLD is in fragments inher art, but her vision iswhole. The 2012 winner of The

Art Studio, Inc. MemberJurored Art Exhibition, orTASIMJAE, will open hersolo show, “0913,” May 4,at The Art Studio, Inc.

The show chronicles Faggard’sjourney, from 2009 to 2013, whileobtaining her master’s degree in artfrom Lamar University. The pieces

range from a series of boots, self-por-traits, a series of her hands, to her the-sis, titled, “Fragmented Pieces.”

“It is a discovery of myself andthings around me,” she said.

The first-grade teacher at BlanchetteElementary in Beaumont, said she can’tremember a time when she didn’t paint.

“There hasn’t been a week I haven’tpainted since I was about 12,” shesaid, “I can’t imagine not everpainting.”

Faggard said that, of thepieces in the exhibition, thehand images are her favorites.“It started out with a horizon-

tal hand holding a paintbrush,”she said. “I left the wrist kind ofbroken on each one, almost likea statue. The next one is thehand painting— that hand hold-

ing the paintbrush. “The third one is my hand, drawing

the hand painting the hand.“I guess I like them so much because

it’s so much a part of me. What would Ido without my hands? I use them foreverything. About a year after I paintedthe hands, I had to go to the doctorbecause my wrist started hurting. I’mwondering if I created that scenario —painting them with broken wrists andthen that happened.”

Faggard’s husband, Albert, is anadjunct art professor at Lamar StateCollege-Port Arthur.

“It’s so nice to be married to some-

Story byKristenStuck

Fragments

ISSUE photo illustration by Andy Coughlan

one that paints all the time,” she said, “Hedoesn’t gripe because I want to spend mySaturday at home painting, because that’swhat he wants to do, too. He critiques a lotof my work. I’ll tell him to be brutally hon-est.”

Some of Faggard’s paintings are whatshe calls “fragmented pieces.” She shootsphotos and then blows them up. Onceenlarged, she tears the prints up andarranges them into a pattern before tapingthem together. Finally, she paints the col-lages onto a canvas.

Faggard said the idea for the “frag-mented pieces” came to her when she wasfinishing the boot series, which uses thegrisaille technique. She worked from pho-tographs on the boot series. When she fin-ished the last painting, which was moreabstract, she decided to tear up the photosand see what happened.

“I have a vision when I start it,” shesaid, “It’s either a certain image, color or aswirling pattern. Maybe I’ll like this orangein one piece and I think it will go good withblue. It’s either a color theme or these pat-terns look good. There’s usually some ideabehind it.

“Sometimes I wake up from a dreamwith an idea, and I’ll have to get up andsketch it while it’s still fresh. Sometimes I’llsee something, or I’ll see the way the sunhits something.

“I’m inspired by everything — a shad-ow, a sunset, or the way a person is sitting— you can get inspiration anywhere.”

Faggard said she often gets a picture inher head, complete and in color.

“I don’t know if other artists get them,but I can’t imagine that they don’t getthem,” she said. “They don’t always turnout as perfect as I see them in my head, butI imagine that makes sense. That’s whathappens. I get a completed painting in myhead, and then I draw it and then paint it.”

Faggard said she wants the viewer tobring their own interpretation to the piece.

“You don’t want them to see how youcreated it,” she said. “It’s part of the mys-tery of the painting.”

The exhibition will feature a diverse

group of paintings.“I like to paint everything,” she said, “I

don’t want to be the flower painter. I justwant to paint what I want to paint. I don’twant to be put in a certain category. I justwant to be the great painter.”

Faggard said she often paints with herthree-year-old granddaughter, who remindsher to paint with the spirit of a child.

“Children don’t think about design orcolor, or if it’s good, or if other people willlike it,” she said. “They just paint with theirhearts. That’s an inspiration to me. That’swhy I love painting with her.”

Faggard said it is important to paintwhat you feel or love.

“The boots I loved,” she said. “The col-lages were pictures of everything I loved.The hand paintings have the paint brushes.It’s all a part of me. You should paint fromthe heart. Don’t worry if a person likes itor doesn’t like it. Paint what you love topaint.”

TASIMJAE is a juried art show andFaggard’s solo exhibition is her prize forwinning last year’s show. She submittedone of her fragment pieces that was creat-ed from pictures of rocks. It will be includ-ed in this show.

“It was an honor to win TASIMJAE,”Faggard said, “I can’t wait to show mywork and I hope everyone enjoys lookingat it.”

Faggard has been involved with manycompetitions and is a member of all of theart societies around Southeast Texas.

The paintings, which are all oil paint-ings, range from $450 to $650.

“0913” will be on display at The ArtStudio, Inc., 720 Franklin in downtownBeaumont, May 4 through May 25. A freeopening reception will be held 7 p.m. to 10p.m., May 4.

Faggard’s master’s thesis, “FragmentedForms,” will be on display at the DishmanArt Museum on the Lamar University cam-pus, beginning May 10. Faggard graduatesin May.

For more information, call The ArtStudio at 409-838-5393, or visitwww.artstudio.org.


TASIMJAE 2012 WINNER, TO STUDIO, DISHMAN IN MAY

and other visions

“My work was to dogood... I was to heal thesick and show them thepath of goodness. But Iwas not to interfere withthe destiny of any man.Those who wallow in evil

and brujería cannot understand this.They create a disharmony that in theend reaches out and destroys life —”

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima.

“EVERY WRITER — AND READER — needs a guide,” saysRudolfo Anaya in an interview about the process ofwriting the novel which brought him internationalfame. He talks about a vision which became the cor-nerstone of his inspiration: an old, withered womanmiraculously appeared in his room as he was writingthe first draft. She said that the book would not begood if she were not in it. “A healer became my guide,so I could look deeper into the reality and time.”

Ultima is a curandera, a medicine woman. Using avariety of medicinal herbs, she heals bodily disease aswell as sickness of the soul caused by evil spells. Sheis more than a healer — she is a medium between ourworld and the world of spirits, between the presentand the past. Her presence in the novel empoweredAnaya to transcend the personal story of Antonio, ayoung boy coming of age, and create an epic narrativethat reflected the collective psyche of Hispanic peopleof New Mexico.

Ultima belongs to the generations of healers,witch doctors, medicine men and women, often collec-tively referred to as shamans*, who safeguarded theircommunities from multiple perils since the earliestdays of humankind. Historians believe that shamanismwas a dominant pre-religious practice for humanityduring the Paleolithic period. Shamans performed theduties of naturopathic doctors, midwives as well asmystic intercessors on behalf of individuals and thewhole community at the times when it was necessaryto seek assistance of — or protection from — super-natural forces.

It is believed that, in order to communicate withthe supernatural, the shaman’s soul has to leave his orher body and undertake a dangerous journey to theworld of spirits. The shaman achieves this by gettingin a trance and entering the body of a bird or otheranimal. This belief is echoed in Anaya’s novel. Ultimahas a mysterious connection to the owl. The owl pro-tects Antonio and metes out punishment to evilTenorio. The owl and Ultima are inseparably linked toeach other: when Tenorio shoots the owl, Ultima dies.

When organized religions replaced paganism,shamanic rituals were forced to the periphery orunderground, but they never completely disappeared.For example, in Europe, shamanic traditions contin-ued to manifest themselves in popular folk beliefs

through the Early Modern period (1500-1800.)Scholars argue that medieval beliefs regarding thesoul were based on earlier shamanic ideas. The contin-uing practice of shamanic rituals might have played arole in the conceptualization of witchcraft, includingthe idea of the witches’ Sabbath, and led to witches’trials in the Middle Ages and later.

Practitioners of ancient rituals were known underdifferent names in different countries, however, in allcultures they were most often referred to as “the wisemen and women” or “the cunning folk.” They were the

keepers of the collective knowledge upon which thewell-being and, ultimately, the survival of the commu-nity depended. Naturally, this knowledge was closelyguarded and restricted to the initiated practitioners towhom it was passed orally by the older generation. InAnaya’s novel, Ultima says that her powers were givento her by “el hombre volador” (“the flying man”), andthe name of this great healer has a terrifying effect onTenorio who “drew back as if slapped in the face by aninvisible power.”

For centuries, “the cunning folk” were the only


Story byElena

Ivanova

Who are you, Ultima?

Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955), LA ABUELA, oil on canvas, 18.375 x 14.625 inches, Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 31.28.18

REFLECTIONS ON RUDOLFO ANAYA’S NOVEL ‘BLESS ME, ULTIMA’


ones who acted as physicians for the general popula-tion while medical science was slowly evolving. Theirimportance, particularly for rural and remote areas, isimpossible to fathom. Every folk culture has cere-monies, typically accompanied by chanting, of givingthanks to midwives, which was an area of specializa-tion among “the wise women.” Even as late as the1930s-1940s, medical assistance was not readily avail-able in rural communities in New Mexico: it is Ultimawho performs the duties of a midwife when Antonio isborn and who treats him when, later in the novel, hebecomes seriously sick.

Curanderismo as the art of curing physical andspiritual illnesses emerged in Spain-dominated areasof the New World. It blends Native American tradition-al healing practices with Catholic elements, such asholy water, saint pictures and Catholic prayers.However, there must have been one more ingredientwhich added its distinctive flavor to the mix: the ages-old legacy of the European “cunning folk” which pre-sumably was carried across the ocean by survivingkeepers of the ancient tradition.

Although little is known about Spanish curanderosand curanderas around the time of the colonization ofthe Americas, the number of witches’ trials during the16th and the 17th centuries in Spain attests to the per-sistence of folk customs which the church was merci-lessly trying to suppress. Other indirect evidencepointing to the continuing practice of ancient rituals inSpain is the well-documented history of “the cunningfolk” in nearby Italy where they were known as “prati-cos” (wise people), “guaritori” (healers), “donne cheaiutano” (women who help) and “mago” (maga). Oneof the most well-known groups among them was theBenandanti (good walkers), who claimed they per-formed nocturnal visionary flights across the sky inorder to ensure good crops. Between 1575 and 1675,the Benandanti were tried as heretics and witchesunder the Roman Inquisition.

In the New World, curanderos and curanderascould practice their ancient art of healing more freely.Although the threat of persecution by the Inquisitionremained, it was easier to hide in these vast andsparsely populated lands. At the same time, the needfor a local healer dramatically increased due to the dis-tances to towns and scarcity of doctors even in urbanareas. As a result, curanderismo flourished on a newsoil and expanded its arsenal of remedies and tech-niques by incorporating into its practice the traditionalhealing methods and knowledge of local herbs ofAmerican Indians.

The actions of “the wise men and women” haveoften been misinterpreted as witchcraft and, as men-tioned earlier, practitioners suffered severe persecu-tions including imprisonment, torture and beingburned at the stake. However, there is a fundamentaldifference between the art of healing and witchcraft —the difference that also is underscored linguistically inmany languages. In Spanish, the former is called“curanderismo” while the latter is called “brujería.”

In the course of the novel, Ultima addresses thisdifference several times. In her last words to Antonio,she describes “brujería” as an attempt to disrupt theharmony in the world, while her mission, as a curan-dera, is to maintain this harmony. This task may war-rant the use of magic, particularly in a situation whena witch has cast a spell on a person. A curanderademands the witch to remove the hex and, if this doesnot work, she has to “hex the hexer.”

The episode with the healing of Antonio’s uncleLucas reads like a classical example of a spell removalprocedure. Ultima locates the hexing agent — a ball ofhair which was magically placed in Lucas’s stomach —

and expels it from the patient’s body by giving him apowerful emetic. But this is not the end of her mis-sion. In order to restore harmony in the world, Ultima“sends” the evil back to where it originated by puttinga hex on the witches, Tenorio’s daughters, whichresults in the sickness and death of two of them.

So who is Ultima for a modern reader — a personwho may or may not believe in curanderismo? Is she akind of “good fairy” that one finds in the pages of achildren’s book, a “white magic woman,” a holistichealer, a fearsome shaman? Did she really performmagic when she treated Lucas or did she simplycleanse his body? Did she really cause the death ofTenorio’s daughters? Did a part of her spirit reside inthe body of the owl? The answers depend on how eachof us perceives the world and all that remains unex-plained in it.

At the same time, regardless of our position onthe supernatural, there is something that we, people ofthe 21st century, share with Ultima. We all are becom-ing increasingly aware of the importance of a holisticapproach to curing illnesses that ravish our bodies. Allthings in the body are related to each other and anaction administered to one part inevitably starts achain reaction. More importantly, we now recognize

that physical, mental and spiritual health are intrinsi-cally linked and it is impossible to affect one withoutaffecting the others.

The next step is to take to heart Ultima’s mes-sage: open our minds to “all that is good and strongand beautiful,” and keep in harmony between our-selves and the world around us.

The novel “Bless Me, Ultima” has been chosen forthe 2013 Southeast Texas Big Read program. The BigRead is an initiative of the National Endowment for theArts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the centerof American culture.

For more information visit library.lsco.edu/big-read/big-read.asp.

* The term “shamanism” was originally applied todescribe belief systems of people of Northern Europeand Siberia; later, it became a blanket term for diversebeliefs and practices around the world which involvecontact with a spirit world in an altered state of con-sciousness. While anthropologists argue about thetrue meaning of shamanism, it continues to be used inscholarly literature as a general term, which justifiesits capacity in the present article.

Ernest Leonard Blumenschein (1874-1960), HAWK SHIELD, MEDICINE MAN, c. 1917, oil on canvas, 16.5 x 14 inches, Stark Museum of Art,Orange, Texas, 31.30.15

The BEAUMONT ART LEAGUE will host the70th BAL NATIONAL SHOW, May 1-31.

A reception will be held Mayy 11, 7-9 p.m.BAL is located at 2675 Gulf St. in Beaumont.For information, visit www.beaumontart league.org.

______________

Outside the Box will present THE LADY WITHALL THE ANSWERS, a dinner theater production atthe Woman’s Club of Beaumont, May 31 and June 1.The show begins at 6:30 p.m.

The production, which features Roxane Gray asAnn Landers, will take place in the grand ballroom fol-lowing a four-course dinner.

Tickets are $65.“After the very successful Valentine’s Day dinner

theater show, we decided to do another production,”director Ramona Young said.

“The Lady With All the Answers,” written by DavidRambo, takes place in 1975, 20 years after EppieLederer took over the Ann Landers advice column thatchanged the social landscape of the last half-centuryand made her “America’s Therapist.” While strugglingto write the most difficult column of her life, AnnLanders breaks down the fourth wall and shares someof her favorite letters and memories with us.

“The playwright, David Rambo, has found an artfulway to tell the story of America’s transition from thecalm of the 1950s to the constant flux of the 1970s. Hetells us the story of one woman’s struggle to cope withthe changes in the world around her. The true beauty ofthe work is that he chooses the irrepressible AnnLanders to be that woman,” Young said. “Through herwit and straight-talk, he is able to tackle huge themeslike marriage and divorce, war and peace, celebrity andprivacy, without lecturing.”

Drawing from the life and letters of Ann Landersand with the cooperation of her daughter, MargoHoward, Rambo has created a touching play that theLos Angeles Times calls “...folksy, funny, straightfor-ward and validating ...a smile-inducing, tear duct-activat-

ing reunion with a woman who might have been astranger but seemed like family...engaging from begin-ning to end.”

Since its 2005 debut at the Old Globe in San Diego,“The Lady With All the Answers” has been mounted inmore than 50 regional productions, including an off-Broadway production at the Cherry Lane Theatre thatearned Judith Ivey a Drama Desk and Lortel nomina-tion for her portrayal of Ann Landers.

The Beaumont Woman’s Club is located at 575Magnolia in downtown Beaumont.

Reservations may be made by calling 409-543-4915,or online reservations at facebook/com.outsidetheboxbeaumont.


If you come across any interesting exhibitions, museums or other places on your travels, share them with us. Call 409-838-5393, or contact us throughour web site at www.artstudio.org. Be sure to include the location and dates of the subject, as well as any costs.

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authors. Poetry, short fiction, scholarly works and opin-ion pieces may be submitted for review. All works mustbe typed or submitted on a disk (using approved wordprocessing software), or may be sent to TASI by e-mail.All works are subject for review by our editor, and maybe rejected or edited on the basis of grammar, spellingor content.

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Mission StatementFounded in 1983, The Art Studio, Inc. is

devoted to: providing opportunities for interac-tion between the public and the Southeast Texascommunity of artists; furnishing affordable stu-dio space to originating artists of every medium;promoting cultural growth and diversity of all artforms in Southeast Texas; and providing art edu-cational opportunities to everyone, of every age,regardless of income level, race, national origin,sex or religion.

PURPOSE

The purpose of The Art Studio, Inc. is to (1)provide educational opportunities between thegeneral public and the community of artists and(2) to offer sustained support for the artist byoperating a non-profit cooperative to providestudio space and exhibition space to workingartists and crafts people, and to provide an areafor group work sessions for those artists andcrafts people to jointly offer their labor, ideas,and enthusiasm to each other.

GOALS

1. To present public exhibitions2. To provide educational opportunities3. To provide accessible equipment

for artists4. To provide peer feedback through associa-

tion with other artists and crafts people

OBJECTIVES

1. To present 10 art exhibitions per year2. To maintain equipment for artists in a

safe working environment3. To provide better access to artists for the

public4. To offer regularly scheduled adult and

children’s classes5. To develop and maintain public activities

with all sectors of the community6. To develop and maintain equipment to aid

artists in their work7. To provide a display retail outlet for artists8. To expand programming and activities with

increased facility space

Fiesta Family DaySaturday, May 49 a.m. to 3 p.m.Free

Book Discussion of “Bless Me, Ultima”: In the Museum SettingSaturday, May 182 p.m.Included with museum admission

Ultima’s Plants: Seeing the World with a Curandera's EyesPresentation by Mark “Merriwether”Vorderbruggen, Ph.D.Saturday, June 12 p.m.Included with museum admission

UPCOMING STARK MUSEUM OF ART EVENTS


WE WANT YOU FOR BAND NITE

Hear original music by local musicians at

$5 admission All ages welcome • 21 and up BYOB and have your ID.

For upcoming gigs, visit The Studio’s facebook page

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDThe Art Studio is looking for energetic people

who have a few hours a month to help us in the following areas:

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SPECIAL EVENTS • MAILOUTSIf you are interested in one or more of these opportunities or if you

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THIS MONTH:

MAY 4-25GALLERY RECEPTION IS MAY 4, 7-10 P.M.May 4-25, 2013

Opening May 4, 2013with a free reception from 7-10 p.m.

The Art Studio, Inc.720 Franklin StreetBeaumont, Texas 77701409-838-5393

Gallery HoursTues-Sat, 2-5 p.m.

[email protected]

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The Art Studio, Inc.720 Franklin StreetBeaumont, Texas 77701409-838-5393

Gallery HoursTues-Sat, 2-5 p.m.

[email protected]

COLLEGE

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TRINITY

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PARK

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720 Franklin StreetBeaumont, Texas77701

A non-profit organization

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #135

Beaumont, TX

Return Service Requested

WINN E R TA S IM JAE 2 0 1 20913AMY FAGGARD

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