The Arts Blog

Winnsboro Center for the Arts
Newsletter for April-May, 2013

by Cindy Sanders

In our efforts to provide information through various means for the convenience of our readers, we are now publishing the WCA newsletters on The Arts Blog.

Our Town

“Bravo! Bravo!” to Maryann Miller and the cast and the crew she directed. With a simple set, costumes, and the barest of props, this talented troupe brought Thornton Wilder’s Our Town to life as we could never have imagined. Not one to rest on her laurels, Maryann is already busy making plans for the upcoming Night of Comedy on June 29^th and this year’s Youth Drama Camp in July.  The amount of talent concentrated in this town is just plumb amazing!

Basket Weaving Update

We have ONE opening for the basket weaving workshop on Saturday, April 27^th.  This time we’ll be making the Prairie Basket and the cost will be $45.00.  If you’d like us to squeeze you in, send an email ASAP!

The Art of Chaim Goldberg, through May 4^th Only

His artwork is awe-inspiring; his story is beyond compelling. This rare exhibit weaves them into an experience that is truly not to be missed. The fact that we are able to present this collection here in Winnsboro is beyond belief. Not only are we thrilled, but Mr. Goldberg's son, Shalom, who handles his late father's estate is sincerely honored that we are recognizing his father and his father’s art with this exhibit.

A "short list" of museums also showing Goldberg’s work include: Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, National Museum and Jewish Museum in Warsaw, Poland, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Houston in Houston, and so on.  The WCA is exceedingly pleased to be able to show some of his best works in our exhibit gallery.

The Contemporary Impressionism of Ellie Taylor Exhibit, Part I

Starting on May 15^th, Holly Lake artist, Ellie Taylor, will be exhibiting her loose, free-flowing style of painting with vibrant florals and landscapes as part of the Winnsboro Center for the Arts’ celebration of Impressionism and the Starry, Starry Night Fundraiser for the WCA. 

Of her work, Taylor says, “All my paintings must include the artist’s first impression of what is being painted. I want my art to express feeling, aesthetic beauty, awe, and drama. I use exaggerated color and bold impressionistic strokes. That is just me...”  We say, she’s an amazingly prolific and sensitive painter, and we’re tickled to finally have the opportunity to display her work.  This exhibit runs through June 1^st.

ARF-Fest, 2013

On Saturday, May 11^th, during Winnsboro’s Spring Fest, dogs, cats, pigs, mice, or donkeys (and all other pets large and small) will be featured in an exhibit of students’ paintings and sculptures at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA). WISD students, as well as students being home-schooled, can submit the drawing, painting, or sculpture of their pets by May 6^th at their school’s office or at Sayadream Studio on the corner of Elm and Market Streets in Winnsboro. The artwork will be on display at the WCA beginning on May 8^th. The best of the artwork will be awarded prizes and ribbons following the event.

Once again, there will also be a pet parade.  Pet owners of any age can register at WCA by 10:30 am on May 11^th.  The 11 am parade on Market and Elm Street will be followed by the awarding of  ribbons and prizes for Best Dressed, Largest, Smallest, Most Unusual, and Owner Look-Alike.

WCA has arranged to have pets from the Winnsboro Animal Shelter and Mineola’s APET Shelter available for adoption that day. The agencies will be set up on the corner of Main and Broadway (Hwys 37 and 11).

In addition to the art exhibit inside the art center, there will be photographers to take pictures of pets, as well as a selection of goods and services for pets. Volunteers will be on hand to collect donations of pet food for the Winnsboro Animal Shelter.  "They told us they will accept any brand of pet food," says event coordinator Helen Burlingham, "but prefer Pedigree Adult Dog Food, Purina Puppy Chow, Purina Cat Chow, and Milk Bones."

Join us on May 11^th to show-off or just admire all of the four-legged, two-legged, or no-legged friends of the community at WCA’s ARF-Fest.

May’s 3^rd Friday Art Walk

On May 17^th, beginning at 6:00 pm, the WCA will host an Opening Reception for The Contemporary Impressionism of Ellie Taylor Exhibit, Part I and all the artists who participated in creating the artwork for the Starry, Starry Night Fundraiser. 

Guests will also have the opportunity to pre-bid on some of the 6” x 6” artworks which will be auctioned the following evening.

In a salute to the great artists who developed the Impressionist style, the theme for this 3^rd Friday Art Walk, 6-9 pm, will focus on the late 1800s, which, of course, includes STEAMPUNK!  Opening festivities begin at Art & Espresso, including Tea Duels and music, and followed by visits to local galleries, restaurants, and specialty shops.

Starry, Starry Night Dinner & Art Auction Fundraiser

We have resurrected and restructured our beloved Starry, Starry Night Fundraiser for this year.  First off, our dinner at this May 18^th event, which begins at 6:30 pm, will be catered by Beauweevil’s Catering, who captivated our culinary senses with their spread at the Main St. Program’s 10^th Anniversary reception.  Instead of functional art, this year we will be auctioning over 50 pieces of 6” x 6” pieces of art created and donated by talented local artists.

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Thursday, April 25^th at the WCA, from board members, and from Conrad Wolfman at the Winnsboro Emporium; 316 N. Main St.  Ticket price for the roasted chicken breast dinner will be $35 each and include 2 complimentary glasses of Texas wine.  And additionally, we’re very pleased to add that “Tex” and Chana Gail Willis have agreed to handle the auctioneering for us! 

Another twist this year is that we will begin Absentee Pre-Bidding at the 3^rd Friday Art Walk.  Art aficionados will be able to silently bid on selected 6” x 6” pieces.  The highest bid for each item will then become the beginning bid at the auction on Saturday, May 18^th.  If that bid is not challenged, the silent bidder wins the bid… if the bid goes higher, the live auction highest bid wins!

We’re seriously looking forward to a festive and entertaining evening…if you’re trying to choose a gift for Mother’s Day, how about tickets to Starry, Starry Night and a promise to pick up the tab on a winning bid or two? 

Tri-Loom Weaving Workshops

Ever thought about learning to weave?  WCA will be offering two workshops on triangle loom weaving on Tuesday, May 21 from 10 am – 3 pm, and for those who can’t make it during the daytime, Wednesday, May 22 from 5:30 – 10 pm.

Cost for the class is $50, and includes all supplies to complete a small neck scarf/collar. Barney, our instructor, will also have looms of all sizes for those who wish to purchase. There will be a one hour lunch break on Tuesday and a half hour snack break during the Wednesday evening session.  A $20 deposit is requested to reserve your space.

Crossroads Concerts

Jive Jumpers (formerly Diddley Squat) will be boogying into Winnsboro on Saturday, May 11^th.  From their Facebook page, they describe themselves as a “4-pc jumpin', swingin', & a little bit jazzy combo of guitar, bass, percussion & snare drum played with brushes. Mostly blues, oldies & swing band tunes.”  Sounds like a great way to wrap up your Winnsboro Spring Fest/ARF Fest Saturday to me!  Go to http://crossroadsmusiccompany.com/products-page/ to hear a 30-second clip of their music and to purchase tickets.

 

 

One of the amazing things about Winnsboro is that we attract unusual performers, musicians and artists.  That's likely one of the reason were were among the first group of Designated Art Districts by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Time of Remembrance, The Art of Chaim Goldberg exhibit will be open to the public from April 10 through May 4.

The art comes in many forms, including sculpture, exquisite line drawings and colorful paintings.

Goldberg was born in Kazimierz-Dolny on March 20th, 1917.  The village was before and during WWI and WWII a vibrant art community.  His work reflects life in his village.

Among the information provided for this exhibit, there are notable art museums that have also hosted Chaim Goldberg's work.

His work reflects life in Poland

In the U.S., his work has been exhibited in:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY

Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY

National Gallery of Art, Lessing Rosenwald Collection, Washington, D.C.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

Skirball Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Judah L. Magnews Museum, Berkeley, CA

Spertus Museum, Chicago, IL

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

New York Public Library, New York City, NY

Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, MA

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL

 

Overseas, the art has been exhibited in:

Museum Nadwislanski, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

National Museum, Warsaw, Poland

Jewish Museum, Warsaw, Poland

President's House, Jerusalem, Israel

Musee du Petit Palais, Geneva, Switzerland

Klingspor Museum, Offenbach, Germany

Museum Vad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel

Photo credit: Lefty Brandon

The Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA) will present their annual “Trails Country Treasure Award” to Winnsboro residents Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne at a reception to be held at the WCA on September 23, 2012 at 2:00 pm.  The public is invited to attend the event, where the community will have the opportunity to thank Adler and Hearne for all that they have done to keep the arts alive in East Texas.  

Lynn and Lindy were instrumental in starting the Winnsboro Center for the Arts and were on the Board of Directors when it was called the Trails Country Center for the Arts.  "We were so happy when TCCA started," Lynn says.  "It provided us a venue for our music and it is an important part of Winnsboro because it continues to encourage artists in all mediums and expressions."

For performing songwriters Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne one of their fondest early memories of Winnsboro was being greeted by Robert and Shirley Watters in the homey atmosphere of the R.H. McCrary Hardware store on Main Street in the spring of 2001. They both remember noticing the sign above the soda fountain that read:  “Tourists treated same as home folks.”

“I remember sitting at the counter and visiting with this unassuming couple who turned out to be the owners – Robert and Shirley Watters,” Adler recalls. “Robert had left the corporate world in Dallas, and was sitting there in his overalls, content at being a business owner in a small town. Lindy and I were smitten with that whole idea of moving toward a simpler life, and in such a beautiful corner of the world.”

Not long afterward, Adler and Hearne relocated from Dallas and Fort Worth to Winnsboro and established what they call the “Spring Hollow Organic Song Farm” where songwriting, photography, music and other creativity abound.  

Once they were settled into their home in Winnsboro, Adler and Hearne penned a three-song musical composition entitled “The Crossroads Trilogy,” based on local historian Bill Jones’ prolific writings on the early days of Winnsboro – originally named Crossroads. The singing and songwriting partners often perform this trilogy for community and historical events that benefit various organizations.  

It was serendipitous that a few years after moving here, the place where the couple had first felt so welcomed would become the home of Crossroads Coffeehouse and Music Company, a live music venue that was instrumental in starting a boom of business in downtown Winnsboro. They chose to name the business after the town’s original name as their homage to Winnsboro’s heritage.

Crossroads prospered in that venerable old building for several years, featuring a stage that replicated the front porch of a Mississippi Delta farmhouse. They attracted some of the best names in music, and Diddley Squat even made a live CD recording there.

The setting was also used for community events, luncheons and dinners, birthday parties, family gatherings, and other special events. There's no doubt that Crossroads Music Company has done a lot for the city of Winnsboro by bringing superb talent to the stage and getting attention from Texas media.

Among the many awards and accolades the couple has earned include the 22nd Annual B.W. Stevenson Memorial Singer/Songwriter Competition award Lynn won in 2010. 

Over the years she and Lindy Hearne have won numerous awards, being finalists at such prestigious songwriting festivals as the Wildflower Festival Performing Songwriter Showcase in Richardson, Texas, the Walnut Valley Festival NewSongs Showcase at Winfield, Kansas, and the Kerrville Folk Festival's NewFolk songwriting competition.

 Their two latest CD releases, ”To The Heart” and “Adler & Hearne Live At Eddie’s Attic” have ranked in the Top 20 of the Folk radio charts in 2010 and 2012. Coming up for the duo: a reissue of the Crossroads Trilogy recording, and a new project in the works, scheduled for release this winter.

"To the Heart" was recorded at Nashville’s House of David Studio, by producer Rick Clark. “Over all the years of working in music,” says Clark, “I’ve never worked on a project that was as deeply soulful as this. There were times in the making of this album when it was obvious everyone involved was clearly touched, and there was a sense of something special clearly happening in the grooves.”

That is so true of all the music that comes out of the Spring Hollow Organic Song Farm just outside of Winnsboro where Adler & Hearne create their beautiful ballads.

For more information, visit www.adlerandhearne.com.

About WCA: 

The Winnsboro Center for the Arts is located at 200 Market St., across from the Depot, in Winnsboro, TX.  Parking is available in the Depot parking lot, as well as throughout the town. 

Winnsboro Center for the Arts, which was established in 2001, is a rural community arts center created to foster visual, literary, and performing arts. It is housed in an historic building in downtown Winnsboro and is run entirely by volunteers.

WCA is dedicated to embracing the spirit of creativity, thereby enriching the lives of the residents of a five-county area in rural East Texas. The goal is to become a vibrant, energizing resource for those wishing to experience and develop talents in creative expression in the arts. 

Winsboro Center for the Arts
200 N. Market St.
903-342-0686 
www.WinnsboroCenterForTheArts.com  

 
Joe Dan Boyd presents Maryann Miller with the
Trails Country Treasure Award for 2011.

This report was written be Joe Dan Boyd. . .

Maryann Miller, Winnsboro artist of multiple talents, is the 2011 winner of the Trails Country Treasure Award, presented by Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA) to individuals who have made profound contributions to the overall arts scene: local, regional, national or worldwide.

Miller is the sixth recipient of this coveted honor which was created originally to honor 96-year-old poet Odena Brannam who was still an active poet and writer at that age.

The idea was to honor artists with roots in the Trails Country, but whose influence had extended well beyond any geographic area.

At that time, WCA was known as Trails Country Center for the Arts (TCCA), and the board has voted to preserve the original Trails Country designation for its premier honor.

Previous winners include Grahame Hopkins, Helen Burlingham, Ray & LaVonna Hitz, Bill Jones and Odena Brannam.

Miller received the award Sunday, September 25, at a ceremony hosted by Winnsboro Center for the Arts (200 Market St., Winnsboro), where she was introduced by Becky Pickett and presented two tangible awards of recognition (a mounted certificate and a sculpture cast) from Helen Burlingham and Joe Dan Boyd.

All three, Boyd, Burlingham and Pickett, are members of WCA's Treasure Award Committee.

For more on Maryann, go to this link:
https://profiles.google.com/maryannwrites#maryannwrites/about

 

Bonnie Sir Kergian's Grand Prize entry
on display at the MAYFAIR event May 20-21.

The Franklin County Arts Alliance held their annual April show in May this year in order to coincide with the PineyWoods Wine Trails exposition up in the courthouse square.

All members and non-members were invited to the event which was held in the Arts Alliance building.

Bonnie  Sir Kegian of Winnsboro was awarded Best in Show at the Franklin County Arts Alliance their Mayfair show in Mt.Vernon, Texas Friday and Saturday, May 20-21.  The award also included a check from the Alliance for $500.

She carved the sculpture called "Portal:Two Sides of Life" out of translucent Honey Calcite and the base from Banded Calcite, both found only in the state of Utah.

Bonnie has been working in her chosen art forms as a sculptor and fine art photographer for over 20 years.  Her Hunter's Moon Studio and Gallery is in Winnsboro, Texas.  To contact her:  Phone:903/365-2801 or huntersmoonfarm@gmail.com.


 
Bonnie Sir Kergian's booth featuring her entries for the
Mayfair event in Mount Vernon May 20-21, 2011.

Mount Vernon Music is pleased to welcome back international star of the French Horn Geoffrey Winter for a concert:

Sunday, April 17, 2011, 3 P.M.
Mount Vernon Music Hall
402 Leftwich at Yates, Mt. Vernon, TX



He will be joined by MVM Players and guest violist April Kondrat, performing Mozart’s Quintet for Horn and Strings, a one-movement Piano Quartet by Gustav Mahler and the famous Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano by Johannes Brahms.

This will be Geoffrey Winter’s second time performing for MVM audiences, having wowed listeners two years ago playing with the American Horn Quartet.

Geoffrey Winter is a member of the American Horn Quartet and serves as Principal Horn of the Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn, Germany. He grew up on Mercer Island near Seattle, Washington and started playing horn at the age of six. He attended the University of Washington and the University of Southern California, studying with hornists Vince Derosa, Jim Decker and Christopher Leuba. During his college years he performed with the Summer Wagner Festival Orchestra as well as the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle.

His first professional appointment was for the position of Associate Principal Horn in the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of Caracas, Venezuela in 1982. Shortly thereafter he was awarded the 3rd Horn/Associate Principal Horn position with the Philharmonia Hungarica in Marl, in Germany. In 1988 he became Principal Horn of what was then called the Orchestra of the Beethovenhalle in Bonn.
 
Mr. Winter has won many solo and ensemble competitions in Germany and in countries around the world, with solo prizes in Markneukirchen (1988) and Munich (1989), and prizes as a member of the American Horn Quartet in Japan (1995), Belgium (1985) and Hungary (1984). His solo appearances have taken him throughout North and South America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Far East and Australia. In his chamber music activities he has toured the world, performing and teaching in Europe, North and South America, Japan, China, Australia and South Africa.



April Kondrat is Principal Violist with the Plano and Irving Symphony Orchestras and performs with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Opera Orchestra. She also performs chamber music with various ensembles including ProMusica, an organization dedicated to raising scholarship money for young musicians.

An avid music educator, Ms. Kondrat has a viola studio of twenty aspiring young musicians, and often provides master classes for local schools. For five years she was the Director of Education for the Plano Symphony, and developed programs designed for the youth of Collin County.

Ms. Kondrat created a musical experience for preschoolers that she has performed throughout the region at numerous bookstores, preschool programs and libraries. She attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY for her Bachelor of Music degree and earned her Master of Music degree at the University of Northern Colorado. Ms. Kondrat resides in Plano with her husband, Jeremy, Director of Bands at Plano Senior High School, and their three children.

Tickets are $10 for MVM members, $15 for non-members. Students are admitted free. (Children 8th grade and younger must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder.)

For more information call Mount Vernon Music at 903-563-3780, or visit www.mountvernonmusic.org.  

"The Act of Being, a Workshop for the Actor" was led by C. Michael Jaynes on February 11 - 12, 2011, at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.



There were 11 local residents who participated in such activities as exercises related to the actor’s fear, stimuli, behavior and vulnerability.

It was a great kick-off to a fabulous program that will be continued.

For further information and dates, contact the Winnsboro Center for the Arts at 903-342-0686.

Walls That Speak is Olive Jensen Theisen's second book on the works of John Thomas Biggers (1924-2001), published by the University of North Texas Press.

A book signing will be held at the Whatley Center for Performing Arts, Northeast Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant on Monday, February 21, at 2:30 pm.

The book signing coincides with the art exhibition, Dr. John Biggers Revisited, February 14 - March 4, 2011. The pieces are from the NTCC John Theisen Permanent Collection.

Dr. Theisen, better known by her East Texas friends as Ollie, was head of the Art Department at the college from its inception in 1985 until June, 1996 when she retired.

Dr. Biggers is considered one of the most significant African American artists of the 20th century.

While best known for his murals, his drawings, paintings and lithographs also capture the rich heritage of African Americans. He influenced many young artists through his art and teaching.

Ollie's journey to preserve Dr. Biggers' legacy began in the mid-80s when she found one of his murals in a school storeroom. She gathered his stories and in the process became a friend to the legendary artist.
 
The current book includes new murals that were completed between the publication of the first book and his death in 2001. Readers will also find a chapter on Dr. Biggers' own collection of African art.

A previous book by Dr. Theisen, A Life on Paper: The Drawings and Lithographs of John Thomas Biggers, was released in 2006 by the University of North Texas Press.

A great big THANK YOU to the Lake Country Orchestra for providing a wonderful FREE concert to residents of Winnsboro on Saturday evening, December 4 at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.

This all-volunteer orchestra makes its home at the Historic Select Theater and holds 10 performances per year. The musicians practice together every week under the direction of Lex Grantham.

The orchestra shares the venue with the Lake Country Playhouse and the movie theater.

Here are some shots from the event which featured a variety of lively holiday favorites. It was obvious that the audience and the musicians were all having a great time.











Lake Country Orchestra
114 North Johnson Street, Mineola, Texas
903-569-2300
Lex Grantham
lakecountryplayhouse@yahoo.com

On Sunday evening, December 5, Winnsboro Center for the Arts had a full house for True Blue Christmas. Shannon Monk and George Gagliardi of True Blue co-produced the show and were among the performers as well.



The True Blue regulars - Shannon, George Gagliardi, Rick Murray and Ben Scarborough - were joined by Kurt Bittner, Richard Shanks, Harold and Judy Shelton, Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne, the Ramsey family including Carey, James, Emma, Johanna, Grace Sarah Anne and Mathew Ramsey, plus Brennan Murray and James Monk.

The advance information about the show promised an evening that was reminiscent of the Christmas TV specials of the 60s and 70s. It was all that, and more. The high-energy program sparkled with enchanting and touching favorites with a touch of True Blue jazz and blues in the arrangements. The Ramsey Sisters sang back-up to several of Shannon's songs.

Kurt Bittner, a jazz musician from Sulphur Springs well known to Winnsboro music lovers, played a special arrangement of "Baby It's Cold Outside" with George Gagliardi. "Jingle Bells Meets Tequila" featured Bittner and Richard Shanks.



Youngsters played an important part in the evening's performance. Sarah Anne and Matthew Ramsey sang "That's What I want for Christmas." Brennan Murray joined his dad, Rick, for a sketch called "A Lesson for Daddy." James Monk sang, "All I want for Christmas."

Two original songs by George Gagliardi were included in the evening.He performed "The Christmas Child" and Shannon performed "I Believe in Miracles at Christmastime". Another orginial song, "If I Had Been In Bethlehem," written by Lindy Hearne and H. Greenwood, was tenderly sung by Lynn Adler and Lindy.

Harold Shelton sang 'The Christmas Song", Rick Murray performed "Merry Christmas Baby" and Carey Ramsey sang a touching rendition of "Count Your Blessings".

The audience joined in for several carols before the finale. The holiday spirits ran high throughout the evening and the group was buzzing after the performance concluded.

Below are a number of shots taken by Lindy Hearne during the performance.