BEAUMONT — The Art Studio, Inc. was well represented at the Press Club of Southeast Texas Excellence in Media awards, held June 9 at the MCM Eleganté Hotel. Contributors to ISSUE, The Studio’s monthly arts magazine earned 13 awards, with the ISSUE placing second in the Best Magazine category.
Editor Andy Coughlan earned first place in the Graphics/Cartoon category for “Cultural Cutting,” his re-working of a Benjamin Franklin cartoon, which addressed cuts in arts funding.
Sarah Hearn Wells stand in the lobby of the Clifton Steamboat Museum in Beaumont. ISSUE photo by Michelle Cate
Elena Ivanova took the first two places the Fine Arts/Review category, for “Silence of a Still Life,” and “More Real Than Real” respectively. Michele Cate won first place for Magazine Photography for her work on the Clifton Steamboat Museum story.
Ivanova was a long-time contributor who moved away from the area last summer.
“When you have an entirely volunteer staff, you have to accept that losing someone of the quality if Elena is going to happen,” Coughlan said. “It says a lot that there are people like Michele willing to step in and keep the quality arts coverage going. I am very proud of all the contributors.”
Stephan Malick earned second place in Magazine Writing Portfolio category for his body of work for ISSUE, including “Discovering ‘Wizard of Meno Park,’”which earned second place in the Magazine Feature category, and “Uncovering Identity,” which earned honorable mention in the Fine Arts/Review category.
Contributor Caitlin Duerler earned third place in the Magazine Profile category for “Art Speaks For Herself,” a story about Kwanzaa Edwards solo show at TASI.
Coughlan earned second places in the Magazine News category for “Collaborative Creative” and Magazine Photography for “Alcazar.” He also placed second Online Video category for his piece on the Steamboat Museum and third in the Writing Portfolio category. His arts blog, “English With a Bit of Texas,” was named Best Independent Blog for the fourth year in a row.
“ISSUE covers all aspects of the arts and I think the awards indicate that we are doing a good job,” Coughlan said. “It is part of The Art Studio’s mission to be broadly inclusive and ISSUE reflects that mission.
“As I always say, we are always looking for contributors, so anyone who has a burning desire to cover art, theater, music or anything creatively inclined, please contact us. And we accept poetry for the Thoughtcrime section.”
The Excellence in Media awards were presented for work produced in 2017.
The Press Club of Southeast Texas honored the Crenshaw family/Tiger Industrial Company/Dragon Products, ExxonMobil and City of Beaumont, collectively, as Newsmakers of the Year.
The Press Club draws its membership from Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Liberty, Chambers, Jasper, Tyler, Polk and Newton counties. Press Club members are professionals in media, public relations, academia, public affairs, and corporate communication and public information.
The ISSUE is distributed at 40 locations around Southeast Texas, and is also available to view as a pdf or individual stories at www.artstudio.org.
To contact or advertise in ISSUE, email info@artstudio.org or message the ISSUE Facebook page.