The Studio is fortunate to have diverse and disparate supporters, volunteers, board, staff and patrons who so willingly embrace the spirit and the voice that The Studio hopes to reflect.
We are an organization that is feeling our oats, taking risks and expanding our abilities as we expand the offerings of The Studio. It usually looks like some kind of disaster drill as our learning curve lags behind our enthusiasm. Yet, here we are.
A good example is a notice we saw from Kim Steinhagen about the Merry Go Round Stained Glass, Co. looking to donate the contents of their shop. Before I was able to contact MGR, Studio tenant James King was negotiating a deal and brought me up to speed. I then learned that James had taught this craft before and was excited to teach. As of this writing, we are currently moving the vast amounts of glass, lead, solder, tools and trash accumulated during MGR’s 36-year tenure to The Studio annex.
James will begin offering classes in stained and leaded glass as soon as possible. So thank you Kim and James and Merry Go Round for making us an offer we could not refuse — nor did we want to. Give us a few months, and we will have a new opportunity for the public to try something different.
As a vacancy came open in the annex, we were able to fill the area with the incoming glass works.
The vacancy will also provide enough room to re-establish the foundry, forge and welding area we had before Hurricane Ike. We offered metal casting workshops and were making good headway when Ike took the building.
Elizabeth Fontenot and I went to look at an intaglio press for printmaking some months ago. We found a wonderful press owned by a man who had used it for many years but was no longer able to do the work. He wanted someone who would use it, take care of it and keep him in touch with our progress. We have more work to do to surround the press with a full print studio, but this is another beginning.
With this opportunity, we will be able to provide three additional disciplines to the community.
We have several other ideas on the table that are still in the planning stage. As director, I have always felt that the age group of 16 to 20-21 who are interested in art have nowhere to go. Most programs cater to younger children, as well they should. But we let go of kids right when they need more formal training and exposure to professional practices, or to improve their abilities through the benefits of practice.
We will continue our summer program, ArtSkool, as this is a wonderful way to introduce the joy of making art to children. I find it a refreshing opportunity each time I show these young people the wonder of ceramics and have the honor to see them grow as creative people year after year. I’d like to see this continue beyond students 15 years of age.
Arts organizations are the keepers of our cultural and artistic legacy. If history is to teach us anything, it is that our cultural heritage, our knowledge, skills and technical advancements will be lost if not exercised. This loss would more likely be from people’s apathy — through the distraction of our daily lives — than any iconoclastic cataclysm from some political upheaval. We must be ever diligent that the preservation and advancement of the arts are primary in the minds of our leaders, our schools and groups whose job it is to carry this truly human legacy.
If you are seeing a more responsive administration at TASI, a higher visibility on social media and an almost aggressive drive for membership, then look no further than Stephanie Orta, assistant director, and administrative assistant Michelle Cate. They are the first line in making a good impression to new and frequent patrons. I rely heavily on their organizational skills, reliability and consistency. Their selfless dedication and devotion belies the meager pay they receive. Working with our board, volunteers, artists, tenants and CPAs they satisfy the dizzying array of, “What will happen next?” Stephanie and Michelle face the daily challenges with fearless hearts and brilliant minds. Thank you, my colleagues, for the peace of mind and the happy heart you have helped me find again.
By Greg Busceme, TASI executive director