by TASI Executive Director, Greg Busceme, Sr.
This article will be a little different. The usual uplifting and somewhat informative direction are taking a turn to an issue that must be addressed.
Our V-A/C has been out for over a year. It would seem a simple fix but for the $10,000 price tag for any option we try to find. The Studio only gets support from the City of Beaumont through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) which require 25% of the grant must be matched by the organization. These grants have restrictions on how the funds are used. The Art Museum of Southeast Texas and the Beaumont Art League have a long-standing agreement made decades ago that allows them to have upkeep repair and maintenance provided by the City. I am thrilled that the city made that decision because it gave us two top notch organizations that we have all enjoyed for these last 75 plus years and I think it is one of the greatest things that the city has done for The Arts.
The point is The Art Studio has no such agreement and never has. When something major breaks we must fix it ourselves and often we have no additional funds to support such a repair. The Art Studio is radically independent, progressive, and vibrant with a studio filled with young and energetic artists. As temperatures rise it will be critical to have at least one cool area in the studio where we could get relief. I am asking, if not begging, that some benevolent beings would find in their hearts a way to help us find relief for our artists, students, and patrons.
Every year we have a membership show referred by its acronym TASIMJAE. It is a jurored exhibition, which means it is judged by an impartial art expert to select the show and, of course, reject the ones they deem unfitting for the show for whatever reason. This process has been around since The Salon shows of 19th century France. This went on until a group of Impressionists, a name used originally as an expression of disdain, crowded the halls of The Salon and were quickly rejected. Undaunted, the following year a tent went up and was called “The Salon des Refusés“ which became a big attraction and brought modern art and alternative ideas to The Salon. In this spirit we would like to offer our own “reject” show as a social experiment in what is considered art and what is not. This is the ongoing dialog that keeps art alive and keeps some controversy to spark our interest. So please do not take offense of our historic remake, it’s all in good fun and a historic reenactment of the Paris Salon.
