TASIMJAE 2018 winner Lisa Reinauer poses in front of her winning oil painting, “Vortex.” Photo by Andy Coughlan
Annual exhibition shines spotlight on diverse works of members
It’s time once again for the unpronounceable exhibition that aims to showcase the diverse works of The Art Studio’s membership.
TASIMJAE (The Art Studio, Inc. Members Jurored Art Exhibition) will be on display through April 26, beginning with a free reception April 6, from 7-10 p.m.
TASI director Greg Busceme said the show is an important part of The Studio’s mission.
“It’s two-fold,” he said. “We get people to show work they haven’t shown before, and we are also interested in getting new memberships.”
Submitting works for the show is free with TASI membership.
“We just encourage people to come in and get a membership and turn in two pieces,” Busceme said. “You can join when you drop off the work. Just come in, and we’ll take care of you.”
Busceme said that community arts organizations in the area share a vision to encourage artists of all ages, skill levels and experience to show their art.
“It gives us a nice cross section of the artwork that’s going on in the region right now,” he said.
This year’s juror is Caitlin Clay, registrar at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas.
Busceme said that TASIMJAE offers area artists a chance to get some feedback. TASIMJAE is a jurored show, which means some work will not be accepted.
“It kind of goes against the idea of ‘everybody gets a medal,’” Busceme said. “But life isn’t like that. Not everybody gets a trophy. It’s important for young artists to learn that rejection is not a terrible thing — it’s a growing thing.
“I say this every year. You might get a piece rejected from one show and have the same piece get a first prize at the next. It’s all up to the jurors and their different tastes.”
Busceme said The Studio always tries to bring in jurors from different areas and from different fields, so that each year’s show is an open field.
“We have a variety — that way, nobody gets bumped every time,” he said.
The artwork is judged blind, meaning the juror doesn’t see names until after completing selections.
“We’ve had very young people place in our show, which I think is phenomenal,” Busceme said. “It’s interesting to see what the jurors respond to and who they pick, especially as they don’t know who’s out there.”
Busceme said that he encourages artists of all ages to enter shows.
“A piece of art that is not shown is worthless,” he said. “You have to present it. You can’t write a poem and not give it to someone to read. You need to share your art, or it’s just a waste of that energy.”
Busceme said that people should not see rejection from a show as a rejection of the value of the work.
“It’s great for the ego when it doesn’t get massaged,” Busceme said with a laugh. “It makes you work harder and appreciate the new artists who are coming up.
“We have a great many creative people in our membership. From professionals to people who make work for themselves, this show displays the wide range of media and ideas of our members. It’s quite something to see the amazing talent affiliated with TASI.”
First prize is $500 plus an exhibition of the artist’s work in May 2020. Prizes are also awarded for second and third places.
Last year’s winner was Lisa Reinauer, who will be featured in a solo exhibition in May.
For more information, contact TASI at 409-838-5393, or visit www.artstudio.org.