Temple, TX – [9/8/23] – Prepare to embark on a sensory journey like no other as Temple’s Cultural Activities Center (CAC) welcomes "The Missing Alphabet," a captivating and thought-provoking exhibit by artist Susie Monday, accompanied by an array of talented guest artists. From November 11th to December 13th, 2023, visitors will have an opportunity to explore this multi-sensory exhibit that transcends traditional art boundaries and provides ways for adults and children to understand their own creativity.
"The Missing Alphabet" invites you to delve into the fascinating world of the Sensory Alphabet, where your senses and perceptions play a pivotal role in shaping what you notice and create. This innovative exhibit showcases a breathtaking collection of art cloth banners, both large and small art quilts, and carefully curated pieces from ten additional quilt artists: Deb Cashatt, Sue Sherman, Laurie Brainerd, Kit Vincent, Carolyn Skei, Sherri McCauley, Heather Pregger, Marianne Williamson, Diane Nuñez, and Susan Michael. Each work of art illustrates elements of the sensory alphabet: line, shape, color, texture, movement, rhythm, light, space, and rhythm.
JULY 2020, Living in the Non-Material World
Ongoing realization: much of what I can and will do these days is online: talking with friends and family, shopping, finding out stuff, seeing new things, teaching and showing my art. I do have the joy and deep blessings of living in a wonderful nature-filled spot (although 100 degree plus heat is limiting the hours I am actually out in it). We planted a fabulous garden that is bearing tomatoes like no other year. We see a few friends and neighbors from a distance and head out for in person shopping trips when necessary (with masks, with caution, with lots of washing up). I don't lack for food or resources and I'm self-employed in a one-woman studio (with my own in-house video producer). I know I am among the fortunate.
I find that I am easily doing without many things that seemed essential BP: stopping in at my favorite thrift store for new things to wear,* getting my hair cut and occasionally my toenails painted, driving into San Antonio a few times a week to have someone else cook and clean (that's an hour each way minimum from our house).
Stretching out in the virtual world can be both adventurously satisfying and sometimes a big time sink. I'm not sure how I can click on Instagram or FB and an hour passes in the blink of a tweet. On the plus side, I'm making more art, having more conversations with relatives and friends who are afar, settling undistracted into healthy and happy routines with Linda, Penny (the dachshund) and ZZ (the cat). Even putting new online courses into place and working on my art biz systems. All things I didn't do "before."
Some of the online scrolling has led to some not-so-guilty virtual pleasures. Here are a few of my discoveries in no particular order. I'd love to hear some of yours.
Recomendo, a weekly newsletter sourced from Tweets and full of new rabbit holes to explore. Here's a couple of ideas from this week's contributors: Travel without moving I just spent the last ten minutes on Window Swap staring out a window in Villalago, Italy, where I could see the mountains and hear birds chirping and church bells ringing. Anyone is welcome to submit video (and audio) of their window view, and with the click of a button you can bounce around all over the world. — CD
Best virtual museum - Google hosts one of the best virtual museums in the world. They’ve scanned many thousands of the world’s masterpieces at super high resolution. So from my home I can visit their “Arts and Culture” site and by scrolling get very very close to the art — much closer than I could in a physical museum. I’ve seen many of the originals in their home museums, and I feel I was seeing them for the first time here. — KK
Virtual choirs. Here's a collection from Camden Voices, this one"True Colors." There are more to hear and see on YouTube. When you need a little uplift.
All Human BeingsMax Richter's" All Human Beings" -- link to official music video by Yulia Mahrhere. And for more on what inspired this piece from Brainpickings, another favorite subscription.
Presently, the galleries are open 8:30 - 3:00 Monday through Friday. Cultural Activities Center 3011 N. 3rd St. Temple, TX 76501 254.773.9926 Phone 254.773.9929 Fax admin@cacARTS.org
COVID and YOU
Round Rock Arts and Culture will be releasing the COVID and YOU exhibition through nightly social media posts, starting this Tuesday at 8pm. This way, viewers can spend time with each artist/performer/writer's work in a personal and focused manner. I will have a piece in the exhibit but not sure what date.
Sherri and I are making two challenge pieces, one in color and one in black-and-white, that illustrate our distinct and differing approaches to abstract work for the Transformations exhibit, here's one of mine hot off the sewing machine.
My large CoVid art piece. 7 Days, 6 Weeks, has been accepted for publication in Sandra Sider’s 2021 book Quarantine Quilts: Creativity in-the-Midst-of Chaos. If the International Quilt Festival happens, it might be included in a special exhibit, but Quilts, Inc is still waiting to see how much room (and if it will happen at all). Apparently if Quilt Inc. cancels the festival, they will lose a half a million dollar deposit, so they are waiting to see what the Houston mayor and council do about the convention center standards.
On the retail side of things, I have some new work up on the RedBubble site -- abstract and Big Bend inspired pillows and other print-on-demand clothing, notebooks, cards and posters. See my shop here! You can even order masks made with my fabric designs. *Since no thrift store shopping I ordered a couple of shirts with my printed designs.
Are you interested in using your iPad to make textile or mixed media art? Ready to move beyond FB and books to really using this creative tool with all the best apps? I’ve spent hours and hundreds of dollars testing apps, writing tutorials for the best of them, updating each session of lessons and finding the best ways to teach digital design online. You can be part of the discussion and the next wave of art quilting, textile collage and digital design, starting with the basics and proceeding through printing and production.
The next basic online course ART ON THE iPAD starts July 21, 2020 with 6 extensive weekly posts on Tuesdays, plus a catch-up pause at week 4. Each weekly post includes 5 to 8 separate activity lessons, with videos, tutorials, examples, discussion posts and resources. Course tuition is $250. Registration open now. Coupon for $25 off here.
Learn to add text to fabric with a variety of fun and useful tools that take you into the world of art quilts. Lessons will start with hands-on collage and move into stamping, painting, soy wax batik, hand-lettering tools, digital apps for both tablets and desktop computers, print at home solutions and working with print on demand. You’ll learn to use type in creative ways, from readable to abstracted, from narrative storytelling on cloth to abstract uses of letterforms. Course includes text and video tutorials.
The class will start April 8 and run through May 6, with each new set of lessons (usually 4 or 5) dropping into your email box on Wednesdays. The course, as with all my online classes, will be on the web indefinitely for you to access, upload discussions and ask questions. I'm also available by phone to my students and intentionally keep my registrations limited. [Sign up here.] Get the coupon code here.(http://www.facebook.com/events/220895925666952) Use the coupon code for $25 off.
And Finally
A poem from Lynn Unger
Pandemic
What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.) Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch. Promise this world your love— for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live.
—Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
Lynn Ungar, “Pandemic.” You can read more of Lynn's poetry and learn about her work at http://www.lynnungar.com.
I love Moo cards, tiny small size business cards, but this time, I ordered the standard size. I have a url link here to share for a 10% discount, in case you need new cards, too. Yes, these are more expensive than the standard office superstore card, but you can put a different piece of art on the backs of your card -- or however many you want to use of your total order. I chose 5 different images, some from art quilts and some from iPad art!
Speaking of iPad, I have room for one more on the couch or sleeping porch (free beds and comfy, I promise) for the iPad workshop coming up October 5-7. Here's the info:
Art on the iPad
If you've recently acquired an iPad, this workshop will help you take it into your world of creativity and art. I've explored dozens of sketching tools, art journaling, collage and photo apps and this workshop will take you through some hands-on work -- then into the studio to print, make thermofaxes and use what you've done on the tablet for fabric printing to use in your art quilts, mixed media or other work. If you don't have a tablet yet (and are trying to decide what or if to buy), you may still want to attend, I'll have a try-out table that one or two participants can share (yes, we are a two iPad family!).
This El Cielo workshop retreat will take place October 5-7 (optional Friday night potluck) ending about 3 pm on Sunday. The workshop fee, including most supplies, is $175. If you use the coupon below with a nonrefundable deposit of $20 before September 1, you'll save $20 on the total when you pay your total!
As usual, first come, first choice on accommodations -- there are three private bedrooms ($30 for both nights) and a couple of comfy couches (free) as well as the sleeping porch (also free) which should be wonderful in October! The meals are great, the company inspiring and the views spectacular.