ArtNELA - Northeast La. Arts and Culture

Rain knocked out the end-of-day crowd at the Columbia Art and Folk Festival in Caldwell Parish, Oct. 10.

This post includes reviews on the Columbia Art Fest,  Doyle Jeter at the Masur and Robin Hood with the Young Troupe at Strauss Theater.

My first point of interest was the 54th Annual Columbia Art Folk Festival in, of course, Columbia, La. I’d post a link to the festival’s website, but there ain’t one. I drove just over an hour from Rayville with my nine-year-old, Nika, to go check out the festival. Given the location, I figured this would be more of a crafts and food event, and I was right. By the time we arrived at about 3pm, the day had turned gray and rain was spattering the street. Since the fair only went until 5pm that day anyway, a few vendors had already begun packing up, and the remaining bands were canceled.

That didn’t stop us, though. We put up our hoods and marched right in and took a quick glance down both directions of the street to see what was up. The whole fair runs about four blocks or so right down the center of the town, which has about 10,000+ folks according to Wiki. I imagine this festival is a pretty big deal for the locals, particularly since it’s been going on annually for half a century.

Jack Thompson works on an Adirondack chair.

The crowd had cleared out but we were able to talk with a few remaining vendors such as J.V.Crain of Crain’s Wood Designs, and also Carmen Head and Tonyah Meredith of Bella’s Boutique. (Again, no online links that I could find.) These folks were sticking it out until the end, which was lucky for me. I was really fascinated by the woodwork by Crain. He took the time to explain to me how his beautifully smooth and tri-toned bowls are crafted. At the Bella’s Boutique tent, which looked like a gypsy encampment with all the tinkling jewelry and clothing billowing about in the breeze, Head and Meredith told me that they were excited about opening their new store in Columbia because there aren’t otherwise a lot of places to shop there for hand-crafted clothing.

Tonyah Meredith, Carmen Head, and Johnnie Fallin of Bella's Boutique at the Columbia Art and Folk Festival in Caldwell Parish.

Other parts of the street were likely a little more enticing when they were busier. There were food tents selling selections such as pork skins, seafood gumbo and beignets — I could go for some of those right now, actually — plus craft tents with more selections of clothing, small home decorations and furniture. I saw one tent that had some some paintings from a small local art guild.

Avery Bailey, five, hangs out at the end of a rainy day at the Columbia Art and Folk Festival.

There was a pleasant atmosphere around all this despite the light rain. I had the feeling that the festival was probably the only thing happening in the area and pretty active during its sunnier moments. I caught a few shots of kids goofing around, plus one of a very cute little girl under an umbrella, which was a nice way to wrap up the trip. I’d run down there again next year if I’m still around, and would take both my nine-year-old and my four-year-old girls with me. I think they’d enjoy it.

And now, onward …

The Masur Museum hosted a talk with local artist Doyle Jeter on Oct. 13. The rain continued bearing down on us all this week, and this evening’s event found me driving the entire distance from Rayville to Monroe in a sleet, then dashing from my car into the back reception area of the Masur just after 7 p.m. to catch Jeter’s talk. I wasn’t sure what exactly he was going to be talking about, but I had a few people tell me I should catch him, so there I was. My ex-wife, Anna, is a painter and was also there with our four-year-old, Emma, who commandeered my notepad and pen to keep herself occupied. I kept having to take it from her to write notes, which became scattered between her pen images of angel people.

Emma's masterpiece. Note the freehand style. The carefully placed rosy cheeks. Genius, really.

Printmaker Doyle Jeter talks with a viewer.

Gaining some quick background on Jeter, I picked this up from the Masur’s site:

Doyle Jeter is founder of Enoch’s Irish Pub, the Eye-20 Group, the 10/20/40 Group, and the Northeast Louisiana Celtic Festival. He has a master’s degree in printmaking from New Mexico Highlands University, and his work can be found in private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His most recent printmaking project is three editions of prints by Lynda Benglis. Works from this collaboration will be on view at Arender Gallery starting October 1.

Work by Lynda Benglis and printmaker Doyle Jeter at the Masur Museum, Oct. 13.

I didn’t know anything about printmaking as an art form, so I was curious to see what Jeter was up to. Printmaking … that’s like screenprinting or something, ya? Or printing photographs? I know all about that. Well, it turns out that it’s none of the above. I’m still not entirely sure I understand it, and I may look up more about the process later if I have time between this blog and everything else, but for now, and after Jeter’s talk, I know that it’s an incredibly time-consuming process that nets the artist one, unique image on paper or canvas, or whatever medium he or she chooses. And it’s time-consuming, as in 40 to 60 hours to create one piece that looks, to my photographer’s eye, like a photograph.

I was a little flabbergasted at the idea of spending that much time on one image. I spend my days shooting and sorting through hundreds, if not thousands, of “prints” of my own. But printmakers such as Jeter would likely be just as taken aback at any close comparison between photography and printmaking. I was comforted to read the Wiki description of the difference, though, which says the printmaker creates not a “print” but more of an “impression.”

This fits with what Jeter explained to the crowd of about 40. We all listened attentively as he told us many stories of his youth and upbringing in different parts of the world, his time in college, and how he came into art, and his thoughts on it, and some more stories of his family and trips he had taken. Jeter said he feels at home here, as well as in New York, Ireland and Puerto Rico, having spent various times of his life in those places.

“Music played a big role, too,” he said. “I remember my mom dancing the flamenco in the house with a rose in her mouth … I think everything that happens in life goes right into your art. The themes come back around.

“Art isn’t the critics or what people say about it. It’s sitting in your studio creating and reaching that moment, that spark of life, when you suddenly know you’ve hit it.”

He spent a few minutes explaining his technique for printmaking, using three pieces of his work as examples, and then spent his remaining time talking about a fourth piece he included from Lynda Benglis, an artist he has great affection and respect for, and who he worked with for some time. As he put it, this is a woman who, even in her sixties, can simply come along and strike at a canvas with a green crayon, and create a masterpiece.

Given the time involved in crafting one single print via the printmaking method, I’m not inclined to take it up myself, based on what Jeter discussed. But there’s something to the physicality of it that I appreciate. As a photographer, I don’t get my hands dirty in the art — there’s no steel to melt, paint to splatter, wood to carve. It’s all visual. In that respect, as I listened to Jeter talk about working “in the dirt,” so-to-speak, with Benglis, I envied the realness of what he experienced, as opposed to the digitized art form I now work in.

I spoke with Jeter afterwards for a few minutes and found out that he’s the founder of the annual Celtic Festival in West Monroe. I’ve been planning to see this festival since I first heard about it, so it was neat to meet the fellow who started it.

The Sheriff of Nottingham gets waylaid by gypsies.

That’s that … next was the Young Troupe’s performance of an energetic and updated version of Robin Hood at the Strauss Theater.

I’m planning to videotape a performance of this for the theater, and also to put a few clips on ArtNELA. Before I can do that, I have to know my cues, so I went to check out the student performance at 11 a.m., Oct. 21.

I was surprised at the energy of this gang of about forty or fifty kids, and even more so at the ability of director Steve Barton to corral it all into a show that wants to leap off the stage and into your lap but manages to keep itself just barely in check. Also, I expected quietly-voiced dialogue by shy kids, but heck no, for the most part these guys and girls fairly shouted their lines to the audience of school students and received a good deal of laughter and applause in return.

The age range of the performers goes from about six to seventeen.

There is a large cast and so much general running about in this show that it’s impossible to take it all in, but the leading actors and actresses do a fine job of keeping the attention where it belongs. Beaux Coleman as Robin Hood seems to be enjoying himself immensely both as a character and an actor, and milks his multiple introductions, which each come with their own soundtrack. Dialogue from his arch-enemy The Sheriff of Nottingham, played by Nathaneal Medlin, is offered with a nonstop, conceited ridiculousness that becomes really, really, really funny simply by virtue of its boisterous continuation. His endless, high-pitched and very unexpected yelp as he discovers Robin in the forest had the kids roaring in laughter.

The hippies go transcendental on Robin Hood at the Strauss Theater, Oct. 21.

A nod goes to Katherine Klagholz for her role as everyone’s favorite maid in distress — at least until she wallops Robin to both sides of the stage and back — and to Maddie Snead, who was very articulate and convincing as the dancing, accented Gypsy who leads the Sheriff temporarily away from Robin, and to Jacob Branson for his appropriately whiny role as the Sheriff’s sidekick, and also to Alyssa Leader who gave us just as spirited a performance as we saw from her in her minor role in Strauss’s Modern Millie recently.

I was quite amused at the shenanigans of the cast overall, as they came into and out of the various scenes, usually with a great deal of running or shouting, but never out of control (an important point). It seemed to me that Barton decided to just favor the group’s energy over the possibility that kids might trip over themselves and come crashing down the stairs at some point while entering from all corners of the theater. I think this was the right choice. The activity and energy really added a lot to the event and gave all the kids in the audience an endless amount of enjoyment, while also keeping the cast very involved physically, a necessity for youth productions.

On more than one occasion, for instance, cast members on stage would point in fright above the audience, and sure enough, the sheriff’s posse would come charging right down from the upper level, or a crowd would come barreling in from the wings. A well-chosen rock music soundtrack overlaid this occasionally, but not too loudly.

There is an amusing turn, too, from a small group of hippies that seem to have time-warped into Sherwood Forest.

The set never changes but serves its purpose well by allowing lots of room for the kids and few distractions, while also giving the audience an idea of three separate locations that include the facade of a two-towered castle. Music that overlaid various scenes was occasionally so low that it just sounded accidental, but I preferred that to the alternative, and otherwise I had no problem either hearing the kids or the music at the right moments.

Director Steve Barton talks to the audience after the Oct. 10 performance of Robin Hood.

No Robin Hood production would be complete without some swordplay and general ruckus. The choreography here between Robin and the Sheriff is handled excellently — adults can see there’s little danger of the kids getting hurt, and at the same time, it’s actually a little frightening to see them going at it and throwing themselves around. The ensemble even gets involved in the mayhem toward the end, and it looks like a  giant barroom fight, then everyone stops and, of course, Robin emerges victorious with a glaring grin. The whole bit made me remember bouncing crazily on a trampoline with my friends as a kid, pretending to be karate experts and doing back-kick somersaults. Fun and a little nutty, really, is what it was — and that’s what this show is.

Recommended for kids, for sure, I’d say six-years and older. I’ll be taking my nine-year-old to see it this weekend.

For info, call the theater @ 318-323-6681.

Next post on ArtNELA: “Strike Up The Band” at Biedenharn Gardens brings in some class-act voices for a tribute to Great Depression-era musicals. Catch the article, photos and video here shortly, as well as in the Nov. issue of Delta Style.

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"Artists of the Great Depression," at the Masur Museum, Sept 9.

MONROE, La. | 9/15/09

Initially, I was stumped by the Masur Museum’s current exhibit title, “Artists of the Great Depression.”

"Woodville Road," by Clarence Millet

I have known some artists with great depressions, yes, but I just never put “artist” and “great depression” together in a historical sense. Who had time to paint when you had to scrabble through the dust searching for grubs to feed your family for dinner? How could you develop film when there was no water and the air was  thick with soot?

Nevertheless, I resigned myself to my fate as self-appointed volunteer art blogger for our God-fearin’ northeastern country, and parked in the Masur’s lot with my head hung respectfully low, presuming that I was about to enter into an exhibit of … what, I don’t know, maybe photos of gravestones and still lifes of dried, rotting fruit that’s been crushed by broken wagon wheels.

That’s my picture of the Great Depression, thank you, John Steinbeck.

John Steinbeck, c. 1962, looking greatly depressed.

Actually, I’m about to start reading The Grapes of Wrath for the first time. My dad–an English teacher–told me a long time ago that the book was absolutely required reading for any English major worth his salt. So, better late than never. He also told me that my whole-wheat-with-grits-and-oatmeal pancake recipe reminded him of something that one of Stienbeck’s characters must have eaten as they made their arduous way across the plains.

"Refinery at Night," by John McCrady

At the museum, I was greeted by the lovely receptionist and made my way into the first room, where I was happily surprised to find that in fact there really were artists of the Great Depression, and they weren’t all that depressing.

The very first piece I was drawn to was a lithograph by John McCrady from 1940, “Refinery at Night.” There was so much active detail in this piece that I stayed put for about five minutes right where I was. Next was some surprisingly colorful work by Caroline Spellman Woogan Durieux — say that four times fast — and Clarence Millet that spanned about a decade.

I enjoyed “Huey Long and President Smith,” too, a photo by Fonville Winans that showed as clear an image of the two men as I’ve ever seen, and probably the most flattering.

Each piece throughout the exhibit was coupled with a brief synopsis of the history behind the work. This was a brilliant way to learn history and appreciate the artwork of the period at the same time. Maybe it’s what we try to do with school textbooks … but being in the museum and seeing these actual works that had been created by the artists, along with the story of why the piece was important, really made things interesting. For a high school history class, an educational trip to this show, maybe along with a guest speaker, would be a great way to spend an afternoon.

"Oyster Man," by Fonville Winans, next to the musem kitchen, where you can whip up some Great Depression oatmeal in honor of the show.

Moving on, there were some more striking photo portraits from Winans and nice selections from Eudora Welty, particularly “Self Portrait, 1934,” by Winans, and “Sunday School, Holiness Church, Jackson Miss.,” from 1939, by Welty. Moody, black-and-white images like these make me remember why there is still such an allure to film photography. The girls in Welty’s photo look simultaneously angelic and ghost-like.

Another room held a small, unappealing series of photos from the Farm Security Administration. I skipped over this and moved upstairs to a room with images from the Monroe Flood of 1932, where a TV was set up with a related video to make things more interesting. In another room were some abstract lithographs from the period.

"Child on Porch, Hinds County, Miss.," 1939, by Eudora Welty

The work in this show is well worth seeing. I have a better visual grasp of the reality of the Great Depression to go along with the written version from Steinbeck, which is currently at my bedside and will probably keep me reading at night for the next two weeks … unless I get too depressed.

Meanwhile, ULM held a more modern show for their Annual Faculty Art Show at Bry Hall … this is a small but very welcoming little gallery that has some simply lovely air conditioning. On a hot day, this element alone makes the experience of going into this gallery enjoyable. There are a lot of galleries out there that always seem to be too humid or warm for comfort, and I find myself uncomfortably walking around looking at work while trying to act like I’m not about to have a heat stroke. But this place has that handled nicely, along with carpeted floors and walls so the room is quiet. The first impression in this case went a long way towards my attitude regarding the art. I was more inclined to give everything a long look no matter what it was, simply because I was really comfortable and enjoying the carpet-induced silence.

Bry Art Gallery, ULM

With that, I admired photos by Richard Hayes, such as his mysterious self-portrait, “With A Clear Mind You Can See Forever,” and also the “Canister Set” pottery by Gary Ratcliff. Dara Engler’s amusingly-named, “The Pirate Doesn’t Go Out For Sushi,” kept me rooted in place admiring the 5′ x 4′ (approx.) oil and charcoal work and it’s six smaller sisters beneath. Brian Fassett’s posters were tightly done with nice photos, but I was unmoved, to say the least, by the redundant inclusion of the event flyers. Cliff Tresnor’s coffee table and lamp sculpture was not only fascinating to look at but apparently quite useful as well. I’d like to see a video of the process of actually creating such a piece.

Work by Gary Ratcliff at the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition, at the Bry Art Gallery, ULM

I was glad I made it to see this show. This was my first visit to the gallery. I found it enjoyable, and appreciate that all the work and the artists were given a place to show off what they could do.

Work by Dara Engler at the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition, at the Bry Art Gallery, ULM

Upcoming is a solo exhibition of photographs by Bess Bieluczyk, titled, “Subtle Hysteria and New Work,” Sept. 14 - Oct 8. A gallery talk will be held Oct. 8, 2 pm, with a closing reception from 5-7 pm.

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McConnell Collection, African Art, from a previous exhibit at GSU. I'll post some shots of the current student show after I see the exhibit.

Just two days old, and this blog has already gotten some positive feedback! Wow. Thanks to everyone who commented. Apparently, it’s been placed on the virtual doorsteps of members of the Masur Museum, courtesy of Director Anne Dennington. So, hello, Masur members, and please feel free to offer any suggestions for the site.

I’ve been compiling the list of links, in the sidebar at right, by researching other lists of links compiled by other local art sites, and I think I’ve finally compiled a comfortable pile of pre-compiled art links … confusing, ain’t it? At any rate, most of what you see there, at right, again, should go directly to the current schedule of events for that particular gallery or association or what-have-you. The idea is to save readers a few clicks of going to the sites, and then having to search for exhibition and performance schedules.

Now, on to some art news …. here are a few events in progress or upcoming. At Grambling University, the student art show is going on through Aug. 28. The gallery is open during the week only, take note. At Strauss Dinner Theater, you can assist Rick Archer, PI, in solving a mystery titled “Murder at Cafe Noir,” while also enjoying your baked redfish with crabmeat sauce and a side of tomato basil soup, or a 16-oz ribeye, or something equally appetizing. Wowee. My guess is the chef did it. Playdates for that are Fridays and Saturdays in July at the Hilton Garden Inn, West Monroe.

Strauss Theater offers that ever tantalizing combo of dead guys and dinner. Uh, waiter, there's a knife in my soup.

The Rose Theater has Jekyll and Hyde, the musical, running for two weeks starting on July 17, Fri-Sun. This is something I don’t want to miss, mainly because of my deep affection for the 1990 concept recording, Highlights From Jekyll And Hyde, with Colm Wilkinson and Linda Eder singing everything almost a capella. It’s stunningly beautiful … a lot of the songs on the CD never made it to the stage, unfortunately, so I don’t know how the live version compares, but anyway, it’s a great story, and I’d like to see what the Rose does with it.

Jekyll and Hyde battle their inner demons at the Rose Theater. Hey, hold on a minute, I'm changing ... grrrrrrrrraaah!

And that’s it for now. I should have a review or two posted after this weekend if all goes well.

Masur Museum of Art, Monroe LA © Eric Lincoln

The Masur Museum of Art held the opening reception for its 44th Annual Juried Competition on Sat., June 27 from 6 - 8 p.m.  Director Anne Dennington introduced Mayor James E. Mayo, who thanked the crowd of about fifty gathered in the museum lobby. Juror Miranda Lash, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art, followed up with a brief address in which she talked about current art trends and explained some of what was involved in her selection of 66 out of 546 entries submitted.

Many of the works chosen for the show came from local artists in Ruston, La. Lash said she didn’t have any knowledge of the origination of the works, and that it says a great deal about this area that so many of these artists are represented.

While hesitant to single out any particular piece, Lash did give a “hats off” to the new conceptual photographers and video artists.

“It’s a strong show overall, and I’m very happy to be a part of it,” she said. “I really wanted to be able to exhibit a mixture of mediums, such as sculpture, painting, ceramics and photography … to spotlight not just technical proficiency but freshness and originality, as well.”

“I smiled upon works that provoked, not merely pleased.”

The show runs from June 30 to Aug. 15. Call (318) 329-2237 for information.

That’s it for the reporting. I enjoyed the talk from Miranda. She’s a very vibrant lady who seems to me to represent the very art form that she curates: modern and contemporary. As it turns out, I know her husband, Jim Mulvihill, Director of Communications and Marketing at NOMA, from last year when I used to shoot special events for the Times Picayune. Small world, as they say. I suppose I could joke that I’ve moved up since then … um … up north, that is.

Foreground: Brandy Wolfe's "We Don't Want To Know," mixed media, 2008.

I attended this show with my ex, her husband, and three small kids, so distractions were bountiful and I spent most of my time trying to get a few photos of the organizers and quotes while also keeping my four-year-old occupied. She thought using my notepad to draw on was a great idea, which meant I had to memorize half the conversations I had instead of writing stuff down. I think I got those quotes from Miranda pretty straight, though.

The Masur is a great little museum. I talked with another artist there who said he drove down from Arkansas just for the show, and that this is one of his favorite museums. Well, no wonder. It used to be a house, but somehow the staff has managed to make it something of a cross between an art gallery, museum and, of course, someone’s home. I kept getting surprised by turning to go through a door and finding out I was in a kitchen. Hey, is this part of the art …? Oh. No, I guess not. The only thing missing is an adorable, well-groomed friendly dog wandering the hallways, like you always see in those neighborhood bookstores.

Anyway, I’m very excited to have my work in this show. I think Mrs. Lash has really done what she set out to do. The works offer an overall sense of youth and freshness, and a glimpse of the path modern art is taking.

From left: Curator Evelyn Stuart with Juror Miranda Lash (NOMA) and Director Anne Dennington. © Eric Lincoln

Artist Dara Engler, middle, discusses her work with guests. © Eric Lincoln

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Welcome to the launch of ArtNELA, the blog for arts and culture in and around Northeast Louisiana.

Please read the About page first.

The plan is to cover everything within a couple of hours driving distance of my home base, which should get me to Ruston and Shreveport going west, Delhi going east, and other locations here and there. I’ll have three or four suggested key activities listed on a regular basis, along with reviews of art openings and events, and, if I can swing it, brief interviews with artists. I’m also planning to include descriptive articles with photos of events I’ve been able to attend. I’m excited about this blog because it finally gives me a chance to do three things I enjoy, all at once: write, shoot photos, and travel while exploring into the art community. Okay, maybe that’s four things. I also like fiddling around on computers. Five things. Ah, it’s all coming together, now, just like the oracle said it would …

Tonight’s suggested event, and the catalyst for the creation of this blog, is being held at the Masur Museum of Art, June 27th, from 6-8 p.m. Pieces from around the country will be shown at this opening reception, for the museum’s 46th Annual Juried Competition, which drew in submissions from all over the country. Work from over fifty artists, chosen by NOLA curator Miranda Lash, will be displayed from June 30 to Aug. 15. I have a panoramic photo of the Afton Villa Plantation that’s included in this particular show.

There you have it. The first update to a blog that I hope will become a pleasurable go-to spot for anyone trying to figure out what to do and where to go for some art in Northeast Louisiana. Check back and see what’s going on. I plan to update this site as frequently as I can find activities and culture going on around here.

I have built it. They will come.