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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1996)
January 24, thou The Battalion Wednesday January 24, 1996 Aggielife Page 3 me Elkins, The Baitauoh lary Shannon ajor, stretch be- E to hold nference ice Learning trip between vill host the ante Educa te. he Terraces enter in Dal it research in iied with s report —- Gov. George iiesday that he is investigation that rer Texas prison ns committed no an inmate's al- ipe plot. the Texas Depart- al lustice made ts of an internal is' official acts on on businessman ■ conferred with irman Allan Tol eport. an is convinced ation into former ins and Mr. Gra- ush said, any corruption, I and routed out," jn't tolerate it in Night News Editor iee Editor torts Editor ) Editor h, Graphics Editor higs Editor Benson, Linn Bowden, 'tichelle Lyons, Heather ACilker I Bnrry, Kristina Baffin, , Thomas Dougherty, n LeBas, Amy Protas, ice, Stephanie Chrislu- fob Clark, [rin Fitzger- ia, Chris Miller, (ethro m iwan, Amy Browning, i Zimmerman rk, Michele Chamelor, xxlwin, lohn Lemons, Jezada Mandy Cater, Amber vt University intheDi- sm. !, 3; Lax: B45-2M7 rsement hy The Ballal- j ‘2696. Lor i lassificd Mr Donald and nffire h'nt to pick up a single school year and $sn pc' ' call 84S-2()11. V during the fall and r sessions (except on ’Tr end class postage 111,1 Mg, Texas ASM . V .■ ■ •: ••• ■ : : V; . 'Photo Works' gives young artists opportunity to change lives through art Artistic Distinctions 'Howard Collection' displays African-American art By john LeBas The Battalion A celebration of African-American cultur al and artistic distinction is the focus of a traveling art exhibit now on display at Texas A&M. “Selections From the John M. Howard Memorial Collection of African American Art" is on display at the J. Wayne — Stark Galleries until March 3 The 50 works in the exhib it are curated from the John M. Howard Memorial Collec tion, a permanent holding of the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. The Howard Collection is named in memory of a respected Pine Bluff artist and teacher. Catherine A. Hastedt, registrar and curator of the Stark Galleries, said the exhibit provides people with a chance to discover African- American art. “It’s a unique opportunity while the exhibit is in Texas to learn about artists that, because of their color, many people don’t know about,” she said. Artists featured include Benny An drews, Rom are Bearden, Eldizer Cortor, Mar garet Burroughs, Elizabeth Catlett, Palmer Hayden, Camille Billops and Jacob Lawrence. “It’s a shame that you don’t see most of these artists except in African-American art shows. They should be included in general art shows,” Hastedt said. Many of the artists were self-taught, she said, because they did not have the same learning opportunities that were available to white artists. Some, such as Romare Bearden, even traveled to Europe to gain acceptance. Bearden’s “Annunciation #1,” a collage, is featured in the exhibit. Garlan F. Jenkens, director of visual arts and curator of collections for the Arts & Science Center for South east Arkansas, said in a brochure exhibit that the well- known collagist drew upon the era of industrializa tion and personal expe riences, to create “haimting montages.” Bearden said his art is “an attempt to redefine the image of man in terms of the black experience.” Jacob Lawrence, whose “The 1920s . . . The Migrants Cast Their Votes” is also fea tured, gained prominence by painting scenes of historical events important to black Americans. “Lawrence creates images which relate the course of a particular event in American history such as ‘The Migration Series,’ which trace the migration of the African-American from the South to the North,” Jenkens said. “Lawrence creates the ‘philosophy of impres sionism’ within his work, capturing the essen tial meaning behind the natural appearance of a historical moment or personality.” Andrews’ work is represented in the ex hibit by 13 paintings, etchings and ink drawings. Using a technique called con tour drawing, Andrews drew simple inter pretations of a wide range of subjects and emotions, from the pain and grief depicted in “Mourners,” to the social commentary of “Pusher” and “Strung Out.” Black students who viewed it said they en joyed the exhibit. John Spriggins, an East Texas State Uni versity student and an artist at A&M for the Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference, said he was moved by the cultur al pride evident in the art. “These pieces are definitely afro-centric,” he said. “They draw on your emotions.” Latrivette Garcia, a Wiley College student also in town for the SBSLC, said she appreci ates the messages the art communicates. “These portraits define the struggle that African-Americans have gone through and the talent in the Mrican-American communi ty,” she said. Jenkens said the artists represented in the exhibit are not trying to find their own niche among European artists. “Rather, they are convinced of the depth and richness of their own creative heritage and attempt to validate that heritage through the ‘eyes of the beholder,”’ he said. “This is an era for moving beyond racial po larization, and African-American artists are searching — searching into self, family and nation in the process, celebrating life and creative experience.” By Amy Protas The Battalion O n a plaque beside two black-and-white pho tographs in the MSC Vi sual Arts Gallery, Rosie Reyes expresses how she feels about her work. “I feel good about what’s in my pictures,” she says. “They are part of me and my culture. They show the way I live. Some of it’s bad, and some of it’s good, but it’s all mine.” The pictures are part of “Photo Works” on display in the gallery. “Photo Works” is a project sponsored by the organization Art Smart. Founded in 1994, Art Smart enables area youth to create and exhibit art. Tim Novak, adviser to the Visual Arts Committee, said this is the second Art Smart ex hibit at the Visu- al Arts Gallery. He said the project exposes art to people who do not regularly experience it. “The gallery is unique in that it is a part nership between the commit tee and the arts for everyone,” he said. “It was founded to help local students and teenage moms who are at-risk. “It provides alternatives that are a creative outlet. It gives the artist a sense of responsibil ity and accomplishment.” Novak said that the gallery is an excellent medium for lo cal artists. “The mission of the Visual Arts Committee is to provide art to Texas A&M students,” he said. “We have found a spe cial niche for contemporary artists, especially Texas and Southwest artists.” The Visual Arts Gallery makes it possible for lesser- known artists to display their artwork. It gives artists who may not get a showing at the Forsyth Center or the J. Wayne Stark Gallery a chance to have their work displayed. The photos in “Photo Works” are black and white, image transfer and paint on emulsion. The last technique involves painting emulsion on water- color paper and exposing the image to sunlight. Image transfer involves the exposure of Polaroid film onto a projection of a slide image. Before the Polaroid image de velops, the film is split or peeled apart. The negative side of the im age is placed face down on pa per, and a roller is used to transfer the image to the pa per. When the negative is lift ed off, the image transfer is completed. The exhibit is divided into “Friends and Family” and “Black and White Photography.” “Friends and Family” is ex plained on another plaque. “Through exhibition,” it says, “the visions of a diverse group of youth who are usual ly unheard and often un touched by the arts are brought to the public. Scenes of daily life are reflected through the images of friends, "This gives students the chance to see how talented they can be." — Kathy Aceves president of the Visual Arts Committee family and life at school.” The black-and-white pho tographs were shot in 35 mil limeter and medium format film. The students worked with a professional photographer who helped them develop their crafts. Kathy Aceves, president of the Visual Arts Committee and a junior marketing and management major, said the Art Smart program is impor tant to the area. “We do exhibits with Art Smart because there is not a lot of artistic opportunities in the Bryan-College Station area,” Aceves said. “A lot of the artists have had problems with drugs and fami ly. This gives them something to do and express themselves.” Aceves said the exhibit also shows A&M students that one does not have to be a profes sional artist to create art. “This gives students the chance to see how talented they can be,” Aceves said. “This shows how positive an experience art can be. You don’t have to have a great art background to do art.” Shane Elkins, The Battalion 'Photo Works"is on display in the MSC Visual Arts Gallery. ie Moms Club helps parents get involved at A&M By Amy Protas The Battalion L eaving home for the first time can be quite a scary experience, especially for students’ parents. The Aggie Moms Club, founded in 1928, works to help ease this burden. Judi Littleton, vice president of programs for the Northwest Harris County Aggie Moms Club, said being an Aggie Mom helps her to be more understanding of the A&M experience. “The club gives moms a better understanding of what their child is going through,” Littleton said. “Parents don’t understand three finals in one day. It gives moms a support basis. Kids are going to have a good time and party, but they will live through it.” Susan Laskowski, a member of the Northwest Harris County Club, said that when she found out about the club, she knew she had to join. “The club sends out a newsletter to all of the students’ mothers and invites them to an infor mational meeting,” Laskowski said. “I wanted to be more aware of what was available to my two sons. I wanted to know how I could help by get ting more involved. It gives you the tools to help your kids when they have problems.” Some students are proud that their moms are members of the club, even if they do not want to know a lot about what they do. Brenda Cejka, president of the Northwest Harris County Club, said her son was reluctant to go with her to a meeting. “My son said he didn’t want to be dragged to a meeting,” Cejka said. “I took him, and he said never again. But he’s proud of what I’ve done. I’ve been able to keep him informed.” There are Aggie Moms clubs all over the world. In Texas, the Northwest Harris County Club is one of the fastest growing clubs. Founded in 1986, it started with 27 members. That num ber has risen to 310. The clubs meet once a month and feature guest speakers from the University. Normally, the speakers are representatives from different A&M colleges who explain the curriculum. Other programs deal with extracurricular ac tivities on campus. Cejka said the speakers provide the moms with information that can benefit their children. “We have speakers from all the various orga nizations,” Cejka said. “Each speaker shows us the resources that are available to our students. This includes financial aid, how to interview and the Corps. We learn where to direct students and why they work the way they do.” "It gives you the tools to help your kids when they have problems." — Susan Laskowski member of the Northwest Harris County Moms Club The Aggie Moms Club is a non-profit organiza tion that emphasizes service to the University. Littleton said money raised by the clubs goes back to the University and the students. “All the money goes back to school in the form of scholarships and contributions to organiza tions,” Littleton said. “We were the only club that gave money to every organization at A&M. There are so many organizations, and we were surprised we were able to support them.” The clubs raise money by sponsoring craft sales throughout the year. One of the most visible of these sales may be the craft boutique on Parents’ Weekend at A&M. Members said this is always a big money maker. Jeanette Atkinson, president of the San Anto nio Moms Club, the largest Aggie Moms Club in Texas, said their club sells a special item. “James Avery has given us the exclusive right to market the Aggie Mothers’ charm,” Atkinson said. “The woman who designed it is friends with one of our members. She decided to retire, so she kept the patent and let us market it.” Although it is called the Aggie Moms Club, anyone is welcome at their meetings. The club in Japan consists of all males. Atkinson said sometimes tht y have more dads than moms at the meetings. Cejka said the biggest benefit of being a mem ber of the club is making friends. “The organization is not only for the benefit of the students,” Cejka said. “It’s like a sorority. I’ve made many friends that I’ll have for a long time. T get to meet moms from all over.”
