Newsletter Excerpts

August-September 2002 Issue of
The Third Dimension, newsletter of

[clay masks]

Sculptfest 2001: Gale Barchus with his high-fire clay mask
Eye Looking at Me Looking at You

Photo by Nancy Barchus

Contents on this page include:

A Tribute to Gale Barchus, sculptor
Dimensions, 2002 TSOS Membership exhibit
Report from Mexico
Member News

Note: Gale Barchus was a member of TSOS. Sculptfest 2002 is dedicated to the memory of Gale Barchus.

Gale Barchus

1929-2002

by Meredy Crisman

Many of us knew Gale Barchus as a mask maker and a college professor. Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1929, Barchus actually wore many "faces" throughout his lifetime.

As a boy, Barchus found himself on his own at 12 years of age. He hired himself out to families by the year as a farm hand, so that he could earn room and board and continue to attend school. He spoke of these years as positive and influential ones. He said he liked the fact that each year he had a "new family," each with a different religion and different culinary traditions. (Barchus loved food.) After the 11th grade, Barchus dropped out of school for one year to work on the railroad. He returned to complete high school before becoming a Marine. He served in the Korean War, and was a member of the Marine boxing team.

After the war Barchus returned to Michigan, where he won enough money at the horse races to move to Houston, Texas. Determined not to live a life of poverty, he was industrious and worked in a number of professions. A natural salesperson, he first became a realtor. Over time, he owned a string of washaterias in Houston, and a restaurant and bar in Clear Lake. Eventually he moved to Austin and owned a restaurant and bar on the lake. Barchus enjoyed working with musicians and often hired them to provide live entertainment in his establishments.

Family was important to Barchus. Over the course of his life he married three women and fathered eight children. Wanting to spend more time with his children, he began looking for a career that would allow him to do so. This led Barchus to pursue an academic career, and to the realization that he had a passion for History and the Classics. After receiving his degrees, he taught for 52 years in various Texas institutions. These include the University of Houston and the University of Texas. In 1992 he spent the year as a visiting scholar at Cambridge University in England.

In the late 1990s Barchus was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. After retiring, he taught part time at Austin Community College. At ACC he befriended a fellow professor named Ishmael Soto, who was teaching ceramics. Barchus had always wanted to sculpt stone. Now that he had time, he found himself unable to handle the heavy materials and tools because of his heart condition. Ishmael invited Barchus to come to his class and try sculpting in clay. In Soto's classroom Barchus discovered yet another life passion, and he began creating masks of his beloved Greek characters. In order to spend more time sculpting, he became a member of a large clay studio in South Austin. In December of 2002 he became part owner of that studio, overseeing its remodeling and renaming it Cone 10.

In 1999 Gale joined Texas Society of Sculptors and participated in Sculptfest at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum. He was surprised and delighted by the public interest in his work. He sold masks that day, and told many stories about his Greek characters. His natural facility for teaching the Classics coupled easily with his newfound art form. After that first year Gale was a regular participant in Sculptfest.

Barchus loved to tell stories about his own life as well as the classics. He often entertained his friends with amazing anecdotes from his past. When he told these stories he would end by saying: "and now I'm doing art. That's what I want to go out doing."

On June 13th, 2002, Barchus participated in a TSOS show in the ACA gallery in downtown Austin. That night was a special one for him: it was his first show in a gallery. He and his wife, Nancy, arrived early and stayed well into the evening. By all accounts (including Nancy's), Barchus enjoyed himself immensely. He was, as always, gracious and friendly. He shook hands, took photos, and had many conversations with old friends. He made new friends as well. In my mind's eye, Barchus glowed that night, and was truly the life of the party. Just before retiring that evening Nancy told Barchus how beautiful his masks looked in the gallery. He turned to her and replied that his life was going just the way he wanted it to. He said he was in a real gallery now, and that made him very happy. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep. That night he crossed over to the other side.

I will always remember Gale Barchus as kind, generous, and full of life. Even in failing health he was robust in spirit. He taught me many things, for which I will always be grateful. He handled both good times and hard times with grace. I miss Gale. He is a model of a life well lived for so many of us who knew and loved him.

A BRUSH WITH BARCHUS by Marla Ripperda

I still have his autobiography, a hand-written note. "I will turn 70 in October, however I am relatively new at referring myself to others as a sculptor . . ." and he proceeded to tell how he caught the bug from which you never recover. I met Gale Barchus three Sculptfests ago. Surrounded by his entourage, he set up near Meredy Crisman (by design). He'd recently had heart trouble and was still frail. It was a glorious day and the little bit I got to see Gale he was delightedly talking about his mask sculptures and the Classics from which they sprang. The event went well, he had a good time.

A year passed quickly. Second Sculptfest, more and better masks and a totally confidant air about him. Then June 2002 rolled around with the TSOS membership show "Dimensions." I saw Gale as he judiciously setup his space at the ACA gallery. He was bubbling with excitement and asked my opinion on standing or hanging two masks. They looked better hung. He struggled to get them just right. His corner display looked sharp. He beamed.

A group of us went over to the Dog and Duck Pub to have happy hour and conduct a short business meeting. Gale commanded the table where I sat. He talked of his stint in the military, lecturing in college, how he became a sculptor. He was so alive, so very interesting. We got him to commit to giving a lecture on any topic of his choosing at our next TSOS meeting. I made a note to myself to pay more attention, this fellow was a wealth of knowledge, such an interesting character with so much to share. I left for my husband's family reunion in Iowa and missed the artists' reception Thursday night. I returned Sunday evening to read Meredy's e-mail about Gale's passing. I thought how little I had known him, what opportunity lost.

Then I reread his resume. I was as touched as when I first opened it. He wrote of his sculpture instructors: "their love of what they were doing was extremely meaningful to me." I thought of gorgeous autumn weather, terra cotta masks and an effervescent persona reminding me to travel with Odysseus once again. Maybe I hadn't missed his last lecture after all.

DIMENSIONS

TSOS's 2002 members' show titled Dimensions brought a variety of 2- and 3-d art to the attention of Austin art lovers. The opening night, June 13, was crowded and festive. Food and wine, garnered by Meredy Crisman, was tasty and free flowing. During the show's 2-week run, several pieces sold and the ACA Gallery (now moved to 701 Tillery in East Austin) celebrated their final event at the Guadalupe Street location. photos by Ellen Gibbs

[sculpture exhibit]
Artists' Reception
photo by Ellen Gibbs

REPORT FROM MEXICO

by Mary Paige Huey
I had the great opportunity to travel to Saltillo, Mexico in July with the Austin Sister Cities' delegation. The Saltillo Sister Cities' Committee planned a long and very full agenda for us. We were treated as honored guests to commemorate the 425th birthday celebration of the city and attended many of the festivities where Austin Mayor Gus Garcia, the Mayor of Saltillo, and the Governors of Coahuila and of Zacatecas were in attendance. Representing the Austin Sculpture Center, I met with the cultural group to discuss the first official sculpture/painting exhibition of Austin and Saltillo artists. They had already made extensive plans for the event which will be November 9- 30, if all goes well. I should know more details soon and will report in the next newsletter.

Member News

Visitors to the Julia C. Butridge Gallery in Austin, Texas, in July got to see a variety of demonstrated techniques and works of art in TSOS members Marian Waldrip and Kelly Borsheim's exhibit "From Paper to Bronze: Sculptors Who Draw".

Above: Marian and gallery director Megan Weiler during the artists' reception July 2, 2002.	Above: Visitors study Kelly's mold-making display.

Sculptfest 2002 is dedicated to Gale Barchus.

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Texas Society of Sculptors
P. O. Box 49291
Austin, Texas (USA) 78765-9291
www.tsos.org