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• National Arts & Humanities Month
• Dues Changes with Added Member Benefits
• TSOS needs editor
• Calendar
• Tribute to Ruthie Defalco
• Sculptfest Followup
• Member News

October is National Arts and Humanities Month!

Dues Change - Added Benefits;

Membership as of Sept. 10, 2003, includes a FREE Web page for ANY and EVERY TSOS member.

The Texas Society of Sculptors held its September board meeting at the Austin Sculpture Center on Wednesday, Sept. 10th at noon. As you know, TSOS is run by volunteers and your fellow sculptors. So, in an attempt to ease the administrative burden of operating the organization and to try to make it easier to improve opportunities for our sculptors, the board discussed and approved some changes to the membership dues.

Details about these changes are below. Please note the major changes:

• Annual dues are now $40 (only a small increase from the historical $30 fee).
• Annual dues are due by June 30 for the year that follows: July 1-June 30.
• A free Web page on the TSOS site is now included in membership fees.

ALL current members will have their membership extended to June 2004. At that time, the new dues of $40 will be due. Those members who are currently exhibiting their work on the TSOS Web site will not be billed this month as originally planned. Instead, they will enjoy free exposure on the site through June. All current and new members are now eligible to have their own TSOS Web page for free.

Details:
Texas Society of Sculptors (TSOS) only costs $40.00 per year.*

• Newsletter listing sculpture opportunities and other items of interest to artists and art lovers (minimum of 5 per year)
• Ability to advertise your artwork via this Web site.
• Eligibility to apply for Membership Sculpture Shows (juried and all-membership)
• Inexpensive booth space at Sculptfest -- TSOS' annual sculpture festival (held in the fall)
• Sculpture studio or bronze foundry tours & other opportunities to mingle with artists

*Annual membership fees are due by June 30. First year members may prorate their dues as applicable.
If you join June, July, or August, your dues would be $40 up until the following June 30.
If you join September, October, or November, your dues would be $30 up until the following June 30.
If you join December, January, or February, your dues would be $20 up until the following June 30.
If you join March, April, or May, your dues would be $10 up until the following June 30.

Board members who hold an office title (Pres., VP, Treas, and Sec.) plus the Webmaster and newsletter Editor are exempt from paying dues (while receiving all membership benefits) while they hold office. After they leave office, their annual fees will be due the following June. Also, traditionally TSOS has "carried" past-due members that we knew wanted to remain members until they finally paid their dues. This will stop happening. It is simply too much work.

Details about the Web site can be online at Join Tsos.

Thank you for your support of TSOS. And a reminder: every member is invited to attend board meetings. And you even get to vote on motions if you show up! Please help this organization help you by letting the board know what you would like from the organization.

Best regards,
Kelly Borsheim, Webmaster & board member

TSOS Needs Editor

1. the pay $110.00 per issue
2. newsletter expenses reimbursed
3. free TSOS membership (which includes the free Web page)
4. other artists know who you are
5. you get to know news items first

Duties:

1. Create, publish, and distribute (mail) newsletter 6 times a year (bi-monthly); we're not picky - create a ransom-note (cut & paste) style newsletter if you're not into computers.
2. Working with advertisers in the newsletter (billing and publishing)
3. Soliciting stories & photos for the newsletter; occasionally taking pics at TSOS events, computer skills a plus (program of editor's choice)
4. Keeping up with TSOS events which usually means attending the board meetings, but keeping in touch some other way is acceptable.

Currently, there are 6 bi-monthly issues: Dec-Jan, Feb-Mar, Apr-May, Jun-Jul, Aug-Sep, Oct-Nov. Submission deadlines are the 20th of the month preceding issue publication. Until further notice, send news items to Kelly Borsheim, P. O. Box 340, Cedar Creek, Texas 78612

Calendar 2003

• October 8, noon TSOS Board meeting (all invited)
• October 21, 7 p.m. FREE (to TSOS members) talk with C. D. Weaver, sculptor (see opportunities section)
• November 12, noon TSOS Board meeting (all invited)

Board meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at noon at the Austin Sculpture Center, 305 E. 45th St. in Austin. Everyone is welcome to attend, voice relevant opinions, and vote.

We'll Miss Ruthie DeFalco

Sculptor Bob Fowler of Wimberley recalls that DeFalco returned from a trip to Honduras with a young tree boa in her travel case. Customs officials in Miami asked her whether she had fruit in her case, and she said she had none. The officials were still curious, and she admitted she had the snake. "You could have heard the customs people yell all over that place, `Snake!' " he said, laughing. "They opened the case and there it was." Don Mafrige Jr., a longtime friend, remembers DeFalco's sense of humor. "She was always quick with a joke," said Mafrige, who took art lessons from her. "She was really happy-go-lucky and liked to rib people." DeFalco was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She moved to Houston with her husband in 1953 and attended art school. She is survived by her husband, Frank of Galveston, a son, Arthur of Long Beach, Calif., and her daughter. A memorial service will be at Gremillion & Co. Fine Arts, 2504 Nottingham, Houston, from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 20. People who own her sculptures are asked to bring them.

Sculptfest Followup:

We couldn't have done it without our sponsors and volunteers. Our sponsors were: the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum and their wonderful curator Nelie Plourde, radio Oldies 103, The Austin Chronicle, and the City of Austin.

TSOS thanks the following volunteers who helped make Sculptfest 2003 a success:
Marla Ripperda, Sculptfest Chair, planned Sculptfest, sent out applications, processed applications, mapped out booth locations, coordinated the various committees, oversaw the operation in general and graciously smiled all day during Sculptfest while deftly solving a slew of artist problems. Theresa Bayer, Sculptfest CoChair did publicity, postcard, flyer, KLBJ radio interview, and hospitality, which was food and drinks provided for artists. Richard Von Hatten brought clay for children's corner, helped with tables and stayed the whole time doing various volunteer tasks. Nancy Cardozier took care of kitchen and sat at the TSOS/ASC table. She and Mary Paige Huey also made this year's poster, using an image from TSOS artist Nic Noblique. Jay Paulson helped with radio publicity and sponsorship. Jorja Perme from USG&M ran our Kids Corner. Rose Farmer came early to help coordinate artists into and out of the Umlauf parking lot with a walkie-talkie, also sat at TSOS/ASC booth. Donna Grabow volunteered and brought coffee and cookies to share in the early afternoon. Katrina Ripperda worked from 9 am until 7 pm helping artists tote stuff, cut lots and lots of clay for the Kids Corner. Robert Ripperda helped artists and USG&M take the show down. Heather Parish and Terry Wilemon sat the TSOS/ASC booth. Lorin Freisen brought ice chests and ice. Scott Sustek, Kelly Borsheim, Arye Shapiro, and Rodney Bohl helped with publicity by appearing on KLBJ radio interview; Rodney also brought extra ice. Siri Dehipitiya helped out in the parking lot with coordinating parking for artists. Teresa Dunegan wrote an article about Sculptfest that was published in Austin Monthly. Last but not least, thanks to TSOS president Gilbert Barrera, board members Bob Brooking, Maria Retzlaff, Lisa Brummel, Herb Long, Bob Coffee, and all other previously mentioned board members for helping plan Sculptfest.

Kudos to all these wonderful folks. Please know that your work was greatly appreciated by all. If we have omitted any name, our sincere apologies; we will be happy to include you in our next issue.

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Marla,
All of us here at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden would like to thank all of you with the Texas Society of Sculptors for another, absolutely splendid, SculptFest. We very much appreciate you and the 49 other sculptors for sharing your time and talents with the 1820 people who came down here to celebrate Austin Museum Day.

Judging from our conversations as they walked in, it seemed as if more of these visitors were coming back for another SculptFest than were coming for their first one. And what a determined group of visitors we had: that half hour of heavy rain only slowed Sunday's steady stream of sculpture fans. What a wonderfully diverse crowd our visitors were! And so enthusiastic about making their own sculptures that we ran out of clay before 4 p.m.

SculptFest 2003 certainly benefited from both of us working on its publicity. The TSOS interview on KLBJ brought in a slew of telephone calls to the Museum, from people wanting more details about what they had heard on the radio. Austin Monthly chose to highlight SculptFest 2003 (with picture and a nice Marla quote) as its pick for Austin Museum Day.

The Austin Museum Partnership was fortunate to have both Channel 8 and the Austin Chronicle as its media sponsors. Channel 8 stationed one of its reporters here during its morning show (for 4 spots) and then repeated one spot every hour for the rest of the day. The Austin Museum Partnership's Web site had a complete Museum Day program sheet that folks could download and travel around with. Every AISD teacher received an AMP packet with the complete Austin Museum Day program to post and a bookmark-sized list of participating museums to Xerox and send home with his/her students.

In addition to the Channel 8 spots, FOX - TV sent a reporter and the Austin American Statesman their best photographer, Sung Park, whose SculptFest photos appeared on the front of Monday's Metro and State section.

Our heartfelt thanks to the Texas Society of Sculptors for helping the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum fulfill its mission, to encourage the appreciation of sculpture through educational experiences and programs.

Congratulations and best wishes all around!
Nelie Plourde, Curator Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum

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Dear Editor,
Please publish this thank you note to all the 50 artists and volunteers who generously overfilled my gift basket at Sculptfest 2003! It was a wonderful and total surprise! I had so much fun unpacking the many tools, treats, cards, gift certificates and SCULPTURE! I tried to write individual thank yous but I'm afraid someone may have slipped something in anonymously! So, thank you to all who contributed! Sculptfest 2003 drew 1,820 persons although it was storming all around Austin and its surrounding area. The 50 exhibiting artists had a hot and humid setup and it rained hard at noon for 15-20 minutes. But then it cleared and turned into a beautiful, and cooler, afternoon. It was a great success in spite of the weather worry. Put it on your 2004 calendar for Austin Museum Day! The actual date of the event won't be set until next March but it is most likely going to be a Sunday in September.
Thanks again - Marla Ripperda

Member News

October 1-30 (Artist's reception is Saturday, October 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.; extended hours & artist demos every Saturday in October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
In conjunction with National Arts and Humanities Month, the Bastrop Fine Arts Gallery is featuring Cedar Creek-based artist Kelly Borsheim during the month of October. Borsheim creates figurative oil paintings, as well as sculpture in bronze and stone. Her exhibit and sale is titled "Art of the Human Form." The artist will be in the Main Street gallery each Saturday in October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to speak with art lovers and demonstrate some of her techniques. The public is also invited to an opening reception for the artist on Saturday, October 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Kelly Borsheim began her artistic career in photography in 1984. In the early '90s she began restoring old photos and worked as an image preservationist. This led her to pursue developing her drawing skills, which led to painting, and ultimately sculpting. Ms. Borsheim is fascinated with the beauty of the human form and its endless combination of shapes. She also teaches Sculptural Anatomy at the Austin Sculpture Center in central Texas. Borsheim's work is in private collections throughout the United States and in Canada, France, Italy, and the UK.

The Bastrop Fine Arts Gallery is located at 1009 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas. Normal business hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours on Saturdays during October. More information on the gallery can also be found on the Web at www.jocastilloart.com/bastropfinearts.guild. Borsheim's site is www.borsheimarts.com

October 3-29 (Artists' reception is Tuesday, October 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.; sculpture demo on Tuesday, October 14th from 5:30 to 8 p.m.):
"Animal Tracks" - TSOS members Dan Pogue, Bob Coffee, and Mary Paige Huey.
Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas

For more information, contact Bob Coffee at 512-474-5261.

"Animal Tracks" will feature the work of four central Texas artists who depict the animal world in varied styles and mediums. Pen and ink artist Sherry Steele, bronze sculptors Dan Pogue and Bob Coffee and stone carver Mary Paige Huey will exhibit their work from October 3rd to 29th at the Dougherty Art Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road in Austin, Texas. At an opening reception, Tuesday evening October 7th, 6:00 - 8:00 P.M., Sherry Steele will do a scratchboard piece to be given as a door prize. On Tuesday evening, October 14th, 6:00 - 8:00 P.M., sculptors Pogue, Coffee and Huey will demonstrate their various techniques.

Bob Coffee's animal bronzes reflect an intuitive knowledge of nature gained over a life of ranching and hunting. His recent work includes a commissioned series - "The Animals of Big Bend", a fund-raising bronze for the Texas Longhorn Breeders of America and a large statue of an African lion for the zoo in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mary Paige Huey has long been a sculptor working in many mediums. Her passion for stone carving started in the early '80s when she began creating colorful, stylized animals and abstracts from alabaster and imported marble; that passion continues to this day. She has exhibited across the U.S., from Carmel, California, to Richmond, Virginia as well as in galleries throughout Texas. One highlight of her career was a solo exhibition in the Texas Capitol in 1996. She has also taught stone carving at the Art School at The Austin Museum of Art for the past 11 years.

In Dan Pogue's bronzes you can see the culmination of 38 years of work as a sculptor; for 28 of those years he has owned and operated a foundry where he casts his own works as well as those of many other prominent sculptors. In his finely rendered bronzes he captures a special moment in each animal by his use of movement and expression. Pogue's many public art commissions are located nationally at universities, churches, and memorial gardens. Pogue has recently been chosen to create a WWII memorial and also a 15 foot horse and rider for Liberty Christian School in Denton, TX.

Sherry Steele [not a TSOS member] uses animals to express the emotions that are the storm of the human condition. Always keeping her focus on the natural beauty of her subjects, she lets their inherent honesty speak for itself...and for us. Using the precise medium of pen and ink in a multi-layered technique she created herself, she literally "paints with her pens". Constantly challenging the limits of this unforgiving medium, her animals take on a depth and texture to her work that becomes almost sculptural on paper.

Past Event:

Houston, TX·. "The Day America Cried," a Mattiza original, has been selected for the 911 Exhibit this August-September at the Pentagon. R. David Mattiza created this bronze sculpture as he and a group of friends huddled together in his Epiphany Studio watching the horror of 9/11 unfold before them on television. The graceful yet powerful bronze represents the intense sorrow of a nation while seamlessly epitomizing the undeniable strength and pride through America's symbol, the eagle.

"This bronze sculpture is like America: an authentic original formed to last forever." Sculptor R. David Mattiza has created many monumental sculptures; however, this Mattiza original is extremely personal.

"This piece represents all that is good about America and her people-the strength, the dignity and the compassion," said Mattiza. "Hopefully, it will serve as a tribute honoring those who died on September 11, and the firemen, police and volunteers who served in the aftermath of that horrific event. It is a tribute to those who have sacrificed for our nation throughout history and to the Americans in the military who continue to protect the freedoms we not only enjoy, but rely on every day."

The bronze depicts the Eagle wrapped in a banner of Stars and Stripes, signifying the unity of our country during this time of crisis when we, as a People, put aside our differences in order to help each other.

Each of the six stars represents an aspect of the tragedy. A star for each of the locations, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC, and the many lives lost as a result of these terrorist attacks. The remaining three stars represent the heroism of the police department, fire department, and civilian volunteers--many of whom lost their lives in the rescue attempt.

There are two tears on one side of the Eagle's face symbolizing the things Americans lost that day, Innocence and Security. The opposite side of the Eagle's head reflects a profile of strength and power.

"In a single sentence, 'The Day America Cried' depicts my feelings of duality, the sadness of the event, coupled with the strength and determination uniting our country," says Mattiza. "May the Unity continue."

The bronze was on display at the Pentagon, headquarters of the national defense establishment and the nerve center for command and control, in Washington, DC, through September 30, 2003, on the First Floor Apex 3-4 in the 911 Exhibit. "The Day America Cried", a Mattiza original bronze, was named Director's Choice in the 2002 'Remembering 9/11' Exhibit at the George H. Bush Presidential Library & Museum.

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