Everything Nac

Nevada photographer wins first place in 25th annual show

Time is running out on opportunities to view this year’s Texas National exhibition at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

Jennifer Garza-Cuen, an artist from Reno, Nevada, was selected as having the winning entry in the 2019 Texas National Competition and Exhibition at Stephen F. Austin State University. An SFA art graduate student was also among the top honorees.

Michelle White, senior curator at the Menil Collection in Houston, served as juror for the 25th annual Texas National, and she chose Garza-Cuen’s photograph “Untitled Ranch Hand” for the top honor in this year’s prestigious competition that brought in 50 pieces of art from across the nation.

White awarded second place to Alejandro Macias of Brownsville for his piece, “Ongoing.” Third place went to Sarah Jentsch, SFA graduate student from Etoile, for “Meadowlark in Spring.” Jentsch is a past honoree of the SFA College of Fine Arts Dean’s Circle, receiving the Ed and Gwen Cole Dean’s Award in Art in 2017.

Honorable mentions were awarded to Sarah Fisher of Houston; Carmen Schafer of Rochester, New York; and Fidalis Buehler of Mapleton, Utah.

The School of Art’s annual juried competition and exhibition attracts entrants from across the United States, providing artists an opportunity to have their work juried by highly regarded artists and critics. Texas National features an assortment of art, including photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

The winners and all entries in the 25th annual Texas National can be viewed through Sunday, June 9, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, SFA’s historic downtown art gallery located at 329 E. Main St. Gallery hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music has added a beginner violin and viola class to its summer program offerings.

Taught by Alba Madrid, the class is for students ages 9 through 14 who will learn the basics of playing violin or viola, reading music and making fun with musical friends, according to Pat Barnett, Music Prep director.

The class is from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays June 4 through 27 and is limited to 10 students. Tuition is $100, and instruments may be rented.

Other summer lessons are offered in piano, jazz piano, voice, guitar, flute, Suzuki violin and other instruments. Private lessons begin the week of June 3. Music Prep also offers Guitar Camp June 11 through 14 and Kids Summer Piano Camp July 15 though 18 for children and a six-week adult intermediate piano class beginning June 17.

Registration forms and more information can be accessed at www.music.sfasu.edu/prep, or contact Barnett at pbarnett@sfasu.edu or musicprep@sfasu.edu, or call (936) 468-1291. The Music Prep House is located at 3028 Raguet St.

Determination and the Lumberjack spirit seem to run in the family for Heather Dulin, a 2009 Stephen F. Austin State University graduate whose great-grandmother, Ibby Inez Fuller, attended SFA during the university’s infancy.

“It’s incredible to think my great-grandmother attended the same university I did 82 years earlier,” Dulin said. “While our lives in Nacogdoches and on campus were different, I know we were in search of the same thing — a formative educational experience centered around learning and growing to be better women. And that’s exactly what we achieved.”

Raised by a single mother, Dulin said she didn’t know how she was going to afford college, but she knew she “was destined to make it happen.” Much like her great-grandmother, who attended SFA in the 1920s when it was somewhat uncommon for women to pursue higher education, Dulin was determined.

“My great-grandmother was the only woman in her family who considered attending college, and with the evolution of women’s rights, I imagine she was met with opposition and confusion. Still, she persisted,” Dulin said.

Moving from Corrigan to Nacogdoches, Fuller worked for a local family doing household chores and caring for the children in exchange for her room and board. She also took some classes at the high school while the SFA campus was under construction.

Fuller was involved in the formation of women’s athletics at SFA as a leader in both the tennis and volleyball teams. She was active in the women’s athletic association, which was organized in 1925 and promoted the idea that women should place more value on health and physical training. She studied home economics with a minor in physical education before changing her major to education.

“My great-grandmother, who passed away in March 2001, remains a legend in our family. She set the example for what it means to pursue what calls you,” Dulin said. “Against the odds that many cultural and societal norms of her time placed on her, she persisted with faith and dedication throughout her 98 years of life.”

Similarly, Dulin stayed the course to make her dreams of attending SFA happen. In 2005, she opened her SFA acceptance letter and applied for financial aid.

“I was sitting on the couch with my mom, and when I opened the card, purple and silver confetti poured onto my lap. It was a milestone moment to celebrate,” Dulin said. “It was a privilege to be at SFA, and I knew it. Learning about financial aid allowed me to truly appreciate the classes I took and assignments I turned in.”

A Houston native, Dulin studied general business before changing her major to psychology. She was involved in clubs on campus, including Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology, and the American Marketing Association in the Rusche College of Business. As a student, she worked in the SFA Post Office and for Johnson’s Furniture Store.

Currently, Dulin serves as the human resources leader within the recruiting and talent development department for National Oilwell Varco, which allows her to mentor and speak to college students about their career journey and life after graduation. She remains an active member of the SFA community by serving on the Nelson Rusche College of Business Recent Alumni Board, which is focused on improving the student experience at SFA.

“People often think learning stops after graduation, but the truth is life is always trying to teach us something,” Dulin said. “Your family, peers, professors, the early mornings, the long chapters, the small towns, they are all playing a part of shaping who you are, so enjoy the journey.”

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.