Everything Nac

The School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University and its art galleries will present an exhibition of works by artist Kymia Nawabi Oct. 25 through Dec. 30 in the Ledbetter Gallery of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“Kymia Nawabi: Not for Long, My Forlorn” features a series of large-scale drawings that “acted as meditations on life and death channeled through ravenous, otherworldly beings and animals that inhabit a purgatory-like space,” according to the artist. An exhibition reception is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29.

Wesley Berg, assistant professor of art at SFA, studied with Nawabi when they were graduate students at the University of Florida.

“I first met Kymia at the University of Florida where we both pursued graduate degrees in painting and drawing,” Berg said. “At UF, we had the privilege of studying under the great Arnold Mesches, who imparted to us his knowledge of line and gesture. Arnold quickly noticed, and championed, Kymia’s skill and affinity for line work.

“Kymia translates her personal mythology through a language of specificity – an ethos of mark-making,” he said. “Her work maintains its boldness while sharing a vulnerability with the viewer. It speaks to our togetherness, our isolation and our collective need for the tactile – the touch of a hand.”

Of the individual piece titled “Not for Long, My Forlorn,” Nawabi writes, “Here, we are introduced to the Egyptian god, Thoth. Thoth was believed to be half man, half an ibis bird. Thoth is a god of many things, but most importantly he is who holds the universe in balance and who greets you in the afterlife. In, ‘Not For Long, My Forlorn,’ there is a buried man who has gone back into the earth. This soul has taken form above as blades of grass that have momentarily taken human shape. This possessed patch of earth has dug up itself in both senses – the earth has undone itself, as well as this former being excavating himself.

“As we look closer, Thoth appears in an embrace in the grave, in tears and in all its wonder. The title, ‘Not For Long, My Forlorn,’ is what I hear Thoth communicating to the grass figure … that it will not be long before you are to go on with the next life, and this mourning will pass. I love the use of ‘forlorn’ here because it suggests the most sad and alone state one can be in, and in this case, one’s death. But for another to speak to you and console you in such a state reminds us we are never alone.”

Recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Grant and Fellowship in Drawing in 2017, Nawabi has exhibited her work widely in both group and solo exhibitions. This particular exhibition has been shown at The Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina, and The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York.

Nawabi earned first prize on season two of Bravo’s “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist,” taking home $100,000 and earning a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. On the final episode of “Work of Art,” she organized her works for this exhibition.

She is represented by Abmeyer and Wood in Seattle, Washington.

Admission to the exhibition and reception, which is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Visual Arts, Nacogdoches Junior Forum, William Arscott and The Flower Shop, is free. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Lumberjack Cultural Association and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University will offer the SFA and Nacogdoches communities an opportunity to attend the Tunnel of Oppression interactive museum, which spotlights different forms of oppression through theater and multimedia presentations.

“In the past, the event has shed light on issues ranging from human trafficking, genocide, racial profiling and suicide, to name a few,” said Veronica Beavers, OMA director. “The Tunnel of Oppression is an enlightening and eye-opening experience that should not be missed. As a result of participating, we hope that students are able to identify forms of oppression and apply what they have learned to educate others.”

Approximately 700 students attended the 2017 event. Beavers said they expect the number to jump to more than 850 this year. Feedback from previous years’ Tunnel of Oppression has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Testimonies of past participants have included ‘the event just gave me a better understanding of what really goes on around me,’ and ‘Oppression is a much deeper problem than I originally thought, and we all must work together to stop it,’” Beavers said.

The 2018 Tunnel of Oppression is free and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 5 through 7 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center theater.

Some topics may not be suitable for children under 13 years old.

By Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

With canes and signs in hand, members of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Braille and Cane Club held a parade recently on the university’s campus to celebrate White Cane Safety Day.

This national day of recognition is known as both White Cane Safety Day and Blind Americans Equality Day. It is annually celebrated in the U.S. on Oct. 15 to honor the contributions Americans who are blind or visually impaired make to the nation.

“On this day, we reflect as a nation on how we will continue to set the global standard in ensuring that our blind and visually impaired citizens live in communities of opportunity, respect and civic engagement,” said President Donald J. Trump in a proclamation signed Oct. 13.

Catherine Lard, SFA Braille and Cane Club president, organized the parade to celebrate the independence of people who are blind or visually impaired.

“This day is important because it helps spread awareness about people with visual impairments,” Lard said. “It also helps educate others about how people who are blind or visually impaired can be independent.”

Following the parade, students hosted a bake sale and information booth on campus.

SFA is home to the only undergraduate orientation and mobility program of its kind in the nation. Since the program began in 1972, faculty and staff have trained hundreds of students to assist people who are blind or have visual impairments. Cane training, a key component of the program, teaches students to use a cane and navigate an area while blindfolded to simulate complete blindness.

At SFA, students can receive a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation with a concentration in orientation and mobility or a master’s degree in special education with a specialization in orientation and mobility.

For more information, visit sfasu.edu/humanservices/122.asp.

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

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House will host a reception for works submitted to the NEA Big Read Nacogdoches’ “A Novel Response” contest sponsored by the Nacogdoches Public Library. The reception is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.

The NEA Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. This program seeks to broaden understanding of the world and its communities, and of oneself, through the joy of sharing a good book.

The NEA Big Read in Nacogdoches has focused on the book “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. The book was winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and finalist for the National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award. Free copies of the book are currently available at the library. Many activities in connection with NEA Big Read Nacogdoches are taking place throughout October, including the contest and subsequent Oct. 25 reception at Cole Art Center.

The library’s NEA Big Read Contest encourages readers to share their understanding of and personal connections to “Station Eleven” through poetry, art and photography. Entries will be displayed at the reception, and poets are encouraged to read their entry at the event. Contest winners will also be announced.

For more information, contact Crystal Hicks, assistant director of the Nacogdoches Public Library, at (936) 559-2970, or Lisa Steed, events coordinator for The Cole Art Center, at (936) 468-6557.

Pianist Janice Fehlauer will present her “Carnival!” recital program in a guest performance at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The recital is a feature of the SFA Friends of Music Concert Series, and the program is “a celebration of carnival traditions all over the world,” Fehlauer said.

“The ‘Carnival!’ recital program owes its genesis to the time I’ve spent contemplating traditions and the challenge of planting oneself in a new culture,” Fehlauer’s website states. “My daughters were born in Houston, and because my husband and I are both immigrants to the United States, I’ve thought about the ways in which their cultural upbringing differs from my own. I’ve been careful not to allow my daughters to feel ‘placeless,’ meaning I don’t want to immerse them in the traditions and culture of their parents’ origins to the exclusion of the place where they themselves were born.”

One way in which Fehlauer tried to give them roots in the Gulf Coast is by celebrating Mardi Gras. “Musicians since time immemorial have always loved a good party, so it’s no surprise that the classical tradition offers a great deal of Carnival-related music,” she said.

The program includes Francois Couperin’s “Onziême Ordre de Clavecin,” Robert Schumann’s “Faschingsschwank aus Wien,” Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9, Carnival in Pest,” Igor Stravinsky’s “Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka” and Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Carnaval das crianças.”

The selections span many centuries and many different countries, according to Fehlauer.

“Whether it’s called Shrovetide, Fasching, Mardi Gras or Carnival – from Couperin’s satirical pageantry to Villa-Lobos’ mischievous characters – across France, Austria, Germany, Russia and Brazil, the celebration of this holiday is musically rich,” she said.

“Please join me at this performance to enjoy some of the piano’s greatest classical party music.”

Fehlauer is a sought-after collaborative artist who has performed for chamber recital series in Boston, Little Rock and Dallas. She was on staff of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria for two summers. She served as répétiteur and assistant chorus master at The Dallas Opera, and she has also played and coached for Fort Worth Opera, UNT Opera Theater, Moores Opera Center and the Houston Symphony Chorus. She has been a vocal coach and music director for Houston Grand Opera’s educational programs. Fehlauer lives in Houston and teaches at the Kingwood Music School. For more information, visit www.janicefehlauer.com.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.