Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host a hands-on container gardening seminar featuring Sharon Lee Smith from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 5 at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

Smith will help home gardeners learn the “hows” and “whys” of container gardening, as cheerful container gardens provide beauty and color during the winter. Participants will then put their knowledge to use by creating their own exquisite container garden to take home.

Smith is an SFA graduate and co-owner of Blue Moon Gardens in Edom. She has been a garden designer for many years and loves working with color.

Pre-registration is required, and seminar space is limited. The cost is $55 for SFA Gardens members and $65 for non-members. Register by calling SFA Gardens at 936-468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Customarily held in large, metropolitan areas such as Houston, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth, the 87th annual meeting of the Texas Archeological Society will be held in Nacogdoches this year and hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University Oct. 28 through 30 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

This year’s meeting will be the second time the Oldest Town in Texas has hosted the event. The first time was in 1995. Nacogdoches’ selection as the conference host correlates with the city’s celebration of its 300th anniversary.

“The meeting consists of a day and a half of presentations of papers and posters from professionals, students and avocationals,” said Dr. George Avery, director of the SFA anthropology and archeology lab. “All areas of Texas are represented, but there will be special emphasis on the Spanish presence in this area. There also will be meetings of the Council of Texas Archeologists, the Texas Historical Commission’s Stewardship program, and the TAS executive and board meetings.”

On Friday evening, the public is invited to bring artifacts to be identified. Jason Barrett with the Houston division of the Texas Department of Transportation will then speak on the resurgence of public archeology in the Houston area. Both this speaker event and the artifact identification are free to attend.

Dr. Juliana Barr, associate professor in the Duke University Department of History, will speak at a Saturday evening banquet regarding the role of archeology in telling the story of the American Indians prior to European arrival. On Sunday, three field trip opportunities for participants will be offered at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, Nacogdoches County sites and Mission Dolores State Historic Site.

A silent auction also will be held during the weekend conference. Auction donors include Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Kroger and Brookshires in Nacogdoches. In addition, Kiwanas of Nacogdoches, Lions Club of San Augustine and the Deep East Texas Archeological Society of Newton have each sponsored one high school student to attend the conference.

The TAS is a non-profit organization, and the goal of the annual meeting is to fundraise for TAS activities, which include raising awareness that many construction projects impact archeological sites. The TAS hosts workshops year-round on various archeological topics, including ceramics, lithics (stone tools), macrobotanicals, historic archeology and rock-art recording. TAS also has a one-week field school in June each year. See http://www.txarch.org/index.php for more information on the TAS.

The cost of the TAS conference is $60 for adult members and $30 for student members. The cost for adult non-members is $70 and student non-members is $35. For information or to register, contact Avery at (936) 468-2457 or averyg@sfasu.edu.

Vendor booth spaces are still available for the fourth annual Día de los Muertos Fiesta slated for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in downtown Nacogdoches in and around The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead observance, is considered a cheerful celebration of life, honoring the souls of the deceased. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican term derived from the Roman Catholic All Saints’ and All Souls’ days, traditionally observed Nov. 1 and 2. An array of activities, ranging from decorating graves to creating home altars, typically highlight the celebration that can last for days.

The popular Chikawa Aztec Dancers, Martinez Mariachi Duo and musicians Juan Carlos and Jenna Ureña will return to entertain crowds at the Nacogdoches celebration, which grows in popularity each year, according to Lisa Steed, events coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University art galleries.

A fundraiser for the gallery will feature original art and Day of the Dead vintage items.

Those interested in reserving booth spaces may email sfaartgalleries@sfasu.edu to receive a reservation form, which are also available at the Nacogdoches Public Library and The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

Among the vendors already committed to participating are SFA Art Metals, SFA Art Alliance, Friends of the Visual Arts, The Old Stone Fort, Nacogdoches Public Library with free children’s activities, SFA School of Theatre with face painting, and several food vendors, including Casa Morales and Birdie’s Bakery, and more.

Sponsors are also being solicited for the event. Confirmed sponsors include SFA Sound Recording Technology, R&K Distributors, the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau and Friends of the Visual Arts.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities or booth reservations, call (936) 468-6557.

Stephen F. Austin State University voice students will present a program of musical theatre and opera scenes in a performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The “Fall Scenes Program” will feature students enrolled in the Opera Workshop class taught by Dr. Gene Moon, director of orchestras and musical director of opera, Dr. Scott LaGraff, professor of voice at SFA, and Dr. Deborah Dalton, associate professor of voice and director of opera.

“Our Opera Workshop class keeps growing and growing,” said LaGraff. “With more than 30 students enrolled, we had to divide it into two groups. My goal is to give the more experienced students the opportunity to prepare and perform appropriate roles from foreign-language operas. Dr. Dalton is working with the younger members, who will present excerpts from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.”

In addition to the Rodgers and Hammerstein selections, the program features scenes from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” Gioacchino Rossini’s “L’Italiana in Algeri,” Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” and Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème.”

Moon will conduct, and graduate students Binglin Wang of China, Nathan Hamilton of Abilene and Tim Yan Chan, also of China, will provide piano accompaniment.

The recital is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music.

Admission is free. For information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Tickets are still available for the Big Head Blues Club performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

The Big Head Blues Club, featuring Big Head Todd and the Monsters with Mud Morganfield, Billy Branch, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Erica Brown, will present “Way Down Inside: Songs of Willie Dixon,” a performance that pays tribute to one of the pillars of modern blues. The show, which is part of the SFA College of Fine Arts’ University Series, is sponsored in part by Lehmann Eye Center.

Prior to the performance, Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor in the SFA School of Music, will present an informative talk about blues music at 7 p.m. in Griffith Gallery. The gallery is located across the hall from Turner Auditorium, which is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. The audience is invited back to the gallery for a post-performance reception to meet the performers and to honor the event’s corporate sponsor.

Single event ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. For tickets or more information on the 2016-17 University Series, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Art will open the exhibition “Devon Nowlin: Don’t Deny Your Heart” with a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Griffith Gallery on the SFA campus.

The show, which runs Oct. 20 through Dec. 9, features paintings and altered digital prints. Nowlin’s work reflects a personal and market-driven desire to, in her own words, “curate environments and personas that aspire for a lifestyle of casual luxury,” according to John Handley, director of galleries at SFA.

“The intersection between art and commerce is an important aspect of her work, where she is interested in drawing parallels between today’s art industry and the world of marketing, personal image and cultural attainment,” he said.

Handley describes Nowlin as an up-and-coming artist who lives in Fort Worth. Primarily known for her figurative paintings, she also explores relationships of figures, forms and concepts through works in diverse media.

“Her depictions of the human form rival that of the old masters – reminiscent of artists like Botticelli in his treatment of the female form – sensitive, somewhat mystical, and placed within a lush and verdant landscape,” Handley said.

According to Anthony Mariani, editor for Fort Worth Weekly who covered her recent exhibition, “Casual Luxury Complex,” “The star (of the show) has to be Frank, a small black-and-white-checkered dog sculpture of polymer clay that ‘went missing’ in late March during a group show at Artspace 111. (He has since been returned.) The lovable pooch pops up in several ‘Casual Luxury Complex’ pieces, including the spellbinding ‘Don’t Deny Your Heart,’ a sprawling oil on canvas that harks to the Devon Nowlin we all know and love, the precise photorealist who specializes in the human figure.”

In the 60-by-80-inch piece, a young blonde wearing a white top with spaghetti straps is shown in profile cradling Frank in a lush forest dripping with eerie greens and aquamarines.

“Here, material and carnal desires get all mixed up, splendidly,” Mariani wrote. “You’ve never seen a painting like this.”

Nowlin’s recent exhibitions include “co action” in collaboration with Margaret Meehan at 500X in Dallas, “Relationship Status” at Craighead Green Gallery in Dallas, and “Go Figure” at Artspace 111. Nowlin has taught at Texas Christian University, The Modern and the Rachofsky Warehouse, and she is currently the assistant registrar for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Her large-scale mural “Trailing the Trinity,” commissioned by Fort Worth Public Art, can be viewed from the Trinity River Trails at the Clearfork Main Street Bridge. More information about the artist may be obtained at: http://devonnowlin.com/

Nowlin will be at the reception to discuss her work, Handley said.

The Texas Commission on the Arts, SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and Nacogdoches Junior Forum are sponsors of the exhibition. Admission is free.

Gallery hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. For more information, call (936) 468-1131. Griffith Fine Arts Building is located at 2222 Alumni Drive.

Inside Stephen F. Austin State University’s American Sign Language Lab, a black sign with neon lettering outlines the rules, including, “No voice. None at all. Not even whispering.”

The lab, which provides recording booths, web cameras, games, books, DVDs and more, gives students who are enrolled in ASL courses a place to practice signing and provides a point of contact for the community’s deaf.

While in the lab, people must use only sign language and facial expressions, known as facial grammar, to communicate.

Maggie Patterson, ASL lecturer and lab coordinator, has transformed the lab into an active-learning area with resources available to SFA stakeholders and community members.

“The lab has really evolved during the past three years. It’s a place for people to practice sign language to help facilitate communication for deaf people,” Patterson said.

ASL students are required to complete lab hours each semester. Patterson explained students register for 30-minute time slots, which are almost-always booked.

The lab, located on the third floor of the Human Services Building on the SFA campus, is open 40 hours a week with two deaf lab workers present to manage it.

“Both of our lab workers are deaf, so people can go to the lab and sign with the lab workers. They can talk about life, do homework, play games or work on projects,” Patterson said.

For more information about the lab, contact Patterson at (936) 468-1140 or mhpatterson@sfasu.edu.