Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Art will host “Refined IX: Humor” exhibition Jan. 29 through March 12 in the Reavley Gallery of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“Refined” is a biennial exhibition of jewelry and metalwork hosted by the art metals program in the School of Art at SFA, according to John Handley, director of art galleries at SFA. Cash prizes totaling $1,500 are awarded at the juror’s discretion.

This year’s theme in humor is “A Bracelet, a Brooch, and a Teapot Walk into a Bar.”

“‘Refined’ challenges artists to display their authentic talent, free from the concern of modifying the work to satisfy one theme,” Handley said, adding the exhibition is focused on the diverse field of metalworking and jewelry.

“Whether you work in metal, stones, plastic, fiber or found materials, if you are a ‘smith,’ it carries into whatever work you create,” Handley said.

All work must be original and completed within the last two years. Submitted works are open to a full range of processes and materials.

This year’s juror is Andy Cooperman, a studio metalsmith, educator and advocate in the metalworking and jewelry field. He received his degree in studio art from State University College of Oneonta and has continued to make art and educate throughout his career, giving lectures and demonstrations at more than 25 universities and multiple art centers, and has presented at several professional conferences.

Cooperman has committed years of service with the Society of North American Goldsmiths and is a planning committee member for the Annual Northwest Jewelry and Metals Symposium. He has authored multiple articles, and his work has been included in numerous publications, including “Humor in Craft” and “The Penland Book of Jewelry.”

Cooperman continues to exhibit work throughout the United States and abroad including recent solo exhibitions at the National Ornamental Metals Museum and the Appalachian Center for Craft. He has work included in multiple permanent collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tacoma Art Museum.

The show, sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Junior Forum and SFA Friends of the Visual Arts, will open with a gallery talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, with a reception to follow. Winners will be announced at the reception. Admission is free.

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House is located at 329 E. Main St. For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.

Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music faculty member Charles Gavin will present a horn recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The selected compositions will feature the lyrical, singing qualities of the horn, according to Gavin, professor of horn and chamber music at SFA.

Performing with Gavin are colleagues Scott LaGraff, voice; John W. Goodall, oboe; and James Pitts, piano. LaGraff will join Gavin in a performance of a group of songs set to the poetry of Walt Whitman.

“These are composed by Dallas composer Simon Sargon,” Gavin said. “He has previously composed music for horn, voice and piano, and I enjoyed performing those, so I was excited to learn of this new work.”

None of Gavin’s selections have been performed on the SFA campus, he said.

“All of the pieces are written by living composers and have not found their way into the ‘standard’ repertoire yet; I predict they soon will,” he said. “All the pieces are quite tuneful and readily accessible to any audience.”

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

The recital is part of the 2015-2016 Cole Performing Arts Series. 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.

The College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will host L.A. Theatre Works in presenting Bram Stokers’ “Dracula” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Part of the 2015-2016 University Series, this performance features the foremost radio theater company in the United States, according to John W. Goodall, associate dean for the College of Fine Arts. For more than two decades, LATW, under the leadership of Producing Director Susan Albert Loewenberg, has delighted audiences with its unique live radio theater-style performances in more than 300 small towns and major cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco and Chicago.

“An L.A. Theatre Works performance is immediate, spontaneous, and features a first-rate cast, live sound effects, and a connection to the audience rarely felt in a traditional theater setting,” Goodall said. “This theater… is an event.”

This current tour of “Dracula” includes several actors with credits in the horror and suspense genre. The cast includes the well-known TV and film actor Nicholas Hormann who’s been seen in dozens of television hits including “The West Wing,” “Parks & Recreation”” Modern Family” and “Desperate Housewives.” His numerous film credits include “Kramer vs. Kramer” and the early Oliver Stone horror film “The Hand.” Hormann will play Dr. Van Helsing.

Veteran horror film actor Skip Pipo will play the role of Renfield. Pipo’s long list of film and TV credits include B-movie favorites such as “The Janitor,” “Sam Hell” and “Poker Run,” as well as the television series “The Black Dawn.”

The cast also includes Michael Kirby, who appeared in the horror film “Hell’s Heart,” Paul Culos, Graham Outerbridge and Alexis Jacknow, all up and coming TV actors, Summer Spiro, a star of the web series “Dabsity,” and Patrick Wenk-Wolff, who has been seen on television in “The Last Ship,” “Rizzoli & Isles” and “Life on Mars.”

Prior to the performance, Zach Hanks, SFA assistant professor of theatre, will present a 7 p.m. informative talk in Griffith Gallery about the show style. 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, Lehmann Eye Center.

Single event ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students/youth. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

SFA students may purchase Rush tickets for $3 during regular office hours starting Monday, Feb. 1. Students must present a valid SFA ID for purchase and at the door on event night.