Everything Nac

The paintings and sculpture of Felice House and Dana Younger will be featured in the exhibition “Re-Western” showing March 25 through May 2 in Griffith Gallery on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Hosted by the SFA School of Art, the exhibition “views ‘The West’ through a post-modern lens that both challenges and honors this most American of genres,” according to the artists’ statement.

Through painting and sculpture, husband-and-wife artists Younger and House ask the audience to re-evaluate the archetypes, mythology and values of “The West” while reveling in its richness.

“Simultaneously playful and incisive, Younger and House come together to offer a new look at the Old West,” said John Handley, director of SFA art galleries.

In large-scale paintings, House, assistant professor at Texas A&M University, questions the male stereotype as portrayed through classic Westerns of Hollywood. “She projects contemporary women into iconic scenes from Western movies. By placing women in the heroic roles occupied by men, she points a finger at the limited access of women to power in the Western genre,” their statement reads.

Through installation and sculpture, Younger, co-founder of Blue Genie Art Industries in Austin, looks at the cost of Western expansion. “His work juxtaposes established Western conventions with real people and damage associated with westward expansion. The sculptural processes of traditional bas-relief, computer aided machining and toy manufacturing all contribute to the dialogue,” according to their artists’ statement.

The painting portion consists of seven large-scale paintings re-casting women in the starring roles of classic Western movies. Sculptures included are “The End” series, which is a set of computer-generated bas-relief sculptures referencing the end titles of Western movies. Hand-sculpted and cast bas-relief portraits of American presidents wearing Lone Ranger masks make the “Legends of the Lone Ranger” series. Finally, “The Feast” is a rustic table and three chairs piled with bison skulls, plaster six-shooters and rope.

An artists’ reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in Griffith Gallery. Admission to all exhibitions and receptions is free.

“Re-Western” is sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Junior Forum and the Friends of the Visual Arts. Griffith Gallery is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present voice faculty member Chris Turner performing “The Lieder of Johannes Brahms” at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

“Being a baritone, Brahms is considered one of the most representative composers of the Lieder genre for the baritone voice,” Turner said. “In fact, many of his songs were specifically written for the famed baritone Julius Stockhausen, who was often accompanied by Brahms at the piano singing his songs.”

The purpose of this program, Turner explains, is to introduce students to the beautiful melodies Brahms composed, the complexity of his offerings, and how well he wrote for the voice.

Pianist Dr. Ron Petti, director of accompanying at SFA, will accompany Turner on the program that features Brahms’ “Von ewige Liebe,” “Blind kuh” and “Wie bist du meine Königin,” among other selections.

Turner described “Von ewige Liebe” as one of Brahm’s most famous songs and also one of the longest and most difficult to perform. “One of the most interesting aspects of this piece is its telling of a love saga between a girl and boy through the use of three distinct voices – the narrator, the boy, the girl,” he said. “Brahms uses the music to distinguish the characters, but it is still incumbent on the singer to convey vocally the individual qualities of these characters.”

“Blind kuh,” with its musical texture, “sounds more akin to Bach than Brahms,” Turner said. “It illustrates that one can’t generalize with certainty in the discussion of composers because there are always those exceptions, where composers for artistic or personal reasons do something different or push the boundaries,” he said. “This is one such piece.”

“Wie bist du meine Königin” shows Brahms’ “gift for writing beautiful melodies at its best,” Turner said.

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

The Stephen F. Austin State University Veteran’s Resource Center, along with the Nacogdoches chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for a new coffee station located in the VRC in the Baker Pattillo Student Center on SFA’s campus. The coffee station is available to veteran students, dependents of veterans, ROTC members, and faculty and staff members. Danny Gallant, SFA vice president of finance and administration, is pictured with members of the Nacogdoches chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, from left, Suzanne Duet, Sharon Bradberry, Twink Ross, Angela Key, Kathryn Robertson, and John Fontenot, coordinator of the VRC.

SFA Regents appoint forestry dean to endowed chair position

The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents has honored the dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture by appointing him as the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in Forestry. Dr. Steven Bullard, who has served as dean of the college since 2009, will serve both roles concurrently.

The Rockwell Chair was established by the SFA Board of Regents in 1989 following receipt of an endowment from the estate of Henry M. Rockwell, a lumberyard owner with facilities in Houston and other cities in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

In conjunction with his role as dean of forestry and agriculture at SFA, Bullard has served as president of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs and recently was honored by the Society of American Foresters with the W.D. Hagenstein Communicator of the Year Award.

“As a result of his work on behalf of the 50th anniversary of the McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program, Dr. Bullard was asked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in the creation of a video to educate the public about the program, which plays a vital role in developing U.S. forests,” said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The video was created with the assistance of faculty, staff and students from departments across the SFA campus and has been shown by entities across the nation.”

Regents revised the guidelines for the Rockwell Chair to include faculty members who also hold administrative roles as eligible recipients of the chair. The Rockwell Chair was most recently held by Dr. James Kroll, who accepted the position in 2008 and retained the title until he retired from the SFA faculty in 2013.

Bullard earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Regents also approved an adjustment in the budget for a renovation project in the McGee Building, which houses the Nelson Rusche College of Business. Bid proposals were received in February, and the low base bid for the project was $685,000. With an approved an increase of $200,000, the total budget for the project is set not to exceed $730,000.

The meeting was a specially called telephone meeting of the board. The next regularly scheduled meeting begins Monday, April 13, on the SFA campus.

For more information, visit www.sfasu.edu/regents/.