LMFA Perspective Magazine - Vol. 4 Issue 1

THE POWER OF THE STUDENT

No two patients are the same — a good treatment plan should be just as unique.

The new CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute in Longview is ready to assist with faith-based compassionate care, close to home. Our team of worldclass orthopedic and sports medicine specialists provide diagnosis and treatment for injuries and chronic conditions of bones, joints, and muscles in one centralized location for convenience and ease of care.

• Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Joint Replacement and Podiatry

• State-of-the-art Rehabilitation Center

• Human Performance — Peak Performance Program

• Cutting-edge diagnostic imaging

CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute — taking orthopedic care a step further.

Schedule an appointment today:

LMFA is thrilled to announce Melissa Cosper with SlyGirl Publishing House as our expert Publisher and Magazine Editor. Melissa shares a passion for Longview’s Arts & Culture District, a dedication to transforming the museum into a premier East Texas destination, and an eagerness to utilize Perspective Magazine as a means to turn those dreams into a reality. SlyGirl Publishing House has been making big publication dreams happen for artists of all kinds since 2021.

“Although I wasn’t deemed an avid reader growing up, I’ve always been fascinated with books and magazines, collecting them for the beauty I found on the inside pages and for the charm they added to my shelves. Later, I grew to appreciate their valued role in our society as the strongest tool to spread information and knowledge on a topic or to entertain others.

Perspective’s new structure will give LMFA an upper hand at doing just that; telling the story of its growth transformation to the region while creating a work of art.”

PUBLISHED BY DESIGN BY

WRITERS: Melissa Cosper | Derek Frazier | Mike Wright

PERSPECTIVE is published biannually as a benefit to museum members.

Print subscriptions: www.lmfa.org/support/membership/ lmfa.org/about/magazine/magazine-sponsor

The Art of Advertising

your target audience of over 7K of local and East Texas art enthusiasts, business, and LMFA supporters.

From the Executive Director

In the second quarter of 2024, the museum operating at both of our locations, with select hours at 213 N Fredonia St, making art and event space even more accessible to the community and the region. With these two locations, visitors will have more opportunities to immerse themselves in art and explore the historic bank building’s newly opened 1940s gallery space. See our website for the N Fredonia St location hours.

The museum has curated an exciting lineup of exhibits for 2024, showcasing the works of regionally known artists and artists from around the world through our permanent collection. Visitors can expect a diverse range of mediums and styles, ensuring a truly enriching experience that will captivate the experienced art lover and the novice.

In addition to the exhibits, the museum has planned a series of concerts and special events throughout the year, making LMFA a communal gathering space for tourists and residents to engage in dialogue, expression, and learning about each other and the world around them. These events will foster the intersection of stunning art and live music.

The museum’s expansion and commitment to providing a wide range of cultural experiences will make Longview an art destination. With its two locations and a calendar full of exciting events, the museum is working to establish itself as a must-visit destination for art enthusiasts. Whether you’re a local or a visitor from out of town, a trip to the LMFA is sure to leave you inspired and enriched by the power of art and pleasantly surprised to find this quality of exhibitions and programming in our little part of East Texas.

Artfully Yours, Tiffany Jehorek

Executive Director and Curator of Exhibitions lmfadirector@lmfa.org

Rent the Museum: The Perfect Canvas

Make your next event memorable!

• Dinners

• Weddings Parties

• Birthdays

• Reunions Anniversaries

Board of Trustees

Michael R. Clark

Devin Tramel

Miranda Fuller

Kimberly Taliaferro

Kat Smith

Jessica Waldron

Keith Bonds

John Barnett

Dr. Rodney Ellis

Zahckry Israel

Mia King

Ross Massengill

Keith McIntosh

Michelle Traylor

Erin Roach

Sue Wilson

Dorothy Womack Advisory Board

Jane Akins

Kelly Belt

Linda Buie

B.W. Crain, IV

Dan Droege

Carolyn Fox-Hearne

John Hillier

Chuck King

Carol Manley

Jack Mann, JR.

Nancy Murray

Gordon Northcutt

Karen Partee

Caryn Pepper

Misty Roach

Linda Ryan Thomas

Charlotte Wrather

Patti Wright

• Receptions

• Concerts Corporate Events

Renting the museum is a privilege reserved for members, but don’t let that stop you! Become a member today at LMFA.org.

For more information about rentals visit LMFA.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CURATOR OF EXHIBITIONS

Tiffany Jehorek

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Barbara Scott

CURATOR OF COLLECTIONS & PREPARATOR

Derek Frazier

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sharon Boles

MAGAZINE EDITOR

Melissa Cosper

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Flecia Droege

MUSEUM OPERATION ASSOCIATE

Gay Gilbert

CONTENT CREATOR

Mirabella Mendoza

BOOKKEEPER

Leslie Novy

EVENTS COORDINATOR

Jack Barkley

Galleries About the Museum

LMFA seeks to enrich lives and ignite a passion for the arts! We focus on showcasing local artists through our exhibits and events.

Longview Museum of Fine Arts is home to more than 1,200 works of art including paintings, woodcuts, photographs, sculpture, lithographs, serigraphs, collages, and works on paper. The collection is centered around Texas Regionalist art from the 1930s to today, including works by Picasso, Warhol, and Dali.

Weekly Volunteers

Debbie Anderson

Carol Guess

Jana Johansen

Kelly Ramone

Norma Rogers

Isabelle Seeger

Mary Shelmire

Locations

215 E. Tyler St., Longview, TX 75601

213 N. Fredonia St., Longview, TX 75601

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 3484, Longview, TX 75606

Hours of Operation

Tyler Street:

Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunday - Monday: Closed

Fredonia Sreet

Select Hours

FREE Admission, compliments of anonymous donor.

Stay Informed

LMFA Suites

Collaborative, relational spaces in the heartbeat of our town. Located on the 2nd floor of LMFA’s Future Home on Fredonia Street in the historic Longview National Bank designed by late Architect B. W. Crain, Jr., 1960s.

• 11 Executive Suites, 400-600 Sq. ft. Community Kitchen & Breakroom

• Windows Overlooking Downtown

• Covered, Gated Parking

• Original 1950s Teakwood

Inquiries: Tricia Summers (903) 424-1285

LMFA Gift Store

LMFA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization operating for the benefit of the public. This project is sponsored in part by the City of Longview and the Cultural Activities Advisory Commission.

A destination for artful gifts including LMFA apparel, stationary, books, glass art and sculptures, and jewelry! Stop by the Gift Store, located in front of our Tyler Street location, during your next visit or shop our online store 24 hours a day.

EXPLORE ART FROM OUR COLLECTION Shop the gift store at LMFA.org

“Being surrounded by art keeps the creative juices flowing when business can feel mundane. Throughout my days, I’m reminded of the possibilities the museum’s future home holds and that energy filters up through the building into our offices.”

Introducing 2024 Oncoming

John Barnett, Real Estate Investor, Texas Art Collector

John has been self-employed for the past 22 years as a real estate investor, and his office is in the historic Azalea District of Tyler. He is a member of the Exhibition Committee for the LMFA. His hobby or disease as he refers to it, is collecting Texas Art. He currently has ten paintings on display at the Tyler Museum of Art, titled Tyler Collects Texas Art: 1920 to 1970. John is married to his best friend, Sandy Barnett. They have nieces, nephews, godchildren, and two dogs; Blanca, the Therapet, and Atticus, John’s sidekick wherever he goes.

Rodney Ellis, Ed.D., Director, UT Tyler Longview University Center

Dr. Ellis is active in the East Texas community, serving Rotary Club of Longview, STAR Foundation Board of Directors, Salvation Army Board of Advisors, and Longview Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Task Force. He earned his doctorate in Higher Education Administration and has nearly twenty-nine years of experience in postsecondary education with over twenty-two of those years as a Senior Level Administrator in higher education. Dr. Ellis was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and has two daughters.

Zahckry Israel, Entrepreneur & Artist

Zahck has a passion for Downtown Longview and serves on the Main Street Board. He owns and operates several downtown businesses with his business partners, including Ollie’s Skate Shop, Solo Sandwich Co., and Longview Cabinets. He is a lifetime artist, has painted several murals downtown, and married his high school sweetheart. Zahck was born and raised in Longview.

Ross Massengill, Retired Attorney

Ross is from Ennis, Texas where he practiced law for 32 years. Prior to attending law school, he was a banker and savings and loan examiner. He served on the City of Ennis Historic Landmark Commission for 10 years, most of which time, as chairman. For the past 10 years, Dennis has renovated several historical buildings in downtown Ennis with a business partner. Ross and his wife, have been married for 17 years and have two cats. Since retiring, he enjoys spending time with his wife and grandchildren who live in White Oak, Longview recreation trails, attempting to learn a foreign language.

Oncoming Board Members

Keith McIntosh, Practice Director, Longview Oncology

Keith is the Practice Director of Texas Oncology. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to LMFA, including industry equipment applications, project management, education coordination, inventory, database operations, budget control, and human resource utilization as well as a variety of software applications in addition to Microsoft Office. He is married, has two daughters, and a Goldendoodle whom he refers to as his son, Huckleberry Finn. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, guitar, and music.

Erin Roach

Stylist, Pearl by Lela Rose

In addition to being a new Board Member of LMFA, Erin holds a board position on The Stephen W. McDaniel Memorial Scholarship in Fort Worth which she has held for over 15 years. She is currently serving in her first year on the Board of Longfellows. Previously, Erin was on the Board of the Longview Ballet Theatre for over 15 years. Erin is also enjoying bringing fashion to Longview and is a Stylist for Pearl by Lela Rose. Erin was born and raised in Longview, Texas, and she, her husband, Russell Roach, and their son moved back to Longview in the Fall of 2019. She graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth in 1998 with a B.B.A. in Marketing and a Minor in Art History, then graduated from The University of Oklahoma College of Law (with honors, Order of the Coif) in 2002.

DIGITALCARDS

LMFA is taking on the digital age!

In a constant effort to better serve our members and community, we have implemented digital membership cards. Members can now simply scan to check-in from their smart phone. Reciprocal members will be able to also check-in at over 1,500 participating museums across the U.S.

Michelle Traylor, Partner at Bockmon, Knight & Traylor Insurance Agency & Artist

Michelle is a Longview resident, partner at Bockmon, Knight & Traylor Insurance Agency since 1998, and is an artist herself. She has served on many boards including Longview 20/20. She is excited to be a part of LMFA and all that the arts contribute to a thriving community. She is married to Andrew Traylor and has two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working on art.

CELEBRATING AMERICAN ARTISTS FROM THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES, USING WORKS FROM LMFA’S DIVERSE PERMANENT COLLECTION.

Jewish-American Native-America Asian-American African-American Naïve or Self-taught Latin-American U.S. Veterans East Texas and Local

Feb 1 - Dec 31

Wrather Gallery

OPENING RECEPTION: Feb 22, 5:30 - 7:00pm

For more information about this exhibit, scan here or visit LMFA.org

MARCH 7 - MAY 11

300+ STUDENTS

MORE THAN 16 AREA HIGH SCHOOLS HIGH

MARCH 7 - MAY 11 300+ STUDENTS

Giving East Texas high school students an opportunity to display their art in the gallery, compete for top honors and a monetary prize, as well as sell their artwork. Artists and art professionals select winners in different categories in this juried exhibition.

Opening Reception: March 7 • 5:30pm-7pm • Awards at 6pm Barrow-Cave / Martin-Stoudt Gallery For 2025 Entry Information: email fleciad@lmfa.org

MARCH - MAY

MORE THAN 16 AREA HIGH SCHOOLS

For more information about this exhibit, scan here

300+ STUDENTS

& MY PARTNERS

Mother-daughter duo expand their collaborative “My Peoples” works by partnering with other local artists.

Lisha Mack, Abstract Expressionist

MAY 30 - SEPT. 14

MARTIN-STOUDT & BARROW-CAVE OPENING RECEPTION: MAY 30, 5:30-7PM

Alex Mack, Sketch Artist

For more information about this exhibit, scan here or visit LMFA.org

When I was the oldest undergrad in the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program, the professors would rave about the Rothko Chapel. They advised us all to spend time there, just sitting, not even staring at the paintings, but absorbing them; letting them speak to us; letting the subtleties of the genius wash over us, calm us, inspire us. So I did. And I was bored to death.

Rothko’s monochromatic genius didn’t wash over me so much as pass over my head. I sat. I waited. I sighed. I walked away.

I’m not a complete philistine. I love music, poetry and literature. I wasn’t unfamiliar with the effect my professors, published authors all, were describing. I had the same thing wash over me reading Silence, the by Shūsaku Endó novel about Jesuits priests persecuted in Japan, which taught me not to try to hear God in the silence of a cathedral, but to just be still. But this thing sitting in front of me was just black.

Fast forward to a 2016 trip to Chicago with my son to visit colleges. He loves art and wanted to go to the Chicago Art Institute. I, like any good GenXer, love Ferris Bueller. We hopped on the train, walked a couple of blocks and, suddenly, there it was, guarded by two enormous stone lions, celebrating the Cubs first World Championship in 106 years with batting helmets.

The giant stone building was somehow stuffy and touristy, which always sets

me on edge. As we climbed the stairs and walked through the impressionists my back started hurting, making me even poorer company. I mean, it was nice. The paintings were cool and there were a couple of amazing sculptures. I marveled more at the craftsmanship than the artistry. Then we turned a corner, walked down a little hall and there it was. The Ferris Bueller painting with the dots. George Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. And I wept.

The bolt that went through me suddenly connected me to 1986, when I graduated high school. Memories, still photos of the people and things I’d loved then flooded me. I had to sit down. For the rest of the day it was one wave after another. When I saw Nighthawks, the Edward Hopper masterpiece, I understood what it meant to be a master of light. I swear, if you turned the lights out, you could read by the light coming from the diner in that painting. It’s just yellow ink! How does he do that?!?

Chagall, Picasso, Gaugin and a host of names I’d never heard. My fault. I know obscure writers. I know they are inspired by great art. But I didn’t feel it. Suddenly I did. And I do. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece by a familiar painter. My wife is from Colombia and on visits there we’ve marveled at Botero, of course, but also lesser works, most recently at the Cartagena Museum of Modern art where works by Maria Belén Saez, Cecilia Herrera and Patricia Tavera took my breath away, though I have no connection, not even a teen 80s movie. Two years after my Colombian mother-in-law Leonor died, it was another connection that brought tears. The painting, a slightly cubist piece of a woman holding a Spanish guitar while wearing many shades of pink, was arresting on its own. But when I looked at the title, I began to believe, just a little, the ghost stories Leonor and my wife told me. El fantasma de Leonor. The Ghost of Leonor.

By then, art had come to mean a little more. My own writing has been inspired by it, especially an exhibition at LMFA, Towards a 21st Century Abstraction, featuring layer upon layer of erasure, suggesting how our memories are rewritten, edited and revised and how that process of shaping those stories shapes our very identity.

I’m writing this because my friend runs the LMFA. I’m writing it for her and for a connection that’s lasted 40 years now. But I’m also writing it for the connections her work and the work of all who appreciated great art has opened for me to myself.

But I still don’t understand Rothko.

“Thank You!” to Longview Museum of Fine Arts for entrusting us to explore creative and innovative ways to share your advertising messages. We look forward to serving you – our customers, friends, and community – for many more years to come.

2001

LMFA Building Project

Future Home,

Event & Special Exhibition Center, and LMFA Suites

Longview Museum of Fine Arts is proud to announce that, in 2024, the future home of the museum will offer many more opportunities for the community to host events in The Lone Star Gallery and 1940s Gallery. The building is truly beginning to feel like home, so we have been working hard to share that experience with you by making as much space as possible available for the community while we continue to phase out the full design of East Texas’s premier art museum.

In 2023, The Lone Star Gallery was the stomping grounds for our LMFA Live concerts and a special venue for our important State of the Museum Address. At the end of the year, the front entrance gallery featuring The Great Lone Star by Richard Lippold was a place where a few of our members celebrated milestones and monumental moments in their lives with their friends and loved ones.

With the Lone Star Gallery and 1940s Gallery being ready to host your next memorable event, our historic and statuesque building offers almost 10,000 square feet of additional rentable event space to the museum’s resume.

Whether it is a rehearsal dinner, wedding, graduation party, birthday, débutante party, reunion, anniversary, reception, concert, corporate event, or block party with food trucks; the possibilities are endless!

Additionally, LMFA Suites is in full operation and available to professionals looking to office in a collaborative, relational space in the heartbeat of Longview. The second floor of the historic Longview National Bank building has 11 executive suites ranging from 400-600 square feet and was designed by the late architect B. W. Crain Jr. in the 1960s. Our tenants enjoy the perks of windows overlooking downtown, covered and gated parking,

a community kitchen and breakroom, original 1950s teakwood paneling, and art from our permanent collection.

For more information about renting one of our locations for your next event, visit lmfa.org/about/rent-the-museum.

For more information about renting an office on the second floor of our future home: Tricia Summers (903) 424-1285.

dlrgroup.com

We’re all a little mad here

For the first time, LMFA returned to its “Wonderland,” for its annual Halloween party, Magic & Mayhem! It was a huge success, raising almost $50,000 for exhibitions and museum programs and widely entertaining 130 attendees in Adventures in Wonderland themed galleries.

The costumed guests were greeted at the entrance of The Classroom by Theatre Longview’s Alice, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter, March Hare, and White Rabbit and Low D’s lovely music on the saxophone, they traveled down the neon painted

Rabbit Hole where things became “curiouser and curiouser” as they ate, drank, played games, danced, bid on auction items, and competed for the costume winner in a variety of categories.

Magic & Mayhem is an annual event to say thank you to LMFA’s loyal donors and members. Event tickets for 2024 Magic & Mayhem are available to both members and non-members.

Save the Date: October 19, 2024

Holiday Tea Room and Market

• SCU L P T ING • BODIES, MINDS & BOWLS

LMFA offers a variety of classes, clubs, and programs to its members and the community to promote a love for the arts and a healing within. Lately, the museum has witnessed exponential growth in some of those programs, specifically Clay Club and Yoga - The Art of Being. These two classes have risen in class numbers, elevated excitement, expanded creativity, and given individuals a sense of accomplishment.

CLAY CLUB

From the humble beginnings of just a few participants, Clay Club has become a place where up to 40 individuals of all ages show up each month to receive instruction, enhance their ceramic artistry, or just come play in the mud! The club is facilitated by Jamie Sharp, Gay Gilbert, and Denise Howell.

“The clay itself is the best teacher, and it allows each sculptor to find their own way of creating art masterpieces.” – Jamie Sharp

YOGA - THE ART OF BEING

Yoga - The Art of Being is led by Registered Yoga Teacher, Grayce Weaver. Although the museum has been hosting “yoga in the gallery” for more than 20 years, Grayce brings strength, gentle perseverance, and individualized instruction to each participant, including long-time volunteer instructor, Carlyn.

“For yoga, you come for the workout & stay for the work within; once you truly understand the mind, body, heart, & soul connection.” – Grayce Weaver

Every third Monday, 4:30-7pm, LMFA Classroom • 215 E Tyler St Free to members, $10 for non-members

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12-1pm • 215 E Tyler St Free to members, $12 for non-members

Being an LFMA member has never been so valuable… to our “arts” and souls… or our wallets.

Investment in these specialized practices costs upwards of $75100/month at other institutions, but LMFA offers them FREE to its members. $10-12 per class to non-members.

Scan to learn more about Clay Club and YOGA - The Art of Being or visit lmfa.org/education

Jamie Sharp, Clay Club Facilitator

Grayce Weaver, Registered Yoga Teacher, Trauma Informed & Certified in Sound Healing & Reiki

Permanent Collection Acquisitions

Longview Museum of Fine Arts is home to more than 1,200 works of art including paintings, woodcuts, photographs, sculpture, lithographs, serigraphs, collages, and works on paper. The collection is centered around Texas Regionalist art from the 1930s to today, including works by Picasso, Warhol, and Dali.

THE POWER OF THE STUDENT

Your high school transcript is stellar, test scores are offthe-charts, your personal statement is refined, letters of recommendation have been collected, application fee paid, essays eloquently written, and curriculars have been extra-ed!

You’re 17, and the time has come to start your future and prove what you’re capable of to the world. You sit down at the dinner table with your parents surrounded by college applications and possibilities. Okay, let’s be real. Those days have been long gone.

You sit down at the computer, hammer away at the applications, and off to university you go. We’ve all heard, or lived, this story.

A couple of decades ago, Longview Museum of Fine Arts saw a need for and assembled a board of students from surrounding high schools to volunteer at the community events it held. Over the years, it grew, dissipated, started again, and struggled to stay strong since the days of COVID-19.

Historically, the students have been selected by local art teachers and recommended to LMFA as well-capable, artist representations of their district. The high schoolers’ role in this LMFA student organization has been to attend the annual high school student invitational, serve as volunteers for community events hosted by the museum, and learn some of the inner workings of an art institution. The students also have helped during the summer, assisting with elementary art classes, answering the phone, and greeting visitors.

With the growth of the Arts and Culture District and the museum’s programming, the staff continues to ask questions in brainstorming sessions like, “How do we bridge the gap between LMFA and area students?” and “What would compel a younger crowd to want to attend an exhibition?” and “Where is the next generation of ambassadors?”

Recently, the answer had never been so obvious.

So, the LMFA staff and Education Chair, Sue Wilson, took a deep breath and decided to ask our current Student Board to take on the challenge of revamping their very own organization.

Their answer… “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!”

LMFA has yet to see a class of students so eager to strengthen the ties between the museum and Longview area youth through a special task force committed to being the student voice for the museum, taking student ownership, and advising staff on ways to engage their peers.

In addition to their current responsibilities, this special task force will meet monthly to give feedback on new Student Board criteria, responsibilities, and application process ensuring that LMFA attracts suitable candidates who are qualified to sustain a powerful and well-positioned system for years to come.

LMFA is dedicated to pouring opportunity into these students who are dedicating their early years to igniting a passion for the arts in East Texas.

You’re sitting at the computer… bringing to life a story about how you, and a small group of your peers, forever changed a community for the greater good by redefining its relationship to the window that deepens our understanding of humanities.

That’s the story.

The 2023-2024 LMFA Student Board consists of 15 students from area high schools, including Longview ISD, Spring Hill ISD, Pine Tree ISD, White Oak ISD, Hallsville ISD, Trinity School of Texas, and Christian Heritage Classical School.

Statistics show that an art education increases the success of learners in the classroom equally to core subjects, student ownership and social groups. The museum staff asked the Student Board how an art education has affected their education and what they hope to receive in return for their service on the board.

Abigail Graves, sophomore at Christian Heritage Classical School, has a desire to “strengthen friendships with other people interested in art while gaining more experience with it and building a solid resume.”

Art has played an essential role in McKenzie Brown’s education,

LEFT TO RIGHT: MACY CRAWFORD

Trinity School of Texas, Senior

ABIGAIL MULCAHY

Hallsville High School, Junior

GRACE BEACH

Spring Hill High School, Senior

ABIGAIL GRAVES

Christian Heritage Classical School, Sophomore

MCKENZIE BROWN

Trinity School of Texas, Junior

junior at Trinity School of Texas. Without it, she would not have been able to find the freedom to share her voice. “Finding my own voice in school has been important because you are learning about your identity and where you fit in.”

Abigail Mulchany, sophomore at Hallsville High School, said “I think being enrolled in art classes has helped me with understanding rhetorical analysis of literature and photos in English class, and the ”geometric” portion of art like graphing, scaling, and distance has helped me in Geometry. Looking at the artworks in history, I see that art is always changing, and there are so many different styles.”

“If there weren’t any art classes, I would take my education into my own hands. For most of my life, a lot of what I knew about art was self-taught,” said Grace Beach, senior at Spring Hill High School.

Transforming Longview’s first art museum into a world-class and premier East Texas destination takes perseverance, likeminded people, and support.

Longview Museum of Fine Arts is dedicated to becoming more integral to the fabric of the East Texas community by growing our program and engaging the community through outstanding educational exhibitions and cultural events.

Komatsu Mining Corp. Foundation seeks to “bring vitality to the visual and performing arts, as well as stimulate and enrich the public’s intellectual and cultural experience” by partnering with qualified non-profit organizations, such as S.E. Belcher Center in Longview, TX, and Civic Operetta Association in Franklin, PA, and by encouraging their employees to make a lasting impact within those organizations and communities. For the first time, LMFA was honored to accept this partnership with Komatsu and an award of $10,000 to fund exceptional exhibition experiences for schools and the general public.

While Komatsu Mining Corp. Foundation is helping LMFA maintain and grow our programming excellence, the Texas Commission on the Arts found LMFA to be a fit for their Cultural District Project grant which selects recipients based on projects that use the arts to diversify local economies, generate revenue, and attract visitors and investment, awarding LMFA $35,000. The grant award is being used to activate spaces in the Fredonia Building for special exhibitions and cultural events while we phase and complete the overall design plan, which in TCA’s opinion, “is an important early step towards the eventual goals of the LMFA.”

These strong partnerships require preparation, thoughtful planning, and rigorous accountability efforts in tracking and documenting our 10,000 yearly guests, evaluating and enriching our programs, and reporting the impact we make in East Texas through the arts.

We believe the citizens of East Texas and surrounding areas deserve an innovative, beautiful, and culturally significant museum. With the help of Komatsu, TCA, and our dedicated members and community partners like Vera Bank, RBC Wealth Management, and the City of Longview Cultural Activities Advisory Commission, lives will be enriched and minds will be enlightened as we push forward to our dream of Longview becoming well-known as a city that fosters creativity through the arts.”

– Tiffany Jehorek, LMFA Executive Director

Artist by Proxy An Exhibition Experience From the Inside

Exhibitions take months, sometimes years, of planning and execution to perfect. This process starts with curating an artist that suits the museum and its visitors and ends with…well, that’s not so easy to determine.

Maybe it’s the moment you brush the edge of a frame, step back and admire the wall filled with an intended collection of color, shapes, and lights. Maybe it’s the proud moment your guests arrive at the opening reception. Or, it may be the devout sadness experienced when you’re standing in a gallery of empty walls when it all comes down.

Longview Museum of Fine Arts has worked vigorously to bring diverse artists, virtual gallery talks and tours, bilingual educational wall texts, QR code accessible audio stories about the artwork, and other innovative exhibition elements to its patrons. Each step during the course is an integral part of your experience. It’s the internal encounter that matters; what you learn, what you feel, how you’re enlightened by each detail, whether it’s known or unknown. Some unknown particulars are just as important as what you experience when visiting an exhibit at LMFA, so I’d like to give you a glimpse from the inside.

Don’t worry; I’m not going to bore you with the minutiae of special lighting, hanging requirements, label designs, wall texts, framing, or insurance requirements. Rather…

When Derek Frazier, LMFA’s Preparator, received Jamin Shepherd’s shipment of sculpture and textiles, each piece was individually wrapped, labeled, and marked with tape-cutting instructions. The artist also supplied photos of completed sculptures and comprehensive assembly instructions.

Derek carefully unpackaged the pieces, assembled them, and placed them according to the written directions. Tiffany Jehorek, LMFA Executive Director, relished fluffing textile tendrils of the mixed media artist’s masterpieces. Later, our “artists by proxy” adjusted the sculptures during a FaceTime feedback call with the original mastermind.

“Taking the process off the artist’s hands is a wonderfully Postmodern way to work. Andy Warhol famously said, ‘The reason I’m painting this way is because I want to be a machine.’

In a sense, I am Jamin’s machine, fabricating his vision

according to strict procedures for producing his art in the galleries.” – Derek Frazier

Jamin Shepherd is an artist, writer, and performer. He’s a Longview native, a University of Texas at Tyler graduate, but has lived all over the nation performing Shakespeare and expressing his love for abstract art and independent music. Jamin has exhibited regionally and nationally, and most recently at Longview Museum of Fine Arts, in an exhibition titled “Jammin with Jamin,” where visitors at the opening

reception had the privilege and opportunity to hear him give an artist talk via Zoom. He currently focuses on mixed media art creating colorful textile sculptures and puzzling ceramics.

Connections, ideas, associations, and narratives manifest in Jamin’s work, but at the intersection of the boundless territory of mystery and imagination, and the confines of language and structure.

With an artist so uniquely focused on process, perhaps, in Jamin’s case, there is no ending imaginable.

We welcome Longview residents to experience our innovative and contemporary lobby atmosphere!

Sample our classic breakfast options for a great start to your day or unwind on our beautiful patio (complete with 15 ft. firepit) while savoring one of our tasty dinner options and enjoying a cocktail from our fully stocked bar.

LMFA LIVE Grace Pettis

FEBRUARY 10

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

OPENING RECEPTION Cultural Connect: Made in America

FEBRUARY 22

5:30-7pm, 215 E Tyler St

OPENING RECEPTION 64th Student Invitational

MARCH 7

Event Guide

5:30-7pm, Awards at 6pm, 215 E Tyler St

LMFA LIVE The Heart Collectors

MARCH 15

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

ARTWALK

APRIL 4

5-8pm, 215 E Tyler S

LMFA LIVE

Christie Len’ee

APRIL 19

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

LMFA LIVE

Ruthie Foster

MAY 18

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

OPENING RECEPTION

“My Peoples” & My Partners

MAY 30

5:30-7pm, 215 E Tyler St

LMFA LIVE Melon Jelly

JUNE 22

Doors open at 6:30pm 213 N Fredonia St

LMFA LIVE

Ellis Paul JULY 14

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

LMFA LIVE The Accidentals

AUGUST 16

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

EVENT State of the Museum

AUGUST 21

ARTWALK

JUNE 6

5-8pm, 215 E Tyler St

11:30-1pm, 213 N Fredonia St

ARTWALK

OCTOBER 3

5-8pm, 215 E Tyler St

EVENT

Magic & Mayhem

OCTOBER 19

6-11pm, 215 E Tyler St

LMFA LIVE Pierce Pettis

NOVEMBER 16

Doors open at 6:30pm, 213 N Fredonia St

EVENT

Holiday Tea Room & Market

DECEMBER 10-13

11-3pm, Lunch served at noon. 215 E Tyler St

EVENT Polar Express

DECEMBER 15

3-5 pm, 215 E Tyler St

WEEKLY & MONTHLY EVENTS

THE ART OF BEING Yoga in the Gallery with Grayce Weaver Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12-1pm, 215 E Tyler St Free to members, $12 for non-members

LMFA GUILD Every second Tuesday at 5:30pm

LMFA Texas Bank & Trust Lecture Hall, 215 E Tyler St

CLAY CLUB Every third Monday, 4:30-7pm, LMFA Classroom, 215 E Tyler St Free to members, $10 for non-members

SCAN QR CODE TO SEE EVENTS CALENDAR

ARTWALK

DECEMBER 12

5-8pm, 215 E Tyler St

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE - MARK NESMITH IS BACK!

REGISTER ONLINE

ALL AGES - STARTING JUNE 4

MORNING CLASSES 6-10 YRS OLD

AFTERNOON CLASSES 10-14 YRS OLD

EVENING CLASSES ADULTS AND YOUNG ADULTS 15+

A FULL CLASS SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTIONS ARE LISTED ON THE WEBSITE.

2 A Dutch post-impressionist artist, inspired by peasant life

4 Currently has two paintings on the Highest Priced Paintings Ever Sold list

7 An Athenian sculptor, worked exclusively in bronze

10 An Irish painter, depicted his artistic rival

12 A French post-impressionist artist, lived with Vincent van Gogh

13 One of the best-known female contemporary artists, known for her self-portraits

14 An abstract American painter, married to one of the painters on this list

1 A female French impressionist artist, painted Iris in a Vase

3 A female abstract artist, influenced by her husband’s art as well

5 A female American folk artist, obtained her nickname because of the old age she was discovered

6 A female African-American contemporary artist, uses black-and-white installation art

8 The painter of Water Lilies

9 American Gothic painter

11 An English map-maker turned watercolor landscape painter, one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 Across

TArt Around Town

Explore LMFA’s collection around Longview and surrounding areas.

Derek Frazier Curator of Collection & Preparator

ucked away in an obscure seating area of the Belcher Center on the Le Tourneau campus is a curious work of art. It is a painting, six feet tall and eighty inches wide, making it one of the largest two-dimensional works in the LMFA’s Permanent Collection. In it, two figures have climbed a steep ladder to stand on a round platform. One is an anthropomorphic rat dressed in a green suit, white shirt, and brown shoes. There is a rather ordinary fish between his feet, and he is holding a long fork. The other figure is made of a collection of shapes, colors and textures, and vaguely resembles a girl in a checkered dress. Behind them is a sweeping landscape with an Italianesque orchard in the near distance and mountains in the far background. As surrealism goes, even Salvador Dalí would be impressed.

Mr. Rat and Puppet, as it’s titled, was painted by Robert Jessup in 2003. Subjectwise, it’s typical of Jessup’s work of that time. Most of his paintings were figurative, meaning things are recognizable for what they are; a fish looks like a fish, for example, or a giant dancing rat looks like a giant dancing rat. That’s not to say, though, that Jessup painted in a conventional way like slapping wet paint onto a canvas. Which brings us to scumbling.

Scumbling is a painting technique, in which the artist applies a lighter color over a darker one with a dry brush. The underlayer is dry also, so that the two colors do not mix. When done correctly, it produces an ethereal, textured appearance. J.M.W. Turner used it to great effect in his atmospheric works like Snow Storm (1842). Claude Monet, though, is most well-known for using it to paint many of his 1888-89 haystack paintings, his 1894 Rouen Cathedral series, and even his iconic Water Lilies (1916).

Sometime around 2011, Robert Jessup abandoned figurative painting; like many artists, he had traveled to Europe, and the art he encountered there changed how he approached his own work. Since 2018 he has created mostly large, loosely geometric abstract paintings. There is no more scrumbling; that is, unless you visit the Belcher Center. Or catch me in the right mood, I might show you the vault…

Travel “around town” with LMFA!

Post your selfie in front of Scumbling Art in the Belcher and #LMFAArtAroundTown for a chance to be featured in the next column and win LMFA swag!

HANGING ARTWORK:

How the Pros Do It

Here’s how to hang medium-sized frames equipped with wires:

1. Measure up 60” from the floor - this will be where the center of your picture is. Make a small mark in pencil (A)

2. Measure the height of your frame, halve it, measure that distance up from your mark on the wall, and make another small mark (B). That’s where the top of your frame will be.

☐ Tape measure

☐ Small level (12” – 18” long)

Pencil (never use pens around art!)

Hooks

Hammer

3. Okay, this part’s a little tricky. Unless a frame is really small, I never use just one hook. Over time, things hanging on one hook tend to slip left or right. Also, if you’re using two hooks and one fails, the piece won’t come crashing down. Turn the frame around so that you’re looking at the back. Put your level under the wire and lift up on it until the wire is taut. Measure the distance from the top of the frame to the wire.

4. Measure that distance down from (B) and make a third mark (C). Center your level on that mark horizontally, and make two small arrows, one on each corner of the level. Those are where your hooks will go.

5. I have twenty or so different kinds of hooks and fasteners I use, but for the most part, I use the standard frame hooks you can buy at any hardware store (if you’re hanging something extremely heavy or cumbersome, please feel free to ask for adviceI’ll geek out on the subject!). Install the hooks so that they sit precisely on the arrows you drew on the wall- for ultra-precision, lift them up 1/16” before you hammer them in, because they will sink into the drywall slightly.

6. Hang your frame, making sure the wire is on both hooks, then use your level to make sure it’s set perfectly. Now you’re ready to light it, but that’s a topic for another day….

Love is immeasurable, and though it’s not possible to quantify love using works of art as a metric, this book by Lisha and Alex Mack comes close to doing just that. “My Peoples” Art | The First 100 follows the journey of their mother-daughter art collaboration as it

What they’re saying!

“My girls and I have already read cover to cover… we all cried (heart warming tears) at the words of a mom and poems shared by Alex…and laughed some as we went as well. We all have different takeaways that are too detailed to list, but the most profound and special to me is that Alex is a self proclaimed prayer warrior-I’d love to have her in my prayer corner! The story of the storm made me sob…I had to quit reading it and gain composure. I’ll never forget that God took “the storm” away in Alex instead of the land…oh how I needed that! So many other things. I just feel so blessed to be touched by an extraordinary ordinary life… truly a gift that will last forever!” –

Cheryl C.

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CORE MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Offers a year of exclusive access to:

• Members-Only Exhibition Preview Receptions that include artist talk, music, hor d’oeuvres and libations!

• Free Admission

• First Notice of LMFA Programs, Classes, Concerts, and Events.

• Free Access to Tuesday/Thursday YOGA Class at Noon in the Gallery

• NARM/ROAM Access*

• Subscription to LMFA Bi-annual Magazine

• 10% Discount at LMFA Gift Shop

• Easy Online Renewal

• Digital Membership Cards

• Building Rental Privileges

• FREE Admission, Compliments of Anonymous Donor

Circle Memberships

Circle Memberships begin at the $1,000 level. For detailed information on levels and benefits, check out LMFA.org or pick up a Circle Membership brochure at the front desk.

For more detailed information about becoming an LMFA business sponsor, visit LMFA.org.

LMFA IS A PROUD TO BE AFFILIATED WITH THE FOLLOWING

A special thank you to Texas Commision on the Arts and City of Longview Cultural Advisory Commission.

Your support enables LMFA to bring outstanding art exhibitions, educational programming, and cultural offerings to East Texas.

CIRCLE MEMBERS

COLLECTOR’S CIRCLE

The Crain Foundation

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

Anonymous Partner Dan Sorey

Charlotte & John Wrather

Anonymous Foundation VeraBank

Komatsu

Terry J Cook

The Joyce Family Foundation

Angie & Tim Womack

Bruce & Mimi Cammack

Jim Bartlett Fine Jewelry

CURATOR’S CIRCLE

U.S. Title Company RBC Wealth Management

David & Karen Wright

DONOR’S CIRCLE

Lisha & Chris Mack

Texas Bank and Trust

The Patsy B Hollandsworth Foundation

Johnson & Pace The Projects Group LEDCO Murray Jewelry Dr. and Mrs. James Dozier

Owning your first home. Taking that dream vacation. Operating a small business. Reaching financial independence.

Wherever you’re going, we’ll help you get there.

VeraBank. When you’re ready for better.

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