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Greetings!
We hope you enjoy this edition of CASETA's E-news. Below you will find information about our website, some early Texas art happenings around the State and a greeting from Board member Tam Kiehnhoff, Chair of CASETA's Fundraising committee. As always, your input is important to us. Feel free to reply to this email with any comments, suggestions or questions!
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Note from the Board of Directors
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 Greetings from
Tam Kiehnhoff,
Fundraising Committee Chair
CASETA members should be happy to hear that the Board of
Directors is staying busy on behalf of Early Texas Art throughout the summer
months. Despite the inconveniences of
vacation plans, tropical storms and pesky day jobs, we have managed to keep art
on the agenda and CASETA at the forefront.
As a new board member, I am enjoying a productive and engaging first
year. One of my first board meetings in
2007 was the November Strategic Planning Retreat. A key discussion at the retreat was the
long-term financial health and viability of CASETA. With this in mind, the Fundraising Committee met
by conference call this July. As a
result of these discussions, we plan to initiate our first-ever direct mail
campaign in the fall. We will also
continue to seek individual and corporate or grant funding sources for specific
important CASETA projects, such as the Symposium. Although fundraising is not the most riveting
of topics, it is a critical one for the future of CASETA. I have served with many arts and other
service organizations, and the willingness of CASETA board and advisory
committee members to pitch in enthusiastically for this un-glamorous part of
the job has been noteworthy and encouraging.
In addition to fundraising, I've been busy with one of
CASETA's exciting ETA projects for the upcoming year as a member of the Houston committee working
jointly with the Houston Heritage Society for an exhibit opening in July 2009 of 50+ works of art by E.M.
(Buck) Schiwetz (1898-1984). The committee, with the able guidance of Bill Reaves and
Bonnie Campbell from CASETA and Alice Collette from the Heritage Society, has
begun the fascinating job of finding the work and talking to collectors. It is always amazing fun to learn something
new about ETA, and passionate collectors are an endless trove of this
knowledge. And, after all, this love and
study of the art and the artists is what our organization is all about. Stay
tuned for more about this important exhibit and if you know of paintings by
Schiwetz that we may not be aware of, be sure to contact committee members or
Courtney DiSabato at CASETA. The Heritage Society hopes that the majority of the loans will come
from collectors in the greater Houston areas but understands we may need to range farther to obtain certain excellent examples.
Finally, and speaking of collectors, summer treks around the
state may bring you to Southeast Texas. If you find yourself in Houston, let me recommend a wonderful and
moving show at the MFAH. "Houston
Collects: African American Art" includes much art that is Texas related, as
well as work that is of broader interest.
It is a powerful exhibit and worth going out of your way to catch. For details on this and other worthwhile
exhibits, check "Early Texas Art Across the State" in this E-News edition for a
link.
Goethe famously said that "collectors are happy people". I
think that trait also extends to those who study the wonderful objects that
some choose to collect. If these
assumptions are true, CASETA members must be having a happy summer. I certainly
hope so and wish you all the best.
Sincerely
Tam Kiehnhoff
CASETA Board of Directors
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Project Spotlight
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Seymour Fogel Mural Preservation Project
During our May meeting, the CASETA Board of Directors voted to officially endorse the movement to preserve a 1954 Seymour Fogel mural (pictured above) housed in the soon-to-be demolished Starr Building (formerly the American National Bank) in downtown Austin.
Robert Summers, Chairman of CASETA's Board shares this information about Fogel and his mural: In l954, Fogel was awarded a commission to paint a heroic mural in the new American National Bank at 6th and Colorado streets
in Austin, Texas. The American National Bank was the first grand modernist building in Austin. The building was the latest in design and technology, employing, for example, the first escalators in the city. The building was also the first in Austin to incorporate the then-experimental integration of
art and architecture into private buildings. The mural initially caused a minor uproar, leading the Austin Statesman to report that Fogel's murals "startled" viewers and "introduced them to the exciting geometrics of non-objective art."
Fogel's finished mural for the American National Bank was featured in the March 1955 issue of Fortune magazine in an article entitled "The Modern Art of Business." Fortune included Fogel's American National Bank mural among a
small group of "the most distinguished examples of architectural painting." The mural also received national critical acclaim. The Architectural League of New York chose this Fogel masterpiece for its 1955 Gold Medal Exhibition.
In part because of this national recognition, in the same year Fogel was appointed to serve as Vice President of the Murals of the Architectural League of New York.
Status of the Project:
-The Seymour Fogel Mural Preservation Project has garnered public attention through features in the Austin-American Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, Texas Lawyer Magazine, the Austin Business Journal and Dwell Magazine.
-The Texas Commission on the Arts has commissioned and completed an Appraisal of the mural and a Fesibility Study, which concluded that removal, restoration and relocation of the mural is possible.
-The Texas General Land Office has announced its intent to donate the mural to the General Services Administration of the federal government.
-The General Services Administration has announced its intent to accept the mural for inclusion in its Design Excellence and the Arts Program's Fine Arts Collection, which includes works of art commissioned for federal buildings and courthouses across the nation.
-The Texas Historical Commission has agreed to facilitate the transfer of ownership of the mural from the state of Texas to the federal government and the accept contributions on behalf of the project as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
-The GSA has selected the new location of the mural- the new Austin Federal Courthouse- scheduled for completion in 2011.
-The Seymour Fogel Mural Preservation Project is now seeking funding for the removal, restoration and relocation of the mural.
Please send contributions to the /Seymour Fogel Mural Preservation Project/to the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, P.O. Box 13497, Austin,Texas 78711, or contact Toni Turner, Development Officer, at 512-936-2241 or
friends@thc.state.tx.us. The Friends of the Texas Historical Commission is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the programs and activities of the Texas Historical Commission.
For more information, please contact Robert Summers,
Director of the Seymour Fogel Mural Preservation Project, at RobertAlanSummers@gmail.com
Visit Texas Commission on the Arts online to learn more about how you can get involved in the preservation effort and to view detailed photos of the mural and building.
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Info for CASETA Members
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New Members-Only Area!
CASETA members can log in to check out George Palmer's "12 Tips for Assembling a Significant Collection of Early Texas Art". To join CASETA visit our website at caseta.org.
First Time Log in instructions for CASETA members:
1. Click here or click on the Members-Only tab at caseta.org
2. Select the "forgot password" option and follow instructions *Be sure to enter the email address at which you received this email*
3. Check your email. You should receive an email including your username and a temporary password.
4. Log in to the Members-Only area and change your password in the "My Profile" section.
5. Enjoy the message board. Check back often for updates!
If you have any trouble logging in to the website or receiving your password, please contact cd26@txstate.edu. Be aware that an updated version of your web browser may be required to utilize all website functions.
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Early Texas Art Across the State
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Current Lectures, Exhibits and Events
We know that our list is not complete, so please help CASETA keep its members in the loop!
If you are aware of any current or upcoming early Texas art exhibitions or events, please email information to cd26@txstate.edu.
Special Events
Closing Reception& Gallery Talk
Modernist: The University of Texas Legacy
Teacher, Student, Teacher, 1938 - 1963
Thursday, August 28, 6-8 pm
Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
Austin, Texas
Early Texas Art Exhibitions
Modernist: The University of Texas Legacy
Teacher, Student, Teacher, 1938 - 1963
May 9 - August 27
Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
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Save the Date!
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2009 CASETA Symposium on Early Texas Art
May 1-3, 2009
AT&T Hotel and Conference Center
Austin, Texas
� 4 star hotel venue offering
onsite restaurants & lounge
� Leading purveyors of Texas
art featured in the "Texas Art Fair" open to the public for the first time and
publicized in local and national newspapers and art publications
� Top scholars, collectors and
ETA enthusiasts presenting in varied session formats, including panel,
roundtable discussion and lecture with Q&A
� Exclusive opportunities to
network with fellow art patrons while enjoying the Austin art scene
Check caseta.org for more information!
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CASETA's E-news is sent monthly as a service to our members. To join CASETA, visit our website at caseta.org. Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions by email or phone. If there is content that you would like to see in the E-news or on our website, please let us know!
Sincerely,
Courtney DiSabato
Program Administrator
CASETA
cd26@txstate.edu
(512)245-1986
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