Monthly Archives: February 2009

The Gazette-Enterprise Seguin’s arts scene is focus of new group

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By Jessica Sanders
The Gazette-Enterprise
Published February 12, 2009
Keeping art alive in downtown Seguin is a focus for many members of the community.

The Main Street Advisory Board has recommended a group to look into creating the Seguin Council for the Arts (SCA). If formed, the SCA plans to give Seguin a little more art culture.

Marika Bordes, local artist and advocate for the arts in Seguin, said community members who share a great interest in the arts have met several times to discuss the opportunities that the council will provide to other local artists.

“We are a committee to form a council in order to have a voice for artist in the community,” Bordes said. “We want to promote the arts.”

The group will be holding two introductory meetings open to the public Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Monday, Feb. 23. Both meetings will be held at Chiro Java from 7–8:30 p.m.

Discussion at the meetings will consist of making the city a must-see for travelers, Bordes said.

“With art there is a lot you can do to attract tourists,” she said. “I think we need to make a lot of effort to attract and support art into the community.”

Attracting voyagers is not the only think that the SCA is looking to do.

Bordes said that the proposed council will work on creating different ways to bring attention to local artists or organizations.

“We will discuss possible activities like brochures, public service announcements, calenders and such advertising,” she said.

Bordes said the group hopes to benefit from the ideas of many local art-lovers.

“We are looking for artists, organizations and people that are interested in the arts in Seguin,” Bordes said.

Presentation to the Seguin Retired Teachers Association

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“Art from the Heart”

Ladies and Gentlemen,
My fellow artists, Good morning

My “Art from the Heart” is: a tribute to:
Two Countries
Two Teachers
And
One Legacy

Many months ago, / Billie Fai Ball presented to me the fertile concept of: / “Art from the Heart”. / You placed me gently / at the entrance of a long tunnel / with only a glimmer of light at the far end. / Walking with careful steps toward that enlightenment, / I understand the “sine qua non” of my sculpting. / The journey takes me from seeing my art / as a form of universal celebration / to something more profound. / My sculpture is the fruition of my parents, / not birth parents, but art parents. / Thank you for putting me on this path, Billie Fai / and my gratitude goes / to the Retired Teachers Association for inviting me. /

This is Black History Month / and the history of Black Americans / is the merging of two civilizations: / European and African. / The America of today / is the result of the nobility of these two continents, / the complexity of their cultures, / and the originality of their values. / And so it is / in my life as an artist./ For you see, my one art parent descends from Europe / and the other Africa. /

At a young age, I left Haiti / to enter a boarding school in Quebec, Canada. /This is where I met Sister Claire de Jesus./ In my middle years, I met Francois Sanon in Haiti./ These outstanding teachers, / made an impact on my life.

My art mother Sister Claire is a nun / of a French religious order./ My art father Francois Sanon / is an internationally renowned sculptor / from Jeremie, Haiti.

Sister Claire, / a genuinely sweet person, / taught me music, voice and piano for 9 years./ Later,/ Sanon passed on to me from earlier generations of Haitian sculptors / the baton of sculpting. / One was academic and structured; / the other followed a freestyle approach. / Both, however, / were methodical and demanding teachers. / They anchored in me / discipline, / hard work /and excellence.

Art mother / offered me the sacredness she found in life and liturgy; / one was the link to the other. / For her, / everything under the sun is sacred. / She looks at life and liturgy as twin sisters / and that dualism / is the complement that balances the cosmos.

Sanon released my creativity / and like a dove it took flight. / Breaking the shackles of the eyes’ reality, / the flight of the dove / went from the mundane to the spiritual plane. / Here is found the voice of the wood. / It teaches what I do not know. / Between us / a dialog grows to a crescendo / as the beauty of the wood transforms into a work of art. /

Through this cultural confluence of North America and the Caribbean, / I found true bearing. / The influence of these two teachers / guided me to my spiritual path / through art. / As an artist and a pilgrim of this earth, / but not of this world,/ they helped me encapsulate the essence of beauty./

Carving takes me to another world,/ a world not seen, /and a world of fantasy. / This world inspires me to celebrate something higher than my physical self. / Through carving, / I am the writer, / the actor, / and the musician./ My performance uses the precision of chisels, / the movement of my body, / and the music of the wood. / Out of these languages / emerges a story for all to know. / The story / is the very sacredness / of our physical and spiritual life. / It is also only a guide / and a moment in life’s journey. / The journey is a puzzle/ and our stories guide us / in understanding the journey.

As I stand before you today, / I want to share a dream. / Yes, I have a dream. / I dream of a better world to live in / and that is when / each and everyone recognizes the artist in themselves. / We are all artists, / with stories to tell, / creations to inspire,/ passion to unleash / and, this is a true blessing.

Finally, / allow me to make a wish:
· May our discipline, / knowledge and love/ make our dreams come true / for a better world to live in.

Ladies and Gentlemen / it was a pleasure talking to you / and now, I welcome your questions.

A Tribute to Two Countries, Two Teachers, One Legacy

A Tribute to Two Countries, Two Teachers, One Legacy