Each year, the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Leadership Seguin program in an effort to build a broader base of leaders within our community. On May 20, the participants visited marika’s gallery and studio. Some participants took mallet and chisel to wood!
The Holidays: Central Park, Seguin, TX
The Story of Marika and a Small Texas Town
A woman from Haiti by taking mallet and chisel to wood, and a small town are writing a Texas story. Five years ago, Marika arrives in Seguin with her tools, wood, and sculptures. Something beautiful happens.
Folks meet her and soon thereafter she is speaking before civic organizations and church groups;
The Seguin Main Street Program appoints her to the Advisory Board;
Texas Lutheran University hosts a solo exhibition;
For the new maternity wing, The Guadalupe Regional Medical Center commissions a sculpture;
The Seguin Oakwood Art League sponsors the Haiti Benefit Art Auction “in honor of sculptor, friend, and member Marika Bordes;” and
The Seguin Heritage Museum schedules a three-month exhibition for Marika and her students for Fall 2010.
Her love for sculpting and the desire to share this life-changing passion places her before diverse audiences: Rotary International, The Shakespeare Study Club, Zonta International, Wesley-Harper Vacation Bible School and other venues. The topics vary. Always, the theme is the importance to both the individual and the community of hard work, discipline and the creativity within us.
Shortly after joining the Main Street Advisory Board, Marika accepts the mandate to develop a plan for promoting and supporting the arts in Seguin. Though her efforts and others, the City of Seguin now has an Arts Commission.
Marika’s passion for sculpture and giving to others shines through when she teaches sculpting. The artist wants the story to continue. A story that begins with the carvers of Africa, then to the carvers of Haiti, and now to the carvers of Seguin. In a small Texas town, from the rising of the sun, until the rising of the moon, mallet and chisel ring out against the intrinsic beauty of wood.
Photo: www.bilsullivanphotography.com/
Since 1972 Bob Phillips has traveled the backroads and told the stories of real Texans – ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Texas Country Reporter celebrates the history, emotion and beauty that make Texas and Texans so unique.
Recently, Texas Country Reporter interviewed Seguin sculptor and Main Street Advisory Board Member Marika Bordes. Bob Phillips and his team came to Seguin to meet with Marika and to visit her studio and gallery. Team members also took the opportunity to film her exhibit at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin. The segment will air the weekend of May 15 & 16.
One can view the show on:
KTBU 55 Houston, 4:30 pm SUN
KTXA 21 Dallas/Ft. Worth IND 10:00 am SUN
KEYE 42 Austin, CBS 10:00 am SUN
KVIA 7 El Paso/Las Cruces, ABC 5:30 am SAT
KENS 5 San Antonio, CBS 9:30 am SUN
To find showtimes for other cities in Texas please visit http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm.
Recently, an upper level Spanish class visited Marika’s studio and gallery as part of their class activities. Some excerpts from the students:
From Samantha-
My favorite piece that she talked about was the Carousel of a Woman’s Life. At first glance i had no idea the depth and creativity of this piece of artwork, but then as she started to explain it you began to see numerous different women figures in the one piece of wood. Marika made me feel the passion she has for her work simply by describing it.
Kyle-
My favorite piece was The Beggar because the sculpture really captured the posture of the beggar. The piece was very emotional. I thought the way the artist was able to sculpt the wood to look like cloth blowing in the wind was really incredible.
Jessica-
I was really inspired by Marika. …,but she made me realize that it is important to love what you do and to take a deeper look at things, rather than what is just on the surface. The way she spoke about her piece “The Beggar” was amazing. I hope that I will be as passionate about my work as she is.
Marika Fine Arts 