June 2021

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View this email in your browser Inspire. Promote. Collaborate.                                                                       June 2021 Mark Your Calendar! Last month I shared news about how you can show your stuff on our new Profile web pages, but Profile pages are only one of the features to help you promote your art and stay connected. Our new membership platform also provides a cool Calendar feature that you can access from the upper left side of our website. As you might expect, your board members can set up calendar events, such as member and board meetings, and other events, like member outings and workshops. We’ve already posted events for the 2021 member meetings. If someone wants to attend a member meeting and can’t find the email that contains the Zoom link, she can register here, and her confirmation email will contain the Zoom link. The ability to use this feature to register for upcoming events and member outings is a great feature, but adding events to the calendar is not limited to board members. I’m pleased to announce that all members can add events to our calendar. If you have a reading or exhibition opening or reception that you’d like to share with WiVLA members, add your own calendar event. At the very least, you can provide a title, location, and perhaps a website link. If you need more complex registration and email confirmation, you can also set up that level of detail. To prepare yourself, gather the information that you’ll need. For my own sanity, before I get started, I put everything that I need in a text editor and have my image ready. Title of the event Street address (or Virtual) Weblink (if applicable for additional information) A description of the event (as brief or verbose as necessary, but don’t go crazy) A relevant photo To get started, select Add New Event from the selection panel above the calendar. As an example, using the information that I received in an email message from Jo Zider about her opening reception, I quickly composed a calendar event for her reception. When I saved the event, the calendar app inserted the map, which is derived from the address. Clicking on the map opens it in Google Maps, where you can get driving instructions. Some of us might even print the driving instructions.  The calendar event also creates a URL that you can use on your website or in a social media post. The app has so many features that it’s difficult to list them here, so I encourage you to check out the current events and try your hand at creating one for your upcoming event. If you run into a problem, reach out to Gretchen or me for assistance. You can email us from the Member Directory. We want to help you promote your work in the marketplace! During the May meeting, I heard several of our members share information about upcoming events. Now is the time to create those events on our calendar! I’ve been impressed by the Profile pages that I’ve seen in our new Member Directory; however, I’d love to see a few more complete profiles. Check out the current profiles and become inspired! You can access how-to videos at the following links: Profile setup: https://youtu.be/CIFDH4b7qPk Calendar Event setup:   Lights, Camera, Compassion! As I had mentioned in our May newsletter and member meeting, the president of Compassionate Houston asked if we would care to participate in their annual spring event. This year's theme is Celebrating Compassion Through the Arts, and she thought they would like to feature three of our artistic partners. The three Compassion Collaboration teams that she selected met Wednesday, May 26, at Archway Gallery, who had graciously agreed to let them use the gallery for the video production. Each team shared their thoughts about their projects, discussed the visual components, and read the literary excerpts. Each team was allowed two minutes to discuss the project, which was practically an impossible task, but we came (relatively) close. For me, watching the recording of these three teams was very special because not only was I able to see the art and hear the readings, but I also learned about the thought processes that inspired the end results. I was moved and very proud.   The following three teams did a fantastic job of representing WiVLA.  Maria Brown and Sally Worthington Sharon Bippus and Regina Vitolo Mollie Gordon and Gail Plunkett Also pictured are Pam Lewis, the president of Compassionate Houston, and me. We’ll keep looking for opportunities to collaborate. The Compassionate Houston spring event will be a pre-recorded virtual event and will be shown more than once. After the producer of this event has the production “in the can,” I intend to take her to lunch and ask her for a cut of our portion of the video.  - Melody -  WiVLA presents Awakening, a virtual exhibit for current members juried by Rosa Ana Orlando. Images of 2D and 3D works may be submitted.   May 15, 2021: The submission period opens online at www.wivla.org June 30, 11:59 PM: Deadline for submissions August 6: Artists will be notified of acceptance to the show September 1: Virtual exhibit goes live September 2: Virtual Opening Reception: 6 pm to 8 pm    October 31: Virtual exhibit closes    Lanecia Rouse of LAR Art Studio Tuesday, June 15th  6:00pm - 7:30pm Lanecia Rouse is a multidisciplinary artist based in Houston, TX. Her portfolio includes a range of abstract painting, photography, teaching, writing, speaking, and curatorial projects for local non-profit organizations. Lanecia creates work that focuses on liminal space, on the possibilities present in materials and their presentation that point towards “otherwise” possibilities and the everyday quests humans undergo to construct meaningful and content lives. Her work is the product of contemplative and intuitive abstract mixed-media practices and is informed by sociology, theology, culture, poetry, and history.  Lanecia is the 2020-2021 Artist-in-Residence for the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) at Rice University and is also the Artist-in-Residence at Holy Family HTX (2017-Present). She is a Co-founding Creative Director for the ImagiNoir Equity Group, an international alliance and community development and equity group of black activists, artists, writers, scholars, philanthropists, and educators. In addition, she is the Director of Justice and the Arts with projectCURATE. Lanecia has exhibited at West Chelsea Contemporary, Austin, TX; Urban Zin Gallery, New York City, NY; Collect it for the Culture, Houston, TX; Houston First Corporation, Houston, TX (2021); Inman Gallery, Houston, TX; Project Row Houses,  Houston, TX (2020);  Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI; Forth and Nomad Gallery, Houston, TX (2019); American Church in Paris, Paris, France where she did a 1-month residency (2018); and Fourth Chapter Gallery, Kansas City, MO. Lanecia is a graduate of Duke University Divinity School and Wofford College. Social Media and Website Information: Website: http://www.larartphotography.com/ Facebook: LAR Art Studio Instagram: larartstudio Twitter: @LARArtStudio You can listen to a recent Getting Curious podcast episode between Lanecia and Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye here, https://bit.ly/2T2GxUv.  ©2021, Lanecia Rouse, Houston, TX. Baptized to the Bone when the Water Broke ©2021, Lanecia Rouse, Houston, TX. 8 Seconds, 2020, mixed media collage painting Meeting Schedule 6:00 - 6:20 pm Social Time and Board Announcements. 6:20 - 7:20 pm Presentation with Q & A. 7:20 - 7:30 pm Time permitting, Member announcements. *Some meetings may run slightly off schedule due to the nature of the conversation. Zoom Meeting Information Due to Zoom's security suggestions, we will send out another email with the Zoom meeting information one day before the meeting. Be certain to look for it. If you need the meeting code, please send an email to newsletter@wivla.org to get the meeting code no later than 5:00 pm the day of the meeting.  If you need information on how to use Zoom before the meeting date, please use the links below: If you need to download Zoom, it's free: https://zoom.us/download.  Here is the link to a video on how to join a meeting: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting    Calling all WiVLA Visual Artists! 2 Visual Artists needed for July/August   Our July/August Virtual Gallery exhibit is seeking two visual artists to participate. The deadline to submit all images is Thursday, June 15th! If you would like to have your work highlighted to a wider audience, this is a great opportunity to exhibit. If you have any questions, please contact Marie Casamayor-Harvey and Gladys Jones, WiVLA's current Visual Arts Chairs, at visual@wivla.org. Deadline: Thursday, June 15th. To apply, click here. Sharon Bippus June's Visual Artist Member Highlight I’ve always hesitated to call myself an artist, yet an artist is what I aspire to be. I have memories from childhood connections to art: drawing, sewing in Home Ec, and writing poetry for school assignments. Unfortunately, these aren’t all positive memories. I wrote a poem in 3rd or 4th grade that I was extremely proud of; however, when the teacher passed back our assignments, she insinuated that I had cheated, that someone clearly must have helped me. As I recall this incident, I wonder where I would be now if I had received encouragement from the adults in my life. Instead, I went underground. I drifted in and out of creative endeavors, but I kept them mostly to myself. In more recent years, I have begun to come out of my creative closet. For me, art is healing. It is holy. Perhaps that is why being accused of cheating was so soul-crushing. My creative practice takes many forms: art journaling, mixed media, collage, and photography, and these processes allow me to lose myself in colors, textures, and images. It is a way to focus on beauty and be in the present moment. It is a constant reminder to let go of the pursuit of perfection. During the pandemic, photography has provided an important creative outlet for me. Being outside with my camera communing with the birds, squirrels, and an occasional rabbit has helped me deal with anxiety and uncertainty. My creative practice helps me transform negativity into meaningful self-expression.   As I slowly come to terms with allowing myself to say, “I am an artist,” I am grateful to organizations like WiVLA for the opportunity to reveal my creative side in a supportive atmosphere. My hope for emerging artists everywhere is that they find someone who encourages them, believes in them, and cheers for them through their own journey of self-acceptance and personal expression and that, like me, they find healing through their art practice.   ©2021, Sharon Bippus, Houston, TX. Cardinal ©2021, Sharon Bippus, Houston, TX. Hunger ©2021, Sharon Bippus, Houston, TX. Vessel May Meeting Highlight: Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton Our May meeting featured Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, internationally-known writer, educator, activist, performer, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, Texas. Deborah read poems from her 2014 title, Newsworthy. She discussed her many upcoming projects: Her new book titled Black Chameleon, which will be out in 2023; The World's Intermission, a 25-minute one-act stage play on Nov 12 &13 at Jones Hall. Tickets are now on sale; And lastly, her operatic piece about the life of Lauren Anderson. Deborah also discussed her creative life amidst the pandemic, speaking with her daughter about the death of Breona Taylor and the continued need for unison amongst all women in the continued fight against systematic racism. If you missed the meeting, please take a moment to watch the recording on WiVLA's YouTube channel.  Social Media & Website Information: Website: https://www.livelifedeep.com/ Facebook: livinglifedeep Instagram: livelifedeep Twitter: @livelifedeep YouTube: Deborah DEEP Mouton Texas Monthly Article: "A Mom's Wrenching Discussions With Her Children About Police Brutality, the Coronavirus".   Archway Gallery presents Exploring Paint, an exhibition of new paintings by Shirl Riccetti and Donna E Perkins. Opening Day is Saturday, May 1, 10-6:00. View the artist talks on the website at  ArchwayGallery.com and on Facebook and YouTube. The exhibition continues through June 3rd. At this time, the gallery hours are Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10-6:00; Sunday 1-5:00 pm. Please call to confirm. Jo Zider has an exhibition titled Earth at the Edge on view at the University of Houston Clear Lake's campus.  Fifteen relief paintings on view are based on the Archetypes of Grief, Blame, and Hope as they find commonality between a 17th Century playwright's characters and the effects of Climate Change on the lives of contemporary man. Dates are May 17-June 25. Jo has been working on this project for twenty years.  To learn more, please visit the UH-Clear Lake Art Gallery website. Jo also informed us of her acceptance into both the Lawndale Art Center's Big Show and The Art Car Museum's upcoming exhibition, What I did on my COVID "Vacation." Janet Ruffin was juried into both the Lawndale Art Center's Big Show and The Art Car Museum's upcoming exhibition, What I did on my COVID "Vacation." To learn more about these exhibitions, please visit their websites. Lawndale Art Center & Art Car Museum. Marie Casamayor-Harvey was juried into the Holocaust Museum Houston's exhibition, Withstand: Latinx Art in Times of Conflict. She has one piece in the physical exhibit and one piece in the virtual exhibit. The work will be on view until October 17, 2021. To learn more, please visit HMH's website. Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton announced that tickets are now being sold for her stage play, The World's Intermission, on November 12 & 13 through the Society for Performing Arts at Jones Hall. To learn more, please visit SPA's website or Deborah's website. Second Saturday. Open Studios at several buildings in the Sawyer Yards complex are back open. Please consider visiting as many of our members have studios in these facilities.  For more information, please visit the Sawyer Yards website.   Houston Writers Guild announces their spring conference, Ready, Set, Pitch!---A "Get Published" Writer's Experience. Dates are Friday, June 11 - Sunday, June 13, 2021. For more details and tickets, go to Ready, Set, Pitch!. Visual Arts Alliance announces their 37th open juried exhibition. Juror: Gary Cooper of the National Gallery of Art. Deadline to apply is Tuesday, July 20, 2021. For more information please visit the VAA Houston website.   Whether you’re a professional craftsperson who needs to restock your studio supplies or a student looking to perfect new techniques, Jerry’s Artarama has all the tools, supplies, and expertise you need to make your project shine.    JERRY’S ARTARAMA® OF HOUSTON 2201 Taylor Street - Houston, TX 77007 832-237-6070 Find us on Facebook: @HoustonJerrys Find us on Instagram: @JerrysArtarama_Houston Email us: houston@jerrysartarama.com . We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you. 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