SFA University
June 20, 2017 Nacogdoches – The School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University once again has a full house for its annual Educators’ Summer Art Studio, slated this year for June 23 through 25, on the SFA campus.
Twenty-five art teachers from East Texas high schools, middle schools, elementary schools and community colleges have registered for “#Create&Connect2017,” in which they will learn new techniques and work collaboratively to produce a traveling art exhibition, according to Dr. Bill Nieberding, assistant professor of art and the workshop’s director.
Cheryl Evans, a past president of the Texas Art Education Association and an SFA alumna, will be the featured workshop leader. Evans, who is a watercolor instructor at Alvin Community College, graduated from SFA with a BFA in painting and earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Evans has taught for 34 years at the high school and college levels. She is a signature member of the Watercolor Art Society – Houston, and she has exhibited nationally and internationally. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Texas Art Education Association.
SFA art faculty instructor Aloma Marquis will also work with participants exploring innovative book-making techniques.
The traveling exhibition will open in The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches with a public reception from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 25.
The exhibition will close with a showing of the work at the 2017 Texas Art Education Association conference Nov. 2 through 4 at Galveston’s Moody Gardens.
For more information about the workshop or exhibition, contact Nieberding at nieberdiwj@sfasu.edu
Stephen F. Austin State University students studying at the Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland will have the opportunity to take a variety of classes from culinary labs and specific areas of hotel operations and management to leadership classes geared toward the service industry. B.H.M.S. offers highly ranked hospitality management and culinary arts programming.
June 9, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University students in the hospitality administration program can now study abroad at the Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland during their junior year thanks to a new exchange agreement between the two institutions.
Dr. Lynda Martin, director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences, explained this exchange agreement presents an opportunity for SFA hospitality administration students to experience Switzerland’s prestigious service industry.
“Switzerland is considered the gold standard with regard to fine service in the hospitality industry,” Martin said. “Students will learn first-class service in the classroom with students from around the world and will have hands-on experience at some of the finest levels offered by our industry.”
Andrea Gardner, U.S. representative for B.H.M.S., helped spearhead this partnership.
“We are thrilled to partner with SFA’s hospitality administration program to offer this unique opportunity to SFA students,” Gardner said. “When I visited Nacogdoches last year, I was impressed by the facilities, leadership and level of instruction I witnessed at SFA. Our programs align nicely, and I am encouraged to see that Dr. Martin and her team are committed to providing students with a global, well-rounded understanding of the industry.”
B.H.M.S. offers highly ranked hospitality management and culinary arts programming. SFA students studying at B.H.M.S. will have the opportunity to take a variety of classes from culinary labs and specific areas of hotel operations and management to leadership classes geared toward the service industry.
Students will study two consecutive semesters or one year abroad, and their courses will count toward their SFA degree. The first semester, students will earn the equivalent of 12 SFA credit hours, and the following semester they will participate in an internship where they will have the opportunity to work with one of B.H.M.S’s industry partners.
“With SFA students having the opportunity to do an internship at a Swiss hotel or restaurant, they will truly build credentials that are admired by all within the hospitality field,” Martin said. “Not only will our students’ skills and credentials be enhanced, but they also will become better global citizens and hosts.”
To participate in this exchange, students must have good academic standing, completed at least one year of full-time study at SFA, be eligible to enroll in subjects that constitute a full-time load at B.H.M.S. and have the required language proficiency to take classes at B.H.M.S.
B.H.M.S. is located in the heart of Lucerne, Switzerland, and is within walking distance of the city center.
For more information, contact Martin at (936) 468-2255 or martinlj@sfasu.edu.
Cutline (Lucerne Switzerland): The Business and Hotel Management School is located in the heart of Lucerne, Switzerland, and is within walking distance of the city center, which will provide SFA students various opportunities to experience Switzerland’s prestigious service industry.
June 12, 2017 Nacogdoches — A limited number of students can still enroll in a weeklong science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University's STEM Research and Learning Center aimed at engaging East Texas students entering the seventh or eighth grade in hands-on STEM activities.
"The goal of the Investigations in Math and Science Academy is to get students excited about STEM disciplines in a way that enthuses them about the many possibilities in math and science," said Dr. Jana Redfield, assistant director of the SFA STEM Research and Learning Center, which is part of SFA’s College of Sciences and Mathematics. The camp consists of modules that cover chemistry, biology, engineering, mathematics and physics basics.
"Each module is about three hours of hands-on learning, allowing students to not only experience math and science explorations, but to create a spark of interest in a possible future STEM career,” Redfield added.
How do we stop a zombie outbreak in the chemistry lab? What do kidney stones, the planets, nuclear facilities and cannonballs have in common? How can we create something with a 3-D printer that is useful and artistic? The iMAS Academy answers these and similar questions over the course of five days.
In one module, students work in the chemistry lab to solve a zombie crisis using proven chemistry concepts and high-tech instrumentation. In another module, students explore the use of conic sections in the magic cone and discover its useful applications for the world. Students will also investigate Lanana Creek with biology faculty members and create and print objects on 3-D printers with engineering faculty members. The week culminates with a physics show, building “wigglebots” and a swim party at the SFA Student Recreation Center.
"So much goes into the development of the curriculum for iMAS. The iMAS modules are designed to be student centered, hands-on and fun. They are initially written by STEM faculty members and area master teachers," Redfield said. "Once written, modules are reviewed for accuracy and science/math grade-level appropriateness.”
The 2017 iMAS Academy will be held from 8 a.m. to noon June 19 through 22 and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 23 on the SFA campus, Math Building, Room 101. The cost is $100 per attendee and includes the price of materials, snacks, prizes and a T-shirt. Visit cosm.sfasu.edu/stem/imas-academy to register.
Incoming seventh and eighth grade students currently enrolled at McMichael or Mike Moses Middle Schools may inquire about scholarship tuition for iMAS provided by Nacogdoches ISD. For more information, call the STEM Research and Learning Center at (936) 469-5814, or email stemcenter@sfasu.edu.
June 7, 2017 - A Lecture with Melanie Sanford
Stephen F. Austin State University’s fashion merchandising program in the School of Human Sciences recently hosted Conserving the Classics: A Lecture with Melanie Sanford on the university’s campus.
During the lecture, Sanford, a textile conservator with experience in high-profile venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Dallas Historical Society, discussed textile conservation, restoration, storage, and handling and display techniques. She also provided a brief discussion regarding the recovery of wet textiles after a disaster.
As a textile conservator, Sanford has helped with the preservation and display of well-known textiles, including former first lady Jackie Kennedy’s “Mona Lisa” dress, which is a beaded evening gown Kennedy wore to the opening of the Mona Lisa exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in 1963. Sanford also has textile conservation experience reaching much further back in history to a red coat from the Revolutionary War.
“This event allowed the fashion merchandising program to continue to foster relationships with university and community groups we have worked with on exhibits or special programs utilizing pieces from SFA’s collection,” said Jamie Cupit, instructor in SFA’s fashion merchandising program.
During the lecture, Sanford showcased several items from SFA’s collection, including a bodice and skirt from about 1875, a 1911 lace graduation dress, and a 1960s Diane Von Furstenberg leopard jumpsuit. She also highlighted historical fashions in her presentation, including an evening gown with beetle wings stitched in to add iridescence.
“The collection contains numerous pieces tied to university and Nacogdoches history worn by well-known area residents and university and community leaders,” Cupit said. “The collection serves as an artifact for documenting community history. This event allowed us to showcase that and highlight the dire need to preserve it.”
SFA’s collection comprises approximately 800 fashion apparel pieces and accessories dating from the 1870s to 1990s. While the majority of SFA’s collection consists of women’s apparel, it also includes men’s and children’s apparel, military uniforms and wedding dresses dating from 1890 to 1980.
Additionally, the collection contains accessory pieces from the 20th century, which includes approximately 500 hats from designers such as Mr. John, Adolfo and Elsa Schiaparelli. More than 60 pairs of brand-name shoes and handbags dating from the 1880s to the 1970s also are part of the collection. There are many late 1800s reticules (small handbags), 1950s and 1960s beaded evening bags and 1970s box-style bags made of wicker, plastic and wood.
Sanford assessed SFA’s collection and offered advice on its preservation, storage and handling.
“Being able to bring a knowledgeable conservator to SFA to conduct a preservation assessment of the collection means we are taking the necessary steps toward a long-range plan for the care and sustainability of it,” Cupit said.
The collection is utilized primarily for teaching 20th century costume, which studies the evolution of fashion with an emphasis on the relationships of clothing, people and the times in which they lived, and visual merchandising, which identifies techniques for the visual presentation of fashion merchandise. Students create displays, display cases and a fashion gallery utilizing the collection.
Currently, the collection is housed in a small storage area located behind the fashion gallery in the Education Annex. According to Cupit, the storage area was not designed for apparel preservation and due to a lack of proper preservation equipment and facilities, many of the earlier, more delicate pieces are beginning to deteriorate.
An initiative is underway to raise funds to update the equipment and facilities and conserve SFA’s collection for posterity.
A grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored Conserving the Classics.
For more information about the collection or how to make a donation, contact Cupit at (936) 468-2238 or jrcupit@sfasu.edu.
June 6, 2017 Nacogdoches — Have you ever seen a lumberjack use chopsticks?
Recently, Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Rusche College of Business traveled more than 8,000 miles to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, for an international study abroad experience through the university’s Wall-to-Wall Business travel program.
For 11 days, 25 SFA students enrolled in MGT 470: Hong Kong Business and Culture: Where East Meets West, visited various companies, historical landmarks and dined like the locals.
Drs. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, chair of SFA’s Department of Economics and Finance, and Matt Lindsey, associate professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and International Business, facilitated the trip.
“International experiences are very important for our students. Experiences like this often reshape the student’s view of the world,” Lindsey said.
The group visited many Hong Kong markets where capitalism is on full display such as the Sham Shum Po District Golden Computer Center and electronics markets, clothing markets and many street markets, including Stanley Market and the Temple Street Night Market.
Students also attended a presentation by Dr. Forrest Yang, a marketing professor at the City University of Hong Kong, who highlighted the importance of building relationships to conduct business, as well as the tax-free port and low-tax structure, which made Hong Kong a key business location for multiple companies.
“Going to Hong Kong made it clear the key to doing business in that region is understanding the culture. In our view of the world, laws shape how we do business. In China, the relationships you have with your business partners trump everything,” Lindsey said. “We also realized our world is much larger than the region we grew up in and that it is possible to work internationally in a location like Hong Kong.”
For many SFA students like Johnathan Liker, a senior management major from Center, this was their first time visiting a country outside the United States.
“What surprised me the most was being a foreigner and learning how to navigate in a different country,” Liker said.
Likewise, Samuel Johnson, an SFA graduate student in the Master of Business Administration program, said this trip opened his eyes to new career opportunities.
“It was an eye-opening experience and made me look at my options,” Johnson said. “I feel more comfortable with the idea of working abroad or venturing out to other places I didn’t consider before.”
Students toured the first microbrewery in Hong Kong, Young Master Microbrewery, and witnessed the production process and discussed product marketing. Additionally, students visited the Tse Sui Luen Jewelry factory, where they watched skilled craftsmen construct custom jewelry.
“I learned there was more behind-the-scenes work for a product than what I thought,” said Braxton Berthot, junior general business major from Douglass. “To see the jewelers cleaning and cutting the stones to perfection so they could be sold was very cool.”
In a backstage tour of the Cantonese Opera, students met with the owner and music director who promotes and preserves the ancient art form.
The group also visited Victoria Peak, which has the highest property values in the world, rode the historic Star Ferry, ate a traditional Chinese dinner at the Jumbo floating restaurant in the Aberdeen Harbor, saw Giant Buddha and visited many temples.
“We were exposed to a more diverse culture than we typically would be in East Texas,” Liker said. “Experiencing this diversity and interacting with a variety of people allowed me to understand how this experience could relate in an international business environment. Knowledge of cultural differences will allow me to establish a connection with a client while meeting organizational goals.”
To help gain a firsthand example of a U.S. company adapting to a different market, the students visited Disney Hong Kong.
“It was interesting to see key attractions like the Haunted Mansion rebranded as the Mystic Manor due to cultural issues about ghosts,” Lindsey said. “Other than seeing squid jerky at concession stands and a variety of different foods, it was easy to forget we were in Hong Kong while at the park.”
Another stop during the trip was Macau, a Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong. Here, students went to the top of the 1,109-foot Macau Tower.
“Macau is the Las Vegas of the Far East and caters to the very wealthy in China,” Lindsey said. “It became obvious that even the top 1 percent of a country of 1.3 billion can provide a huge target market.”
Outside Hong Kong, SFA students traveled to Tai O Fishing Village on the Lantau Island, where people live in stilt houses, and then to Shenzhen, China — one of China’s largest cities.
June 5, 2017 Nacogdoches – Images depicting Nacogdoches’ history, beauty and artistry are now available to share as notecards and postcards through an art scholarship fundraiser organized by the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Local photographers provided the images for the eight different designs featured on the 5-by-4½-inch notecards with envelopes and the 4-by-6-inch postcards that will be available for purchase during the Texas Blueberry Festival on June 10.
“The FVA is grateful to the talented artists and supportive people who generously allowed us to use their artworks to benefit this art scholarship fundraiser,” said Jean Stephens, FVA president.
Available images include:
• “The Messenger” – Sculpture by Joe Barrington (winner of the first Sculpture For All); photograph by Bill Nieberding.
• “Bunny” – Sculpture by Jeffie Brewer.
• “Sunset Sky” – Oil painting by Peter Andrew; from the collection of SFA Regent Scott Coleman.
• Historic Zion Hill Baptist Church window – Photograph by Christopher Talbot.
• Surfin’ Steve, SFA campus – Photograph by Bill Nieberding.
• Downtown Nacogdoches – Photograph by Ryan Russell.
• Thomas J. Rusk monument, Oak Grove Cemetery – Photograph by Stan Bohon.
• “Lighting the Copal” – Dia de los Muertos Fiesta, downtown Nacogdoches; photograph by Bill Nieberding.
Project committee members included Nieberding, Bohon, Stephens, Lily Phou and John Handley, director of SFA art galleries.
Notecards are $3 each, or four for $10 or eight for $20. Postcards are $1 each, or four for $3 or eight for $6.
FVA volunteers will sell the cards during the Blueberry Festival at the organization’s booth located in front of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House on Main Street. Gumbo, blueberry tea and blueberry muffins will also be sold. All proceeds will benefit scholarships awarded through the SFA School of Art.
Following the festival, the cards can be purchased at Cole Art Center. For additional information, call (936) 468-6557.
May 31, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Dr. Dennis Werner, horticulture professor in Raleigh, North Carolina, will present “Is Redbud the Next Crape Myrtle?”
Born and raised in York County, Pennsylvania, Werner gardened at an early age and grew up exploring the fields and woodlots of South Central Pennsylvania. These interests led him to complete a bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University and then master’s and doctoral degrees at Michigan State University with an emphasis in plant breeding and genetics.
Werner was hired at North Carolina State University in 1979 to teach and conduct research in peach breeding and genetics. His efforts in this area have led to the development of numerous peach cultivars that are widely grown in the Southeastern U.S. In 1998, his research efforts shifted to ornamental plant breeding and genetics, focusing on Cercis (redbud) and Buddleja (butterfly bush).
In 2013, the American Horticulture Society awarded him the Luther Burbank Award for extraordinary achievement in plant breeding. He has twice received the North Carolina State University Outstanding Teacher Award.
An avid gardener, Werner’s home landscape includes a 2,000-square-foot herbaceous perennial border and a diverse collection of woody shrubs and trees. He has been a long-time friend of the JC Raulston Arboretum and a member of the American Society of Horticultural Science. He was named a fellow of ASHS in 2011.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.
Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.
For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.
May 29, 2017 Nacogdoches – A performance by 12-year-old Nacogdoches pianist Antonio “Nio” Ajero will be showcased on an upcoming episode of “From the Top,” the hit National Public Radio program featuring America’s best young classical musicians.
Hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley, the show will air at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, on Red River Radio. The episode, available for streaming and podcast at fromthetop.org, was presented by LeTourneau University and Red River Radio and taped before a live audience at LeTourneau’s Belcher Center in March.
Nio is a student of Linda Parr in the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music. He is also winner of the 2017 Baylor/Waco Solo Piano Competition and a National Gold Medal from The Royal Conservatory for earning the highest score in the United States on their Level 9 Piano Exam.
On the NPR broadcast, Nio performs Caprice à la Scarlatti in G major, Op. 14, No. 3 by Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
A seventh-grade student at Mike Moses Middle School, Nio is the son of Dr. Mario Ajero, professor of piano at SFA, and Gina Ajero.
May 26, 2017 Nacogdoches – Those attending this year’s Texas Blueberry Festival June 10 in Nacogdoches will once again see familiar costumed characters walking the downtown brick streets and have the opportunity to view a film depicting life in Texas’ oldest town in 1938.
Students in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will be promoting the upcoming SFA SummerStage Festival, while the SFA School of Art will host three screenings of “Found Footage: Rediscovering Nacogdoches” and the George Hooker short promotional film “Nacogdoches: The Oldest Town” at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. inside The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House.
“Found Footage” features scenes of Nacogdoches people and businesses in 1938 documented on film. The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and Humanities Texas, in association with the Charles and Lois Marie Bright Foundation, championed the effort to restore the forgotten 16mm film, labeled “Nacogdoches 1938.” Discovered at Nacogdoches High School in 1967 but forgotten until a few years ago, the film was digitally restored and viewed in 2014 for the first time in 70 years.
Also throughout the day Saturday outside Cole Art Center, theatre students will appear in costumes portraying popular characters from fairy tales and children’s stories. Children (and adults) will have the opportunity to talk with the students and take photos with them, according to Angela Bacarisse, professor of design and arts management at SFA. The School of Theatre’s trademark dragon character, Schlaftnicht, from the children’s show “Trudi and the Minstrel,” performed the summer of 2005, will make his annual Blueberry Festival appearance. A costumed dinosaur will make its debut at the festival this year.
Theatre students will also promote this year’s SummerStage Festival, which kicks off Tuesday, June 27, and runs through July 15. The family friendly festival will feature the children’s favorite “Ivy + Bean the Musical,” with book, music and lyrics by Scott Elmegreen and based on books by Annie Barrows as illustrated by Sophie Blackall, and the America classic “The Miracle Worker,” a three-act play by William Gibson based on Helen Keller's autobiography, “The Story of My Life.”
Theatre students will also sell crafts and do face painting as a fundraiser for their study abroad trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland in August to produce a student-written play.
The Cole Art Center traditionally serves as an official “oasis” during the festival, according to Lisa Steed, events coordinator for SFA galleries, with tables and chairs set up inside where festival patrons can escape the heat. The art center’s restrooms will also be available to festival-goers.
Volunteers with the Friends of the Visual Arts will man an outside tent where they will sell homemade gumbo, blueberry tea and blueberry baked goods with proceeds going toward funding grants and scholarships the FVA awards annually to students in the School of Art. The FVA will also sell newly available notecards that feature photos of Nacogdoches landmarks as photographed by Christopher Talbot, Bill Nieberding, Ryan Russell, Stanley Bohon and other local photographers.
June 10 is also the final day to view the Texas National exhibition and an exhibition of work by this year’s Texas National juror, Benito Huerta, currently displayed at Cole Art Center.
For performance times and ticketing information for the SummerStage Festival, visit theatre.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. Performances are in W.M. Turner Auditorium and the Downstage Theatre in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.
May 26, 2017 Nacogdoches – The Stephen F. Austin State University Campus Recreation Department will host the fifth annual Worsham Bass Tournament on Saturday, June 24, at Jackson Hill Park and Marina on Lake Sam Rayburn in Broaddus.
All proceeds go to the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to student employees of SFA’s Campus Recreation Department.
Dr. Raymond “Ray” Worsham was SFA intramural department director for 43 years. The scholarship was established through the Alumni Association to honor Worsham’s dedication and lasting impact at the university.
Participants can register for the tournament online at www.sfaalumni.com/event/Bass2017, mail a registration form to the SFA Alumni Association or register at the Jackson Hill Marina boat ramp before the tournament starts.
There will be a 60 percent payout for first, second and third places, as well as a prize package for “Big Bass.” The tournament begins with a shotgun start approximately 30 minutes before sunrise. Entry fee is $150 per boat.
For more information, contact Sarah Kouliavtsev at KouliavtSG@sfasu.edu or the Alumni Association at (936) 468-3407.
Pages
