Thoughtcrime

Volume 11, No. 1 Volume 14, No. 8 September 2004 ISSUE • 5 May 2008 ISSUE • 9 Distinctly Diverse Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer ISSUEsolicits and publishes the work of local authors. Poetry, short ficISSUE 720 Franklin, Beaumont, TX 77701 tion, scholarly works and opinion pieces may be submitted for review. All works or e-mail: THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC. APRIL 2005exans have their “Twang,”the distinctive vocal style that distinguishes them from people from other states.“Twang”also refers to the guitar sounds of Texas R&B and country. At the Art Museum of Southeast Texas,“Twang”is a group show of contemporary Texas sculpture featuring work by a dozen artists. Texas is both Western and Southern,cotton and cowboys,and a multitude of clashing cultures.If The piece consists of an automatic tennis serve machine that fires a series of balls (each labeled “Joey”) against a wall on which is a large Argyle pattern that may or may not be a net.The machine is labeled “Playmate”and the balls are fired with monotonous regularity,with the gallery walls echoing a repetitive thud thud thud,like the Dada soundtracks of Kurt Schwitters. The “Joey”of the title refers to Joey Mussacchio,a childhood friend of the artist who is now dead. Does the lifeless “Playmate”long for someone with whom to play? It seems to connect with the quintessentially American past-time — a simple the balls hit the wall and bounce randomly away as a museum guard chased after them.This viewing emphasized a sense of “play,”with the machine,like a rambunctious child,teasing its reluctant “playmate.” The same piece,but two games and,therefore, two different pieces. Even though the “Playmate”is inanimate, Powers has created a performance piece reminiscent of the 1960s Fluxus group,whose creations existed in the reactions of the viewer. Powers plays with our emotions and delicately balances the the joys of childhood with the loss of innocence.T DIFFERENT APPROACHES U NITE ‘TEXAS TWO DOZEN’must be typed or submitted on a disk (using approved word processing software), or may be sent to TASI by e-mail. All works are subject for review by our editor, and may be rejected or edited on the basis of grammar, spelling or content. The opinions expressed in “Thoughtcrime” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TASI, its Board of Directors, ISSUE’s editorial staff, or donors to TASI. Send typed works to: artstudio@artstudio.org Authors must submit a daytime telephone number along with all submissions. Pen names are acceptable, but authors must supply real names for verification. All submitted works become property of TASI, and whether rejected or accepted, are not returned to the author. ISSUEdoes not notify of rejection by mail or telephone. there is one thing that defines game of catch. Another piece that demands viewer participaTexas,it is its indefinability. “Twang,”like the state that links these artists,incorporates a Visitors to the opening witnessed the balls bouncing off two walls and back into the machine, completing a never-ending solitary game of catch. tion is Justin Kidd’s “In and Out Box.” Consisting of a crudely constructed mailbox hanging on the wall,visitors to the exhibit are invit plethora of styles and forms. The piece had a melancholy quality that reflected ed to “mail”a postcard from the Czech Republic Among the strongest pieces on display is “Love- both the loss of a childhood friend and of childhood Joey,”a study of friendship,loneliness and loss by itself. Michael Powers. However,visitors at a later date may have seen See TWANGon page 11 Among the works featured in “TWANG:

Contemporary Sculpture from Texas,” on display through Sept. 26 at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, are, clockwise from left, “E.B.”by Erick Swenson, “Museum Bench” by Chris Sauter, “Two Paintings on a Rock” by Bill Davenport and “Sell Me Something Brown” by Franco Mondini-Ruiz. INSIDE: MAKING AN EXHIBITION OF THEMSELVES PAGE 7 Review and photos by Andy LISA REINAUER: JUDGE AND JURY, HOT PIG, AND MORE Coughlan