Cashing In

It seems there are several places online to now buy contemporary art at reasonable prices and I do mean reasonable. My own prints are on sale through Humble Arts Foundation as are friend Amy Stein's. Another good friend Brian Ulrich, based in Chicago is selling prints through Jen Beckman Gallery based in New York. There is no excuse for tacky posters on your walls anymore. By the way only 10 prints are left. Get them while their hot people!

Wonder Object

My good friend and colleague Gary Schott was recently informed he will participate in "Next Iconoclassts", a curated exhibition by Gail Brown. The exhibition will be hosted by The Hoffman Gallery at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, and is scheduled for Jan.15, 2009 through Feb.22, 2009. Gary is the head of the metalsmith and jewelry program here at Stephen F. Austin State University. Although I've had little exposure to the craft world I find his works amazing, especially his whimsical cut-out brooches. I've already commissioned one... a cherry pie! Gary's hand-cranked mechanical devices are something to marvel out. His martini shaker is pictured above. Several of his pieces have been selected for shows opening next Spring all over the country. Please check out his new blog "Wonder Object" for exact dates and locations.

Student Video Screening

My advanced digital media students at Stephen F. Austin will be presenting two videos each from the Fall semester this Thursday evening from 6-7PM in the art department.

Center for Contemporary Art

The traveling exhibition, TPS 16: The National Competition, Juried by Michelle Dunn Marsh (Aperture) makes a second stop in the tour! On view Dec 1- Jan 31 at the Center for Contemporary Art in Abilene, TX. Other artists on view include Rachel Dunville, Lydia Panas among others.

Road to Nac

Commuting from Austin to Nacogdoches on a weekly basis provides long stretches of road and time alone. To break up the four-hour drive I stop at the half way point between 79 and 7 in a small town called Marquez. The corner store which also serves as a small diner is next to the bait shop and liquor store. Most times when I stop in not much is happening. I typically spend 15-30 minutes in town looking for images. I plan to periodically share some of my photos from this adventure.

Loss

I just found out today my friend, fellow artist and Parsons graduate Eliza Sudol passed away in Austin, Texas. She recently graduated from Parsons in September with an MFA in photography. She was attending the University of Texas at Austin pursuing another degree. I have little information at this time. I have no words for the loss her family and loved ones are feeling. She truly was a light that burnt out way too soon.

CENSORED

This past Wednesday, my photos titled Clean 1 and Clean 2 were draped with black cloth while on view at the Art Center in Nacogdoches, Texas. The prints are on display as part of the Stephen F. Austin faculty show which closes this week. A high school arts teacher who previewed the show before bringing her students in asked that the two semi-nude images be covered prior to their arrival.

Upon entering the gallery, the art director was asked to discuss why the images were covered. His reply...."This is censorship."

Normally I would have caused a fuss about the situation however, last year, a fifth-grade arts teacher lost her job after taking her art students on a principal and parent approved filed trip to the Dallas Museum of Art. "Parents raised concerns over the field trip after their children reported seeing a nude sculpture at the art museum."

Who could blame this teacher for wanting to keep her job but what is really going on here? What changed that made parents and teachers so nervous to show their students nude ART. Not pornography, not violent sex scenes, not blood or gore. I think most students see more damaging images on television, in the movies and in their video games. I'm not saying this should or shouldn't been allowed but how can you put art shown in a gallery setting in to the same category and censor it more than you would censor images coming in to your own home?

I suppose its too much to ask for a student or parent to see something that makes them the slightest bit uncomfortable–asks them to look at an image of a semi-nude woman and see her as more than a naked figure. Unfortunately, these students missed out on the context of the images, my story and the reason for the nudity in the first place. So did their teacher.

2007 ArtHouse Texas Prize Awarded

Arthouse Texas is proud to announce that Katrina Moorhead has been awarded the 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize. Presented by independent art critic and curator Dave Hickey at the 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize Party on the evening of November 2, the $30,000 juried prize is one of the largest regional arts awards in the United States. The first-ever prize in Texas created to acknowledge the accomplishments of an emerging or under-recognized Texas-based artist, the Arthouse Texas Prize distinguishes Moorhead as an exceptional and innovative talent and recognizes her contribution to the energetic and growing Texas art scene.

Katrina Moorhead, who was born in Northern Ireland, has resided in Houston for more than ten years. Her practice centers on exploring the contrast between human and natural creation, often revealing new and beautiful relationships through otherwise mundane objects. In 2005 she participated in the Northern Ireland Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale, and her work was recently the subject of a solo exhibition at the Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston. For the 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize Exhibition she has meticulously handcrafted boxes of spent fireworks and strings of unexploded fireworks using paper mâché, archival paper, and silver leaf. Each firework's potential explosion refers to the forms of dragons, flowers, and the like, and the strings serve to symbolize a chain of events in the three different romantic courtships.

According to the jury, "The 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize finalists all created new work that demonstrates a level of maturity, individual ambition, and execution. Because the five artists' works were strong, our selection becomes one of subjective response. Katrina Moorhead, the prize recipient, brings together in her work ideas and concepts related to her recent experience in Iceland. Her installation at Arthouse expresses her exceptional ability to create objects resonant with individual and universal meaning. The clarity and complexity of the artist's vision as well as her distinctly personal touch, evident in the handcrafted quality of her objects, are among the qualities that informed our decision to award Moorhead the 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize."

I Love Vagina????

Today, I had my photography students meet me at a friend's piece of land here in East Texas for an in-class landscape assignment. Following the field trip I headed back to campus for my next class. I ended up following one of my students back.....and this was seriously written on his car. I realize he's in college, male and I could continue to list all the reasons why this might be excusable. I'm surprised in the ultra conservative town we live in he hasn't been pulled over. Lesser crimes haven't gone unpunished. At any rate, it was something even I was shocked to see.

Work in Progress

Since completing my MFA my art work production has slowed. I have the ideas however not the time nor the funds set aside for experimentation. One of my works in progress is a series on my little brother, David, who suffers from a chronic illness known as Neurofibromatosis. I don't think I want to do a documentary on him however the idea of how this illness has effected him as well as myself for the last 21 years is of interest. There are several symptoms associated with the illness that I am exploring through photography, video, sculpture and performance. The image was taken in August 2007 following my brother's most recent surgery to remove several cysts that appear just below the skin's surface. The image is a visual reminder for me of my feelings during this period of time and the physical representation of the illness seen in the scars of my brother's body.

Humble Arts Foundation

I was recently contacted by Humble Arts Foundation regarding my image titled Sale from my "Repository" series which ran in their online Group Show No 17 a few months ago. It seems there has been a growing interest in purchasing the piece. If all goes according to plan, come mid-November my vending machine image will be for sale through Humble.

Lisa Hunter, a writer, art critic and recent fan of my work hinted in her blog, The Intrepid Art Collector, her interest in the photograph as well. Rest easy, you too can now own it.

New Artists

During my recent trip to NYC, I discovered two new artist's work, Berni Searle and Rachael Dunville. Searle is featured in the MOMA's New Photography 2007 exhibition. How I had never known of her or learned of her I'm not sure. Searle works in photography, video, and performance among others. Her series "About To Forget" which was shown as a series of stills at the MOMA was quite beautiful and held my attention–enough for me to grab my little notebook and scribble her name down.

My friend Amy Stein, a follow artist and new professor, mentioned I should see the new show at Peer Gallery. As soon as I walked in I recognized one of the prints "The Brad" from a group show which had just opened in Austin, Texas called TPS 16 which I was also in. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Rachael Dunville while I was in the gallery and discovered just how small this world is.

Austin Museum of Art: 20 to Watch

I was recently selected as one of the 20 new artists to watch by the Austin Museum of Art located in downtown Austin, Texas. The show opens February 15, 2008 and runs through May 11 before heading off to other cities. This will be my first museum showing. In July I submitted work online. Then in September, I was called in for an interview to meet with the four curators/judges at AMOA. Diane Barber Director/Curator, Diverse Works, Houston; Eva Buttacavoli, Director of Exhibitions and Education, Austin Museum of Art; Bill FitzGibbons, Director, Blue Star, San Antonio; Dennis Kois, Director, Grace Museum, Abilene.

During the week I teach at SFA in Nacogdoches and commute in. I spend three days a week in Austin, four if I'm lucky and teach 4 days. My interview was scheduled for a Thursday at noon. I had planned to drive back to Austin Wednesday night after class but was kept late so woke at 6am Thursday to make the four hour drive back to Austin. I arrived at 11:30am and went straight to present. I followed this with lunch with my friend Leslie, the photo editor at Texas Monthly, whom I had filled in for May-June of this year while she took her maternity leave. At 2pm I started the drive back, 'The Road to Nac' as I like to call it followed by my three hour class on video that evening at 6pm. Needless to say when I got the call this week I was ecstatic that I had done so well given the circumstances.

I head out tomorrow morning to catch a flight to NYC. I've been gone for over two months now and can't wait to be back. I have a show which opens Sunday at Silvermine Gallery in New Canaan Connecticut. Peter MacGill was the juror and will be giving a lecture at 1pm.

Images from my Repository series were selected for both shows. A 30x40 of Exam 2 will be on display at Silvermine and a 40x50 of Clean 2 will be on view at AMOA along with one other piece.

Finally a Blog

I've been meaning to start this blog since relocating back to Texas in August. Being a first time professor of art has kept me more than busy. I plan to post new and old work, a slice of life in Texas as well as the work of other fellow Texas artists and those who inspire me.