Last chance for tickets to NAC’s annual Arts Ball: I Want My 80’s! still available online or can be bought at the door Saturday, October 4! HURRY!
The next big thing in the arts is about to hit Nacogdoches – it’s the ART CAFE: Where Creativity Meets Community! Just like a cafe… but with art supplies! Starting October 16 | Thursdays 5-7 PM & Sundays 2-4 PM. Imagine walking into your favorite cafe, but instead of just ordering coffee, you’re served premium art supplies and endless creative possibilities without the cleanup! Choose your medium from three curated experiences that you book online. Plus one of our talented community artists will be there to offer gentle guidance along the way. Book your spot today and discover why our Art Cafe is the perfect blend of creativity and community.
Make plans to attend the new exhibition at Falling Star Gallery @ NAC. Opening Saturday, October 18 is BLOOM: Flower and the Human Spirit, paintings by Jim Leysath and ceramics by Maggie Leysath with artists in attendance. At 2pm there will be a brief art talk followed by a reception. The show continues Saturdays through November 29. You don’t want to miss this wonderful collaboration!
We are now accepting vendor applications for the annual Winter Workshop on the square downtown on the day of the Christmas parade, from 10-2 December 6.
Nacogdoches Arts Collaborative is located inside Williamsburg Plaza, 320 North Street. Falling Star Gallery @ NAC is in Suite 306 & 307 and is open Saturdays from 11-4 or by appointment by texting 917-209-1050. We are also an easy walk from downtown at 415 N. Fredonia Street, one block north of the Fredonia Hotel.
OCTOBER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT – Meet Maggie Leyseth!
Maggie Leysath (pronounced “Lye-sick”) and her brother-in-law Jim Leysath are opening a special joint show called “Bloom: Flower and the Human Spirit” paintings by Jim Leysath and ceramics by Maggie Leysath at Falling Star Gallery on October 18.
Originally from Chicago, Maggie is a retired art educator. Her specialty is working with clay; she throws pots and other works in her Nacogdoches home studio. “I got interested in working with clay when I took a class in Japanese raku firing techniques. I really love making things from clay.”
Maggie has a bachelor’s from Sam Houston State University and eventually, got her teaching certificate. “I was one class away from getting my degree in art and I said, ‘I can’t make a living doing this’ and I changed my major to English, of all things,” she said, laughing. But when she was offered a job teaching art in tiny Onalaska, Texas, where there was no established art department or program, she accepted the challenge. Maggie spent 11 years there, teaching classes to 4th through 12th graders , organizing student art shows, and helping students to discover their artistic voice by helping them find what interested them. “I taught the importance of art. Why is it important? It’s a human endeavor. Humans create art, and clay lasts forever.”
Eventually, as her program expanded and her school art show grew from 30 attendees to 650, Maggie needed a break and decided to go back to school at SFA, where she obtained a master’s in art education in 2011 and a doctorate in educational leadership in 2013. Her thesis focused on integrating the teaching of art with other subjects like chemistry. For example, students would study the chemical composition of pottery glazes to understand how changes in temperature and composition would affect the look of a piece.
“The idea of ‘Anybody can do that’ in any artistic discipline is a myth,” says Maggie. “In order to work like an artist, you need technique and training. Skill building teaches you what you can actually do with your medium, and helps you make the work you want to make. The best way to turn into the human you are is to practice art.”
You can take ceramics classes with Maggie at Muddy Pants Pottery in Nacogdoches.
