Poetry Reading and Artist Talk at TDS

On February 2nd, poetry/art publishers Chax Press and POG sponsored a joint poetry reading by Pierre Joris and artist talk by Cynthia Miller (TDS Teaching Artist) at The Drawing Studio.

Joris, whose poems touch on memory and nomadism, believes that poetry is itself a form of translation. A native of Luxembourg, Joris has lived on four continents and published over 40 books of poetry, essays and translations. He currently teaches poetry and poetics at SUNY Albany.

Miller’s ‘visual poems’ combine experience with references such as William Morris wallpapers, Guatemalan pottery, Ukrainian folk art and Native American textiles. A native of Wisconsin, Miller trained at the San Francisco Art Institute and the U of A. Her work can be found in the J. Paul Getty Museum and Tucson Museum of Art.

   Art of Summer VII

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Art of Summer Youth Program

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TDS Board Holds Annual Retreat

The annual retreat for The Drawing Studio Board of Directors offers Board members the chance to step back from the day-to-day flurry of activities, decisions, budget reviews, planning, etc., and reflect on the larger vision, values, and mission of TDS. Each year’s retreat has a different focus. Past retreats, for example, have focused on building trust individually and organizationally, and on envisioning the TDS of five years into the future.

Held at Rancho Linda Vista in Oracle, this year’s retreat first acknowledged the Board’s key role in the successful completion of the move and renovation and in our progress towards the goals and objectives outlined in our 2006-2011 long-range plan. The Board then turned its attention to what became the heart of the day’s work: how to communicate the distinction that is The Drawing Studio’s vision, mission, and values. Or, put another way, when someone asks “what is The Drawing Studio,” what do you say?

We quickly decided that this question isn’t easy to answer. We know what we are not—a traditional school, a commercial art gallery—but we realized that the TDS experience is in some part rooted in the ineffable and therefore hard to translate into language. Some observations by individual Board members:

•            In creating the conditions of “paying attention,” that is, making new distinctions, TDS helps us come to a different way of understanding the world that engages the spirit and heart.
•            TDS is an oasis of imagination.
•            TDS fosters a community that nourishes individual curiosity.
•            TDS helps people live in a worthwhile way.
•            TDS offers non-linear learning and a structure to “give it [art] a try” whatever a person’s stage of life.
•            Learning at TDS is holistic, that is, it applies to all areas of life.
•            Learning at TDS is rooted in practice, not intellectual understanding.
•            People new to TDS need to have an experience of the place, not just “know” about it.
•            TDS is an experience of passion.
•            TDS is a paradigm shift.
•            TDS teaches us how to love.

We’re still looking for language that comes close, while at the same time, realizing our experience will continue to elude our ability to describe it. The Board concluded the day by engaging in art-making, which, after all, is what brought us together.

Andy Rush and Lynn Fleischman

Calling all Volunteers

The increase in the level of our entire operation opens up many new opportunities for volunteering. For example, we will need additional gallery and office assistance. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please leave a message for Mary Croll in the TDS office (620.0947) or email her at volunteers@thedrawingstudio.org.

It Takes a Village…to Move

TDS is incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful team working to make the move a reality. These professionals are giving generously of their time and expertise, many making an outright contribution of their services or greatly reducing the cost.

Bob Vint and Tom Spendiarian (architectural services)
Fred Conelly (general contracting)
Brenna Lacey (real estate)
Joe Wittmann (construction consulting; TDS Board member)
Paul Mohr (construction foreman; TDS Board member)
Kent von Isser (metal equipment design)