TCA T-Shirts That Rule!

Don't miss your chance to get your hands on our new t-shirts, which feature our new logo (made from artwork by TCA artist Sam Lyss!).  We are really excited about the new design.  Show your support by donning the TCA!

TCA T-shirts that rule!

We also have new greeting cards featuring original artwork by TCA artists--15 new designs!  Sold in packs of 10 ($10) or packs of 5 ($6) in a random assortment.

TCA Greeting Cards that rule as well!

To get your cards and shirts, e-mail us at nate@turnercenterforthearts.org or call (314) 781-4440.  We'll make sure they get to you in plenty of time for the holidays, and we'll only charge what we spend for shipping!

The 11/11/11 show last Friday was a resounding success!  Hundreds of people streamed through our doors almost faster than we could accommodate!  It was definitely the most lively and packed house we've ever had.  The energy was high as we put the finishing touches on everything, and that carried through to the very end of the night.  We brought in well over our goal of $2500 for this fundraiser so that is amazing.  We also sold a couple dozen art pieces, many t-shirts, many packs of greeting cards and many raffle tickets!  It was an absolute blast, and it really couldn't have happened without the incredible and tireless effort from TCA staff and volunteers.  This was the first show in TCA history that actually had volunteer help in earnest, and it payed off big time.  The studio looked pristine and well-put-together and the art was straight, correctly labeled, and all the fundraising activities (raffle, silent auction, wine grab) went smoothly and was a great addition to the event.  I was a little nervous about how that would all play in with the rest of the show, but it worked out great and didn't detract from the ambiance of the space. 


My Dad (Barry) said it best when he told me this morning, "I loooove having a board to help with this stuff!"  And I agree wholeheartedly.  If not for their ideas,  creativity and experience we wouldn't have raised nearly as much money.  And in a weird way, their presence on the TCA scene makes me feel more legitimate.  I don't shy away from people's donations and support any more because I know that there is a whole team of capable and smart directors anxious to put that support to good use!

Here are some pictures from the evening.  Happy 5th birthday TCA!

We had a line out the front door for 30 minutes!  It was packed!

Musical accompaniment!  These guys stayed late and kept the energy in the room to a maximum!

Of course, the obligatory shot of my extremely cute son, Ari.

Addy and Amy, artists from the teen studio, prove the art never stops at TCA.

Dave Walter provides entertainment for our guests as he does live art.

Kelly T., in on the action running the bar!

Annie and Gail "wo"man the raffle/wine grab table.

A call for art, some new people and some things to promote!

1) A call for art has been delivered to all of our amazing self-taught artists.  Each person has been asked to submit up to 3 pieces of art in any medium, and we are promising to take AT LEAST 1 from each artist.  Submissions run until 11/3 at 8 pm (the end of the Thursday evening class).  Everyone is anxiously awaiting all the submissions, and we can't wait to put everything together and get it on the walls!

2) We have a new evening facilitator!  Amme Moats has joined to crew at TCA, replacing our much beloved and sorely missed Kara Hayes.  We wish Kara the best of luck in her new position as Publicist at RHD in St. Charles.  Even though we miss Kara, we are excited to have Amme on board.  She volunteered for two years with the St. Louis ARCs "Artist In You" class, hosted by Turner Center and facilitated by board member Annie Smith-Piffel.   Amme's been bringing her dog into the studio with her, which I understand is quite a treat for the artists she works with.  She also brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm to the studio, so we wish Amme a warm welcome into the TCA fold. 

3) Promotion A: Our application for 501c3 status has been submitted and we are excited to begin our appeal to our supporters for financial donations.  At the upcoming show on 11/11/11, we will have lots of exciting ways to donate to TCA--a wine grab, great membership benefits, NEW TCA GREETING CARDS AND ART BOOKS! 

Promotion B:  Our show on 11/11/11 will be an absolute bash!  After 5 years, I think we've earned it.  You MUST help us celebrate our birthday.  We'll have live art by TCA artists, live music, fresh delicious hors d'ouevres, art activities, refreshments.  It's going to surpass all other TCA events in magnitude and awesomeness.  Be there!

Promotion C: When TCA re-opens in 2012, we will have a new schedule!  Come 2012, we'll be open Monday-Friday 10-3.  That is a whole new day.  We are increasing our art-making time by 25%!  We hope this will mean the center is accessible to more people, since many folks in our community are basically required to be at some type of program 5 days a week.  We also know a slew of folks who have Fridays off for leisure time.  Welcome to the TCA Fridays.  We might try to do some kind of special art activity every Friday, and rotate them each week.  For instance, we might be doing clay the first Friday of the month, watercolor on the second Friday, sculpture on the third, and collage on the fourth.  Not that sculpture or collage or any Friday art activity would be the only thing people could do.  We will still maintain our Open Studio model, which means anyone can work on anything they desire!  It's an art studio for pete's sake.  Get creative!

Promotion D: How appropriate that "promotion D" happens to be where I mention Danny Speck.  Danny has been attending the open studio at TCA for two and a half years.  He came in an accomplished artist--he'd been recognized as a stand-out artist by his peers and teachers.  Over his time at TCA, he has emerged as one of the most exciting self-taught artists we work with.  His drawing style is very recognizable and his subject matter is as varied as the world around him.  He loves pop culture icons like Michael Jackson and Gene Simmons, as well as extremely obscure and random-seeming subjects--the Clayton police department, two sorority girls partying in their dorm room, Katy Perry holding a "Hot n' Ready" pizza and wearing a tangerine-colored jump suit.  Danny has an extremely active type of creativity.  He is inspired by nearly everything he sees...I mean EVERYTHING.  He has regularly been "caught" inserting logos of Diet Pepsi, Life is Good, the St. Louis Cardinals, Rams, Blues, etc.  I say "caught" because it is something he is trying not to do-but it's hard.  He finds art and expressiveness in everything.   Danny Speck is having his first ever solo art exhibition and it will be hosted by TCA of course, on January 20th, 2012.  The latest in our "Emerging and Exciting" series (the name is still not final...), Danny Speck's show, "Characters" is not to be missed.

I think that is all for now.  It most likely isn't, but I'm going to just leave it at that, okay?

TCA Tango Night, Coming Up....

The fourth "episode" of our free Tango Night at the studio is coming up next Friday (May 13th).  The last time we Tangoed, TCA was also having the opening reception for our Spring Group Show and it was a BLAST!  Here is a pic from our last installment, and the details on the next one:

What: TCA Tango Nights
When: Friday, May 13 from 7-9 pm
Who: ANYBODY, Any Ability
Where: Our Studio at 3109 Sutton Blvd
How Much: FREE FREE FREE
Why: Because you love moving your feet and socializing!

We're finally a Non-Profit Organization

Our articles of incorporation were sent to the Missouri Secretary of State office a couple weeks ago, and we have confirmation from our VLAA lawyer that the paperwork has been received!  We are expanding our Founding Board of Directors, and the current list looks something like this:

Barry Larson - President of Bridges Community Support Services, and CEO of Arthouse Coffees - www.bridgescss.com   www.arthousecoffees.com

Linda Wiggen Kraft - Local artist and Gardener for the Soul!  http://www.gardensforthesoul.com/about.htm

Tom Allen - TCA Artist Representative, and Local Artist

Brooke Foster - Public Relations Executive at Common Ground PR www.commongroundpr.com

Annie Smith-Piffel - Art Instructor and long time friend of TCA http://www.gatewaygalleryonline.com/piffelggo.html

To help us celebrate our new (still unofficial) status as a Non-Profit, we welcome a new volunteer into the fold:  Carolyn.  She is currently finishing her junior year at Cor Jesu High School, and approached us about a volunteer opportunity for the summer months.  After meeting her, it was clear how comfortable she is in the studio setting and she even came to our last TCA Tango Night to help and also to learn some moves for her own knowledge...she'll prob bust out those great moves once she gets to college, she'll impress everyone with the authenticity of her dance skills!  HAHA!  She'll be helping our artists with their work and other tasks around the studio during our "Open Studio" program this summer, and we can't wait to see what she can do!

In other news, TCA has a new brochure.  It is clean, simple, bright, and eye-catching (imo) and it looks more like the website than our last brochure--in the name of what they call "branding", so people will recognize our material more instantly in the future.  Pick up a copy at the studio, it's a square brochure...who ever heard of such a thing?  To end, here is a pic of a piece by Michael Weidle...a mixed media portrait of Spider Man that we titled, "Spidey Extremo".  Enjoy.

Thanks.

It's been a long time coming, but now we are in the blogosphere!

We are starting this blog so we can document awesome moments, experiences, songs, art pieces, ideas, movies, concepts, projects, events, happenings at TCA!  Using the combined experiences of staff, volunteers, artists and TCA enthusiasts, we'll keep our most dedicated fans updated with interesting tid-bits from the studio.  This blog will serve as a forum for all great things TCA, an extension of our website, an extension of our souls!  We will also use this blog for posterity, so we can go back and remember the good times of the past, even as we create more and more good times for the future!  Please read, comment, share, like us, do all that stuff!  Stay tuned for our first real entry...