INSIDE: Raleigh on Film; Bethune on Theatre; Lille on Batsheva Dance Company; Cole on Terry Frost; Goldman on Cedar Lake Dancers; Herman on Music; Tobey on Alice Barber Stephens; Steiner on ‘Modern’ Art; Seckel on Fredericksburg, Texas; Sussman on Investing in Art; New Art Books; Short Fiction & Poetry; Extensive Calendar of Cultural Events…and more! ART TIMES Vol. 31 No. 3 Winter 2014/15 (Dec/Jan/Feb) Fredericksburg, Texas: Hill Country’s new American Art Destination By CORNELIA SECKEL I was asked if I’d like to join a press a more elaborate kitchen, many with group to explore Fredericksburg, a luxurious bathrooms and bathtubs, small town in Texas with wineries, room beautifully decorated and very galleries and historic sites. It had comfortable. some are modeled on the been a while since I did any travel- sunday Houses — the small 2 story ing so I accepted the invite and I am houses that farmers built in town for surely glad I did. The staff at Gei- a place to stay after church. ger & Associates has always been I arrived on a Monday having excellent. One of their many clients flown from albany to Chicago and has been the Convention and Visi- then on to san antonio where several tors Bureau (CVB) (visitfreder- of us were greeted and driven the 1.5 icksburgtx.com) and for many years hours north to Fredericksburg and they’ve been bringing journalists to our individual accommodations. din- this town with the expectation that ner was at the Navajo Grill where there would be “stories” out in the Ernest A. Loeffler, Jr., President world and the tourism traffic would and CeO, of the Convention and increase. well it certainly has. In the Visitors Bureau welcomed us and town of 11,000 individuals the visi- gave us an overview of the town and Fellow Journalists enjoying coffee at the Java Ranch espresso Bar and Café (mural by Lee Casbeer) that hosted us. Both the Chefs and five counties near the geographical Vintners are dedicated to their craft. center of Texas. The Spanish arrived with most of the restaurants I found in 1519 and then other Europeans a strong focus on “farm to table”. in 1846 when John O. Meusebach The first known residents of led a group of 120 Germans sponsored Gillespie County (where Fred- by the Adelsverein, a Society for ericksburg is) were the Tonkawa the Protection of German Im- Indians. By the nineteenth century, migrants in Texas, to Texas. The Comanches and Kiowas had also society was founded in april, 1842, moved into the area now known as by twenty-one German noblemen at the center of the Hill Country, the Biebrich on the Rhine, near Mainz, region including all or part of twenty- Continued on Page 10 Each Month visit arttimesjournal.com for new essays, videos, Nicole Bendele, public relations at Becker Vineyards, gives us a tour and a Tank & Barrel tasting— same wine from a tank and a barrel before we were treated to a calendar & opportunity listings Library Tasting —food and wine pairing (see insert) tors spend $89 million dollars each its history. Representatives from the CSS Publications, Inc. Support the Arts; year and stay at any one of 1,500+ Hilmy Winery provided the wines PO Box 730 Enrich your Life B&B’s, Guest Houses, Inns, Cabins, that paired with the 4 “tasting” Mt. Marion, NY 12456-0730 Hotels, Resorts and Cottages. These courses offered by the Navajo Grill (a www.arttimesjournal.com 845-246-6944 Guest Houses, while I can’t say are family-run business). as each course unique (but may be to Fredericks- came to the table the chef spoke about burg), are the featured “hotel room”. the food and the winery reps did the Most are small cottages with a re- same for the wines. This was gener- Subscribe to ART TIMES frigerator and microwave, some with ally the case in all of the restaurants ART-LITERATURE-DANCE-MUSIC-EXHIBITIONS-THEATRE-FILM-ART-LITERATURE-DANCE-MUSIC winter 2014/2015 aRT TIMES page 2 Peeks and Piques! ART TIMES eVeRY NOw & then, I still run into were ‘cultured’ (Peter’s only direction Commentary and Resource for the Fine & Performing Arts and to quit producing ‘phony’ idyllic someone who asks me why I tend ART TIMES (IssN 0891-9070) is published quar- beauty. (some months back, I par- to his middlemen was “don’t buy terly by CSS Publications, Inc and distributed to ignore ‘modern’ art and I always ticipated in a small group show in bad art.”) One need only weed out along the Northeast Corridor primarily through- readily admit to a deep bias to all substantives (nouns) that purport to out the Metropolitan & Hudson Valley Regions, which 3 or 4 representational works Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey. its myriad manifestations, trends, ((a few of my ‘idyllic’ landscapes define what you are seeing from the Copies are also available by mail to subscribers politics, movements, isms, agendas included)) were hung alongside one adjectives, conjunctions, adverbs, and arts organizations throughout the Us and abroad. Copyright © 2014, Css Publications, Inc. and earth shattering, mind-blowing, non-representational artist who I modifiers and ‘fluff’ that professional ART TIMES online can be viewed at: arttimesjour- ‘cutting’ edges. I usually point out overheard claim that she was the art bloviators freely employ to ‘mag- nal.com and has a pdf of the current print issue (if they seem truly interested in only “honest” artist there). ‘Isms’ and nify’ their ‘criticisms’ so that they can (with images in color), as well as archived critiques, reviews, art essays, theatre, film, music, dance es- my ‘why’) that since its inception in ‘ists’ abounded, all armed with mani- earn their ‘cut’ of the profits.w ell, I’ve says from the past 13+ years. each month the site 1984, ART TIMES has always tried festoes, rationalizations, apologies, tried to avoid touting stuff I don’t be- is updated with new essays, videos, advertising to take what I call the “long view”, and resources. Call for visitor statistics as they catchy labels (“dada”, surrealism”, lieve in (or even like) in ART TIMES change daily. readily giving over our pages to the “Futurism”, suprematism, “Cubism”, merely to appear ‘au courant’. To be recognized past masters as well as Publisher: Cornelia seckel “Fauvism”, “Constructionism”, “Op”, blunt, I just don’t care about your editor: Raymond J. steiner those artists of today who follow in “Pop”,”Outsider”, etc., etc. etc.), and angst, your anger, your politics, your Contributing writers: their footsteps, faithfully learning justifications as to why it’s ‘hip’ for agendas, issues, hot buttons. fetishes Henry P. Raleigh Robert w. Bethune the ‘basics’ to produce equally ‘good’ or feigned inscrutability, nor want Ina Cole dawn Lille artists to produce crap henceforth. Leslie Herman emily Mure art. My ‘bias’ stems from the knowl- discrediting classicism and classi- visual renditions of same on my walls. subscription Rates: edge that, historically, most ‘modern’ cists, they succeeded in convincing I want my life enhanced by viewing Usa: $18 /1 year $34 /2years art was ‘born’ after world wars I & artists that even human excretion in ‘good’ art and not reading about it Foreign: $35 /1 year $45 /2 years II, both of which harshly revealed our a jar or a crucifix in urine is not only ala some bloviator’s hyped jargon. Contact for Print and Online advertising Rates: Css Publications, Inc., PO Box 730, Mt. Marion, feckless ‘morality’ and the cruel and ‘art’ but relevant ‘art’. Persuading an To me, ‘crap’ in a jar is still ‘crap’ NY, 12456. Phone/ Fax (845) 246-6944; senseless underbelly of our so-called uncultured and aesthetically-igno- and, if I want such negatives in my email: [email protected] ‘civilization’. whether rightfully or rant moneyed class to patronize such life, there’s always prime time news web site: arttimesjournal.com not, philosophers, soothsayers, pun- that can supply it ad nauseum. ART advertising reservations are due: Feb 15 spring ‘art’ was easy — after all, middle- (Mar/apr/May) May 15 for summer (Jun/Jul/aug); dits, politicians, theologians — and, men had been serving clueless and TIMES has managed to survive with aug 15 for Fall (sep/Oct/Nov); Nov 15 for winter yes — even artists, aestheticians, wealthy royalty as art ‘pundits’ since its benighted views for over 30 years, (dec/Jan/Feb). Items for inclusion in the Calendar must be uploaded to www.arttimesjournal.com/ and critics eagerly jumped on the they saw how easy it was to convince witnessing several “hip slicks” come submitevent.html and Opportunities listings must bandwagon, proclaiming the world Catherine the Great (and her father, and go during our tenure — so why be submitted by email/ fax or mail by the 18th of the rotten, corrupt, meaningless, ugly, preceding publication month. email for guidelines. Peter) to buy ‘art’ by the truckload, fix what ain’t broke? and just plain ‘shit’, and that it was Guest articles on the arts are also considered but because whatever it ‘meant’, collect- Raymond J. Steiner must be preceded by a written Query. Our “speak the artist’s ‘duty’ to ‘tell it like it is’ ing ‘art’ showed the world that they Out” section is a forum for reader’s relevant opin- ef ions on art-related matters; viewpoints expressed in the “speak Out” section are not to be construed as positions held by the publisher, editor or staff arttimesjournal.com of this publication. Queries, Mss. without sase Betsy acaruso Studio included will not be acknowledged. we do not accept J new essays & resources monthly electronic submissions.