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Q&A: UT Tyler Alumni Enhance East Texas Arts With Community Group

Moore and SandersA group of local artists formed the community-based group etx creatives two years ago. Their mission? To promote the East Texas arts. Learn more about the community effort through the following question and answer segment with co-founders and UT Tyler alumni Addie Moore of Tyler and Jessica Sanders of Hawkins.

The group is a community effort dedicated to enhance and promote the arts in East Texas and the primary brainchild of Moore, an artist and art teacher at Chapel Hill High School. Sanders, fresh out of graduate school, is pursuing a career as a working artist and recently set up a home studio to start the process of finding gallery representation.

They are both part of the group’s leadership team, which helps establish the growing regional art community with nearly 400 other creatives.

How did you discover UT Tyler, and how did the University prepare you for a successful career?

Moore: I’m a Tylerite, but I didn’t consider UT Tyler an option until my mom accepted a position in the marketing department. I grew to appreciate the opportunities that UT Tyler offered me. I am really grateful for my time at UT Tyler because it allowed me to be a big fish in a small pond. I was able to take on leadership positions, like starting the student organization known as Studio Art and Art History Association (SAAHA) and helping to create the first Art History Symposium at the school.

I was the only student chosen from UT Tyler for the Archer Fellowship in the semester I went, where the competition pool was much smaller – I think one out of 13 rather than 10 chosen out of 200 at UT Austin. I had the opportunity to learn to be a responsible global citizen and travel to South America with the (now ended, but incredible) two-year Global Awareness Through Education (GATE) program. I realized that yes, travel and the big cities are great, but you have so many more opportunities when you set up roots where you're planted. You can have a greater impact on a smaller area if you dig in.   

Sanders: I grew up in Hawkins, but have been going to school and living in Tyler for a while now, so I really feel like a Tylerite. Right before I received my associate degree at TJC in 2015, my mother passed away. I decided to transfer over to UT Tyler so I could be close to family. I chose to stay for graduate school because I fell in love with the art department, and there were so many perks to getting an art degree at UT Tyler. For example, there is great funding for assistantships and opportunities for travel.

I work in ceramics, and at UT Tyler I learned how to fire several different kinds of kilns, and how to use lots of different equipment. I was able to meet, make connections and critique with working artists, museum curators and other professionals in my field. The department created several opportunities for students to see art and experience different museums. I was able to go to several conferences and did a residency in Montana that I was able to get funding for through the University. But the biggest thing I feel that prepared me was having professors who work in the field and that I’ve created relationships with that span past being in school.

For those who may not know, what is the group etx creatives all about?

Moore: We are a community of artists, poets, musicians and other creative professionals uplifting and promoting creative work in our area by organizing opportunities to engage East Texas (etx) in the arts through education, collaboration, exhibition and workshops.

I co-founded the East Texas community organization, etx creatives, with Jessica Sanders and a group of dedicated women including Lisa Horlander, April Moore, Micah Lewis and Joanna Gifford. As the current community organizer, I work with Jessica to coordinate events, manage content for our blog, curate social media content and help with other workings within the group.

There was a need in the area to bring creative professionals together outside of the academic setting to support each other. We have so many talented, hard-working, high quality artists living and working in East Texas with limited outlets to develop our crafts and showcase our work. I saw a need and an opportunity to create outlets for artists, musicians, poets and other creatives to showcase their talent and passions. It really started with a small meeting and it has grown into something larger through community support and enthusiasm to develop the area.

We currently have 349 curated etx creatives members, meaning each member has to submit a portfolio of some sort to show experience in their respective fields. 

Are there any interesting facts/stats you'd like to share with readers?

Moore: There is a lot of potential in East Texas. We have incredible arts programs at the colleges, hundreds of dedicated creative people working here, and we have a strong desire to grow the arts scene; however, there is still a huge draw for young creatives to move to metroplexes for work. By educating the public on the importance of art and creating high-quality exhibitions and opportunities to showcase creative work, we hope to influence a generation to decide to cultivate the art scene in the region. I think it’s starting, but we have a long way to go. 

What are some past projects the group has worked on? Any future projects/events in the works?

Moore: We have organized professional exhibitions featuring guest jurors, hosted events showcasing local poets and musicians to pair with the openings for the exhibitions and created zines to document interviews with the artists.

We host a podcast called etx creatives, where we interview etx creatives members to talk about current projects and their experiences in their respective fields. We create content for our blog on our website, where we post interviews and promote local upcoming events in the community. We also have an upcoming online exhibition featuring Jessica’s ceramic group, ASG, a ceramic collaborative.

We currently are taking applications for the Stephen Morrison Creative Fund. This is an opportunity for an East Texas resident to create an artwork, film, music or otherwise that either describes, documents, benefits, or otherwise is of significance to the greater East Texas area. The fund is named after Stephen Morrison, a filmmaker and dear friend, who passed away in June of this year. We are using our proceeds from our January event to fund this opportunity. 

We intend to expand the website and will soon have more offerings such as a directory for people seeking creative workers and an equipment rental system.

Sanders: Since we founded back in October of 2018, we have organized six exhibitions. We did several summer workshops in the summer of 2019, but due to COVID, we were not able to make them work this summer. We hope to continue them in the future.

We also have an upcoming online exhibition that will be up this month showcasing a small art collection that was founded in Tyler.

What did you like best about UT Tyler and the College of Arts and Sciences?

Moore: The small class sizes. It allowed for more time to ask questions and develop relationships with my professors. I still know them well and could call on them for a recommendation letter, some four years later. I enjoyed the amount of space for studio spaces as well. 

Sanders: The people. I learned and grew so much from working alongside and talking with my professors and peers.

Aside from your community group, of course, what are your hobbies/interests?

Moore: As an artist and traveler, I spend most of my time creating artwork for myself or on commission or scouring the internet for cheap flights.

Sanders: I love to read and enjoy friends and family, but mostly, I’m working in my studio.

For those who want to join the group, what's the best contact info you'd like to share with readers?

Moore: They should check out our instagram @etxcreatives and our facebook, facebook.com/etxcreatives, where they can apply for membership or keep up with what is going on with the group. They can also check out the blog and join our email list at etxcreatives.com.

What advice do you have for current UT Tyler students?

Moore: Don’t wait – make the thing you're waiting to make you happy happen.

Sanders: Take advantage of the resources in front of you. Make sure you are meeting people and making connections that will help you later in your career. And I think most importantly, especially for people going into fields like art, don’t be afraid to fail at things, we learn more from our mistakes then we do our successes.

 

Sanders holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine art, while Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history with a minor in studio arts.

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