Several weeks ago I promised a few different things in my new office - here's the first. The Marshall office of Siebman, Reynolds, Burg, Phillips & Smith is premiering 
an "Art at Work" 
program
featuring local artists. Marshall has a thriving art community, and we are partnering with Marshall artists by establishing a rotating exhibit of original artwork by local artists in the public spaces of our office. (It should go without saying that visitors are welcome to stop by and see the artwork - that is, after all, the whole point).
Our first artist, whose work will be exhibited at the office throughout April and May is Carol Pace of Marshall. 
Carol studied at the Memphis Art Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, and now works daily from her studio in Marshall, taking time out to teach adult classes in Texas and Arkansas. (I was one of Carol's students in a drawing class a number of years back). Some of Carol's honors and awards include the following:
- In 2006 she was chosen to exhibit
in the 44th Artists’ Invitational Show at the Longview Museum of Art in Longview, Texas. Following this exhibit, a representative piece of
her work was added to the permanent collection at the Museum.
- In 2005 she was the recipient of the purchase award at the Marshall Regional Arts Council competition.
- Her work is currently hanging in the Shreveport Regional Airport as a
part of “Artport”, one of a group of prestigious artists, invited to be
part of a permanent exhibit there in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- In Ruston, La., Carol took Best of Show at the Douglas M. Walton Water-Media 2001 encounter at Louisiana Tech University.
-
In 1997 Carol was chosen among the Top 100 Artists in America and took
second in the international competition in La Jolla, California.
Carol's work
has recently been purchased and hung in the Texas State Capitol and in
the nation's Capitol as well. She has exhibited in several states
including, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas and Louisiana. More of Carol's work can be seen online here, and on her website.
Our office will be displaying twelve of Carol's works during April and May (details of the works on display are here - Download pace_artwork.pdf
). The centerpiece (for me at least) is a watercolor of the stained glass window at local First Methodist Church entitled "Memory Window" - the photo below is of one of the two panels. (It may also have something to do with the fact that Jamie and I were married in that church and that window was one of the last things I saw as a free ma..., uh, as a bachelor).
Other pieces include "Sunflower Field" 
"A Beautiful Butterfly Day" (a local favorite because of the inexplicable presence of the monkey) and 
"Trumpets in My Window." 
We also have on display (see photos at the top of this post) several of Carol's smaller drawings and watercolors of local scenes, including the old courthouse (several) , the federal courthouse, and old Marshall library (now the Chamber of Commerce).
All of the works (except the "yellow dome" courthouse watercolor above, which is now mine) are available for purchase - just contact Carol directly via her website.
The "Art at Work" program we've developed is by no means proprietary and I encouraged anyone and everyone to feel free to adopt it in your office to promote your local arts community - click here Download art_at_work_proposal.pdf for the guidelines we developed.
Hopefully this will be a good way to get original artwork out "working" in the community to be admired and shared. It's also just one more thing I always wanted to do in my office, and have finally gotten around to.
