Denton poetry group elects new officers

The Denton Poet’s Assembly, a nonprofit organization, recently elected new officers for the 2010-11 year.

The new officers are: Christina Smith and Samika Swift, co-presidents; Annie Neugebauer, vice-president; Beth Honeycutt, secretary; Jan Spence, treasurer; Karla K. Morton, director; and Teresa Hill, director. 

The assembly meets monthly at Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland St. It is free and open to the public.

The next meeting is 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 21.

The organization also hosts Basement Poetry at Hydrant Cafe, 208 W. Oak St., at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. Sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m. This open-mic poetry reading is free and open to all ages.

For more information, visit www.dentonpoetsassembly.weebly.com or e-mail dentonpoetsassembly@yahoo.com.

— Rachel Mehlhaff

VAST director earns award for photo

Lynne Cagle Cox, executive director of the Visual Arts Society of Texas, recently earned an award at the Visual Art League of Lewisville’s “Fresh Ideas 2010” show.

Cox, a quilter and photographer, earned an honorable mention in the exhibit with her photograph Over the River and Through the Woods.

The photograph is a color landscape that shows a road that meanders in the manner the title describes.

— Lucinda Breeding

Courtesy photo/Niema Jones

Wood, prepared textile and heavy applications of paint mark the textures of artist Niema Jones’ collection of work on exhibit at Jupiter House on the downtown Denton Square.

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Nature-focused work hung in Jupiter House

Local artist Niema Jones has a collection of work on exhibit at Jupiter House, a coffeehouse in downtown Denton.

The paintings come from Jones’ renewed commitment to examining nature. Jones, who earned a Master of Fine Arts from Texas Woman’s University, used wood to meld fragile natural elements with heavy applications of paint on prepared textile and paper backgrounds.

“These paintings not only explore animal and insect body configuration but also the tiny masses of boundaries comprising wings,” Jones writes in an artist statement. Smaller works are from a companion series that examines how to create boundaries in a macrocosm.

Jones said the result was vibrant and layered starscapes.

Jupiter House is located at 106 Locust St. Hours are 6 a.m. to midnight daily.

— Lucinda Breeding

Local cartoonist’s work on display in Dallas

Denton cartoonist Jeremy Smith, who was awarded an Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant in May, has some of his work on exhibit at the Public Trust, a Dallas gallery.

His solo show is on exhibit, concurrent with a solo show by artist Billy Zinser.

Smith is a cartoonist and creator of Ropeburn, which was first published in 2005. In 2007, his efforts were recognized by the Xeric Foundation, which gave Smith funds to produce the Ropeburn comics. Selected strips are in the exhibit, along with five new paintings.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, and by appointment.

The Public Trust is located at 2919-C Commerce St. in Dallas.

— Staff report