Zena Stetka Howe
     Sculptor, Printmaker
     Johnson City, Texas            

      Zena Stetka Howe lives in Houston with her husband E.J. but their sights are
     on the Texas  Hill Country. They purchased acreage near Johnson City, and
     are planning to build their studios and home in the near future.
     Zena Stetka Howe was born in Pilzen, Czechoslovakia and grew up under the
     artistic influence of her  uncle,  an accomplished painter and sculptor. She is
     faithful to his philosophy of expressing one’s feelings  under any
     circumstances, through any art form. Fluent in English, and Czech, Howe
     received her early education in Litomerice, Czechoslovakia, taking advanced
     studies in Latin and foreign languages. Before coming to the United States in
    1975, Howe worked as a film editor for Czechoslovak TV in Prague. She
    attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, working part time as
    a fashion model. Family and financial difficulties caused her to put her dream of
    becoming a fashion designer on hold. Howe worked as a flight attendant for the
    next 15 years. With the strength gained from her life experiences and with the
    support of her family, Howe returned to her dream of creative expression.
    During ARTS Encounters, Zena will answer questions about her new 25 feet
    wide sculpture installed in  October at the Benini Sculpture, entitled A Presence
    from the Insect World. Following that, she will present information about
    monoprinting.

    In her words:

Probably one of the least understood printing processes is monoprinting. As the word monoprint indicates it is an edition of one. One of a kind. The original. The traditional printing process uses a printing press - the process that I began my printing experience. However,  when I lost the availability of a press I needed to discover a new method of printing without a press. This presentation will include both examples of work using a press and my own method. After the presentation during the break , visitors will have the opportunity to create your own monoprint.

     A favorite from the 2005 ARTS Encounters, the Bedlam Faction returns this time
     with an overview of Shakespeare's sonnets.
 

Bedlam Faction: The Sonnet Project
An Investigation into the perform-ability of Shakespeare's Sonnets.
The Sonnet Project will yield a series of lectures and research
presentations at galleries, theater festivals, and various other
venues over the next year. After a year's work, we will assemble our
lessons and create a full-length multi-disciplinary presentation of
Shakespeare's sonnets. Benini's is where we begin.
This project arises from our passion for Shakespeare combined with
our yearning to do under-performed and obscure works. The sonnets are
simply a treasure trove of dramatic language. They are comparatively
under-studied, and only very rarely spoken out-loud or performed
publicly. Our goal is then to become experts in the dramatic
potential of the sonnets and to determine how they may best be shared.
Our presentation at Arts Encounters will include a basic context of
the sonnets and an exploration of three sonnets in performance which
range from a familiar sonnet to lesser known examples.

The Bedlam Faction is an Austin-based arts collective that was
founded in 2000 to explore theatrical projects using a wholly
collaborative process of creation. With Bedlam, all project members
communally play the role of stage-director, and our pieces are
hammered out on the anvil of dissent and cooperation.

Click here to Preview the Three Sonnets to be Performed at Arts Encounters

     The Bedlam Faction Mission Statement-Click here.

www.BedlamFaction.com