Texas WAX:
A Transformation from Hive to Colony
Michelle Belto
From my experience over the years with various non-profit organizations, I have found that three key elements must be in place for that organization to endure and grow: Good leadership, a strong sense of volunteerism and a built in path to growing the organization. From its beginning and throughout its many transformations, Texas Wax had all three of these pillars in place.
Given the huge geographic area of our state, it is no wonder that Texas Wax began almost simultaneously in each of the four major metropolitan areas: Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. Like many professional groups, the organization started with artists needing to connect with other like-minded artists.
The Beginning..
In 2007 two Texans who had been working in encaustic for several years attended Joanne Mattera’s first conference at Montserrat College of Art. Gwendolyn Plunkett from Houston and Deanna Wood from Dallas didn’t meet one another at the conference, but as the only two Texans who attended, they later followed up with one another and began to discuss a collaborative all-encaustic exhibit for the spring of 2008. As adjunct professors at their local community colleges, they saw an opportunity to connect with the College