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Mel Casas

DEDICATION REWARDED
Prominent Mexican-Americans
By 
Veronica Salazar


Dec 23 1973


Mel Casas sees things brown. 

He is an artist. He is committed to his art. And his art focuses sharply upon his view of his ethnic heritage. 

He puts it this way. "I am Chicano and my view of the milieu is, invariably, in shades of brown. My visual dilemma is the illusive iconomorphic expression that is relevant to Chicano art--Chicano visual identity." 

He recognizes the difficulty of creating new art forms but he makes that a goal. He recalls his non-objective painting as an "act of rebellion until it became an academic defense."

Providing

In the past eight years he has seen his work become figurative and "I have been under feverish excitement of having something new to say, of making my own contributions to the art world. 

"I feel I am no longer taking but providing. And at age 43, it's about time." 

Melesio (el) Casas was born in El Paso on Nov. 23, 1929. he graduated from El Paso High School and his formal artistic training did not start until he entered college at the age of 23. 

"Thanks to the G.I. Bill, my desire to paint and teach began to acquire a semblance of reality. Maybe, because of my late start in college, I was able to do extremely well both academically and artistically." 

Degree in '56

He received his bachelor of arts degree from Texas Western College in 1956 and his master's degree from the University of the Americas in 1958. 

It was during his sojourn in Mexico City that he awakened to the fact that the arts can grow and mature only through the virtues of cosmopolitanism. 

He said the artist-teacher must and is obligated to broaden his experiences and liberate his creative urges. 

Rewards

"Cosmopolitanism promises the artist-teacher an enlarged outlook on art and breaks the restrictions of parochialism. When people of different attitudes are brought together through the medium of art, reciprocal rewards await. 

"For it is the artist, through his imagery, who records his feelings, the aspirations and the ideas of the people. The wider his experiences, the greater perspective his contribution will embrace."

Mel Casas is presently associate professor of art at San Antonio College, a position he has held for 12 years. Prior to coming to the college he was chairman of the art department at Jefferson High School in El Paso.

Many Awards

He is a member of the American Association of University Professors, Texas Junior College Teachers Association, Civil Liberties Union and is president of C/S (Con Safo) Painters of San Antonio. 

Casas has received numerous awards for his work.

Among those are second prize in the National Society of Arts and Letters, third prize in the Mexico City College Saloncito seventh exhibition, purchase prize in the sixth and ninth annual Sun Carnival Exhibition (El Paso and a $250 award in the 36th Annual Exhibition of San Antonio Art League.

As for his goals for the Mexican American, "Chicanos must share in the responsibility of helping their artists in the search for visual congruity, social internalization, iconic formalization and visual concretization of Chicanism. Chicano artists are in dire need of economic, philosophical and aesthetic support."

Cappy Dick Winners

Winners of Ball-and-Vase Magic Tricks offered as the local prizes in Cappy Dick"s secret message puzzle contest published in the comic section Sunday, Dec. 2, are: 
Karen Wilhite, 10, 4423 Las Cruces, Alice Connor, 12, 135 Canton, Debbie Albert, 11, 10603 Cedar Elm; Mary Barreas, 10, 622 Cottonwood; Anita Holistein, 10, 3106 WI tewing; Gay Pendergraff, 6119 Golden Valley; Rob Bradley, 11, E.E. 2, Box 2 Boerne; Sherrl Riley, 8, 31 Fifth, Kenedy; Greg Mcmillan, R.R.1, Box 128 talia, and Susan Starr, 10 Mulberry, Uvalde.
Winners of the national grand prizes in the same test are Heidi Frohnap Akron, Ohio; Nancy Po Cambridge, N. Y.; Ianucci, 13, Cheektown Y.; Aaron Basil, 8. Ly Ohio; Jeanine Jacques tellite Beach, Fla.; Baer, 13,Newport No and Karen Venverloh Louis, Mo. Each will the 22-volume World cyclopedia and the World Atlas. 
All the winners wi their prizes by mail. 

Marion Koogler MacNay Institute San Antonio, Texas