Mike Cacioppo & Lamar Legends Exhibition

The community is invited to a reception to be held for an exciting new exhibition titled “Mike Cacioppo & Lamar Legends” at Beaumont Art League. 

“I have wanted to do this exhibit for a long time,” said Cacioppo. “It will be my work along with many great artists I’ve studied with at the Lamar University Art Department, including five of my professors who shaped us. Every student and professor at Lamar had an impact on me, and I am sure we did on each other. The department produced many great artists during that period. This exhibition will showcase their many talents as well as celebrate their gifts that the department produced in the 1970s.”

Works to be shown alongside Cacioppo are Curtis Black, Linnis Blanton, Joey Blazek, Greg Busceme, Sam Daleo, Albert Faggard, Jamie Paul Kessler, Sandy Laurette, Rosemary Mathis, Jeff McManus, Igalious Mills, Art Nations, Dr. Lynne Lokensgard, Robert Madden, Jerry Newman, Robert O’Neill, Dr. Robert Rogan and Conn Trussell. 

Cacioppo, a Beaumont native, began creating art at a young age with little formal art training. 

“My aunt paid for a few oil painting lessons when I was in sixth grade,” he said. “From there, I learned to paint from ‘how to paint’ books in my parents’ garage storeroom, which substituted as my studio.”

After completing his education at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School and Kelly High School in 1973, Cacioppo attended Lamar University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1977. He then received a Master of Arts degree in Geography-Urban Planning from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1978.

“After studying art and urban planning, a major recession hit in the early ‘80s that forced me into small family retail where I worked long hours and had little free time,” he said. “I had no time to produce art, but continued to enjoy museums and local art venues. Over three decades later I am forced into an early retirement, which actually turned out to be a blessing especially since it gave me time to devote to art again. With no art studio for oil painting, I decided to use the portable medium of watercolor in which I studied under Robert O’Neill and Jerry Newman at Lamar University.”

Cacioppo has won various awards in competitions in the Beaumont Art League and his work, “Happy Accidents,” was featured in the Café Art Series at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. 

“Even though I have seen gorgeous sights traveling to many countries, the beauty of our area has captivated me all my life,” said Cacioppo. “I feel the need to try to capture and interpretive its essence. They are magical places like Tyrrell Park, which I have painted since high school. The Tyrrell Park Garden Center and Cattail Marsh are sanctuaries of peace and serenity. I have attempted to capture the magic of our local terrain in my watercolors. Art and nature refresh my soul, so I can only hope that viewers of my artwork will also feel renewed.

 The exhibit is on display through Jan. 31, 2024 and all works will be available for purchase.