It feels like these tribute pieces are a too-frequent occurrence these days.
The news that the first lady of the arts scene in Woodville, Judith Haney, had passed on last Monday, still doesn’t feel right or real.
Judith wore several hats during her 81 years here, and she wore them all well. From nurturing creative thinking to young minds as an educator, and even later, as an administrator in Woodville schools, to serving as the city judge for close to 20 years, and, of course, as the arts maven of downtown Woodville, “Judge Judy,” as many knew her, was both a doer and an encourager.
It does not feel like any time has really passed since I used this space to memorialize Judith’s neighbor across the road, Fred Sullivan, and pondered what Woodville would be like without him. Now I wonder the same in Judith’s absence.
Throughout the years that I’ve known her, Judith Haney, always with her beloved Sam, represented something that small towns, especially, really need: a positive force to nurture creative thinkers.
The amount of Tyler County talent who have discovered a love for painting, or the theatre or music through the Tyler County Art League Gallery or the Haneys’ venue, Emporium Stage, is hard to fathom. Folks have had the opportunity to drink in many types of artistic happenings, thanks to the Haneys’ vision, through the years. From travelling theatrical productions on the Emporium Stage to opportunities for back porch pickers and singers to shine, as well as legends like Dana Cooper, the Haneys have been responsible for fostering a wealth of endeavors that the county would not have otherwise witnessed.
In an age when many small towns across the country are levering arts tourism in order to thrive, Judith and the downtown arts district in Woodville were ahead of the curve.
In Small Town, USA, practicality often outruns the pace of imagination, and the presence of someone like Judith Haney can mean the difference between a cultural desert and a quietly thriving artistic community. Places like Woodville can certainly feel overlooked in the greater cultural landscape. Compared to nearby Beaumont, which has venues on seemingly every corner hosting live music as well as galleries and museums aplenty, it might seem like the arts are not a priority in Woodville, but it is in places like it, and Tyler County, where the fiercest champions for art are needed.
In larger cities, many institutions, such as universities, galleries (that are often affixed to universities) and large-scale performing arts venues, carry the arts forward, but in many small towns, those sort of institutions are non-existent, and progress as far as the arts go depend on individuals, often working on a volunteer basis, to teach a painting class, to direct a play, hang paintings, sweep floors or run sound for a show. That sort of work helps to encourage nervous newcomers to such a scene, and Judith, who could do it all, had that sort of energy and exemplified a spirit of volunteerism.
The emotional architecture that a person like Judith Haney created helped many young people, as well as older folks looking to take up a new pursuit, and create a circle, whereas endeavors such as painting and theatre might have felt isolated within our county boundaries before. The confidence gained from encouragement, practice and having an audience, deepens the connection to the community for those creatives, and further enriches their lives.
It might feel like painting, theatre and music are not celebrated as essential pursuits in small towns, but the enthusiasm and passion of someone like Judith Haney brings about the needed celebration to get a large group of people excited and actively involved.
I once read a quote from the Who guitarist Pete Townshend many eons ago, with which he opined that it was hard for a creative person to thrive in the American Midwest with the lack of creative/intellectual stimulation. This is true for any area lacking in those stimuli, but with a person like Judith Haney to champion it, creative expression thrives, and permission for would-be artists to try, to fail, to create and to try again, is foundational to future success. Without that, many folks who have talent and some sort of vision never take off in the first place.
Judith Haney afforded that kind of permission. She was not just an organizer and participant, she was a catalyst. Her efforts within the city of Woodville to create a visible, tangible hub for creativity, where it might not have existed otherwise, will never be forgotten.
A nurturing figure cultivates not just art, in the case of Judith Haney, but belonging, and that won’t be forgotten by the many creatives she helped in her lifetime.
Every painter, thespian, musician or poet who has ever learned something from Judith Haney and continues to work and strive within their respective artform carries forward a piece of that influence, and further demonstrates what Judith taught us all: that creativity is not a luxury but a human necessity.
