Category: Art

An Evening at the Alley: “The Nerd”

While many may think the LEAP Ambassadors can be nerdy, we pale in comparison to playwright Lary Shue’s character, Rick Steadman in The Nerd. The Ambassadors, with guests Chrissy Biello and Yajaira Gutierrez Marin, met Alums Victoria and her boyfriend Nick, and Megan O’Flaherty and her son, Declan, for a wonderful night at the theater.

With Houston traffic being variable, we were early, and thus decided to stop by Jesus Moroles’s “Houston Police Officer’s Memorial.”

Not all of us had seen Moroles’s work, and this is a great introduction!

After a great dinner at Post Market, we then made our way to the Alley for the much anticipated show!

Much like the character Axel Hammond, I was the designated drama critic for the evening.

But unlike Axel I stayed through the entirety of the play, so I think my review will be a bit more accurate (editor’s note: not necessarily).

The set brought audience members to Terre Haute Indiana in the 1980s and we were introduced to Willum, an architect; Tansy, an aspiring weather girl; and to Axel, the slightly aloof, above mentioned drama critic.

As the group gathers to celebrate Willum’s birthday, he first checks his answering machine and becomes ecstatic to hear a message from Rick Steadman, the man who saved his life in Vietnam–but who is otherwise a complete stranger. Willum vows to Rick that as long as he is alive “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you.”

These words would come to haunt Willum, albeit in a way that was amusing to the audience. Rick and the crew kept us laughing for nearly the entire play, while Rick derailed the lives of the other characters with his deficient manners, his tambourine, and his utter obliviousness to social queues.

After the play and thanks to LEAP Alum Megan, we were extremely fortunate to meet one of the stars of the show, Christopher Salazar, who played Willum.

It was a great chance to learn more about the play, including some of the behind-the-scenes action.

The evening was a trifecta plus, with good food, a bit of exposure to art, a wonderful play, and a nice evening with wonderful friends.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at SHSU!

by Christina Biello

Following a long week, LEAP students headed to the theater to decompress by watching SHSU’s rendition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. This group, in particular, had varied tolerance for theatrics. Regardless of our backgrounds, we waited with anticipation for the curtain to open and allow ourselves to be immersed in the fictional world.

The story takes place in Denmark during the Elizabethan era and focuses on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, lesser-known characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Even though it appears light-hearted, it profoundly touches the audience; leaving a significant impact, its exploration of human nature and existential questions left me thinking throughout the night.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern frequently find themselves in predicaments, unsure of their location or identities. Further, the actor’s line delivery elicited plenty of laughter from the audience. This quickly turns when the narrative causes viewers to ponder the pointlessness of trying to rationalize a world lacking logic or purpose.

The two attempt to control their destiny as the crisis worsens but are trapped in a cycle of events beyond their influence or understanding. As the characters fall to an unavoidable end, the audience is saddened as we realize what has happened to the characters we have come to adore.

Art in the US HeARTland

In many respects, the last activities of our trip were a perfect bookend to our initial activities on the trip. We began by visiting an art museum and attending a law-school tour, and we ended it the same way. Our first stop on the art leg of this adventure was the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

We were immediately met with a tremendous 55-foot Dale Chihuly piece in the entryway of the museum.

It was tempting to jump directly into the Chihuly exhibit, but we restrained ourselves and, instead, saved Chihuly for last.

We enjoyed looking through their permanent collection, which had some of our favorite artists on display. Cinthia especially enjoyed the works by Moran, whom she learned about on this trip. By the end of the trip, it seemed to be second nature for her to recognize a Moran on sight!

In fact, it was a great chance to see many of the artists we had seen on the trip or had reinforced on the trip.

The much-awaited Chihuly exhibit did not disappoint. LEAP Ambassadors have had the privilege to see Chihuly in numerous capacities, each of which are uniquely beautiful. This was the first time, at least in our case, to have seen his pieces in a gallery with lighting designed to complement his works.

This allowed for the glass to shine in ways you couldn’t fathom. My favorite work, “Orange Baskets” won me over with the casted reflection of the light hitting the glass…

…which made a warm, wave-like image on the wall behind it.


Cinthia’s favorite, “Putti Installation”, had beautiful angelic figures made of glass atop a transparent, hollow vase. It was a first for us to see these detailed figures in his work, composed with his signature medium, and it was both eye-catching and exciting!

But in a larger sense, we had the opportunity to view and learn the scope of Chihuly’s work. This included some paintings…

…more chandeliers, and other styles, including his famous Persian ceiling.

But even as we left the Museum, we had one more art-related stop in Oklahoma City. The City has done a wonderful job revitalizing its downtown, and this includes a river walk adorned with art. One stop we had to make was to see the City’s statue of Sisyphus, a must-do since one of Olivia’s favorite books is Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus.”

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art

Unbeknownst to Cinthia or me, OU students don’t have to go off campus to see fantastic art–they have an art museum of their own! In fact, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art was one Cinthia’s favorite museums of the entire trip. This University museum had works of art from renowned artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Degas…

…Van Gogh…

… Pisarro….

…O’Keeffe…

…John Steuart Curry…

….and Monet, the latter of which is a favorite of LEAP Ambassador Jessica Cuevas. They even had a copy from the 1800’s of Giorgio Vasari’s “Works of Vasari: The Lives III”, the first known art history book, in their ‘Treasures of Tuscany’ special exhibit!

We also saw more of key “LEAP” artists, such as Luis Jimenez…

…and Allan Houser.

Amidst all of the southwestern and prairie themed art, the Andy Warhol almost looked out of place–except, of course, it was of John Wayne!

After a trip of learning of various artists and their signature pieces, recognizing their work in museums was beginning to feel like running into an old friend. However, I almost didn’t recognize one of my go-to artists, James Surls!”–whose “Big Standing Bird” was different than what I had seen previously.

We didn’t have any firm expectations coming into the museum, but it was a very favorable surprise!

Panhandle Passage: Amarillo by Morning

by Olivia Discon

Following our adventure at Great Sand Dunes National Park, we made it back to the tip of the Texas Panhandle: Dalhart, TX. Our goal for today, was to get to Amarillo, then to Canyon, TX, and make our way to Oklahoma City. It was–both literally and figuratively–a whirlwind visit. We literally saw our first-ever tumbleweeds.

Cadillac Ranch

As we approached Amarillo well before noon, we stopped at Cadillac Ranch, a unique art installation. We had never seen it before, and what a sight!

Some nice people visiting loaned us some spray paint, and we left our mark!

It was a nice stop amidst the flat Amarillo landscape, made much more colorful by art.

Panhandle Plains Museum

Located on Texas A&M’s West Texas campus, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Musuem. Within the largest history museum in Texas, we had the ability to outline Texas history from indigenous settlement and conquistadors to where we are today.

A collection that served as a great conversation starter was ‘High Fashion to the High Plains’. Here we found an extensive wardrobe from high fashion designers such as Chanel and Emilio Pucci that are representative of the fashions of West Texas over time.

While this is a West Texas museum, we were most enthused with the East Texas representation in their ‘Art of Texas State Parks’ collection!

We saw artist and friend Lee Jamison’s work in the museum’s collection. While we are huge fans of all of Mr. Jamison’s paintings, our favorite one from the museum was of the Grave of Hubris, San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.

I thoroughly enjoy the vibrancy of the landscapes Mr. Jamison creates, whether or not the scene itself is particularly bright. His paintings serve as a reminder to appreciate even the most simple of your surroundings, as there is an innate intricacy to each of them.

Palo Duro State Canyon Park

On such a fitting note, we ventured to the Palo Duro State Canyon Park to capture the scenic views on our last outdoors trek of the trip.

It may be sheer coincidence, but we truly saved the best hike for last! There was truly so much to see while on this short trail, with a different vista under a beautiful sky at almost every turn.

Maybe it was the fact that we had previously been immersed in scenes covered in pillowy white snow, but there was something awe-inspiring about looking over the cliff to see the red-casted landscape.

Photo by Olivia Discon

We explored far more than we anticipated we would, walking out to every outcrop…

Cinthia Villarreal Enjoys the View (not so much the wind); Photo by Olivia Discon

…looking over ledges…

Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo

…and climbing as many hills as possible.

We did our best to soak it in…

Photo by Olivia Discon

…and explore the area they call “The Grand Canyon of Texas.”

In fact, we didn’t really want to leave, but we wanted to get one more hike in, so we returned to the car.

Our last hike was the “Hole in the Wall Trail,” so named for obvious reasons!

This short hike involved a walk up to a cave. Although short, it was a somewhat rugged walk, and it was also filled with colors and different types of rocks.

The area immediately outside the cave offered interesting views of the landscape.

Photo by Olivia Discon

In the cave were three different holes in the top, and these looked intriguing to us–so much so that we found a way up to the to the top of the hill.

Olivia: “I don’t think I like this.”

We made it to the top after much climbing and scrambling, and climbed a way into the hole.

We also got interesting photos through the hole, from our vantage point!

Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo

I may have been a bit apprehensive to make the climb, but Cinthia was a voice of encouragement (or perhaps she was just more confident than I), and we made it to safety.

While we already live and learn in the great state of Texas, this was a completely new and refreshing day for everyone. However, it was not time to turn back home just yet! We packed our bags and headed towards the last state of our Southwest tour, Oklahoma.

In the Footsteps of O’Keeffe and Adams: San Francisco de Assisi Mission

By Olivia Discon

While our time in Taos was brief, we wanted to maximize our chance to photograph the famous San Francisco de Assisi Mission. Upon arriving last night, we left our hotel–in temperatures of about eight degrees–to photograph the famous mission.

Construction began in the late 18th century and was completed in 1816. The Spanish settlements featured key aspects of their mission and culture, with churches being centrally located within a plaza that was easy to defend.

Although the Mission has been endlessly photographed and painted, we haven’t seen a lot of night scenes. Part of that may be that, as we found out, is that it is difficult to photograph at night.

To the extent that the temperatures and light allowed, we did our best to photograph the building. With the many lights in the front of the building, we were drawn to the building’s rear, with its beehive buttresses and intriguing contours.

Photo by Olivia Discon

I was able to get a night shot, without some of the distracting street lights. But these lights did drown out some of the stars that we would have liked to have seen. 

Fortunately, we were able to try again early the next day, just as it was being touched by the morning sun. Having the chance to view this structure in two different capacities was not only exciting to witness, but also to photograph!

Cinthia and I got the chance to be creative and capture our separate perceptions of the church and how it interacts with its landscape.

Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo

Intriguingly, the community meets every June to use a mixture of mud and straw to repair the exterior adobe. Seeing the structure in person, it’s easy to see why the community is attached to it–and why tourists, such as us, flock to it.

Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo

It’s also easy to see why artists and photographers flock to it. In fact, several people we spoke with described it as one of the most photographed churches in the United States.

San Francisco de Assisi, by Ansel Adams

That is certainly evidence from the different art galleries and museums we visited!

San Francisco de Assisi, by Georgia O’Keeffe

It was, in short, a beautiful way to end our time in New Mexico!