Texas Book Festival- Day 1
by Cinthia Villarreal
Following our morning of art with Daniel Arredondo, LEAP students made their way to day one of the Texas Book Festival!
We were thrilled to enter a space in which we could gain firsthand accounts from authors from a wide range of genres.
Our first session was titled “What We Lost: Stories of Family & Womanhood” hosted by the authors Alma Garcia and Esmeralda Santiago. In this session, the authors talk about the emotional complexity of the Puerto Rican diaspora, tragedy and healing, and the sacrifices made by women.
Continuing the theme of hard-hitting conversations, we visited Contemporary Art Museum’s Rooftop to listen to Ava Chin and Rodrigo Dorfman at their panel titled; “Lived Experience: a Legacy of Exclusion and Exile”. This was Olivia and Michelle’s favorite session of the day. Chin, in her book “Mott Street” covers the longstanding impact the Chinese Exclusion Act had on her family and the Chinese community, as a whole, for generations. On the other hand, Dorfman read an excerpt from his memoir “Generation Exile: the Lives I Leave Behind” which had a few people in tears by the time he finished reading. Dorfman talked about a “generational curse” in his family where his grandfather, father and himself were all exiled from their country by the age of seven years old.
During the Q&A space, Olivia asked Chin and Dorfman about the reaction their families had about their writing and how they approach the various complexities of their perspective.
After this highly emotive session, we went on to attend the “Pictures & Words: Bret Anthony Johnson & Keith Carter on Ghostlight”, a photography book with filled with Carter’s “Bayou-Gothic” aesthetic.
He made use of a vision problem in one eye, influencing his style of photography with a short depth of vision. Carter’s oblique positioning and his sense of light and “aberrations” makes for a style that truly tells a story for the viewer to contemplate.
While some of our photographs possess aberrations, they are not nearly as intentional or as visually appealing as Carter’s mastery.
Following the informational session, we went straight to listen to another group favorite panel, Rachel Louise and Meg Kissinger at “We Need to Talk: Urgent Stories about Domestic Abuse & Mental Health”. She emphasizes the stigma mental illness had in her early years and the impact it had in her family as a whole.
This panel allowed us to see where generational perspectives of mental health and violence intersect, which provided a poignant reminder of open dialogues such as these.
Our excitement, though boundless, was met with the sobering realization that our enthusiasm outmatched our wallets. BookPeople, the largest independent bookstore in Texas, was the seller of all books discussed throughout the weekend. We picked out some titles that piqued our interest, along with books from the panels we had visited throughout the day.
Blanton Museum of Art
by Madison Cawthon
After we wrapped up at the Texas Book Festival, we had the chance to check out the Blanton Museum of Art.
This was a first for many of us, including myself, but the live music upon entry indicated that we were in for a fantastic experience.
After checking in at the museum, we ventured to Ellsworth Kelly’s Chapel, otherwise known as Austin.
The Austin Chapel is a cruciform architectural structure that was originally designed by artist Ellsworth Kelly. Known for his use of color and shape, this chapel can be considered one of his grandest designs.
Geometric black and white canvases adorned the walls, while vibrant rainbow-stained glass designs graced each corner of the structure.
After experiencing the Austin Chapel…
…we then made our way inside the art gallery. There were several different exhibits to ponder, so the group made haste to absorb as much as possible.
The Art of the United States exhibit was split into various time periods. As we walked through the exhibit, we were able to notice the changes that occurred in the art world as time went on. “Woman in Brown” by Manierre Dawson, which was among various abstract and cubist paintings, was one of my personal favorites!’
Another exhibit we explored was the Latin American art exhibit. One piece of art Michelle particularly liked was the “Cruzado El Rio Bravo” by Luis Jiminez, as she felt it captures the sacrifices many immigrants have to make in order to better their lives. This sacrifice was perfectly encapsulated in the faces of those who have experienced this firsthand, forging a powerful connection with those who have shared a similar journey.
For some of us, this was a near first in an art museum, while others were veterans, but we all found news and interesting things.
The day was filled with several emotional and intellectual evocations, and we left the day with a newfound appreciation for the human condition.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 