Art – Page 42 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Art and Food in OKC

While our primary purpose in traveling to OK was to attend the OPSA, our goal is to explore fully the places we visit. With this in mind, we set out to sample some of OKC’s art and culinary offerings.

Snacking at Pinkitzel, by Sadie McLaughlin

Following our fun and informational day at the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s Annual Conference, we looked forward to a sugary snack. As soon as we walked into Pinkitzel, we knew we had come to the perfect place of much welcome relaxation. The bold, eclectic sweets shop was fully decked out with giant cupcake décor, a hot pink horse, and suits of (pink) armor, along with other various and unique decorations. Most importantly, there was a large display of all kinds of gourmet cupcakes and other sweets.

We enjoyed unique cupcake flavors such as pink lemonade, cookies and cream, and double chocolate truffle, complemented with coffee and even specialty hot chocolate! Additionally, we also had the opportunity to try macarons. Not only did some of us get to try this delicious snack for the first time, but we also learned the difference between a macaron and a macaroon. A macaron is in essence a French meringue cookie, while a macaroon is a Southern sweet made of shredded coconut and condensed milk.

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While some of us are still debating the macaroon v. macaron enigma, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and the perfect fuel to hold us through our pre-dinner adventure at the Oklahoma Museum of Art.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, by Ashley Allen

By the time we had finished our delicious desserts, we found the sun setting atmosphere bearing on us as became more lighthearted and relaxed. To me, visiting the museum was the perfect way to spend the evening after hearing speeches and presentations from the panels. Furthermore, I was extremely excited to finally visit the largest and most revered exhibit at the museum, the Dale Chihuly exhibit.

Dale Chihuly, LEAP Center, SHSU, OK Museum of Art

Chihuly’s specialty is glass blowing—an art from that I was familiar with before the trip, but never thought that it was possible to create such a variety of sculptures.

Dale Chihuly, OK Museum of Art, LEAP Center, SHSU

No two pieces were identical, not even when Chihuly was following the classic style of his Persian sculptures. On this note, one display that really caught my attention was the “Oklahoma Persian Ceiling.” It is almost impossible to describe due to the fact that I have never seen anything like it! We walked along a white corridor and above our heads were many different glass pieces fitted together in disarray, different shapes, loud colors, and intricate designs. A lot of his pieces seemed other worldly, belonging in a place of dreams and imagination. Chihuly’s style is so enchanting that the fifty-five feet tall “Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Tower” at the entrence created a general feel for his talented and daring glassmanship.

Dale Chihuly, LEAP Center, SHSU, OK Museum of Art

There were other paintings and sculptures we browsed through. As we toured the rest of the museum, we saw works by well-known artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, John James Audubon, Andy Warhol…

Andy Warhol, LEAP Center, SHSU, OK Museum of Art

…and many more. We learned a lot of history behind different displays and their significance.

One story I found interesting was about the painting “The Laughing Indian” by Fritz Scholder. Scholder fought against the stereotypical Americanized version of Indians, who were stoic and romanticized, and placed them in a light of humanized nature. He did this by exaggerating certain characteristics forcing his subjects to look more awkward and out of place, which subliminally correlates to Native Americans’ history in America.

Overall the Oklahoma City Museum of Art taught us many things and exposed me to a lot of different styles of art. My only regret is that we didn’t have more time to examine each display to compare and contrast them. It was a wonderful opportunity to attend such a beautifully diverse accumulation of paintings and sculptures.

Evening Fun, by Sadie McLaughlin

As we finished up our tour of glass heaven, we decided that it was time for dinner. Our final culinary adventure for the day took us to Norman, Oklahoma. Here we arrived at the Greek House where we were treated with abundant plates of delicious Greek food across the street from the University of Oklahoma. We all greatly enjoyed generous servings of gyro meat, pita bread, and tzatziki.

Greek House, Gyros, SHSU, LEAP Center

Just when we thought we could not possibly eat more, we managed to fit in a few bites of baklava, a rich layered pastry filled with honey and nuts. With happy hearts and full stomachs, we attempted to walk off our calories with an expedition through OU campus.

As we neared campus, the dramatic architecture of OU campus instantly grasped our interest. The majestic gargoyles embedded at the buildings’ facade, lighting that accentuated the lines and curves of this historic buildings, and sculptures scattered around the campus took hold of us and enticed us to immerse ourselves deeper into the campus.

Speaking of immersing ourselves, we tried our hand at telephone stuffing, a 1950s fad that we wanted to revive…

Telephone Booth Stuffing, LEAP Center, OU Campus, SHSU

OU has six telephone booths, brought in as an homage to the booths across London when OU’s President, David Boren, spent time at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. They provide a bit of nostalgia, class–and fun–to the OU campus.

Eventually we found ourselves inside the library, a dichotomous building indeed, as part of the facility was modernized (with imacs, cutting edge study rooms, cutting edge vending machines, etc.), while the other part was the historic library. This latter part of the building was what interested us the most, as the massive scholarly study rooms, bountiful amount of antique books, and luxurious design was unlike anything we had ever seen.

After going through the fields of OU, finding sculptures by James Surls…

James Surls, LEAP Center, University of Oklahoma campus, LEAP Center, SHSU

…Jesus Moroles, and Robert Indiana…

Robert Indiana, LOVE, SHSU, LEAP Center, Oklahoma University campus

…along the way, the clock tower struck its 10 pm chimes. With this solemn ring filling the campus, its echo had a near melancholy tone as if it were sad to see us go.

But by that time we were more than ready to hit the hay after a near overstimulating day of political science panels, amazing food and art, and our improvised expedition of the beautiful OU campus. Now it was time to go to sleep and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure in the Capital of Oklahoma City.

Noises Off-Laughter On

By Beatriz Martinez

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“Everyone please take your seats, turn off your phones, and open any candy wrapper that needs to be opened. The show will now begin.” The Leap Ambassadors enthusiastically sat down inside the Erica Starr Theatre waiting for the curtains to open as they were waiting for “Noises Off” to begin. This three act play is well known for its converging perspectives that revolve around one plot. It is a “play within a play.”

Noises Off, SHSU, LEAP Center

The main story consists of a theatrical group trying to put together a performance in the midst of personal drama, lovers’ quarrels, quirky characters, and a director with a god complex. During the first act, we are introduced to the different characters during the dress rehearsal of their own play “Noises On.” Just like any other dress rehearsal, there were many missed cues, missed lines, and missing (drunk) actors …”well, you know,” as Garry says. In the second act, the actual performance begins and we see the backstage perspective. The performers have been left on their own and tension is high. Mayhem runs rampant behind the scenes, and at some points even on stage. Regardless of everyone “trying” to get the show on the road, axes fly, bourbon bottles are drunk, and slaps are thrown around, making for a spectacularly silly sight to behold.

The third and final act allowed the viewers to see the final performance of “Noises On” in its full glory.

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A very short glory that is, as sardines went flying everywhere along with the actors. Doors opened and doors closed (on the characters). And sometimes they could not be opened again. But we did have to applaud their improvisation skills coupled with a great choreography. It gave the audience a big laugh as we watched their performance go from bad to worse, leaving the audience to ponder Brooke’s “Sorry?”

Noises Off, SHSU, LEAP Center, Double Double

As the remarkable farce ended, everyone laughed and cheered while giving the SHSU performers a standing ovation as the SHSU theater department once more gave an excellent performance.

Our City’s Beautiful Homes: heART of Huntsville Week 4

Huntsville is home to many hidden architectural treasures that make this town a special place. On the last heART of Huntsville, we decided to pay a visit to three of these many gems. We started off the night at one of the local homes built by Dan Phillips: The Boot Home.

The Boot Home has been the subject of much conversation, due to its location on busy 11th street (aka, HWY 30) and its obvious resemblance to the Texas boot.

To introduce Mr. Phillips told us about his construction company, Phoenix Commotion. As founder of the company, Mr. Phillips focuses on eliminating construct waste and building environmentally-friendly homes for low-income individuals. Apart from doing his best to help those in need, he also explores his own artistic abilities.

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He told us how there are two kinds of people, those of Apollonian and Dionysian thought. Whereas the Apollonians want everything to be perfect where perfection may not be possible, the Dionysians don’t care for perfection and are more organic. Mr. Phillips told us how he sees the world in this non-perfectionist view, where you can make things in different shapes, sizes, and forms using unconventional methods to create a one-of-a-kind Dionysian home. Every one of his homes has his own signature quirk; a tree house with a glass floor, a home made out of bones, a story-book home, a beer home, the list goes on with unimaginable creativity.

After we heard about the inspiration behind the homes, we were ready to go inside this wonderful piece of art. The Boot was not big enough for our whole group to go into at once; therefore, we had to take turns. Inside the Boot there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a study (or small bedroom), and a living room (just enough for a small family). As you travel up the stairs (located within the boot)…

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…you are brought to a beautiful deck overlooking the neighborhood. It is a very creative use of the extra space. Everyone enjoyed taking photos of the Boot,

The Boot Home, Dan Phillips, Phoenix Commotion, LEAP, SHSU

…and, of course, conversing with its creator, Dan Phillips, , as we began to venture onto our next stop: The Kellogg-Pritchett Home.

Mary Laura Gibbs bought the home in 2006 and renovated it while maintaining its original Folk Victorian architecture. The home has beautiful architecture on the inside and outside, reminiscent of Huntsville’s early days. One of these features were the rolling doors between the two main parlors whose great, wooden grain was used to divide the rooms during special events. She also set out a painting that dated back to the 50’s, which showed us how the home and property originally looked like in the early 19th century.

As we walked through the home, Ms. Gibbs told us how the kitchen was originally detached from the home, how there was a farm area for the family, and how the home housed the first tennis court in the city of Huntsville. We then moved on to the beautiful dinning room, made even greater with a mural painted by Lee Jamison.

Lee Jamison, Gazebo Room, Kellogg-Pritchett House, Mary Laura Gibbs, LEAP Ambassadors, SHSU

It was painted to look like a gazebo and it included lots of little creatures that are home to Texas and even a few that were created by the artist. He had us try to find the U.S.A snake and Texas painted butterfly.

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It was a beautiful room with lots of detail. Everyone was in awe of his work and the beauty he was able to create. We then moved on to the kitchen that was painted red and yellow (popular kitchen colors in Europe). She also showed us her beloved water pump. Everyone was impressed by how it is still fully functioning today!

With the night coming to an end, we concluded our tour of the lovely Kellogg-Pritchett Home by sharing our appreciation and love for the home.

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And, while most of us moved on eagerly to the Wynne Home, the Peases enjoyed a peaceful moment on the porch swing…

Kellogg Pritchett Home, Linda Pease, Ralph Pease, heART of Huntsville, LEAP Center

We then moved on to our last location of the night (and heART of Huntsville) the always beautiful Wynne Home.

At the Wynne Home, we were welcomed with the smell of wonderful food and great company provided by the Friends of the Wynne. We were welcomed to tour the home as Ms. Gaertner and Ms. Maloney finished preparing our Thanksgiving-like feast. Former interns, Beatriz Martinez and Jessica Northam, along with current intern Karen Tinajero, helped give tours to the group and tell the rich history of the home. The guests were delighted to hear of the home’s 1883 inception, the family history, and how it was donated to the city and is now Huntsville’s own Cultural Center. After roaming around the Wynne Home, everyone settled down to enjoy their delicious meal and take their final quiz, which would demonstrate what they had learned the past four weeks.

Wynne Home, SHSU, LEAP, heART of Huntsville, SHSU

After the food, those interested purchased a Jamison Austin College print autographed by the artist.

As the ambassadors stayed to help finish cleaning up after the meal…

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…the rest of our guests expressed how impressed they had been with the program and promised to come back next year for more art-filled adventures! We are immensity grateful to the Friends of Wynne’s exceptional dinner and to our amazing program participants who made the experience so amazing.

Lee Jamison, LEAP, SHSU, heART of Huntsville, SHSU — A Man, his Hat, and his Art

Deep in the heART of Huntsville: Session 3

By Christina Perez

There’s no better way to appreciate heART of Huntsville than by visiting the picturesque Town Square. On this week’s session that’s exactly what we did, learning, along the way, of our town’s successful efforts to bring back the spark that once made our town the “Athens of Texas.”

Although we had to alter our original itinerary due to the imminent rain, as they say the show must go on. Our first stop for the night was Old Town Theatre on 12th Street.The historic theatre has been converted since 1997 into a non-profit community theatre for the enjoyment of the many Huntsvillian drama fans. Upon entering, we climbed the 33 narrow steps towards the balcony where we learned about the history of the theatre. Apart from hearing from Professor Yawn and Dr. Pease, those members of the community familiar with the theatre since childhood shared different stories about the early years of the amazing establishment. One interesting aspect of the theatre was its architecture, which forced technicians to develop non-conventual methods to light the stage. After that, we headed down stairs where we were able to get a backstage tour. The colorful sets of a preparing rehearsal made the tour even more exciting. Through the back of the stage, we made our way through a small hallway and into the dressing rooms. Not surprisingly, we were amused by how the women’s dressing room was larger than the men’s.

Old Town Theater, Huntsville, LEAP Ambassadors

We were additionally taken into stardom delusion by the Hollywood lighting on the mirrors. Very sublime indeed!

As we headed for the rest of our adventure, Linda Pease, Wynne Home Arts Center Director, gave us a little background about the Richard Haas murals on the exterior of the building.

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She explained that Richard Haas thoroughly researched the location of his murals before pitching an idea. Consequently, he found it apt to incorporate the renowned Hollywood actor, Dana Andrews, into the theater’s facade due to the star’s Huntsville birth.

Old Town Theater, Laura, Dana Andrews

It must be noted that Huntsville prides itself in having numerous Haas murals from this world famous artist who is also exhibited in the streets of New York, St. Louis, Chicago, and many more American cities. The renowned muralist was once a pupil of the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s, and he chose Huntsville, Texas as home to the largest collection of his trompe l’oeil works. We are truly lucky to have this great Urban Artist’s mesmerizing works of art decorating our city!

After appreciating the Richard Haas murals we walked down the street to the Huntsville Main Street office where we met with Ms. Jasmine Moss.

Jasmine Moss, SHSU, LEAP Center, Huntsville Main Street

Ms. Moss, interim Main Street Director and proud Bearkat, took a break from her studying to teach us about Huntsville Main Street’s mission to revitalize downtown. Huntsville Main Street hosts events year round that help market the city’s thriving cultural and community wealth. It is in charge of the nine city blocks that make up the Square, three parks, and 90+ local businesses. We were thankful that Ms. Moss was able to teach us more about our city.

The last stop before dinner was the Satellite Art Gallery.

Dr. Michael Henderson, SHSU, LEAP Center, Satellite Art Gallery

Run by the Sam Houston State’s art department, pacing through the pair of halls of the gallery we were able to admire the photography of now accomplished artists who attended SHSU during the 70’s.

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It was evident that the participants all enjoyed the wide range of subjects depicted in the color and black and white film, from landscapes, to still photography, to artistic portraits and everything imaginable.

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Followed thereafter we stepped onto the dimming streets of Huntsville’s downtown and crossed over to the corner of the Roche Building.

Across the Huntsville Courthouse, we were greeted with great enthusiasm inside Patio on the Square Cafe. We had chicken pasta, fresh fruit, and some luscious salad, paired with our choice of ranch, Italian, or blue cheese dressings. It was evident that everyone enjoyed the wonderful flavor of the meal (which is exciting for a college student who lives 3 hours away from mother), and for dessert we had delicious cupcakes from Huntsville’s own Baking Sweet Memories. When the night ended we headed home in hopes to catch the presidential debate, but that’s a story for another blog. With the shine of the square’s streets, silver from the rain, we all bid farewell to our night of art, history, laughs, and memories, a bit melancholic as next week our heART of Huntsville strolls will meet their end.

The Art of the Western: With Dr. Carl Rollyson

By Brian Aldaco

In Dr. Carl Rollyson’s sixth visit to Huntsville, the LEAP Center welcomed him to our Texas town with a screening of Rio Bravo. The film was not only appropriate for the throng of John Wayne fans in town, but also for Dr. Rollyson, whose most recent biographies addressed one of Wayne’s frequent co-stars: Walter Brennan. Accordingly, this past Friday the LEAP Ambassadors open the doors to the Kathy E. Don Education Center…

LEAP Ambassadors, SHSU, Rio Bravo, John Wayne, Dr. Carl Rollyson

…to make room for the Wayne/Brennan admirers (along with a few newbies to the western flicks) for a night of corrupt land owners, noble peacemakers, and the beloved Stumpy.

SHSU, LEAP Center, Rio Bravo, John Wayne, Walter Brennan, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson

Before the show, however, the western wearing guests clanked their boots around the center to mingle and enjoy of our delicious punch and popcorn.

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It was nice to visit with many friends who attended the screening of the Howard Hawks’ classic.

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Judge Tracy Sorensen brought her son, Cody, and he had seen the film some 15 times. Indeed, he knew much of the film’s plot, and was heard to complain that “John Wayne didn’t make enough movies”.

Other audience members, including many LEAP Ambassadors, took the time to pose next to our John Wayne cutout.

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Before the screen opened up to the vastness of the West, however, Dr. Rollyson gave us an overview of some of those characters who made up this endless country.

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Dr. Rollyson even acted out a couple of parts…

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in his enjoyable and informative introduction to the film.

Before long, Rio Bravo began, and the audience sat still for a hundred and forty minutes of enjoyment. Among the audience we could feel the empathy towards Dude’s (Dean Martin) alcoholic struggle…

Dean Martin, LEAP, SHSU, Rio Bravo, Howard Hawks

…coupled with the amusement towards the numerous comic remarks by Stumpy (Walter Brennan). Interestingly, one of the well-liked characters was Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, who was both loyal and maddening to Sheriff Chance (Wayne’s character) but, of course, it was Wayne who was the star of the show.

Rio Bravo, Howard Hawks, John Wayne, SHSU, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center

Regardless, no matter how young or how old, whether this was the 50th or first time to watch, everyone who left, left with a smile in their face and a craving for more of the Duke, more of the Western thrill, and more of Brennan.

Dr. Carl Rollyson, An American Character, Walter Brennan, Rio Bravo

Fortunately, this latter wish came true for those who left the screening with a copy of A Real American Character: The Life of Walter Brennan, signed by its author Dr. Carl Rollyson.

The LEAP Center was glad that everyone left happy from the screening and couldn’t miss an opportunity to take a group picture with two Texas heroes: John Wayne and Sam Houston. Rio Bravo, John Wayne, Sam Houston, Dr. Carl Rollyson, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, SHSU, Mac Woodward

The LEAP Center would like to thank Dr. Carl Rollyson for his friendship, expertise, and fine analysis of films and diverse biographical subjects!

An Art Filled City: heART of Huntsville Week 2

By Karla Rosales

After a fun and successful first week of heART of Huntsville, we were excited to begin the second week. We started our session at the Huntsville Statue and Visitor Center where we met the Tourism & Cultural Services Director, Kimm Thomas.

Sam Houston Statue, Kimm Thomas, Huntsville Statue and Visitors' Center — City of Huntsville’s Tourism Director, Kimm Thomas, Discuss “Big Sam”

She began by giving us an overview of the different tourism attractions within Huntsville like the magnificent Big Sam statue. She then entertained us with an animated video designed by the Animation Department at SHSU. The video, developed in partnership with SHSU students and City of Huntsville staff, amusingly explained the history behind General Sam Houston and the complex process of erecting the statue. As the clip met its end it was time to marvel at this Huntsville treasure.

David Adickes, SHSU, LEAP Center, heART of Huntsville, Big Sam, Sam Houston, Statue and Visitors' Center

Once at the foot of the towering statue, the group deemed it apt to snap a quick group picture.

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Our excitement was further stimulated for we would soon have a chance to mingle with the sculptor of the 67-foot-tall Texas Hero, David Adickes.

First, however, we headed for a tour of outdoor sculptures around town led by Huntsville expert Professor Yawn.

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Our first stop was the Reclining Figure by John Stewart laying its stone body along Sam Houston Avenue in front of Fire Station 1. Stewart sculpted this piece to commemorate the deceased astronauts aboard the Challenger in 1986. Our next stop was the Smither Sculpture by Andy Emmons. The artistic assortment of glass covered plaster shaped into lions, dragons, and other mystical beasts includes a silvery figure (the Protector of Child) as the center piece with little children sitting on his arm. After very crafty maneuvering by our accomplished bus driver, we arrived at City Hall for a quick view of Charles Pebworth’s sculpture Totem Number One.

Huntsville City Hall, Charles Pebworth, heART of Huntsville, SHSU, LEAP Center — Totem One, by Charles Pebworth

Along with a great work of art, City Hall is also home to a great amphitheater which sometimes hosts concerts. It was great to see the reactions of the participants as some of the life long residents had no idea about these great attractions.

After this final stop, we drove around the city admiring more sculptures such as Wynne Home’s exterior ornamented with Jesus Moroles artistic granite, the sculpture on Sam Houston’s Grave by Pompeo Coppini, and other sculptures along the way.

With hungry stomachs and a head full of art we headed to Carbonero for dinner. With the great assortment of Salvadorian cuisine we enjoyed mouthwatering tacos, enchiladas, and pupusas (a favorite among the LEAP Ambassadors). As always, food was great!

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After dinner we went to the Adickes Foundation, the moment we had all been waiting for. For some of us it wasn’t our first time entering this surreal emporium of art. Regardless, the repurposed High School’s walls and hallways decorated with Adickes’ wondrous paintings are always breath taking. To welcome us to his foundation, Mr. Adickes offered a brief introduction about some of his favorite works.

David Adickes, Adickes Foundation, heART of Huntsville, LEAP, SHSU

With Mr. Adickes’ great enthusiasm to tell tales of Houston’s historic art culture, we were even more excited to tour the gallery. Among the collections was a series of three paintings along with a picture of Elvis Presley’s living room. This living room was all the more intriguing as it was clearly visible that on the King’s walls hung the very same trio of paintings on the corner wall of the foundation. Apparently Mr. Adickes discovered that Elvis had previously bought a copule of his paintings, which he had to buy from the Elvis estate to display in his own foundation. Other paintings fascinated us by the unconventional techniques and materials used during it’s inception, such as implementing the use of sand and coffee beans.Many of us looked around for our favorite piece of art, but with Adickes’ talent in styles ranging from cubism to realism and everything in between, this was a tough decision.

David Adickes, LEAP Center, SHSU, heART of Huntsville, Adickes Foundation

After enjoying friendly conversation, we ended our tour sharing a selfie with Mr. Adickes and other community friends in front of one of the artist’s favorite pieces.

David Adickes, Adickes Foundation, SHSU, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, heART of Huntsville — LEAP Ambassadors with David Adickes

As a great finale to a great tour of the city, we ended our evening back at the Sam Houston Statue ready for next week’s heART of Huntsville adventure!

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LEAPing Around the Country: Art Gallery Reception

By Kaitlyn Tyra

In an effort to educate the campus and community about what the LEAP Center is, the LEAP Ambassadors compiled pictures of events to showcase the organization in the LSC Art Gallery.

The exhibit, which was open from September 2-September 16, showcased some 160 photographs (culled down from more than 90,000) across six categories: speakers, travel, fine arts, volunteerism, experiential learning, and programs.

panorama_group_web — LEAP Ambassadors Following Installation of Art Exhibit

This past September 14^th the LEAP Center hosted an opening reception for the art exhibit. Many students, University staff, and community members came out to support the LEAP Ambassadors and learn more about what the LEAP Center does.

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Each category emphasized our favorite and most notable events. For example, LEAP Ambassadors have traveled twice to see Stephen Hawking present a lecture, and we have also seen public figures such as Alan Alda, Bill Schneider, Douglas Brinkley, Governor Abbott, and Vicente Fox. All of these photos appeared under “Speakers” and, of course, additional photos were featured in the other categories.

The LEAP Center is thankful for the opportunity to showcase the organization. Numerous students attended, some of whom might make for good LEAP Ambassadors themselves someday!

We were also grateful for the support from University officials such as Provost Eglsaer…

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…President Hoyt…

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…Mac Woodward, Charlie Vienne, Gene Roberts, and many others. We also had a chance to see some of our favorite community people, including Linda Pease, Terry Stivers, Carol Hays, and others.

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heART of Huntsville, Week One

By Beatriz Martinez

Excited murmurs could be heard from Art Building F as people were flooding in for the LEAP Centers’ 2nd annual heART of Huntsville program. Art enthusiasts from SHSU and the community are annually invited to this four-week program where they can explore various art media created by local artists around the SHSU campus and the picturesque town of Huntsville.

We started out in one of the many classrooms of the Art Department. The LEAP ambassadors were elated to see many of our community friends such as former mayor Mac Woodward and Wynne Home Director, Linda Pease; as well as friends on campus such as English Professor, Dr. Ralph Pease and Political Science Professors, Dr. Tom Haase and Wen-Jiun Wang.

After everyone had finished their survey of local art and artists (not without a few grumbles), Dr. Micheal Henderson, chair of the art department, welcomed us to the the Gaddis-Geeslin Gallery.

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Inside the gallery, Dr. Henderson presented us the “Selections” exhibit by revealing the type of art that could be found within. The art gallery consisted of creations from alumni dating as far back as the late 1930’s up until the Spring semester of 2016. There were many pieces from former SHSU professor Ken Zonker. The artist had a special resonance for Leap ambassador Beatriz Martinez, a previous Wynne Home Intern who had organized a Zonker exhibit.

Wes Sanders, Wynne Home, Ken Zonker — Dr. Wes Sanders Hangs Art by Ken Zonker at the Wynne Home

There were also pieces by Zonker’s apprentice, J Miller, who had actually painted a portrait of Mr. Zonker. Exhibited was also a painting by the renowned sculptor James Surls (whose art would appear later in the tour). Titled Cockfight, Surls produced the work in the late 1960s while he was still a student at SHSU. At this, few of the attendants revealed how the had been friends of Surls at a younger age, and we spoke with Dr. Keri Rogers, who several years ago helped hang this piece in the LSC.

James Surls, LEAP Ambassadors, SHSU — LEAP Ambassadors and Keri Rogers With James Surls’ “Cockfight”

After seeing more SHSU faculty and alumni art…

Stanley Lea, SHSU, Gaddis-Geeslin Gallery, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville

…we decide to head on over to the second stop: the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS).

As we got closer to the CHSS building, we stopped outside to gaze at the Water Wall by Jesus Moroles. This 9-ft wall was erected to harmonize the elements of earth, stone, and water. The attendees where then amused by how Jesus Moroles (as a lover of multimedia art), had planned to unveil the sculpture by having SHSU dance majors dance atop the CHSS building’s roof.

Jesus Moroles, SHSU, LEAP

Fortunately for us (and the dancers), their platform became the top of the Water Wall. The Water Wall’s intended function was to offer a venue for outside lectures. Currently it is most often used as a great study spot for students, and is occasionally seen hosting CHSS socials. Once inside, we saw a piece by Bruce Marion, Confluence, lining the walls. Seeing as how the Humanities and Social Sciences college deals with human interactions and circle of connections, Marion transitioned colors and interwove circles to showcase these two ideals.

The group later traversed through the summer heat to the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery, which was probably the LEAP Ambassadors’ favorite gallery, as they had spent many hours, nails, and mounting squares in order to set up their very own LEAP exhibit. Showcasing the various features of the LEAP center, such as special speakers, fine arts, volunteerism, experiential learning, programs, and travel, it gave heART of Huntsville participants an opportunity to gain a further insight of the different fields in which LEAP Ambassadors engage.

From there, we went to the Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center where Craig Brossman, the facilities manager of the building,was waiting to give us a tour.

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We toured the Concert Hall, which impressed the heArt of Huntsville participants as it has been named one of 25 best art venues in the nation. Equally impressive was the dance theater with a sprung floor which is tailored to fit a dancer’s needs. There are only 2 or 3 like it in the state, and about a dozen in the nation. We proceeded to view Kathleen Ash’s Elements, Stanley Lea’s Four Seasons, and a serpentine marble sculpture by Jesus Moroles. The most prominent installation was the 16 ft, wood and steel, Around the Flower Wall by James Surls. We also got to see some art from Charles Pebworth, whose first and biggest sculpture lies in the Woodlands at about 40ft tall. As we were exiting, we saw Jason Lawrence’s Firedance, our last beacon of crystalline light as we retired for the night.

Jason Lawson, SHSU, Performing Arts Center, SHSU, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville

Or at least until we got to Austin Hall. This historic building awaited us with food to be deliciously devoured upon as we interacted with the other participants and shared our anticipation for next Monday’s adventure, which will start at the grand Sam Houston Statue on Monday, September 19.

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