Our second day in OKC was a busy one, but that didn’t prevent us from enjoying some food and fun in this Southern/Midwestern city. In fact, we had a chance to explore Bricktown, Guatemalan food, and even ice skate!
Café Kacao (Ashley Allen)
For lunch we decided to try out some authentic Guatemalan food at Café Kacao. Before being seated, however, we waited outside the restaurant chatting, a result of the eatery’s popularity. This wait, a bit lengthy, was worth it. The music was upbeat and the interior was very colorful.
Looking at the menu, we were mystified by the many options we had before us. Drinks alone were provided by lot of different choices, from juices, to Mexican sodas, and specialty drinks like the Horchata latte ( a sweet mixture of rice milk, vanilla, cinnamon and coffee). In the end, we ordered Migallas, cochinito pibil, adobada, and even crab pupusas.
Ashely’s favorite dish, the Migallas, was a breakfast dish composed of scrambled eggs, various vegetables, Pico Del Gallo and crushed tortilla chips mixed together, accompanied by a small fruit cup and black beans. The plate was so delicious that she practically wiped it clean, a feat that has eluded many of us during this feast-filled-trip.
Bricktown Brewery (Ashley)
For dinner, we ventured into the city’s river walk. Following the foot steps of the Sooners, or at least the direction of Paul Moor’s sculptures, we began our trek to the Land Run Monument. With friendly chatter and a shining skyline, we followed the soft, rippling river, and before we knew it, we had reached the city’s Bricktown District.
The historically industrial district turned social district, with it’s bright lights, quirky sights, and lively music, was eye candy so as to make us hungry. After walking a lap around the square, where we saw a Mickey Mantle statue…
…and even a statue of Sisyphus…
…we stopped by a restaurant called the Bricktown Brewery. It was different from the other places that we had eaten during the trip, strictly because it wasn’t an authentic, ethnic-based restaurant. The majority of the group ordered different pizza pies to share amongst ourselves. Ryan’s favorite was the combination pizza which had morning sausage, pepperoni, and ham, topped with additional mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. The experience here was excellent and if ever in Bricktown again we would definitely go straight to this great establishment. As Ashley commented “every place we’ve eaten in Oklahoma has been such a great experience, and I really appreciate the exposure to the different cultures and the food that goes with them!”
Slipping Through the Ice Rink (Ryan)
After our meal, we walked the few blocks to the Myriad Botanical Gardens, where we took advantage of their skating rink. With Professor Yawn’s instructions all of the LEAPsters and Ryan laced up and took to the ice.
Although it was a small rink, it seemed to take some of us forever to make a full lap, whether it be because we were holding onto the rails or we couldn’t seem to get any momentum.
Some us, however, performed our very best skating abilities. For example, Brian accidentally did his best impression of Charlie Chaplin while sliding and slipping through the ice.
He would seem to fall for about ten seconds and then catch himself on the railing in a cool and relaxed position as if nothing had happened. We only stayed for a little while, as the air grew colder and our feet began to ache. It was unclear as to the professor’s motivation to bring us to the rink, whether it was to expose us to a sport we seldom have a chance to practice or for his own amusement to look at us fall and tumble.
Perhaps his absence at the rink was indication to the latter hypothesis.
Ashley, Ryan, and Kaitlyn proved the best skaters…
…and Ashley and Ryan even raced, with Ryan’s longer legs providing the edge.
No matter the falls on the ice, we all had ice-loads of fun. With iced backs (from those that had fallen on the ring), we walked back to the car and headed back to the hotel. As a day well spent in learning, exploration, and vigorous sport, we welcomed our bed with a tired, melancholy sigh, for tomorrow would be our last day of our Texoma Adventure.
With the conference part of the trip over, we embraced the more relaxed portion of the trip by learning of Oklahoma, strolling through luscious gardens, and venturing into the icy realms of ice skating. First however, we drove a few miles off of downtown looking for the capitol building.
Oklahoma State Capitol (Kaitlyn)
As we reached the domed structure, we admired the artwork surrounding the capitol building…
…and then wandered inside the massive structure to find a large construction zone. Unfortunately, the visitor’s center was closed because it was Veteran’s Day, so we proceeded through the capitol exploring on our own. We started on the first floor admiring the rotunda and the State Seal of Oklahoma. The state motto of Oklahoma: “Labor Omnia Vincit” (Labor Conquers All Things) was beautifully showcased within the seal and the dome was impressive as well.
Although we did not think the Oklahoma State Capitol was as grand as Texas’s State Capitol, we did consider it more artistic than ours. Notably, we saw many paintings of Wilson Hurley, a native Oklahoman, depicting the different landscapes of the state. We learned about native Oklahomans such as, Will Rogers, Jim Thorpe, and Sequoyah, whose portraits hung on an upper level of the State Capitol, and even Mickey Mantle, whose portrait was on the ground floor.
A short distance away, we visited the Senate Chamber. The House of Representatives was closed today, but we still learned about the organization of the legislature. We made the best without a tour guide and enjoyed our morning of exploration!
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Brian Aldaco)
Embracing the Okie spirit, we continued our Oklahoma City tour by visiting the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. As we crossed the front entrance, our sight was instantly drawn to the end of the hall. Against a magnificent window wall, filtering a warm sunny glow, stood a colossal Indian mounted on a horse both carved from white stone which embraced the outside light. With a look of defeat and a horse at mid-stop, James Earl Fraser was able to sculpt his subject’s vanquished spirit in “The End of the Trail.”
We posed for a photo with Fraser’s work…
We actually got a second photo with the sculpture as well. Our trip-themed t-shirts feature the Fraser piece, so we have our backs to the camera to make that connection….
Fraser’s talent was also evident in his Lincoln sculpture which stands overlooking the main hall from his east wing repose.
Following the scope of his solemn gaze pointing westward, we trailed down the west wing of the museum as searchers of the Western Performers Gallery.
Upon entrance to the gallery, we were greeted by the awe-striking statue of none other than President Ronald Reagan (a former western movie actor).
As we ventured into the exhibit, a distinct jolly smile caught our attention. Nearing this Norman Rockwell portrait, we rejoiced as we had found the gallery portion dedicated to the acclaimed Walter Brennan.
Along with him, other great western actors were commemorated such as Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Harry Carey Jr, and of course, the immortal, John Wayne.
But from western inspired performers to true performers of western legend, demonstrated by exhibits on taming conquering of the west, Native Americans, and even a small scale Old Western town (akin to a film set), the museum was filled with inspiring artifacts of the west. Our only regret was that we had not much time to look through the entire museum, but our expedition had to move on as the Myriad Botanical Gardens awaited us…
Myriad Gardens (Sadie)
It’s not every day that we get to experience a mini-tropical paradise in the middle of Downtown Oklahoma City, but the Myriad Botanical Gardens gave us just that opportunity. Entering the greenhouse, we were greeted with a large variety of foliage…
…and the sound of a rushing waterfall, much like an oasis in the middle of the city.
Like explores trailing through the jungle, we discovered many new plants and even encountered plants that smelled like goods such as root beer and cinnamon!
For some, true delight came in discovering the wildlife inside the greenhouse and around the Garden property. Inside we discovered butterflies, finches, a parakeet, and even a very friendly, talkative parrot.
One of the More Approachable Birds in the Myriad Botanical Gardens
After going through the inside garden and walking across an interior bridge…
…we stepped outside onto the grounds where we had the opportunity to watch swimming koi and a variety of waterfowl, including some of our neighbors (Canadian geese), as well as pose near the foliage.
We were so grateful to take a few moments to enjoy the beauty and peace of nature in the midst of our busy day.
But after the botanical stroll, we synchronized our watches and bid Mitchel, Sadie, and Ashley goodbye, as they would go their own way and tour the Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Oklahoma City University School of Law (Mitchell)
Before we began our tour, we first had to be dropped off on the Oklahoma City University campus. On our way into Sarkey Building, we discovered that our tour would be held in another part of town where the law school was located. Fortunately we ran into Dr. Farmer, the chair of the Oklahoma Political Science Association conference, who was generous enough to drive us downtown to the School.
Upon the completion of our short trip we were greeted by Lisa Lee, Administrative Assistant for Admissions, as she took us to the admissions center where the tour began. Billy Thomas and Zac Morgan, L3’s (3rd year law students), led the LEAP group (composed of Ashley, Sadie and Mitchell) on the informative tour across campus.
Along with Dr. Farmer, other professors that had attended the conference also joined our tour group. As we learned, the building was built in 1910 and was one of the first high schools in the state of Oklahoma. Walking through the grand rooms and halls was a treat, especially when every step was filled with the state of Oklahoma’s rich history.
The historic importance of the building was put into perspective when Mr. Thomas informed us of the building’s role after the Oklahoma bombings. The FBI used the building to head all rescue operations for the disaster. It is impressive to note that the building was undamaged after the bombing but for a few windows that were shattered. Mr. Morgan and Mr. Thomas then took us by the headquarter for the Innocence project. It was a pleasure to actually see the inter-mechanisms of the project, observing the busy law students studying papers and files. We toured the library along with an overview of the research tools available for students.
We also had the privilege to visit the J. William Conger Courtroom.
To finally wrap up the tour we viewed a couple of class rooms which were from 25 seat to about 70 seats. The classroom size was very similar to the rooms at Sam. We made our way back to the admissions center where we had final discussions with Lisa, Billy and Zac about the school and Oklahoma City itself. The tour gave us great insight to the law school, university, students and Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma History Center (Kaitlyn)
With some ambassadors touring the Law School, others headed over to the Oklahoma History Center to learn about the diverse subject matter relating to the state of Oklahoma. Upon entering, the gleam of Wiley Post’s airplane (which hung from the ceiling) greeted us better than any friendly smile.
Wiley Post, an Oklahoman, was one of the first pilots to experiment with flight, but ultimately crashed near Alaska where him and acclaimed Will Rogers died. Due to Post’s contributions to space travel, developing a pressurized suit that would serve as the prototype for those worn by astronauts, part of the first floor was dedicated to Oklahoma’s connection to the Space Program. After glancing at the interstellar artifacts, the LEAP Ambassadors transitioned to the first exhibit covering the different Native American Tribes. The exhibit taught us of their culture, homes, careers, languages, and traditional clothing. We were thankful that the museum provided a unique way for us to learn about Native American culture.
Upstairs, we were greeted with a beautiful Allan Houser sculpture of an Indian woman. Earlier this morning, we saw his work outside the Oklahoma State Capitol. His works are prominent across the state for their beautiful depiction of Native Americans. It was neat to see his artwork in two places within the same day!
The next exhibit walked visitors through the history of Oklahoma starting with the era of the Sooners and ending with a then and now comparison of various qualities of everyday life such as life expectancy, income, and population.
The exhibit was comprehensive because it covered the political and cultural history of Oklahoma. Observing the various artifacts of the state’s history, we found ourselves running out of time as we were in need of picking up our fellow LEAP comrades. After a short trip to the bookstore, we traveled back to regroup with our fellow LEAPsters and continue on with our afternoon. Although our tour was short, we enjoyed learning more about the history of Oklahoma!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
…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.
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…
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…
…Jesus Moroles, and Robert Indiana…
…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.
“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.”
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.
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?”
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.
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.
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)…
…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,
…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.
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.
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.
And, while most of us moved on eagerly to the Wynne Home, the Peases enjoyed a peaceful moment on the porch swing…
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.
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…
…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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
…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.
Before the show, however, the western wearing guests clanked their boots around the center to mingle and enjoy of our delicious punch and popcorn.
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…
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…
…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.
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.
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.
The LEAP Center would like to thank Dr. Carl Rollyson for his friendship, expertise, and fine analysis of films and diverse biographical subjects!
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.
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.
Once at the foot of the towering statue, the group deemed it apt to snap a quick group picture.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 