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Tag: Ed Wilson

Houston Retreat: 2.0

The Leap Ambassadors started off the second day of their retreat by holding a productive refresher meeting that especially benefited those of us who are new to the position. We discussed etiquette, professionalism, and overall expectations for how to represent Sam Houston as best we can. After the meeting, we all agreed that it was lunch time.

Although it is a hidden gem, Andes Café is a must try when you are in Houston. It is a South American kitchen named after the Andes Mountains, because they unite Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. We were excited, as most of the Ambassadors had never eaten at a South American restaurant before. After we settled into our table, we ordered our drinks. A few of us were adventurous and ordered a chicha morada, also known as the purple corn drink. After tasting it, we agreed that it was similar to a berry juice but lighter and more refreshing. As we looked at the menu, it was interesting to see that next to every menu item it had the country or countries abbreviation from where the plate originated. To start, we ordered the La Colombia, a trio of Colombian sausage, beef empanada and “arepita” corn patty, and the Super Jalea, a bowl of fried shrimp, white fish, and plantains.

 

Some of our entrees included a Peruvian ceviche, calentado con huevos, a mix of rice, beef, pork belly, sausage, black beans, and two sunny side up eggs…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Andes Cafe

…and a Columbian hamburguesa with a beef patty, bacon, ham, and a pineapple sauce.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Andes Cafe

Needless to say, it was all overwhelmingly delicious.

With full bellies, we decided that we’d pay a visit to “Soaring in the Clouds”, an art installation done by artist Ed Wilson, who had recently done “The Raven” at SHSU.   The piece is a sixty-two feet tall hanging sculpture in the entrance of the George R. Brown Convention Center but hangs from the ceiling, which is ninety-two feet above the floor.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Ed Wilson

If you looked at it at night, you’d see birds and clouds made of perforated steel suspended by wires with colorful lights dancing off of them creating a beautiful glow throughout the room. After admiring the art piece and taking a few photos…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Ed Wilson

…we headed across the street to wander around Discovery Green – a beautiful park filled with sculptures by various artists and even a small lake where people can rent kayaks.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Discovery Green

After seeing the sights at George R. Brown and taking a brisk walk around Discovery Green, we hopped in the car and headed over to Montrose to check out the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection.

The Rothko Chapel was originally meant to be designed by Philip Johnson who designed St. Basil’s Cathedral, which we visited on the campus of St. Thomas’s University just the day before. He was also part of a joint team that designed Williams Tower, which stands among other skyscrapers in  Houston.  For the interior, Mark Rothko, a favorite artist of John and Dominique de Menil, was commissioned to fill the chapel with fourteen paintings, and due to Johnson’s and Rothko’s differing artistic visions, the task of completing the building was eventually turned over to local architects Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Rothko Chapel, Barnett Newman, Broken Obelisk

Even though the chapel’s creation was a bit tempestuous, the mood there was tranquil and solemn, as the space was intended to create a mindful and reflective experience to all who enter.

After a brief time in the chapel, we went outside and strolled next door to the building that houses the Menil Collection. Located on the lot adjacent to the Rothko Chapel, the Menil Collection consists of over 16,000 pieces of art from the private collection of the Menils and is free to the public. Victoria was the only one of the ambassadors that had visited the museum before, but she was eager to see how many more artists she could recognize since her last time there. Photography wasn’t allowed inside any of the galleries (only the hallways),

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Menil Collection

…so we were unable to take pictures of our favorite pieces.  Well, with the exception of Alexander Calder’s, whose sculpture is in the hallway!

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Houston Texas, Menil Collection, Alexander Calder

Something interesting is that the museum has an entire section devoted to Claes Oldenburg and his Geometric Mouse sculpture, which we had seen a larger scale version of outside of the Houston Public Library while traversing through Houston.

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The LEAP Ambassadors also saw a Claes Oldenburg sculpture on our trip to Denver last Spring, as well as in Marfa, Texas; Philadelphia, Dallas, and many other places.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Claes Oldenburg, Denver
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Claes Oldenburg
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Claes Oldenburg, Philadephia
Nasher Sculpture Garden, Claes Oldenburg, LEAP Center, SHSU

At the Menil Collection, those among us that are not too familiar with art had a nice collection from which to begin learning! We discussed a few of the pieces that we found to our liking and ones that we thought were odd (of which there are many!) on the way back to the van. Our next and final stop was the Cloud Column by the Glassell School of Art!

The Cloud Column is a two-story tall oval shaped structure by artist  Anish Kapoor, who is most famous for “Cloud Gate” in Chicago.  The highly polished stainless-steel material creates a vivid reflection which, coincidentally, was the exact purpose of the piece – reflection. The idea is that the concaved center of the cloud allows for the reflection to bend, creating a blended image in which the clouds meet the Houston skyline.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Cloud Column, Anish Kapoor, Houston

We admired it for a more-than-brief moment before moving on to the rooftop garden which overlooks Downtown.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Cloud Column, Anish Kapoor, Houston

After an exciting and fulfilling trip to Houston, thus concluded the LEAP Retreat, and the Ambassadors were ready to return to Huntsville for class the next day.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Cloud Column, Anish Kapoor, Houston

Author mikeyawnPosted on January 30, 2019Format AsideCategories Art, Civic Engagement, Food, Fun, TravelTags Andes Cafe, Anish Kapoor, Claes Oldenburg, Cloud Column, Discovery Green, Ed Wilson, Geometric Mouse, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, SHSULeave a comment on Houston Retreat: 2.0

The Art of Civic Engagement

This past Thursday, the LEAP Center hosted the opening reception for our fifth art exhibit…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

…in an attempt to bring in both students and Huntsville residents alike to show off the artists that the Ambassadors have had the pleasure of meeting over the years.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

In total, we had 12 artists exhibited with over 100 displays in the LSC art gallery, including two arts (Mark Burns and Lee Jamison) in person!

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

The artists included: Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, James Surls, David Adickes, Jesus Moroles, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Arthur Turner, Anish Kapoor, Stanley Lea, Allan Houser, and Dan Dunn.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

The LEAP Ambassadors spent approximately 45 hours planning and putting together the exhibit complete with original pieces (with many thanks to the Wynne Home Art Center, Ralph and Linda Pease, and Mac and Leanne Woodward), photos of them with the artists and their art, and a small wall dedicated to them as a means of promoting the Center to any art enthusiasts.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

On opening night, we arrived early in the day to add any last-minute touches to the gallery before the reception at 5. Once the evening arrived, students, faculty, and friends alike all stopped by to enjoy the art.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

Among these people was Lydia Montgomery, former Mayor Mac Woodward and his wife Leanne, Dr. and Mrs. Pease, Dr. Bob Biles, Una Grace Nash, Lee Jamison, Dr. Lee Miller, Dr. Frieda Koeninger, Candice Wilson, Dr. Rhonda Callaway, Cathi Gillette, Mark Burns, and several members of our heART of Huntsville crew.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

All who entered were enraptured by Burns’ display of photography and most chatted with him about his photographic methods.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

Lee Jamison arrived a bit later, and also had many admirers.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

His “Hurricane Harvey” pastel was one of the clear favorites of the crowd, and it was a piece that was done in the LSC Art Gallery one year ago!

Overall, the LEAP Center’s Art Gallery Opening Reception was an overwhelming success and we thank all who took time out of their day to stop by and share a passion that we care for so deeply.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, LSC Art Gallery, Mark Burns, Lee Jamison, Arthur Turner, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, Allan Houser, Robert Indiana, Ed Wilson, Luis Jimenez

Author mikeyawnPosted on November 21, 2018Format AsideCategories Art, Civic Engagement, VolunteerTags Allan Houser, Arthur Turner, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Ed Wilson, James Surls, Jesus Moroles, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, Lee Jamison, LSC Art Gallery, Luis Jimenez, Mark Burns, Robert Indiana, SHSULeave a comment on The Art of Civic Engagement

The heART of the Campus: HOH, Week One

For this year’s heART of Huntsville, we kicked off our first week as usual with a campus art tour! This year was somewhat different, however, in that we had many more SHSU people represented: Dr. Roseanne Keathley, Sammie Halley, Kerry Berry, Dr. Kathy Adair, Kim Childress, and Cathi Gillette all joined us for the four weeks.  We also had some return guests, such as Cathy Kowart and Belia Aguayo join us from previous years.

Our group of around 35 people met at 6pm in the SHSU art department, and we all started our first evening off with a short quiz to determine how much we knew about art before we began our four weeks of learning about all the art that Huntsville has to offer.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed WilsonAfter we turned in our quizzes, we began our tour in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery. The gallery coordinator Ms. Mindi Gandara gave us a brief explanation of the pieces on display and the artists that created them. 

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

Most interesting to me were the paintings by Reverend Johnnie Swearingen, because I remembered that some of his other works are on display at The Wynne Home which just so happens to be the location of our final week of heART of Huntsville, and where I interned during the spring of 2017.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
HOH_26_3G_Mindi_Wilson_BW_Web
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

After experiencing what the gallery had to offer, we made our way across campus and stopped at our school’s newest art installation.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

As we paused under the 21-foot tall statue of the Raven, Houston-area artist and our guest of honor for the evening Mr. Ed Wilson gave a brief talk about the piece and what it took for him to create it. Mr. Wilson specializes in metal sculpture and is able to easily make metals seamlessly meld together in some areas or overlap to create texture in others, as is evident from the Raven sculpture.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

Not everyone knows the significance of the Raven as a part of Sam Houston State University’s history, but Sam Houston earned his nickname of “Colonneh,” or “The Raven” during his time living among the Cherokee nation.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson
HOH_48_Raven_Wilson_Web
SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

Our next stop was the Gaertner Performing Arts Center. The Center is home to a variety of pieces by many different artists. The most easily noticeable is the hanging sculpture by James Surls. His 16 foot sculpture is made of metal and wood, and hangs from the ceiling of the Performing Arts Center. Our tour guide Professor Yawn told the group that the sculpture sometimes doesn’t get dusted because the janitorial crew aren’t quite sure how to get up there to do it. Opposite the door where the James Surls piece hangs sits a sculpture done by Jesus Moroles who when he was alive specialized in granite sculpture. Both Moroles and Surls are artists that I learned about during my time at the Wynne Home, and they each have pieces all across the nation.  There are also nice pieces by Charles Pebworth (who is also represented at the Wynne Home)…

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

…and Jason Lawson, who does some amazing work with glass.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

SHSU is lucky to have some of their incredible works to call its own. 

After a tour of the Gaertner Performing Arts Center, our group made its way over to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences building where we had a buffet-style meal laid out. Dinner was a mix of Latin and Asian foods like black bean pico de gallo and egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce.  We all grabbed plates and took our seats in the conference-room-turned-dining-hall to listen to Mr. Wilson give a brief talk. He gave an overview of his career and other works that he’s completed, such as the giant mobile he was commissioned to create for the inside of the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson

It hangs from the 94-foot ceiling and had a special color-changing light display created for it.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, heART of Huntsville, Andy Emmons, Johnnie Swearingen, heART of Huntsville, Ed Wilson, George R. Brown Convention Center

Everyone in attendance seemed very interested in what Mr. Wilson had to say, and there were plenty of questions for him.  When it was over, the LEAP Ambassadors offered the evening’s participants rides back to their cars across campus. After everyone was dropped off safe and sound, we headed home.

Author mikeyawnPosted on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018Format AsideCategories Art, Civic EngagementTags Andy Emmons, Ed Wilson, heART of Huntsville, Johnnie Swearingen, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, SHSULeave a comment on The heART of the Campus: HOH, Week One

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  • LEAP Ambassadors Meet Ambassador Christopher Hill February 16, 2019
  • Celebrating Presidents Day the LEAP Way February 15, 2019
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