James Surls – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Art is “The Light From A Star”

With the start of the semester around the corner, the LEAP Ambassadors celebrated their favorite professor’s birthday by viewing the SHSU Art Department’s new exhibit, “The Light from a Star” and by enjoying cupcakes from the local bakery, Two Blondes and A Bakery. The exhibit included works from Charles Pebworth, Jimmy H. Barker, Harry Ahysen, Stanley E. Lea, May Schow, and Kenneth Zonker, all of whom taught at SHSU–and, of course, produced some wonderful art.

We were welcomed into the room by a large Stanley E. Lea collage but not nearly as big as the one featured on the north wall of the first floor.

Both of these collages featured orange prominently, perhaps as a nod to Lea’s almost three decades of teaching at SHSU. His work can also be found locally in the GPAC as well as the Wynne Home Arts Center.

The exhibit was a collection of artwork created with different media, but I loved the vibrant watercolors utilized in the 1989 untitled painting of trees by Harry Ahysen, which we had trouble photographing.

This painting was unique since both Professor Yawn and Ms. Stephanie mentioned that it was quite different than anything they had previously seen by Ahysen. Yvette’s favorite was number seven in the exhibit, Lake Travis, by Harry Ahysen in 1984. It was a beautiful painting with a lot of blues and greens to capture the beauty of the lake, sky, the surrounding city, and landscape.

Although it had a darker theme than the prior watercolor painting and the Lake Travis painting, all of the ambassadors found another Ahysen nature art piece interesting.

Ahysen was a quick worker, and his work sold well throughout his lifetime. In 1980, he was designated by the Texas Legislature as the State Artist of Texas, and his work can be found in various campus locations and at City Hall in Huntsville.

Morgan’s attention was drawn to an art piece done by May Schow that resembled colors and techniques used by French symbolist painter Paul Gauguin, albeit with some American Regionalist overtones.

Schow was a real find for us, because even Professor Yawn and Ms. Stephanie were not familiar with her work, but we were all intrigued and wanted to see more.

In the adjacent room, the exhibit continued, and upon entering there were paintings by Jimmy H. Barker. These were done with pencil and or charcoal on paper and therefore had a much darker theme which the ravens within added to. As well as the weather outside since it was cloudy and raining, I did like untitled number 18 in the exhibit by Barker that had not only the birds but also trees around them.

Barker passed away six years ago, after a long career at SHSU and of community involvement.

Outside the exhibit, there was a small lounge area that featured the James Surls Through It All, which is a woodcut print on paper.

It was very different yet like his sculptures since it repeated his motif of blades throughout the print. Surls is one of our favorites, and we were fortunate to meet him at least year’s distinguished alumni gala…

…and to have seen his work across the country…

There was also a Charles Pebworth, like the ones we have seen before, with what appeared to be bronze and copper–or, perhaps, a stainless steel with a bronzish patina. It was not in the exhibit proper, but is on, we presume, permanent display on the first floor.

Pebworth’s work can be found around the country and, locally, it can be found in the First National Bank, the Wynne Home, the Gaertner Performing Arts Center, and the Newton Gresham Library. We also visited this piece in the Hyatt in downtown Houston.

We also enjoyed seeing some of Charles Jones’s works around the first floor, woodcuts done in his usual style of famous individuals from the art and literary worlds.

We visited the gallery the Friday before school begins–move-in day–but the exhibit is up until August 27, so we encourage everyone to stop by next week, enjoy the beautiful art work, and experience part of SHSU’s artistic legacy.

On behalf of the LEAP Ambassadors, we would like to thank the Art Department for letting us view this exhibit today and to wish Professor Yawn a “Happy Birthday!”

LEAP In DC: Day 3

NLC Conference: Opening General Session (EM)

Kathy Maness, first vice president for National League of Cities and current council member for Lexington, South Carolina, welcomed us to the 55th annual National League of Cities (NLC) Congressional Cities Conference, accompanied by singing of the national anthem and the presentation of the colors by students from St. John’s College High School. She touched on the 2020 census, concerns about the coronavirus, federal authorities’ involvement in local government, and the importance of development and infrastructure at the local level.

Like many speakers during the opening session, Maness expressed the impact and importance of local government in our country.

Following Maness, Bryan Barnett, President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, took the stage. Barnett spoke on the lack of trust between constituents and federal governmental agencies, claiming that the federal level of mistrust is much higher than at the local level.

Instead, he stated that local and federal governments need strength and trust to achieve goals, over any partisanship.

Next up, Joe Buscaino, NLC President and Los Angeles District 15 Councilmember, came to the stage to much applause.

Buscaino, a 15-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, led his talk with his role in creating in 2011 LAPD’s Teen Community Police Advisory Board, an entity that provides teens the opportunity to resolve issues between teens and police.

Buscaino was a favorite speaker amongst the group for the day!

Similar to Barnett, Buscaino brimmed with passion about partnerships to help obtain grants and resources from the federal government, frequently citing the motto “Lead with urgency.” He encouraged the officials present to lead to building sustainable infrastructure, to creating a skilled workforce, and to ending homelessness – the NLC’s current priorities. He continued to express the importance of strengthening leadership through knowledge and building local innovation, with a bent toward preventing unemployment.

Then he went off script (he announced he was doing so). His presentation took on a visible emotional change when he brought up on stage Brent Jaramillo, NLC Board of Director member and Councilmember from Questa, New Mexico. He unveiled Jaramillo’s dedication to NLC despite battling cancer, and that Jaramillo recently had found out he was cancer-free.

Two brief presentations then followed: one by Peter Wright, Assistant Administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who spoke on the EPA’s plans to prevent a water crisis and recent changes in recycling; and then a short welcome from the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser who invited and encouraged us to visit our historical and beautiful capital.

The opening session’s keynote speaker finally took the stage. Former Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, held a moderated conversation with NLC’s Executive Director and CEO, Clarence Anthony.

Anthony introduced the former Speaker, citing programs that made an impact while he served that role: reforming taxes, rebuilding our national defense system, addressing the opioid crisis, reforming the criminal justice system, and promoting economic opportunity. Ryan spoke briefly of his mentor, Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the major influences that shepherded Ryan into politics. He answered a number of questions about local governments’ involvement with the federal government, among other topics, but keeping to the ideal of a pay for performance model, in which local governments develop a proven structure before seeking funding.

It was a great opening session! But, it was time for us to move to the second session for the day…

NLC Conference: Practical Tools for Fighting Preemption (ME) [https://ccc.nlc.org/seminar/practical-tools-for-fighting-preemption/]

One of our first sessions tackled an issue local governments everywhere face: preemption. While preemption is a neutral, legal tool, and it can be used for both “good” and “bad” reasons, recently, state and federal legislators and policymakers practicing preemption have caused major restrictions on local entities. While no one agency is inherently the “bad guy,” the three levels of government must work together to put citizens’ and community residents’ needs first. Local government officials are the most trusted of government officials; their citizens rely heavily on them and need to know that their (the citizens’) interests are a priority.

Several panelists spoke of the impact of preemption in their cities. Most of these issues primarily affect lower classes, with some of the preemption policies put in place make it nearly impossible to improve living conditions for a large amount of residents. Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Andy Berke spoke on the issues of installing broadband and/or raising the minimum wage.

Kim Haddow explained that hundreds of communities are facing a power struggle between the state and local governments. Along with NLC researcher Dr. Christy McFarland, Haddow has suggested updates to “home rule” municipalities. They created the project to help cities and especially to comply with heavily populated cities.

NLC Conference: Investing in a Skilled Workforce: WIOA Reauthorization (SF) [https://ccc.nlc.org/seminar/investing-in-a-skilled-workforce-wioa-reauthorization/]

This panel, moderated by Katie Spiker, Director of Government Affairs for the National Skills Coalition, focused on training or learning on the job, a current hot topic, and any effects, if any, that could be ascertained about the (recent) Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”).

Passed in 2014, final regulations were not developed until 2016, so implementation was truly not effective until 2017. Given the long timeframe from passing to implementation, and turnover in Congress, one ongoing challenge has been to educate the original intent of the legislation.

Of the three speakers on this panel, who each were well-spoken and notably passionate about their work and their roles in promoting technical skills trades, on-the-job-training and a host of other options (“college is not for everyone and everyone is not for college”), the most passionate was an elected official who was actually a substitute for the initial speaker.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan of Fayetteville, AR (so this was an extra surprise, as former LEAP “friend of” Ryan Brim attends the University of Arkansas and works for the City of Fayetteville), spoke most passionately about what the City is doing to promote skills training programs in Fayetteville, a major city in northwest Arkansas. He cited his own background, which made him the perfect spokesperson for this topic—with no finances for college, Jordan attended an apprentice program at UA, accrued 1400 hours of OTJ training, and after four years, was given a certificate to operate as a licensed journeyman carpenter. He ran for office in 2000, and has since become Fayetteville’s first-ever three-time mayor.

So what is Fayetteville doing? Apparently, a lot. The audience of elected officials clapped numerous times as he explained they passed a $226M bond in 2019, with $1.5M dedicated to workforce training. With a low unemployment rate (only 2.6%), Fayetteville has recognized a serious problem with having a high (18-20%) poverty rate. He stated that these funds are going to help pay for skilled trades and technology jobs, in “getting back to the basics”; that it should help those who can’t otherwise obtain funding for trades schools (as it isn’t as easy as for attending college). He received hearty applause for stating, “You have to give people hope for their future – and start where they are. Not everyone is going to college, folks, but everyone needs to be able to earn a wage.”

Main points made by the two other speakers included:

The State of New York is trying to align economic and workforce development – ensuring that the law remains local (that local agencies know what to do and have local flexibility and responsibility), especially in the light of the vast majority of jobs being created in NY start at less than $32K; and
Northern Virginia Community College has been successful at creating programs that allow for a lot of “transfer” in or credit for certificate programs by forming partnerships with companies and remaining highly flexible (quoting multiple changes per year to the program, a pace relatively unheard of in higher education).

Naanwise (ME) [https://www.naanwise.com/]

With a short break for lunch, we headed to Naanwise, to have some traditional Indian dishes. As we walked in, the aroma of spices and fresh baked pita greeted us. For lunch, Maggie and Stephanie opted for the bountiful buffet; Esme was daring and tried the hottest dish – the chicken vindaloo with potatoes in a thick tangy gravy; and Miranda stuck to her all-time favorite – Chicken Korma. We also enjoyed three different types of Naan (original, garlic, & cheese) with our entrees.

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Stuffed, we trudged back up the hill to the conference.

NLC Conference: Legal Updates: How Action from the Supreme Court and Lower Courts Impact Cities (MD)

Lisa Soronen led this presentation. As Executive Director of the State and Local Legal Center, her primary roles is to file amicus curiae briefs to the Supreme Court on behalf of the “Big Seven” (National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, and International City/County Management Association).

She started with an introduction to the Supreme Court Justices and their role and tenure on the Supreme Court, going into detail on the significant leadership role played by the Chief Justice (John Roberts, since September 2005). According to Soronen, 50% of cases heard by the Supreme Court are unanimous, while 20% of cases garner a 5-4 vote. It was clear that Soronen had spent time researching chief justices’ voting history and habits. I enjoyed hearing about partisan habits of chief justices as well as interpretation techniques admirable in a chief justice. As Soronen described, a perfect chief justice is “pragmatic, moderate, and conservative.”

Se dedicated the second part of the session to an overview of previous and current legislation brought before the Supreme Court where results have had an impact on local and state municipalities. These topics ranged from controversial issues like abortion, to complicated issues like the relationship between social media and elected officials, to the Clean Water Act and other environmental legislation. The Supreme Court can closely–and quickly–affect our local government and government leaders.

NLC Conference: University Communities Council Meeting (ME)

Our last session of the day focused directly on communities home to small and large universities, just like our Huntsville. The council meeting featured updates and notices on upcoming events from several Board of Directors and the International Town and Gown Association.

With the 2020 election fast approaching along with the start of Census 2020, the Chair invited NLC Fellow Gianna Judkins to speak about her initiative, Cities Vote, which engages cities to encourage voter turnout among college students. The Cities Vote program tackles issues like voter accessibility with transportation to polls and encouraging voting for local elections.

Then, Amy Cohen, Executive Director of the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University, spoke about her work engaging student voter turnout that involved educating students on not only candidates but also how to use the US Postal System, a challenge for the Millennials, and now especially the Generation Z-ers.

We learned more about several other programs: Turbo Votes, used to identify areas that need the most help; NLC’s progress on advocating for the Leading Together plan; and Moving Together, a program for advocating for infrastructure improvement support in the form of grants for smaller cities.

Several officials spoke passionately on a major topic affecting university cities, the rise of short-term rentals (aka STRs), when single-family homes are turned into rental units, such as through Air-BNB. STRs are usually not profitable for cities because occupants do not pay hotel occupancy taxes, nor do they usually have to pass the city inspections that hotels do. STRs can also cause a strain to the housing market, but cities are also facing preemption from the state level about banning these kinds of arrangements. Different cities cited using a variety of methods including requiring permits, but many cities lack the resources to tackle this growing issue effectively.

Following these sessions, on our way to the Metro, we discussed what we learned and whether or not the City of Huntsville could/should expect to see soon these issues that other communities are facing.

Smithsonian – National Portrait Gallery (EM) [https://npg.si.edu/home/national-portrait-gallery%5D

After today’s conference, we were off to the National Portrait Gallery, housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We had a goal to recognize our favorite artist works, with a list to work from…

The Museum is one of the largest collections of American art! From Folk Art to Modernism and America’s Presidents, the museum offers an array of exhibits that highlights great American art, with an obvious emphasis on portraiture. Even so, there was great diversity throughout the museum—different forms of art through various periods of time, and different styles–from Impressionism to Modern and more, each that gave us a better sense of art history.

After quizzing each other on the different artists throughout the various exhibits, we were able to locate several familiar artists’ works throughout the Museum: Claes Oldenburg, Chuck Close…

…Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O’Keeffe…

Alexander Calder, and James Surls (from SHSU)….

…to name a few.

We saw work by Kehinde Wiley (famous for doing President Obama’s questionable portrait)…

…as well as work by one of our favorites: Deborah Butterfield.

We also saw the Sam Houston bronze bust made by Henry Dexter in 1860!

The Way Back to the Hotel: Compass Coffee, Ford’s Theater, & Roti Mediterranean (SF) [https://www.compasscoffee.com/; https://www.fords.org/; https://roti.com/]

At Compass Coffee, we regrouped & planned for the rest of the evening, buying coffee for one of DC’s SWAT team members, in line in front of us, getting coffee before heading across the street to help with security for the evening’s WWE event (no, not on our itinerary!). The coffee was great, and the pastries were good, too. We have noticed that the “lavender latte” craze seems to predominate the local DC coffee shop menus, but we have liked both hot and cold versions.

Filtering through the multi-block long line of WWE fans, we headed toward the nearest Metro station. We made sure, though, to wind our way through the streets to pass by Ford’s Theater, the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and just across the street, the house where President Lincoln was taken after being shot, and where he died.

It was a bit sobering to know we were in that place where such a monumental event in the country’s history took place. As everything was closed, we only had time for a quick snap before moving on.

On our final leg to the hotel, we stopped around the corner for a quick bite to eat at Roti Modern Mediterranean, where we picked up Mediterranean “bowls.”

We took them “to go” as we had some catching up on blogs, Spring Break assignments, and (hopefully) some sleep!

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James Surls, Charles Umlauf, And Austin

Being part of the Sam Houston Austin Internship Program is a full-time job, and being a LEAP Ambassador consumes much time as well. But spending a semester in Austin, also offers numerous cultural opportunities as well, and thus it was that Christina Perez (former LEAP Ambassador and SHAIP Intern, currently Legislative Director for Rep. Jim Murphy) and Ilexus Williams (current LEAP Ambassador and SHAIP Intern for Rep. Mando Martinez) made their way to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, which was unveiling a new exhibit featuring James Surls.

Surls is not only an internationally famous artist, he is also an SHSU Alum, giving him something in common with both Ilexus and Christina. The LEAP Ambassadors also host heART of Huntsville each fall, in which they highlight Surls’ work in Huntsville and at SHSU, and they have visited museums with his work all over the country.

SHSU, LEAP Ambassadors, LEAP Center, James Surls, El Paso Museum of Art

In a stroke of good fortune, Surls was present at the opening of his exhibit, and Williams and Perez were motivated to attend, allowing them the chance to meet the artist.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, James Surls

They also had the chance to explore 30-plus pieces of Surls, most of which embodied his characteristic blade/swirl motif, while also reflecting the organic theme that typifies his art over his five-decade career.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, James Surls

It was a fun experience for two young professionals who have fun with art.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, James Surls, Christina Perez, Ilexus Williams.

The Umlauf Sculpture Garden is located at 605 Azie Morton Road, is open Tuesday-Sunday, and will feature Surls’ work through August 18, 2019.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Surls’ Swirls Come to the Wynne Home

By Megan Chapa

James Surls, the American Modern artist and SHSU alum, opened a show at the Wynne Home Arts Center on Saturday, November 5, 2016. The event attracted more than 100 visitors, with the opening reception sponsored by the Friends of the Wynne and staffed by the LEAP Ambassadors.

Wynne Home Arts Center, Karla Rosales, Kaitlyn Tyra

“Wynne Home exhibit openings are always fun,” noted LEAP President Alejandra Galvan, “but this one, involving James Surls, was a special honor.”

It was a sentiment shared by many of those who attended the opening reception.

Wynne Home Arts Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHSU

James Surls graduated from SHSU in 1965 with his Bachelors in Arts, and from Cranbrook Academy of Art with his MFA in 1968. His distinctive style, often marked by wooden or bronze flower petals, is often described as “organic.”

James Surls, Wynne Home Arts Center, LEAP Center, SHSU

Included in the Wynne Home exhibit was a combination of Surls’ sculptures and sketches, both of which elicited praise from the opening night’s visitors.

“We have seen Surls’ work at many museums,” noted LEAP Ambassador Megan Chapa, “but we haven’t seen his smaller pieces, and we have never had the chance to meet him, so this was nice!”

Surls was personable, speaking for about 15 minutes and explaining some of the pieces in the show. He divided them into feminine and masculine pieces, with the feminine pieces being more curved; the masculine pieces being more angular. He also spoke of his love for his wife, and how it has impacted his art.

James Surls, Wynne Home Arts Center, LEAP Center, SHSU

Following his discussion, Mr. Surls was nice enough to sign some photos of his work that we brought to the show. He graciously did so, while chatting comfortably with us.

James Surls, LEAP Ambassadors, SHSU, Wynne Home Arts Center

The exhibit will stay up for six months, twice the usual length of a show. In the past, the Wynne Home has had exhibits featuring David Adickes, Jesus Moroles, Ken Zonker, and Stanley Lea.

The Wynne Home also offers art classes to the public in the Fall, Spring, and Summer. The classes include topics as diverse as classic film, salsa dancing, oil painting, and cooking. The Wynne Home is open Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free.

The LEAP Ambassadors would like to thank Wynne Home Director Linda Pease, Friends of the Wynne President Nancy Gaertner, Friends of the Wynne Vice President Genevive Brown, and the entire Friends of the Wynne board for the opportunity to assist. And, of course, we’d like to thank Mr. James Surls for his art and for his appearance in Huntsville, Texas.

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.

hoh_1_henderson_speaking_web

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.

hoh_1_brossman_speaking_web

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.

Exploring Art in the heART of Huntsville: Session One

Driven to learn more about the community, LEAP Ambassadors are participating in the heART of Huntsville program, which promotes local arts in the Huntsville area. The program consists of four meetings, each with a different artistic theme, tour guides, and participatory activities.

As Ambassadors, we were excited to once again learn more about our campus and community. This excitement, however, was dampened–literally–when, just minutes before the program began, it began to rain heavily. Ambassadors President Megan Chapa, in charge of driving one of the golf carts, arrived from across campus a bit worse for the wear. Professor Yawn, also driving a cart, arrived with one leg completely drenched. It occurred to us that the program’s participants would probably find the campus’s art much more appealing if they weren’t having to stand in the rain to view it. Fortunately, the rain calmed eventually and we all managed to arrive at the Art Department to kick off our first meeting with staff, locals, and faculty, albeit a bit belated and somewhat damp.

We began at the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, where Professor Henderson, the chair of the art department, kindly welcomed us and gave us some background of the art department.

At that time, Dr. Melissa L. Mednicov introduced us to the “Still Summer” exhibit, with work by Debra Barrera and Kelly O’Connor, and gave us a closer insight at the background of the exhibit.

While O’Connor’s work emphasizes memory, fantasy, and fiction; Barrera’s work emphasizes personal memories, specifically relating to her childhood participation in sports such as swimming, seen in most of the art in the exhibit, such as “Pool Rules” or “Bottom of the Pool”. Another piece of work we found fun and interesting was “Selfies on Mars/Selfies on Earth”, where we of course could not miss our group selfie with Mrs. Woodward, Mrs. Pease, and Dean Shields.

Before heading out to the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery, we all took a survey to test our knowledge of Huntsville community art so far. By the end of the program we should be able to see an improvement in knowing and recognizing artwork locally. Next, we arrived at the LSC Art Gallery where we enjoyed an exhibit offered by Professor Trish Ramsay, whose Family and Consumer Science class produced scarves and other textiles. The pieces were beautiful and creative.

As a bonus, we learned a bit about the large piece of art outside the LSC art gallery. Turns out, it is a piece by James Surls, who graduated from SHSU. The piece, unlike almost any of his other work, was done when he was a student at SHSU in the 1960s.

Following the scarves exhibit, we moved to the Gaertner Performing Arts Center where we enjoyed a walking art tour. Craig Brossman, the Facilities Manager of the GPAC, gave us a tour of the Concert Hall, Dance Theater, and Recital Hall. Turns out, an acoustician (!) was hired to design the rooms in such a manner as to make the sound optimal, while also providing state-of-the-art technology. This tour was filled with interesting information (Recital Hall fits 790 people!) and provided rich information about a building that was named among the twenty-five most impressive University Art Centers in the United States.

Professor Henderson was also on hand to discuss many of the pieces of art, such as the “Around the Flower Wall” by James Surls, the previously mentioned internationally known sculptor and a former undergraduate SHSU student;

“Elemental Mandela,” by Kathleen Ash;

“Diamond Waves Column” by Jesus Moroles, an internationally known granite sculptor whose work the LEAP Ambassadors have had the pleasure to see in Fayetteville, Houston, New Orleans, Norman, Austin, and Birmingham; “Firedance” by Jason Lawson;

and various pieces by Stanley Lea.

To end our educational evening, we had dinner at Austin hall, the oldest educational building in continuous use west of the Mississippi and the most notable landmark on campus. We are so thankful to Dean Shields and the College of Mass Communication and Fine Arts for sponsoring such a wonderful evening. We left stuffed with food and knowledge, eagerly awaiting the coming weeks of fun and surprises. Next week we will focus our attention on the outdoor art of Huntsville, Texas and the artwork of David Adickes.

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