James Surls – Page 2 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

By Beatriz Martinez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After seeing more SHSU faculty and alumni art…

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

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

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

Jesus Moroles, SHSU, LEAP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Tag: James Surls

heART of Huntsville, Week One

Exploring Art in the heART of Huntsville: Session One