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Artistic Landmarks: Nancy Rubins’ “Monochrome”

Whenever the LEAP Center heads to Austin, which is often, we do our best to visit the wonderful “Landmarks” art installations on UT’s campus.  Among the most astounding pieces of art is Nancy Rubins’ “Monochrome.”  Whenever students see it for the first time, they step away from it–not only to get a better look, but also for fear that it might fall on them.

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But between the creative vision Nancy Rubins and engineer Jaime Garza, this sculpture is not going to fall.

The story behind the art and the engineering was presented by Landmarks yesterday, and it involved quite a panel: Andree Bober (Director of Landmarks), Professor Tricia Clayton (Cockrell School of Engineering), and Jaime Garza (the project Engineer), and Dean Sharon Wood (Cockrell School of Engineering.

Rubins began by describing how she modeled the art work…

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

…beginning with the structure and moving into a full-blown study…

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

..to what it is today, “at the crossroads of the University’s science and humanities” parts of the campus.

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

Rubins began incorporating boats into her work in 2006, after seeing her husband work on her canoe.  She was drawn to the canoes’ surface, as well as its combination of figurative and abstract elements.  This attraction was deepened by the different look that the canoes manifest in the rain, in the light, and other changing atmospheric conditions.

After Rubins’ discussed her artistic vision, Professor Clayton prompted Garza to describe the technical challenges associated with such a sculpture.  These challenges did, indeed, become rather technical…

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

In this case, Nancy came up with the original model, which Garza then analyzed, making suggestions as to what would work best from an engineering perspective.  The diagram on the right indicates the stress points of the sculpture, with the blue and green colors representing “low stress.”

Rubins wanted the sculpture to be applicable to “anywhere in the world.”  What that means in practical terms is that it needs to hold up under any conditions: snow, rain, earthquakes, heat, and hurricanes.  So Garza imagined “worst-case scenarios” for different parts of the world, ensured that the sculpture could survive those (with a lightning rod installed, also), and then also ensured that the sculpture could also meet the building codes of Austin.

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

Interestingly, the sculpture goes more than 30 feet into the ground, which, obviously, helps stabilize the sprawling sculpture.

In this particular sculpture, Garza needed to demonstrate that the sculpture was sound, so rather than doing load testing (which would have taken too long), they did “finite element models” to demonstrate the structural integrity.

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

In the end, the structure is sound, as this photo (my favorite!), attests…

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

…and these young folks seem to have confidence in it.

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

In closing, Rubins noted that her “team is super proud of the quality and safety of the work.”  And after five years, there “have not been any issues” (although she knocked on wood as she said that…), and she predicted that it would last at least 40 years.  We hope so.

SHSU, UT, University of Texas, Sam Houston State University, LEAP Center, Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Nancy Rubins, Jaime Garza, Landmarks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author mikeyawnPosted on June 25, 2020June 25, 2020Format AsideCategories Art, Civic EngagementTags Center for Law Engagement And Politics, Jaime Garza, Landmarks, LEAP Center, Nancy Rubins, Sam Houston State University, SHSU, University of Texas, UT1 Comment on Artistic Landmarks: Nancy Rubins’ “Monochrome”

New Leadership Texas: Day Two

By Kaitlyn Tyra

After an evening of rest, we awoke refreshed and ready for a full day of learning and adventure with our fellow NEW Texas Leadership participants.

Group_Photo

Following a quick breakfast, our first session of the day taught us about our leadership style. Each participant took the True Colors assessment which proved to be mostly accurate for much of the group. The presenter of this session, Dr. Smita Ruzicka, Assistant Dean of Students at UT Austin, explained how each leadership style was represented by a color. My true color is gold which means I am dependable, hardworking, punctual, organized, and sensible (editor’s note: sounds exactly right!).  Along with the rest of the description, this leadership style described me almost perfectly.

To prepare for the keynote address and networking reception, Nancy Bocskor, a democracy coach and President of the Nancy Bocskor Company, gave us some of her tips on networking. As an ever-evolving college student, the advice was a great reminder of things I already do to while networking but also of some new ideas to help establish my personal brand.

Participants stole a short break for lunch before walking across campus for the conference’s keynote address. This year, the NLT keynote address was given by Senator Judith Zaffirini from District 21. Senator Zaffirini was the first Latina senator in Texas and has now been serving for 28 years. Throughout her legislative career, Senator Zaffirini has passed an astounding 897 bills. Spending the majority of her presentation giving us power tools to help further our careers, Senator Zaffirini discussed how crucial understanding Bloom’s Taxonomy and the effective use of ethos, pathos, and logos have been to her success in the male-dominated world of politics.

Zaffirini_Speaking

Senator Zaffirini wanted the NLT participants to take away the importance of understanding that representatives are public servants and that politics isn’t about themselves. To be a successful public servant, you have to remember why you are in office; because of your constituents. This served as a refreshing reminder which inspired us to further our aspirations for the benefit of our communities. At the end participants had the opportunity to network with various guests, including Senator Zaffirini and her staff members which many participants enjoyed because it allowed us to learn about other possible career paths.

Chapa_Zaffirini_Tyra

Our last panel discussion of the day prompted participants to consider why we should run for office. The panelists included Representative Carol Alvarado from District 145 and Judge Lora Livingston from Travis County among various other respectable, elected women. Not only did they discuss the challenges they have faced as women in political office, but also ways to overcome those obstacles. The panel consisted of persistent women with a passion for serving others which I personally connected with.

Speaker_Panel_2

The end of the evening proved to be fun and relaxing while we enjoyed pizza and documentaries. True to the theme of the conference, we watched documentaries focused on women’s involvement in politics. With a full day of learning and networking behind us, we retired to our rooms enthusiastic about what tomorrow will bring!

Author mikeyawnPosted on June 9, 2015Categories Civic Engagement, Politics, TravelTags Kaitlyn Tyra, LEAP Center, Megan Chapa, New Leadership Texas, SHSU, UTLeave a comment on New Leadership Texas: Day Two

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