While our time in Taos was brief, we wanted to maximize our chance to photograph the famous San Francisco de Assisi Mission. Upon arriving last night, we left our hotel–in temperatures of about eight degrees–to photograph the famous mission.
Construction began in the late 18th century and was completed in 1816. The Spanish settlements featured key aspects of their mission and culture, with churches being centrally located within a plaza that was easy to defend.
Although the Mission has been endlessly photographed and painted, we haven’t seen a lot of night scenes. Part of that may be that, as we found out, is that it is difficult to photograph at night.
To the extent that the temperatures and light allowed, we did our best to photograph the building. With the many lights in the front of the building, we were drawn to the building’s rear, with its beehive buttresses and intriguing contours.
Photo by Olivia Discon
I was able to get a night shot, without some of the distracting street lights. But these lights did drown out some of the stars that we would have liked to have seen.
Fortunately, we were able to try again early the next day, just as it was being touched by the morning sun. Having the chance to view this structure in two different capacities was not only exciting to witness, but also to photograph!
Cinthia and I got the chance to be creative and capture our separate perceptions of the church and how it interacts with its landscape.
Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo
Intriguingly, the community meets every June to use a mixture of mud and straw to repair the exterior adobe. Seeing the structure in person, it’s easy to see why the community is attached to it–and why tourists, such as us, flock to it.
Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo
It’s also easy to see why artists and photographers flock to it. In fact, several people we spoke with described it as one of the most photographed churches in the United States.
San Francisco de Assisi, by Ansel Adams
That is certainly evidence from the different art galleries and museums we visited!
San Francisco de Assisi, by Georgia O’Keeffe
It was, in short, a beautiful way to end our time in New Mexico!
With an impending departure from Santa Fe looming, we wanted to get in one more experience: a hike. We had considered the challenging Picacho Peak and the easy Hondo Arroyo, but we opted for a middle option.
Sun Mountain Trail is listed as a 1.6-mile round trip hike that is still challenging–a function of its 734 feet elevation gain.
And from what we’ve read, the hike offers impressive views from the top of the trail.
The hike begins in a semi-residential area, and it soon grows steep.
For Texans such as ourselves, the thin air is a challenge. Denver may be famous as the “mile-high” city, but Santa Fe is a 1.4 miles above sea level. Houston, by comparison, is about 50 feet above sea level, so between the exertion and the thin air, we were breathing heavy.
Photo by Olivia Discon
Stopping for breath had other virtues.
The trail wends its way up the mountain, offering periodic views of the community below, the mountains on the horizon, and the snow that had recently blanketed the area.
As you approach the top, you go through a series of switchbacks which can be difficult, but which offer even better views.
As you might imagine, it’s windy at the top, but it’s beautiful, especially at sunset.
Photo by Cinthia Villarreal Carrillo
It was cold, but we stayed in the wind and cold so we could see the sun drop below the horizon, soak in the blue hour, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. For Cinthia and Olivia, this was the highest elevation ever reach: 7,920 feet.
It was, we decided, a great vantage point from which to say au revoir to Santa Fe, knowing we will be back one day.
In our first week back in class, we felt compelled to start the Spring semester off with our favorite way to learn about the state of global politics, the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston. This evening, we had the pleasure of hearing from Yaroslov Trofimov, a chief foreign affairs correspondent at the Wall Street Journal. Born in Ukraine, Trofimov not only has a seasoned perspective as a journalist, but a personal understanding as a Ukrainian.
Moderated by Ronan O’Malley, the discussion began with this complex duality of Trofimov’s insights on the Ukraine War. As a correspondent on world affairs, Trofimov’s position requires an objective, multifaceted perspective when educating the public. As a Ukrainian, however, he must consider how his family and culture is to survive the present.
The Ukraine War has been a hot-button topic in United States’ politics, mostly concerning whether the U.S. should financially support Ukraine in their efforts to fight off Russia or not. Trofimov’s key argument, shared by the Americans who support Ukraine in their efforts against the Putin regime, is that this war does not exist alone, but is in fact completely representative of democracy everywhere. He closed his response with a quote that deeply resonated with us: “We are fighting this war so you (Americans) don’t have to”.
Though this war has resulted in numerous casualties, Ukrainians still hold onto a fierce hope that they will persist against what appears to be insurmountable odds. “Russia’s propaganda is stronger than Russia’s army”, Trofimov remarked.
While Jessica has just started her last semester at Sam Houston, this was her first time at the Junior League of Houston. This building’s interior design is reminiscent of the Victorian era, and its elegance and vibrancy is mesmerizing to both newcomers and those who have visited previously. We left Houston as we do after most WAC events; with new perspective, great discussion, and a diversified understanding of the world around us.
Although it was our last day in Santa Fe, it was a day packed full of eclectic adventures and learning. On tap: A tour of the New Mexico Capitol building; a tour of Allan Houser’s art studio; and a hike up Sun Mountain.
After some coffee at CrashMurderBusiness, we headed to the Capitol, where Marylynn Collins was waiting to educate us on the workings of the New Mexico government.
As aspiring participants in Sam Houston State University’s SHAIP program (where students are placed in legislative offices in the TX Capitol), this was of particular importance to us. Cinthia and I have been to 5 Capitol buildings between the two of us, so this visit allowed us to compare how the New Mexico Capitol compares to other states.
Mrs. Collins started the tour by taking us to the center of the capitol’s rotunda. In contrast to most other state capitol buildings, the New Mexican capitol is shaped in a circular manner and has no dome. The reason, Mrs. Collins explained, is to signify the circle of life portrayed in the Zia symbol. The roof of the rotunda is intricately done with stained glass, the shape of which signifies a pueblo basket and the orange and blue colors signify the earth and sky.
The Zia symbol was adapted by the New Mexican people from the Zia Pueblo tribe and, as mentioned above, it portrays a circle in the middle with four sets of four lines coming out of the circle in four different directions. Each of the sets are symbolic in four different capacities: the four seasons of the year (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), the four stages of life (infancy, youth, adulthood, and old age), four times of the day (dawn, daylight, dusk, and dark), and the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west). The symbol is also portrayed in the state flag is seen and used throughout the state.
Something that also sets this state apart is their official state question, “Red or Green?”. This was strange to us before the trip, but New Mexico is very fond and proud of being the home of the green and red chile, which is deeply engraved in their state’s culture and which we have had the opportunity to try in a variety of dishes and restaurants along the trip. Mrs. Collins also mentioned that this is the only state with an official scent; an aroma of roasting green pepper in the air.
We then stepped into the second floor of the “Round House” where we were able to admire the huge permanent collection that filled the walls. Consisting of work from regional artists with different styles and techniques, the paintings, even though completely contrasted one to another, represent the state’s cultures throughout the centuries. While admiring the art work, we were able to see some new artists and also recognize some of the artists we have been learning about, our favorite being Anderson’s “Canyon Segundo”…
Unfortunately, we had to rush from our capitol tour to get to our next stop: Allan Houser’s studio. Even more unfortunately, we learned that because of the massive amounts of snow that had fallen, the Houser Studio was cancelling the tour. But, ever resourceful, we switched gears and visited Houser’s downtown gallery, where we saw 30-40 of the Native American artist’s works.
We had previously seen his works at the Albuquerque Museum, at the New Mexico Capitol building..
…and, in fact, at Professor Yawn’s house, so it wasn’t entirely new to us. But we appreciated seeing the diversity of his art, and the gallery generously gave us–or, rather, SHSU–a very nice book of all of Houser’s works.
With more time on our hands, we ventured over to the Loretto Chapel, where we were able to see another church and another architectural marvel.
Known around the world as the Miraculous Staircase, this winding spiral staircase has left architects in awe of the pure physics of its composition.
Taking two 360 degree turns, its impossible to say how it has managed to sustain itself with neither support beams nor nails.
As we took a moment to marvel at the beautiful chapel ourselves, we also took the time to look around the many gift shops that are connected to the chapel and picked up a few souvenirs for ourselves and our loved ones.
Santa Fe is a charming town that we have come to cherish over a mere two and a half days.
The second leg of our trip is focused on activities and individuals in Santa Fe, NM, and it was to this destination that we set out early Sunday morning. Armed with coffee (and muffins) from Que Suave, we stopped by the Old San Miguel Mission in Socorro as a way to learn more about New Mexican culture…
…but also to practice our skill at architectural photography.
San Fancisco de Assisi, Golden, NM
Leaving Socorro for Santa Fe, we opted for the “Turquoise Trail” rather than simply taking the quickest route. This allowed us a more scenic drive, while also giving us the chance to stop in some smaller towns along the way. One of these towns was Golden, NM, where we stopped to see another Church: The St. Francis de Assis Catholic Church. It’s a beautiful church, surrounded by the graves of parishioners.
We also stopped in Madrid, NM, a wonderful little town that is as charming as it is unusual. We purchased more than two pounds of chocolate at Shugarman’s. Olivia and Cinthia were not expecting to buy chocolate, but after sampling some of the intriguing flavors (e.g., Hibiscus Flowers with Lemon and Ginger), we were hooked.
Indigo Gallery
by Olivia Discon
One of the first places we visited in Madrid was the Indigo Gallery, owned by artist Jill Shwaiko. It seemed to have been the perfect day to stop in, because the artist herself was in the gallery and ready to share some of her work with us! Her work commonly features a thought-provoking goat/sheep motif, along with inspiration from the petroglyphs of indigenous people.
Ms. Shwaiko strives to capture emotions such as perseverance, strength, and frailty in her art, and this is apparent when looking at her work. She also uses vibrant colors, and she even provided us with a mini-lecture on color theory! Her work brought forth many new perspectives, and her lessons resonated with me. Most of all, she encouraged us to experience life, not just survive it. On a special, fun-filled trip such as this, what better advice could one have? We all left Ms. Schwaiko’s gallery excited for what other excellent experiences we have in store.
Olivia, Cinthia, and artist Jill Shwaiko, in Madrid, NM
Finally, we stopped by the Mine Shaft Tavern for our daily fix of food that includes green chile, a semi-must while we are in New Mexico. We had green chile stew, green chile chicken pizza, and the green chile cheeseburger–the latter of which won “the green chile burger smackdown.” The food was excellent!
Santa Fe
When we arrived in Santa Fe, we immediately went to the Plaza. The Plaza is rich with history and many other attributes, so it was a nice way to begin our Santa Fe journey. Our first stop was the Palace of the Governors, where Native Americans are given exclusive rights to sell their products as long as they meet certain requirements (one of which is that the work must be hand-made).
We bought a total of three pieces of art/jewelry from different vendors, and we very much enjoyed learning about the program and the lives of the artists.
Olivia Discon, Cinthia Villarreal, and artist Jeremiah Herrera
New Mexico Museum of Art
by Olivia Discon
To continue our pursuit of immersing ourselves in the New Mexican art scene, we stopped by the New Mexico Museum of Art on the Santa Fe Plaza. Here, we were able to discern several familiar names which we have grown accustomed to while on our tour of the southwest, especially John Nieto, Jesus Moroles, and Allan Houser. But we also had the opportunity to learn more about New Mexico through some artists we hadn’t yet familiarized ourselves with. In my case, I took to a painting by Joseph Henry Sharp, titled “The Stoic”. The size of the piece would be sufficient to capture one’s attention, but it was also captivating in its composition.
“The Stoic,” by Joseph Henry Sharp
Interestingly enough, Sharp was one of the first Americans to visit, and remain in, Taos, New Mexico, and he is regarded as the ”spiritual father” of the Taos Art Colony.”
An artist that was new to Cinthia and me was Fritz Scholder, and we saw his work in various locations and on various media. At the New Mexico Museum of Art on the Plaza, we were able to see a few paintings of his, the most interesting of which was a self portrait.
Fritz Scholder, “Self Portrait”
A close second for the group was a totem of his in the sculpture garden!
Fritz Scholder, “Totem”
The New Mexico Museum of Art on the Plaza also has an auditorium that resembles a chapel, with beautiful murals lining the walls. My personal favorite mural was “The Apotheosis of St. Francis”; a scene that personifies the humanities. Art, religion, literature, philosophy, and society can be seen as gifts of St. Francis to humanity. It was particularly enjoyable to decipher which personification matched which discipline (I implore the reader to guess themselves).
In all, this museum was the perfect place to learn further about New Mexican art, along with reinforcing some of the art that we have come to know and (mostly) love.
The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
by Cinthia Villarreal
In case it has gone unnoticed, art is an essential part in LEAP’s interdisciplinary philosophy. Learning about different artistic styles, media, eras, and artists contributes to our broadened horizons and cultural awareness. With that, it was essential that we visited the museum of renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who spent her later years in New Mexico. Not all of us are huge fans of work, but even the doubters found many works to enjoy and much to learn about.
To our surprise, the museum provides visitors with an audio tour O’Keeffe’s thought process and life happenings behind several of her works. The art works were divided by different stages throughout her life, which were seemingly different from one another. This helped us watch how she grew alongside her art. One of Olivia and my favorite pieces ended up being a watercolor painting done by O’Keeffe at just 16 years old!
Of course, O’Keeffe is specifically known for her abstracts of flowers and landscapes using bright New Mexican colors;
….nonetheless, she proved her versatility and resourcefulness by painting the skyscrapers and night sky of New York with unusual colors for her palette.
Another period in her life that really resonated with us was when she moved to New Mexico after the death of her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. The artist intensely expressed herself by using dark, ominous abstracts.
As she settled in the new state, she noticed the lack of flowers in the deserted environment around her and decided to change her portrait subjects by collecting skulls and bones. This interesting and unique idea set her apart from the rest of the artists in her time for, again, her creativity and originality.
Olivia’s favorite art work from the museum was “Black Place I” because of its looming gray landscape with some hinted red hues along the bottom of the painting. This is O’Keeffe’s depiction of the American Southwest, which she described as “a mile of elephants”.
Professor Yawn enjoyed the ‘Church Steeple,” and…
…I enjoyed the colorful abstract, “Pelvis.”
Interestingly, O’Keeffe only did three sculptures in her life, and we had the chance to see two of them. The first we saw at the New Mexico Museum of Art–a large sculpture of a spiral shape.
That shape, we learned from the O’Keeffe Museum was actually inspired by a ram’s horn…
…and it’s a figure she also painted…
The other sculpture we saw was a small, semi-abstract.
As our minds expand to appreciate and understand art from a more mindful perspective, we left the museum, but not before stopping at the gift stop for something to remind us of this great endeavor.
It was enriching day, filled with learning, new experiences, and the beauty of Santa Fe. As we left the Museum and re-crossed the Plaza, the sun set, leaving us in the “blue hour,” and it began to snow. With the remaining light of the sun’s glow, reinforced by the Christmas lights on the Plaza, we took a final photo of the day.
As college students, waking up before sunrise is not a typical morning for us. However, we were excited to see the Snow Geese start their day and take flight across the beautiful New Mexico sky at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge!
Photo by Olivia Discon
Bosque del Apache
On our tour of the southwest, one of our key objectives is to expand on our basic understanding of photography and apply it to the sites we visit along the way. Wildlife photography, as we’ve come to learn, is its own beast. While there are some habitual patterns of particular creatures, it is impossible to truly know what they might do next. However, we were up for the challenge!
Photo by Stephanie Fors
Of course, the Snow Geese were the feature of this visit, as the sheer number of them joining in their morning flight could not be missed. They must have enjoyed having their photos taken, because they took flight two separate times, making for some variation in photos on our part.
What was most rewarding to capture was a lone Bald Eagle perched atop a tree trunk, scanning the horizon for its next meal.
Photo by Olivia Discon
Funnily enough, Cinthia and I almost missed this exciting catch, as we had just left the area to get a different angle. In the end, we were able to get some photos that we were proud of, along with the satisfaction that comes with experiencing nature.
We left Bosque del Apache with some additional photography experience under our belts and great anticipation to look back on our photos!
Lunch at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
By Cinthia Villarreal
Taking a break from the great outdoors, we made a stop at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to have lunch with former LEAP Ambassador, Karla Bush; her husband, Cameron Bush; and their friend, Richard Cravens. Karla and Cameron attended Texas Tech School of Law and are now successful practicing attorneys. It was great meeting these two, and it was inspiring, particularly since we are following in Karla’s LEAP footsteps. Mr. Cravens, who is also an attorney, attended New Mexico School of Law and has recently published a book, Self Help: A Novel, which we had the chance to read in advance of our trip. Over lunch, Olivia and I received quality advice regarding law school and work ethic. Both Cameron and Mr. Craven made it clear that law school is a difficult journey, but a rewarding one. They noted that we might not be able to outsmart all our fellow law students, but we can outwork them. It’s not every day that we have the chance to speak to three attorneys over lunch–let alone such highly successful and candid attorneys! We were very grateful to have their perspective as former law students, and we would like to thank Karla, Cameron, and Mr. Craven for taking the time to visit with us.
Bernardo Wildlife Area
By Olivia Discon
To close our day filled with new experiences, great conversations, and learning opportunities, we decided to end our day as we started it; by watching the New Mexican landscape. This time, however, we set up in Bernardo Wildlife Area to catch the large flock of birds before nightfall and also just see nature’s beauty.
Photo by Cinthia Villarreal
This go around was truly a sight to be seen. There were thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese awaiting their final flight for the day before getting some sleep, which we watched with both awe and envy.
Photo by Olivia Discon
These birds have not been in their typical sleeping spot as of late, so we had no idea what to expect as to their location or their destination. Accordingly, we split up and went to different locations to maximize our coverage.
Eventually, after some squabbling and feeding, it was time for liftoff!
Photo by Olivia Discon
The birds swarmed the orange sky in such a way that kept you glued to their elegant movements. The mountainous and open landscape made for some photos that were a good faith attempt at capturing the beauty of the scene.
Photo by Cinthia Villarreal
We could not have ended our day with a more rewarding and serene experience. Just like the Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes, it was time for us to make our way towards a place to rest.
In today’s version of a LEAP trip, we learned a lot about art, the law, and the outdoors. And to kick things off, we did all three by heading to Texas Tech’s campus and doing a self-guided outdoor art tour, followed by a guided indoor law-school tour.
Our self-guided tour was to see what the Texas Tech Campus had to offer, and we were impressed with what we found. We saw a very large James Surls piece…
…several large Jesus Moroles pieces…
….a Deborah Butterfield horse, Terry Allen’s “Read Reader…”
…and Tom Otterness’s “A Tornado of Ideas.”
It was difficult to pick our favorite: Olivia’s was Moroles’s “Lapstrake Portal;” Cinthia’s was Butterfield’s horse.
But our primary purpose for being there was to see the law school, so at 10:30, we met our guide, Katie Moorhead, and we began our tour.
Texas Tech Law School Tour
Cinthia Villarreal
Upon entering Texas Tech School of Law (TTU Law), we were immediately welcomed by the sophisticated ambiance of the building. At this time, it was really beginning to sink in that we were looking at our future. We had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Moorhead, the Assistant Director for Admissions at TTU Law, who gave us an excellent, in-depth tour of the law school and included her insight along the way. We started with what Ms. Moorhead referred to as “the Goldilocks Bears of classrooms”. Befittingly, there were smaller classrooms, larger classrooms seating 100 students, and regular classrooms that were “just right”!
What was unique to us is that first-year students are personally assigned a study room in the library where they can study, have lunch, or even nap. We weirdly found this custom the most exciting aspect of the building itself, which of course doesn’t even begin to explain the culture and rigor of TTU. For that information, Dwight McDonald, Clinical Instructor and Director of Community Engagement, was on hand to provide. Mr. McDonald made his case for what sets Texas Tech apart from the other law schools. He believes that Texas Tech is unique in that it supports students to practice law with a firsthand approach in TTU’s clinics and curriculum. He was as persuasive as he was collegial!
To our great surprise, we had the honor of meeting former U.S. Congressman and Chancellor of Texas Tech University, Kent Hence. He had nothing but excellent things to say about the law school, and he encouraged us to consider the school upon our graduation. It simply does not get more compelling than that!
Though we already felt incredibly lucky, the enriching tour didn’t end there! We had the chance to take a peek into a seminar on domestic violence. The auditorium was filled with practicing lawyers continuing their intellectual pursuits, and from what we were able to listen in on, the seminar raised some great points in evaluating domestic violence cases. Of course, we had to end our visit with a photo op in the Donald Hunt Courtroom with Ms. Moorhead!
We thank TTU Law for opening their doors to us, Ms. Moorhead for her assistance in coordinating this tour, and Mr. McDonald for taking the time to speak with us.
Out of this World in Roswell, New Mexico
Following our wonderful tour, we grabbed food on the go so that we could get to Roswell, New Mexico. Knowledgeable readers are likely to know that Roswell is best known for what may have been an alien encounter in 1947. There was a lot of evidence of this history throughout the town, which is covered in all things alien. The street lights are alien heads; there are little plastic green men on every block; and even the McDonalds was shaped like a flying saucer.
But we did not visit Roswell just to make Cinthia feel at home. Rather, we went to this strange little town for its art. It is home to the Roswell Museum of Art, as well as the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art—the latter of which we visited. It’s a wonderful museum.
Like every contemporary art museum we have ever been to, there was art we did not care for; art that we weren’t sure if we cared for, but that made us think; and art we really enjoyed. Luis Jimenez, the most famous of the artists in the collection, had works that fell into all three categories for us.
His work is interesting, and, in fact, the AMOCA has more Jimenez pieces on display than other museum in the country…
…but Jimenez can also be out there.
We also really liked the work of Donald Anderson, and we all had our favorites of his many pieces in the collection. In fact, it was Olivia’s favorite artist! Professor Yawn also really liked the work of Elmer Schooley;
Stephanie’s favorites were by Howard Cook; Cinthia’s favorite was Peter Zokosky’s “Skeleton in Landscape.”
There were fun pieces, too. One artist made sharks that hung from the ceiling, which would have been terrifying, but they were made from golf bags and, in one case, a vacuum cleaner. Jason Richel’s work gravitated toward stackable food objects, including smores and toast. Moreover, as LEAP Ambassadors, we also tried to kill two birds with one stone (or, as we were taught in a training once, to “feed two birds with one scone”) by not only enjoying the art, but also by working on our communication skills. This was done by sitting at a special table designed to foster teambuilding…
It was a fun visit, and one in which we blessedly didn’t encounter even a single alien, plastic or otherwise. We did, however, have the good fortune of meeting pleasant staff and learning about some new artists.
We didn’t have a lot of time, but we wanted to try out some new (rented) camera equipment and see if we could spot some wildlife.
We were struck by the calm blue of the water, as well as the prime habitat for animals.
Birds were a bit scarce despite a landscape (wetlands) designed for birds, but we saw several hawks…
…sedges of sandhill cranes, flocks of red-wing blackbirds…
and the rare treat of seeing an owl—at pretty close range, at that!
Calling it a Night
We capped the evening with dinner in Ruidoso. The dinner was fine, but the real treat for these two Texas girls was seeing snow. Not the icy snow that occasionally sprinkles on Huntsville and causes havoc; nor the icy, slushy, and wet snow blown out for the Christmas Fair. This was real, recently fallen, snow! So, to commemorate this occasion, we flocked to the parking lot snow, which was dirtier and more icy than the snow on the ground, but which had the advantage of having already been piled up. Thus we were able to more quickly make the world’s most frightening snow man.
With this masterpiece under our belts, and with an early and cold morning in store for tomorrow, we called it a night.
It was an early morning for a Thursday during a Christmas break. But it was a LEAP trip, so of course it was early. With a first-day itinerary that included a law-school tour, two art museums, and an eight-hour drive, we needed to begin at dawn.
TAMU Law
By Cinthia Villarreal
As aspiring attorneys and with “Law” representing the first letter of the LEAP acronym, the first stop of our Southwest Trip was, naturally, the Texas A&M School of Law (TAMU Law)in Fort Worth.
Olivia and I walked through the front door thrilled for the tour that awaited us. I was personally elated, as this was my first time ever being in a law school. Dani Cortez, the Admission Recruitment Coordinator, was kind enough to set a tour for us with current TAMU Law Ambassador, Dalia El-Giar.
As a second year law student, Dalia was able to share a firsthand account of the law school and was candid about her journey so far, which included the typical class environment, internship opportunities, and housing.
We started at the Dee L. Kelly Law Library, which happened to be our favorite aspect of the visit; the coolest feature of this library being the motorized bookshelves! After she showed us the classrooms, courtrooms, and the lounge areas, we couldn’t resist but imagining ourselves sitting in one of those chairs as law students. Throughout the tour, we learned about the resources the school offers which range from international travel opportunities, externships, to legal clinics. TAMU Law is one of the top law schools in Texas, and getting a glimpse of the school’s culture truly made our aspirations a bit more realistic and a lot more exciting.
We then had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Cortez to address any questions about the tour and admission process. When we asked about personal statements, he emphasized the importance of showing our personality and passions through our writing. Before ending a very successful tour, it was an absolute must to visit the school bookstore and buy some matching swag! Many thanks to the A&M School of Law staff for their hospitability, Mr. Cortez for his kindness and insight into the admissions process, and Dalia for her approachableness, honesty, and eagerness to share her perspective as a student.
Architecture & Art
Following our wonderful tour of TAMU Law, we hustled to a couple of nearby architectural marvels. The first was Philip Johnson’s Fort Worth Water Gardens, right across the street from the law school. Designed to neighbor the Fort Worth Convention Center, the “gardens” have at least five components: an entrance…
…an “aerated” pool…
…a quiet pool, a mountain, and a sunken water garden.
The latter element was fascinating, with its many layers and levels for water to cascade down—not to mention the steps you can skip across to access the lowest tier. It was on this tier that we posed for a long-exposure photograph—one that emphasized the cascading nature of the water (and our ability to stand still for eight seconds….).
With both of us working for the City of Huntsville, we also had to stop by Sundance Square to see the Richard Haas mural of the Chisholm Trail. This is a piece that completely transformed this area of Fort Worth, and it is also one of the pieces that prompted Linda Pease to reach out to Haas to do art work in Huntsville.
Such adventures, however, only foreshadowed our art experiences to come.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
The first of these was the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Here, we were able to refresh our familiarity with Frederic Remington, whose work pervaded the museum.
We saw this western motif in many of its manifestations. Much of the collection from the 19th century, which included artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and Martin Johnson Heade, involved western symbolism. Moreover, we had a chance to see several of Georgia O’Keeffe’s works, including her painting of the San Francis de Asis, which we will be seeing later this trip!
It was a great visit, a chance to brush up on some artists and learn new artists.
The Old Jail Art Center Museum
A couple of hours from Fort Worth is one of the state’s best hidden gems: Albany’s Old Jail Art Center.
Their collection, which consists of more than 2,000 pieces, includes such luminaries as Paul Klee, Picasso, Thomas Hart Benton, Amedeo Modigliani, Peter Hurd, Bror Utter, Jesus Moroles, and James Surls.
We met several of the staff, all of whom were very nice. Kellie Bellah was on hand to greet us and get us started in the Museum; Patrick Kelly, the Museum’s Director, gave us a tour; and Amy Kelly, the Museum’s Collections Curator, gave us some in-depth information about several pieces in the collection. They were nice enough to take us to the “vault,” where we had a chance to see a Benton, two Grant Woods, two Picassos, an Alexander Calder mobile, and a Charles Pebworth!
While we immediately recognized the Surls’ piece in the Museum, it took us a minute to identify the Moroles’ pieces in the courtyard. In retrospect, the pieces should have been pretty easy to identify, but they were different than the totems we have seen in the past.
We also enjoyed seeing the artists in their exhibit galleries. Leigh Merrill had some very impressive photography…
…and Karla Garcia had some thought-provoking pieces in the historic section of the Museum—the actual “Old Jail.”
Although art can be intimidating, the fact that the Museum is set in an actual historic jail made us both feel right at home!
Seriously, though, it was a great first day on our southwestern tour: law, art, and architecture–just a few of our favorite things.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 