My place of employment had an exhibit of art at the First Friday Art Trail in Lubbock,Texas http://www.ffat.org/ on September 1, 2017. Patients at the TDCJ John Montford Unit https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jm.html psychiatric facility had made the art to be displayed. Texas Tech Health Sciences Center http://www.ttuhsc.edu/, a contract health services provider for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ.state.tx.us/ also sponsored the First Friday Art Trail, and it was the 20th anniversary of the art trail.
One of the patients on my caseload did a large number of pieces, many of which were displayed. The man was self-taught, with the help of other offenders, and did not do any artwork prior to coming to prison. His pieces were praised and admired, and several people asked if they were for sale. I was so proud to be able to talk about this, but of course could not give out any identifying information, and am excited to be able to tell him this when I return to work after Labor Day!
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
M. C. Escher
My best friend from college introduced me to M. C. Escher http://www.mcescher.com/. I was hooked. It was amazing and fascinating. Tonight, I watched a DVD The Amazing World of M.C. Escher. Some of the premise of this DVD was the mathematical constructs used by M. C. Escher. What an amazing artist.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Fall Festival
Today was the Fall Arts Festival http://www.mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/garden-arts-center/news-item-2/2015/09/12/default-calendar/43rd-annual-fall-festival at the Garden Arts Center, in Lubbock. We had talked about it at work yesterday, but I forgot about it this morning, till my hairdresser mentioned it.
I had nothing else to do that was pressing, so I went after getting my hair cut. There was a good crowd. There was a good number of booths. The live entertainment was okay. Some years, there are a lot of food vendors, but not this year.
Some years there seems to be a "theme" to the wares. This year, not so much. One thing that I found interesting was that there were 2 authors there. Both informed me that their books were Christian books without a steamy or vulgar language. There were home made food booths, soap, woodworking articles, creams and lotions, jewelry, accessories quilting items, the Iris Club was selling irises, some art booths, and other handicrafts, including knitting. Usually seeing the knitting inspires me, not this year.
It was a cool morning, but when I got to the Festival, the temperature was starting to heat up. But, I enjoyed the Fall Arts Festival. I am glad I went.
I had nothing else to do that was pressing, so I went after getting my hair cut. There was a good crowd. There was a good number of booths. The live entertainment was okay. Some years, there are a lot of food vendors, but not this year.
Some years there seems to be a "theme" to the wares. This year, not so much. One thing that I found interesting was that there were 2 authors there. Both informed me that their books were Christian books without a steamy or vulgar language. There were home made food booths, soap, woodworking articles, creams and lotions, jewelry, accessories quilting items, the Iris Club was selling irises, some art booths, and other handicrafts, including knitting. Usually seeing the knitting inspires me, not this year.
It was a cool morning, but when I got to the Festival, the temperature was starting to heat up. But, I enjoyed the Fall Arts Festival. I am glad I went.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Woman in Gold
Before it was released, I said I wanted to see the movie Woman in Gold http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404425/. I even put aside an afternoon on my vacation to see it. That was the day severe thunderstorms moved into Lubbock, and Lubbock flooded, including in the area of the movie theater where this movie was playing, and I stayed home to stay out of the hail, without realizing the flooding would be more of a problem.
Was it last week, or the week before, that someone told me I need to get to the theater to see the movie or else it will be gone? But I kept procrastinating. Last night, I went to see the Drum Corps International season premier at the same movie theater where Woman in Gold is still playing. I had planned to go to the pool tonight, but decided to opt for going to see the movie instead. I am not sure, but I think Friday is the day they change movies in Lubbock. And, there were some storms in the area. I do not know if they closed the pool or not, but I opted for the movie. The forecast was the storms would not be severe, and if there was hail, it would be below the quarter-sized hail that causes problems. The clouds were ominous but I believed the weather forecasters.
My past movie going history is that I usually attend movies on the weekends. I was amazed last night at how few cars were in the parking lot. There were even fewer in the parking lot tonight, so movie going must be a weekend activity.
Well, I think I made the right choice. I was the only person in the theater until about 5 minutes before the movie started. A couple came in. About 10 minutes or so after the start of the movie, 2 women came in. I was sitting in the first row, middle of the row, going up from the entry ramp. These women came in, sat right next to me, and took out the food they smuggled into the theater.
We shared laughter and comments during the movie, and sat through the credits. The woman sitting next to me thanked me for being a good sport. I was not impressed: Not only did the two women talk a lot during the movie (about the movie and not about the movie), the woman next to me took out her cell phone several times, and clicked calls off. If she was not going to take calls, why didn't she silence her phone or shut it off? Or was she waiting for some specific call?. I told them I thought it was a great movie, and the other woman told me this was the second time she came to see it.
This is a movie I will watch again, if it is shown on TV.
I became a Helen Mirren fan when she did the Prime Suspect series http://www.helenmirren.com/biog.html as Jane Tennison, aired on PBS in this country. I also appreciated her in The Queen. There are several other of her movies I want to see, including The Hundred Foot Journey. I believe she has another play or series coming out on PBS in which she is Queen Elizabeth II, called The Audience https://www.telecharge.com/ScheduleAndPricing.aspx?ProductId=10486.
Well, the upshot is I enjoyed the movie, and if you did not see it, I recommend you do in the future.
Was it last week, or the week before, that someone told me I need to get to the theater to see the movie or else it will be gone? But I kept procrastinating. Last night, I went to see the Drum Corps International season premier at the same movie theater where Woman in Gold is still playing. I had planned to go to the pool tonight, but decided to opt for going to see the movie instead. I am not sure, but I think Friday is the day they change movies in Lubbock. And, there were some storms in the area. I do not know if they closed the pool or not, but I opted for the movie. The forecast was the storms would not be severe, and if there was hail, it would be below the quarter-sized hail that causes problems. The clouds were ominous but I believed the weather forecasters.
My past movie going history is that I usually attend movies on the weekends. I was amazed last night at how few cars were in the parking lot. There were even fewer in the parking lot tonight, so movie going must be a weekend activity.
Well, I think I made the right choice. I was the only person in the theater until about 5 minutes before the movie started. A couple came in. About 10 minutes or so after the start of the movie, 2 women came in. I was sitting in the first row, middle of the row, going up from the entry ramp. These women came in, sat right next to me, and took out the food they smuggled into the theater.
We shared laughter and comments during the movie, and sat through the credits. The woman sitting next to me thanked me for being a good sport. I was not impressed: Not only did the two women talk a lot during the movie (about the movie and not about the movie), the woman next to me took out her cell phone several times, and clicked calls off. If she was not going to take calls, why didn't she silence her phone or shut it off? Or was she waiting for some specific call?. I told them I thought it was a great movie, and the other woman told me this was the second time she came to see it.
This is a movie I will watch again, if it is shown on TV.
I became a Helen Mirren fan when she did the Prime Suspect series http://www.helenmirren.com/biog.html as Jane Tennison, aired on PBS in this country. I also appreciated her in The Queen. There are several other of her movies I want to see, including The Hundred Foot Journey. I believe she has another play or series coming out on PBS in which she is Queen Elizabeth II, called The Audience https://www.telecharge.com/ScheduleAndPricing.aspx?ProductId=10486.
Well, the upshot is I enjoyed the movie, and if you did not see it, I recommend you do in the future.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Contemporary Inuit Art
The Texas Tech Museum has a temporary exhibit on Contemporary Inuit Art http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/exhsch11.html. It is very interesting, but a little sad. The Canadian Government "settled" the Inuit from their nomadic way of life. However, they later made a fairly generous treaty or pact with them, but it is based on the Inuit not being nomads.
The good news is that the Inuit art contributed to their transition to a more settled way of life. And, their contemporary art still reflects traditional values.
The good news is that the Inuit art contributed to their transition to a more settled way of life. And, their contemporary art still reflects traditional values.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
The Monuments Men
I am reading the book, The Monuments Men http://www.monumentsmen.com/books-movies/the-monuments-men by Robert Edsel with Brett Witter. This is the book upon which the movie was based.
Earlier this year, I saw the movie, The Monuments Men http://www.monumentsmen.com/. It was a good story, but a little disjointed. But, you got the message.
As is usually true, the book is better than the movie. But this book is dryer and even more disjointed than the movie. In the movie, you got the sense that the efforts of the Monuments Men were disorganized and disjointed, and they really were not sure what they were doing. Well, in the book, this is so obvious. It is a wonder that they accomplished anything. That they did is a tribute to the character of the men charged with the task of saving the art and cultural treasures of Europe.
It is so sad that the German Nazis tried to confiscate and destroy the culture of Europe. It was understandable: They wanted the best for themselves and they wanted to obliterate the rest that was not the best, and not German, or Aryan. It was their way of disrespecting the rest of Europe, denigrating Europe, and demeaning the identity of the peoples they "conquered."
There are important lessons in the book and movie. Lessons about respecting our history, our culture, and past histories and culture. Lessons about respecting the right of nations to have museums that safeguard and exhibit this history and culture. Lessons about the fact that private individuals have the right to amass treasures of art and culture that also pay tribute to our history and culture. Lessons about what can go amok when a government, or a faction puts itself above the law of civil rights and respect for human rights.
The book came out in 2009. I am not really good about keeping up with what new books are coming out. I happened to be at the movie theater and saw a trailer for the movie. If I had not seen the trailer, I am not sure I would have heard about the movie or the book. That is a lesson to me, I need to do better informed about what books are being written.
Earlier this year, I saw the movie, The Monuments Men http://www.monumentsmen.com/. It was a good story, but a little disjointed. But, you got the message.
As is usually true, the book is better than the movie. But this book is dryer and even more disjointed than the movie. In the movie, you got the sense that the efforts of the Monuments Men were disorganized and disjointed, and they really were not sure what they were doing. Well, in the book, this is so obvious. It is a wonder that they accomplished anything. That they did is a tribute to the character of the men charged with the task of saving the art and cultural treasures of Europe.
It is so sad that the German Nazis tried to confiscate and destroy the culture of Europe. It was understandable: They wanted the best for themselves and they wanted to obliterate the rest that was not the best, and not German, or Aryan. It was their way of disrespecting the rest of Europe, denigrating Europe, and demeaning the identity of the peoples they "conquered."
There are important lessons in the book and movie. Lessons about respecting our history, our culture, and past histories and culture. Lessons about respecting the right of nations to have museums that safeguard and exhibit this history and culture. Lessons about the fact that private individuals have the right to amass treasures of art and culture that also pay tribute to our history and culture. Lessons about what can go amok when a government, or a faction puts itself above the law of civil rights and respect for human rights.
The book came out in 2009. I am not really good about keeping up with what new books are coming out. I happened to be at the movie theater and saw a trailer for the movie. If I had not seen the trailer, I am not sure I would have heard about the movie or the book. That is a lesson to me, I need to do better informed about what books are being written.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
LIpizzaner Horses
Tonight I watched a show on Nature, a show on PBS http://www.pbs.org/, called "The Legendary White Stallions." The blurb for this was "The history of the Lipizzaner stallion is chronicled. Included: their little-known rescue by the U.S. Army in 1945." For some history about this horse, click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipizzaner.
I must not have been paying close attention, because I did not hear the part about the rescue by the U.S. Army in 1945. And, I take exception to the blurb, and suspect that many of my generation, who were raised on Disney films, will too. I immediately remembered the title of the Disney movie, "The Miracle of the White Stallions" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057312/ that we watched when we were little. I am not sure how accurate the movie was (I think the Disney studio has improved its accuracy, and does not take as much artistic license as it used to) but it was a good story.
I remember seeing the Lipizzaners when I was in college in the early 1970's. The leader of the troupe made a "love your country, be good patriots" speech at the end for which most of the students expressed their displeasure. You have to remember that it was not fashionable to be a patriot or good citizen during that time. I was saddened by that. This man was grateful to the United States for the continuation of this horse breed, and he was just expressing that, and that we should appreciate our country. Well, I am grateful that I got to see the horses and riders perform. It was awesome!
I must not have been paying close attention, because I did not hear the part about the rescue by the U.S. Army in 1945. And, I take exception to the blurb, and suspect that many of my generation, who were raised on Disney films, will too. I immediately remembered the title of the Disney movie, "The Miracle of the White Stallions" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057312/ that we watched when we were little. I am not sure how accurate the movie was (I think the Disney studio has improved its accuracy, and does not take as much artistic license as it used to) but it was a good story.
I remember seeing the Lipizzaners when I was in college in the early 1970's. The leader of the troupe made a "love your country, be good patriots" speech at the end for which most of the students expressed their displeasure. You have to remember that it was not fashionable to be a patriot or good citizen during that time. I was saddened by that. This man was grateful to the United States for the continuation of this horse breed, and he was just expressing that, and that we should appreciate our country. Well, I am grateful that I got to see the horses and riders perform. It was awesome!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Does Shelburne Falls Have a New Identity?
I could have sworn that I wrote about the filming of the movie Labor Day, http://www.recorder.com/home/6721923-95/movie-magic-is-latest-draw-in-the-falls based on a novel by Joyce Maynard of the same name. But, if I did, I could not find the posts. Well, that is okay, I sometimes have strange titles and strange labels for my posts, that make no sense to me when I go back to read them. So, if I did write about that, why should I think I can find it?
The reason I would have written about Labor Day last year was because it was being filmed in Western Massachusetts, mostly Shelburne Falls, but also in the Franklin County Jail, and other areas in Massachusetts. I followed its filming in my home town newspaper, The Greenfield Recorder http://www.recorder.com/ and I read the book, Labor Day http://www.joycemaynard.com/Joyce_Maynard/B__Labor_Day.html. I have been anticipating the release of Labor Day, http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/labor-day-movie-jason-reitman-release-date-december-25-2013/ which is apparently set for near Christmas 2013. Why it would not be released near Labor Day 2013 is beyond me, but I think this has to do with Oscar politics, and holiday box office numbers. So, maybe, it is not beyond me.
So, today, I was reading The Greenfield Recorder again, and once again Shelburne Falls is being used as a location for a movie http://www.recorder.com/home/6721923-95/movie-magic-is-latest-draw-in-the-falls The Judge http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872194/. I think this is a great economic boost for Shelburne Falls, and from all reports in The Greenfield Recorder, the locals are as enamored with this cast and crew as they were with the Labor Day cast and crew.
I think it is great that Shelburne Falls, and the surrounding area is being used for movie locations. That is so neat.
This is not the first time that movies have been filmed in Western Massachusetts http://www.mafilm.org/made-in-mass/. The most memorable for me is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061184/. Another was The Edge of Darkness http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/ but frankly, the movie stunk.
So, does Shelburne Falls have a new identity as a movie location? Does two movies, two years in a row, make it so? And why do people in the film industry know about Shelburne Falls.
I have to wonder. Shelburne Falls has a very famous resident, Bill Cosby http://billcosby.com/ , who has a residential compound in Shelburne Falls. Mr. Cosby resided in Shelburne Falls because he was a post-graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, http://www.umass.edu/ in Amherst, Massachusetts. Early on, the University of Massachusetts had liberal "university without walls" standards. Mr. Cosby could actually use some of his television programming as part of his PhD thesis material. That is as it should be. It was so educationally about appropriate family and parenting values, and the television venue ensured it was mass marketed in a way that other educational material would not be received.
I do not know if Mr. Cosby was influential in the filming of these new movies. If he was, I think Franklin County owes him a thank you, at least. If not, well coincidences are not always as coincidental as we believe.
So, now, I have another movie for which I have to anticipate the release.
The reason I would have written about Labor Day last year was because it was being filmed in Western Massachusetts, mostly Shelburne Falls, but also in the Franklin County Jail, and other areas in Massachusetts. I followed its filming in my home town newspaper, The Greenfield Recorder http://www.recorder.com/ and I read the book, Labor Day http://www.joycemaynard.com/Joyce_Maynard/B__Labor_Day.html. I have been anticipating the release of Labor Day, http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/labor-day-movie-jason-reitman-release-date-december-25-2013/ which is apparently set for near Christmas 2013. Why it would not be released near Labor Day 2013 is beyond me, but I think this has to do with Oscar politics, and holiday box office numbers. So, maybe, it is not beyond me.
So, today, I was reading The Greenfield Recorder again, and once again Shelburne Falls is being used as a location for a movie http://www.recorder.com/home/6721923-95/movie-magic-is-latest-draw-in-the-falls The Judge http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872194/. I think this is a great economic boost for Shelburne Falls, and from all reports in The Greenfield Recorder, the locals are as enamored with this cast and crew as they were with the Labor Day cast and crew.
I think it is great that Shelburne Falls, and the surrounding area is being used for movie locations. That is so neat.
This is not the first time that movies have been filmed in Western Massachusetts http://www.mafilm.org/made-in-mass/. The most memorable for me is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061184/. Another was The Edge of Darkness http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/ but frankly, the movie stunk.
So, does Shelburne Falls have a new identity as a movie location? Does two movies, two years in a row, make it so? And why do people in the film industry know about Shelburne Falls.
I have to wonder. Shelburne Falls has a very famous resident, Bill Cosby http://billcosby.com/ , who has a residential compound in Shelburne Falls. Mr. Cosby resided in Shelburne Falls because he was a post-graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, http://www.umass.edu/ in Amherst, Massachusetts. Early on, the University of Massachusetts had liberal "university without walls" standards. Mr. Cosby could actually use some of his television programming as part of his PhD thesis material. That is as it should be. It was so educationally about appropriate family and parenting values, and the television venue ensured it was mass marketed in a way that other educational material would not be received.
I do not know if Mr. Cosby was influential in the filming of these new movies. If he was, I think Franklin County owes him a thank you, at least. If not, well coincidences are not always as coincidental as we believe.
So, now, I have another movie for which I have to anticipate the release.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The Vatican Frescos
In 2002, the Texas Tech Museum http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/ hosted an exhibit of the Vatican Frescos http://vaticanexhibit.com/. This was the result of the influence and work of Rev. Malcolm Neyland http://search.lubbockonline.com/fast-elements.php?type=standard&profile=lubbock&querystring=%22MALCOLM%20L.%20NEYLAND%22 . Father Neyland is a home grown priest who has been very instrumental in the process of bringing Vatican art to the USA, and he makes sure that Lubbock is included in the tour.
I went to the Frescos exhibit. It was good. It was interesting.
I went to the Frescos exhibit. It was good. It was interesting.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tchaikovsky
I have been wanting more music by Tchaikovsky http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/ to listen to. Yesterday, I made it happen. I had a gift card for Hastings http://www.gohastings.com/ that I received as a Christmas present. I loaded the gift card into my bag (I do not have a purse. I use a fanny pack. Maybe I will write about that.) some time ago, but never did get to Hastings.
I have been looking at Barnes and Noble for some Tchaikovsky but I did not really find what I wanted. Well, yesterday, I left work early to go to my tax preparer, and was done with that well before 5 PM. So, I decided to go to Hastings to look for some music.
I found something called: Tchaikovsky, the ultimate collection. This is a 4 CD collection that has music from "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Nutcracker Ballet." "Aurora's Wedding," "Romeo and Juliet." " Eugene Onegin," and many more, but most importantly what I wanted was "The 1812 Overture."
I already have a very good rendition of "The 1812 Overture." I am really disappointed with this rendition of "The 1812 Overture," but I am very pleased with much of the rest of the music on these CDs.
Oh well.
I have been looking at Barnes and Noble for some Tchaikovsky but I did not really find what I wanted. Well, yesterday, I left work early to go to my tax preparer, and was done with that well before 5 PM. So, I decided to go to Hastings to look for some music.
I found something called: Tchaikovsky, the ultimate collection. This is a 4 CD collection that has music from "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Nutcracker Ballet." "Aurora's Wedding," "Romeo and Juliet." " Eugene Onegin," and many more, but most importantly what I wanted was "The 1812 Overture."
I already have a very good rendition of "The 1812 Overture." I am really disappointed with this rendition of "The 1812 Overture," but I am very pleased with much of the rest of the music on these CDs.
Oh well.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Texas Tech Museum
When I first came to Lubbock, I could not get enough of the Texas Tech Museum. Among other things, it was free, and it still is! But, after a while, it became stagnant in my mind. Over the years, I have only gone to a highly touted exhibit or two... Until a few years ago, a dear coworker talked about going to the museum. He opened my world and re-introduced me to the museum. I will say that over the years, I have gone to the Ranching Heritage Museum http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/, the Lubbock Lake Landmark http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/lll/, the Silent Wings Museum http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/, and occasionally, the Science Spectrum http://www.sciencespectrum.org/new/home.shtml. But now, I watch for and try to attend the Texas Tech Museum exhibits
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/exhsch11.html#aug12. . It looks like there will be some really good exhibits in 2013.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/exhsch11.html#aug12. . It looks like there will be some really good exhibits in 2013.
Thanks, Mike.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Road Art
Why are we erecting pointy metal objects as art on the side of the roads in Lubbock http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-07-28/next-art-llano-outdoor-sculpture-be-installed-thursday This makes no sense, especially because so much research and design has gone into making safer barriers, and poles and posts for signs, utilities, etc. that border the roads. This is the kind of thing Lubbock spends its money on, and later realizes it was not such a good idea.
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