Prom-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Posted on April 24, 2020 by cecelia

2020-21’s high school seniors have been struck a blow by Covid-19. Prom has an / through it. Cancelled! All the planning, excitement, decisions about dates, outfits, pictures, dances, etc., gone in an instant. The event, marking the end of an era, will not happen. I know they will find creative ways to be “together” apart, but it won’t be the same. I felt for them as I thought back to my own prom (ancient history) something I had not done in a long time.

Prom, for me, was a double header! That’s an apt analogy because the guy who took me to my prom and the guy who took me to his was the same guy and did he ever love baseball. He played in high school (Taft H.S., Bronx NY)) and was a fervent Yankees fan.

We had our first date on March 31, 1959. How we met is a story for another day. I was a senior at the High School of Music and Art. M&A and the High School of Performing Arts merged shortly after I graduated and established a new school at Lincoln Center with the unwieldy name of Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Whew! My date, Stanley Feld, was a senior at Columbia College. I know, he “robbed the cradle.” He also expertly wooed my mom and dad and came with a great recommendation from his aunt who knew my mother. What aunt wouldn’t give her nephew a great recommendation?

M&A and Columbia had senior proms sometime in May before graduation in June. Senior proms were generally held in May or June before the end of the school year. The end of an era! They were formal affairs with girls in poofy dresses and guys in tuxes. The dresses may have been strapless but unlike today’s affairs, not much skin showed elsewhere. Pretty sedate, actually, but very pretty with pastel colors dominating. Since I was going to two proms I bought two dresses, which was very extravagant for a middle class Bronx girl. Stan rented his tux for each night. Lucky guy! I never wore those dresses again. Did you know that “prom” is short for promenade? That makes sense – there was a lot of promenading about, checking out each other’s attire and dates.

Stanley & Cecelia

My prom was an evening of dinner and dancing at the Copacabana, a legendary New York nightclub near Times Square. It’s still there, hopefully shuttered only temporarily, its bands playing more of today’s music for a hip crowd. Stan’s prom event was a bit more adventurous. There was probably dinner and dancing at Columbia (Manhattan). Neither of us can remember. The evening continued afterwards with a train ride (subway) down to South Ferry at the tip of Manhattan). No car, no Uber. It was some kind of crazy tradition. We rode the ferry to Staten Island and returned on the ferry at some god-awful hour of night/early morning. We took the train to the Bronx to bring me home, maybe taking a cab from the train to my house. I’m sure we didn’t walk. My date got me home sometime in the early morning. Fortunately, Stan’s house was not too far away. We were beat!

The 1959 school year concluded with the two fun and exciting proms and two graduations. Fall 1959 would see me starting Hunter College and Stan starting Downstate Medical Center. We would continue to date, get engaged, graduate from Hunter and Downstate and marry at the end of the four years (1963).

1959 was the end of a decade. The 60’s would be turbulent; JFK’s assassination, the Vietnam was (and its protests), LBJ’s Great Society legislation, including passage of the Civil Rights acts, and Woodstock.

A few years ago, as I was about to enter a restaurant in Dallas, I came upon a group of Prom revelers entering the same restaurant. I took a few pictures of them. Don’t they look grand, all dressed up and ready to party?

Prom-Dallas

While we know the “new” normal will be different we don’t yet know how it will look. I hope the class of 2021-22 will be able to celebrate Prom in style. They deserve it!

The 12 Days of Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2014 by cecelia

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is one of my favorite places. From the spring spectacle of a bazillion blooming tulips of Dallas Blooms, to the summer perennial beds bordered by annuals, through fall and the amazing Pumpkin Patch, there is something for everyone at any season. Winter tends to be less colorful, which means the lines and shapes of the huge trees can be better appreciated.

The spare landscape was enhanced this winter by the addition of twelve 25-foot Victorian gazebos depicting the 12 Days of Christmas. The original idea was suggested by Phyllis and Tom McCasland and executed by Dallas Opera production designer Tommy Bourgeous and Greg Blackburn (Dallas Stage Scenery). Two years later, here it is!

Nighttime was the perfect time to view the exhibit. The lights in the trees cast a soft glow along the paths of the garden as we wandered from #1 to #12. Music added to the charming scenes.

We got lucky, getting tickets for a night with balmy 60degree temperatures. You never know what December will bring in N.Texas.

Spectacular does not begin to describe the gazebos. The colors, the gem-like settings and the life-size costumed-figures, many with mechanical, moving parts, take your breath away.

Here they are!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

A Partridge In A Pear Tree

On the second day – Two Turtle Doves

Two Turtle Doves

On the third day – Three French Hens

Three French Hens

On the fourth day – Four Calling Birds

Four Calling Birds

On the fifth day – Five Golden Rings

Five Golden Rings

On the sixth day – Six Geese A-Laying

Six Geese A-Laying

On the seventh day – Seven Swans A-Swimming

Seven Swans A-Swimming

On the eighth day – Eight Maids A-Milking

Eight Maids A-Milking

On the ninth day – Nine Ladies Dancing

Nine Ladies Dancing

On the tenth day – Ten Lords A-Leaping

Ten Lords A-Leaping

On the eleventh day – Eleven Pipers Piping

Eleven Pipers Piping

On the twelfth day – Twelve Drummers Drumming

Twelve Drummers Drumming

The exhibit will be up through January 4, 2015. I can’t promise snow, but I can promise you will enjoy this magical display.

Asia In Dallas

Posted on May 5, 2014 by cecelia

The Crow Collection of Asian Art sits squarely in the Dallas Arts District, a neighbor of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. The collection, amassed by Trammell and Margaret Crow, is housed in the office building that bears his name and contains art and artifacts from China, Japan, Korea, India and Indonesia.

The recent opening of the Sculpture Garden at the Crow Collection upped the ante in the district quite a bit. Many years in the making, the new garden contains twelve artworks from the 9^th to the 21^st centuries. They are outdoors in the newly landscaped and very beautiful Japanese inspired garden, which winds around the exterior of the building one level above the street.

The blending of old and new is evident as soon as you approach the Flora Street entrance. Off to one side, on the sidewalk, is one of three commissioned sculptures by contemporary Chinese artists. Liu Yonggang’s “Buddha” is an in your face, 18-foot-tall, lipstick red steel sculpture that shows a connection to traditional calligraphy without depicting a particular “character.” It’s a marvelous interplay of solids and negative spaces, a simple, yet commanding, presence.

Buddha

Buddha – detail

The “Deified Laozi”, sitting at the foot of the entrance stairs, is a bronze sculpture from 17^th century Ming China. It is quite a contrast to “Buddha.” You pass it as you ascend the stairs leading up to the sculpture garden where you begin your leisurely stroll among the other sculptures.

Deified Laozi

Deified Laozi – detail

This bronze “Bell” from Japan’s Edo period is struck with a large piece of wood instead of a clapper.

Bell

I wound my way around the building, enjoying the well thought out areas of plantings, rocks and stones and came upon another striking contemporary sculpture by Qin Feng. His “Shi of East & West” is massive. It relates to the traditional use of pairs of carved stone lions as guardians outside entrances in China. These stone lions have been cut in half and separated, each half attached to a piece of plate glass etched with calligraphic brushwork. Looking through the open areas of the glass I could see the cityscape beyond. Simply magical!

Shi of East & West

The sculptures are placed on either side of the Ross Avenue entrance to the building, itself a striking piece of architecture.

Trammell Crow Building

The third commissioned piece is “Sweepers” by Wang Shugang, another Chinese artist. Three life size bronze sculptures depict Tibetan monks in the act of sweeping. One is bright red and two are black. They are anonymous and meditative.

Sweepers

There is a specially commissioned (non permanent) piece inside the building, which is not to be missed. Ma Jun is a Chinese artist, who comments on the consumerism taking hold in China in his “New China” series of objects, including cars. He paints the surface in a detailed style traditionally used for ceramics. “china.porsche”, a Porsche 911 carved in wood, then cast in fiberglass has incredible detail painted all over it. Catch it while you can (to May 24).

china.porsche

The Crow’s Sculpture Garden can be enjoyed any time of year. It is a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown Dallas and is FREE and open to the public. Nice!

Ring In The New

Posted on January 3, 2013 by cecelia

#1135 Untitled acrylic, collage on panel, 13x13" 2006

Another year has sped by and here I am again trying to capture those moments, all of which have added up to make 2012 a memorable year. Big moments, like celebrating my 70^th birthday in San Francisco with my family, small ones like finishing the Neef’s baby blanket before baby Kate was born. Most of the moments are modest in size but added together they speak to my life, active, inquisitive and hopefully creative.

I’ve always believed the journey is more important than the end, for what is there when the “end” is reached? As I enter the next decade of my life I hope I will continue to explore and try new things, possibly (probably) failing here and there, but always moving forward. I have no doubt that some of the books on my shelves will go unread (I’m good about putting only one at a time on my iPad), there will be canvas left unpainted and my yarn stash will be diminished only to be replenished. I’ll hope for patience in these and other matters. The tragedies that abound in this world makes us realize how little is in our control. We must experience joy in the things we do and with the people we love right now, as we may not get second chances.

This was the year I started my ArtEveryday blog. I have a tendency to drag my feet when it comes to new technology (just ask my man), but with encouragement (pushing?) and help, eventually come around to embracing the new “new.” Sharing my passion for making art and my love of all things artistic with a wider audience has been fun and rewarding. Once a month seems to work out well. More to come in 2013. Stay tuned and keep re-tweeting!

My family’s blogs have helped me keep up with the world of healthcare, fashion, business, technology, travel, food, books and education. Dan, our non-blogger, has kept me supplied with pictures and videos of granddaughter Sabrina’s activities, which makes the time between visits bearable.

We’ve traveled a lot this year, here and abroad. I would dearly love to finish working on January 2012’s Chile/Argentina pictures before our trip to Iceland in June. Keep your fingers crossed.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions (too much guilt associated with not keeping them) but I recently saw the following list (author unknown) and thought it expressed my desires for the New Year beautifully. I’ll call it my list of good intentions. Maybe it will be your list, too.

Dream more

Complain less

Listen more

Talk less

Love more

Argue less

Hope more

Fear less

Relax more

Worry less

Believe more

Doubt less

Play more

Work less

For all of you I hope that 2013 will be a year of great expectations, successes large and small, and many joyous moments.

I’ll begin the New Year with this poem with words of wisdom by Shel Silverstein.

HOW MANY, HOW MUCH

How many slams in an old screen door?

Depends how loud you shut it.

How many slices in a bread?

Depends how thin you cut it?

How much good inside a day?

Depends how good you live ‘em.

How much love inside a friend?

Depends how much you give ‘em.

From me, remember to make your life a work of art.

This Must Be Your Lucky Day collagraph collage, 8x11" on 15x22" paper, 2009

Bowls For A Cause

Posted on November 15, 2012 by cecelia

Fall has finally arrived here in North Central Texas. It actually felt more like winter when the early morning temperature at our farm hovered around 32 degrees.

Soup weather! How fortuitous that Grayson College, in nearby Sherman, sponsored an event called “Empty Bowls” to raise money for Visions of Sugar Plums, a local charity that provides meals for kids in need.

Ceramics students at the college created more than 200 thrown and glazed bowls which were sold for $10 each.

As a bonus, you got to choose one (or more) of a selection of four soups prepared by students in the Culinary Arts program, under the direction of chef instructor Joanna Bryant. A perfect cold weather lunch!

We filled up with delicious onion soup (Stan) and chicken noodle (me), then took our unique creations home, happy to know we helped fill a child’s tummy.

Art comes in all shapes and sizes.