Drop-in(to) Goodsurf

I find it interesting that many of the US rocket launch sites are in close proximity to surfing - Vandenberg/Surf Beach, KSC-Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, Wallops Island/Chincoteague and Starbase/Boca Chica Beach. But what do you do if you are landlocked with the nearest surf beach 300 miles away? I'm totally stoked for Goodsurf.

Goodsurf is the newest attraction near downtown Dallas located in the Deep Ellum neighborhood. Powered by Citywave, Goodsurf generates a river wave shape allowing for a non-stop, consistent and authentic wave similar to what you might experience at Eisbachwelle adjacent to the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany. Even if you have never surfed before, Goodsurf offers 30-minute beginner and experienced sessions with coaching instruction to maximize rideability and ensure that you have a great time. They got you!

Eisbachwelle in Munich, Germany

They also have a full menu featuring chicken & waffle cones, double smash burger and tacos. I really appreciated the gluten free offerings including loco moco (smashburger over sushi rice with mushroom gravy and topped with a fried egg) and spicy tuna nigiri served on crispy rice square, perfectly paired with a Fresh Refresh mocktail with blood orange, lime, organic agave, and mint. Onolicious!

Even if you have no intention of surfing, just come cheer on your friends and family as they take to the waves beneath the Dallas skyline with the backdrop of the large LED screen, which rotates inspirational images of national parks, views of Earth from the ISS and even live broadcasts of Copa América on the big screen. For those wanting to play out of the water, there is even pickleball, shuffleboard, bocce and cornhole in the backyard. Also take the time to appreciate the many Jeremy Biggers murals nearby and throughout Deep Ellum.

Given the intense heat (everywhere), I am looking forward to dawn patrol surf sessions later this summer. Hope to see you there!

#Goodsurf #JeremyBiggers #SamLao

Perfectly Imperfect

You probably already know this about me, but I love art! I mean really love art. Have you ever visited an art exhibition and looked forward to seeing it again and again, up until the final day of the exhibition? And on that day, do you also wish that you could bring the exhibition home with you? I felt the same way about the Modèle vivant exhibition when it closed last year. The good news is that the Nasher Sculpture Center recently published an amazing Modèle vivant exhibition catalogue complete with installation photographs and essays that is now available to bring home.

In October 2022, Nasher Prize Laureate artist Nairy Baghramian walked me through the galleries of the Nasher Sculpture Center to view the Modèle vivant exhibition together with Dr. Catherine Craft, the exhibition curator.  Modèle vivant is a French translation for living model and it is clear that Ms. Baghramian is having a conversation with masterworks by Bourgeois, de Kooning, Maillol, Matisse, Noguchi, Picasso, among others in the Nasher collection. While perhaps somewhat abstract, it does not take long for one to see the sculptures come to life in the human form as the sculptures are viewed standing, leaning, sitting, and laying. 

The Dangling sculptures have a contemporary, industrial quality with the inclusion of color closeup photographs of animal hair and insects/flies.  Although the animal hair is not human, it gives sculpture life-like qualities and perhaps the insects/flies are attracted to the living flesh.  I especially enjoyed the ingenious installation resulting from the collaboration between Ms. Baghramian and Dr. Craft that allows for viewing of the Dangling sculptures from all sides. Many of the sculptures are suspended from the ceiling structure with sculptural poles and hooks, some layered with color, creating tension, and allowing some of the sculptures to float precariously just above the floor.  Likewise, Louise Bourgeois’ Cove is placed in the middle of the gallery allowing viewers to fully experience the three dimensionality of the sculpture, rarely seen at this vantage.

Smaller, but equally impressive are the Withdrawing series sculptures made from cast lead, wax, and walnut wood.  The use of wax is reminiscent of The Concierge, a Medardo Rosso sculpture installed nearby to begin a conversation.  The sculptures are strategically placed in an intimate space along the back wall of the Nasher Public gallery.  These somewhat hidden treasures contrast the modesty of the cast lead with the elegance of the tinted wax and walnut wood.  The Withdrawing sculptures are minimalist in design, but the quality of the wax is captivating with its smooth, rich, and luminous translucency. 

In the Standing series, Ms. Baghramian uses sandcast aluminum with scores of pockmarks evoking a more rugged quality. Her technique in creating these unique, natural seeming sculptures is anything but natural, as she uses cutting tools and foam to design the sculptures. Ms. Baghramian carves out the foam with various tools and then collages the carved foam as a form for the sandcast aluminum that constitutes the majority of these works.  

I love how Ms. Baghramian describes her body of work in the Modèle vivant exhibition as “imperfectly perfect”, as she shared in our conversation at the Nasher Sculpture Center.  Her three large Standing sculptures of cast aluminum, colorful steel base and ceramic tiles seem perfect with the tiles at the base glazed on all visible sides.   While similar in form, each Standing sculpture takes on its own identity through the surface treatment of sandblasted, polished, brushed, or exposed, which creates skin-like qualities.   Two of them were placed outside the museum building.  As the exhibition continued through autumn and into winter, it is clear that Standing (straw yellow), the sculpture most exposed to the elements, experienced some additional effects of aging and slight weathering.  With the varying surface treatments, the sculptures appear to take on unique characteristics of the human form by aging differently.  In fact, there is some awakening of the inanimate object, which gives life to the sculptures.  It seems that the artist gives freedom and liberty to the sculptures to evolve, change and alter by the process of simply existing, much the way humans do by living.  In my opinion, it makes the whole body of work much better due to the uniqueness of each sculpture in the Standing series, as they are imperfectly perfect.

I highly recommend the exhibition catalogue, but if you are wanting more, I also recommend seeing The Facade Commission: Nairy Baghramian, Scratching the Back on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art until May 28, 2024.

#NasherSculptureCenter #NairyBaghramian #CatherineCraft #MetMuseum

Front Row Seat for the Total Eclipse

For the eclipse on April 8, 2024, Texas will be one of 15 states in the United States that will be directly in the path of totality. This monumental event will not occur again in the US for another 20 years. So, I am curious, where will YOU be watching?

Image: View Finder at The Dallas Contemporary

Texas has several major cities in the direct path of totality including San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas. In other words, Texas has a front row seat.

In Dallas, there will be many, many events to watch the eclipse during the 3 minutes and 56 seconds of totality and wanted to share a few ideas with you.

• Solar Eclipse at The Trinity River - Hosted by Trinity Park Conservancy, the conservancy behind the much-anticipated Harold Simmons Park, is hosting a free event at the scenic Ron Kirk Bridge and Felix Lozada Gateway. This family-friendly event blends fun, festivity, education, and one of the best views of the eclipse in all of DFW. The event will include music from DJ K Sprinkles, hands-on STEAM activities, eclipse-themed games and prizes, interactive educational booths, and complimentary solar eclipse glasses for the first 3,000 people. STEAM educator Jennifer Stimpson, Ed.D., will guide attendees through the celestial marvel while emphasizing a STEAM education perspective.

• Sun, Moon, and You - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have come together to bring you a one-of-a-kind solar eclipse viewing event and an unforgettable experience at the historic Cotton Bowl at Fair Park. Not only will you be able to witness history but also enjoy special guest Neil deGrasse Tyson, and speakers from NOAA, NASA and NSF plus educational entertainment from Ready, Jet, Go!

• Dallas Zoo - Step right into the excitement at the Dallas Zoo – the ideal spot to view the eclipse AND observe how our animals respond to this amazing natural phenomenon!

Here are some safety tips from NASA:

• View the Sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality. Tip: hold up a colander to see the crescent moon shadows projected on the ground.

• You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality. (You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer.)

• As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun.
  

I recently had the chance to meet and speak with Leticia Ferrer who has personally seen 20 total solar eclipses around the world. She has written Texas Solar Eclipses and hosts the Totality Talks podcast. Ms. Ferrer also shared some tips on what to see in Texas. Baily’s Beads is named for astronomer Francis Baily who discovered the occurrence in 1836 near the point of totality where the mountains and valleys of the Moon allow light from the Sun to peek through, creating a ring of beads along the edge. Similarly, there is the Diamond Ring, which appears when only one or two beads are remaining. Texas may experience a rare Double Diamond Ring effect during the eclipse in 2024. Finally, don’t forget to look for planets visible during the eclipse. Venus and Jupiter should be bright and easily visible starting in the final minute before totality and you may even see Saturn and Mars, which will fainter than the other planets.

If you are in Dallas, there is a new short film View Finder by Texas artist Brian Fridge at The Dallas Contemporary. Mr. Fridge combines still and video images created in his studio to simulate deep space, complete with what appears to be galaxies, swirling celestial bodies and black holes over the six-minutes it takes for the Moon to eclipse the Sun in totality. Ad Astra!

Updated April 8, 2024

I wanted to share this picture with Neil deGrasse Tyson in Dallas. Unfortunately, Dr. Tyson could not attend the Sun, Moon and You event in person but I still like this picture of us together at the Cotton Bowl. Hopefully, I will catch up with Dr. Tyson when he returns to the Winspear Opera House in June 2024.

Thank you to NOAA, NASA, ESA, and NSF plus my new friends at Ready, Jet, Go! and Windancer Films. Thankfully, the clouds cleared out at the exact moment of totality.

This was my first total eclipse, but Leticia Ferrer said, once you experience totality, you are hooked. She was right! Let's do this again somewhere in Spain on August 12, 2026. Hope to see you there!

Updated June 19, 2024

For years I have been reading the many books of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and have seen him speak now on three separate occasions. The first time was at age 7 when I brought my friend Ms. Donna Pierce who is affectionally known as the Star Lady. It has always been a personal dream to meet Dr. Tyson and last night my dream came true. I was so happy to meet Dr. Tyson before his talk on The Latest Discoveries in the Universe and even had a chance to ask a question in the post talk Q&A. Thank you for making dreams come true for future scientists inspired by your work.

I am also inspired by the words of Dr. Opal Lee the "Grandmother of Juneteenth", as we celebrate Juneteenth today.

“I have to tell you that none of us are free until we’re all free.”

— Opal Lee

Wishing everyone a happy Juneteenth!

#TexasEclipse #TrinityParkConservancy #FairParkDallas #NeildeGrasseTyson #TheDallasContemporary #ReadyJetGo #ATTPAC #OpalLee #Juneteenth