Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMagic in MotionLocomotives on Parade "Locomotives on Parade" is an exciting new proiect that has a three point objective. First and foremost, it is a fund raising vehicle for the George Bush Presidential Museum that will provide future funding for exhibits. The second purpose is to promote public an in the romnruniky. Finally, this + rojec;t can be a device for the promotion of business and tourisrn. SPo r or%hip is in thie form of unpainted la5y models of rcorrotive, a strarn engine ¢ ~ a Model is $2500. it is h=r{'rimatAiy 7 f ct it 5 fr}rt all smc 'r'9, , f atlt hire an ~kestack Th eel wide and art ist to paint e sponsor poet tt to and/ or decorate f,jGlif dig yt: 1 t~will frr' rJ"'("rnplayed - 2rjr a k the' . r Byrn an ~ her L00 5 thr ~`i rnr} ai jt tinale in an - ~u9h t u.ru -pier a ~rkir}n a my `urr, ;t "'M th. at the M. !!ertt of Magic In Motion The local artists that could and the little engines they painted text I Joe Schumacher • images I Evan O'Connell Thirty-seven new locomotives are coming to town this winter, however they won't be blocking traffic at the intersection of Wellborn and Villa Maria. These engines are part of The Locomotives on Parade fundraiser for The George Bush Presidential Library. While the Bush Library is hosting Trains: Tracks of the Iron Horse exhibit from November 7, 2005 through May 2006, residents and visitors will have the opportunity to check out the work of local artists on these little engines. Assistant Curator and Project Director Susie Cox says, "We are hoping The Locomotives on Parade project will pro- mote public art, attract visitors to the Brazos Valley, and be a fun and creative way of supporting the museum's exhibits' The fundraiser was a combination of local artist Benjamin Knox's favorite sub- jects: art, trains, and Texas A&M University. He will be working on two "twin trains" with the theme: The Spirit of Aggieland. The two trains are sponsored by Benjamin Knox Galleries and Bryan Radiology. " I was the first person to buy a train;' Knox says. " I do a lot of fine art for the Bush Library, and having my gallery in the College Station Train Depot, it just made sense. I have an appreciation for the history of the railroad and how it has shaped American towns like ours, and I also love the history and traditions at A&M. The two matching trains will express my inspiration as a culmination of the `spirit and history of Aggieland: from house to HOME 21 A & M Consolidated High School art teacher Jami Bevans and students design their "Train of Thought" locomotive. Knox says the parade has many positive effects on the community, "The trains are promoting the Bush Library exhibit, but just as importantly, they are promoting artists in the community. Any opportunity to promote art in the community is worth- while," Knox says. "The city has grown and the art community needs to catch up with it. That is another reason I was the first to buy a train: I wanted to be a leader in facilitating more opportunities for the arts in the Brazos Valley:" "Art is its own form of communication, and that in and of itself is valuable. " Jami Bevans The City of College Station sponsored a locomotive for A&M Consolidated High School students to paint. "Art is its own form of communica- tion, and that in and of itself is valuable' says A&M Consolidated art teacher Jami Bevans. "Once we knew the theme was communication, the rest came easy. I was talking at lunch with three students, and it just came out. The theme for our train is `Train of Thought:" A&M Consolidated students began planning for the project last spring and received their locomotive in September. Between 20 and 30 students at A&M Consolidated have been involved in the proj- ect since last year and Bevans says the project was a fun teambuilding exercise as well as a chance to give back to the Bush Library. "The biggest value is that it has pulled a lot of kids together to work on one com- mon goal. They are very excited about the fact that what they do on this train will be on display to be viewed by a lot of people," Bevans says. "The students also recognize that the train is a fundraiser for the George Bush Library, so it is community service, but it is fun community service. We have benefited from the Bush Library by being able to go on field trips and so on. We have benefited from them, so now they get to benefit from us." Dr. Gordon Pratt sponsored a train with an artist in mind: Jimmie Homburg. Dr. Pratt was the dentist for Homburg's chil- dren and their daughters were in gymnas- tics together many years ago. Dr. Pratt says, "We have enjoyed see- ing Jimmie's artwork over the years. She is especially good at large projects like recital backdrops and such. We knew we could trust her judgment and vision. Her son has done much of the preparation and built-up work on the train and has done a fabulous job:' However, Homburg had surgery to treat breast cancer in the spring of last year. In addition to her son Dale, who is also an artist in Austin, Homburg turned to some local help. "At that point my options were to either back out on Dr. Pratt or call for help, so I called Joel Hickerson;' Homburg says. "Janene, Dr. Pratt's wife, had the idea of putting teeth with braces on the train. Nobody else is better at personification of objects and animals than Joel. I think my exact words were, `Help!)" Hickerson says, "She mentioned some- thing about a train and a weekend project, so I was expecting something the size of a Radio Flyer red wagon. I had just got done telling somebody I was not doing anymore pro bono work, and I probably would not have done it for anybody else but Jimmie. But I don't know, I am a sucker for any projects that benefits the community. "The hands-on aspect of the project is a real plus. It is almost like `therapy art.' Jimmie Homburg "I was in Chicago when they had the Parade of Cows and thought the cows with 3-D features added to them were the coolest. So I contacted Gary Manthei, whom I had worked with on other `3-D' type projects." Manthei says, "This is a fun, new environ- ment for me. It doesn't feel out of the realm of things I usually do as far as painting and sculpting. I'm also kind of grateful for the opportunity to work with Joel and Jimmie, I'm learning all kinds of new things' The theme of the train is Straight Tracks. Dr. Pratt says, "Much of my orthodon- tic practice deals with children and adoles- cents. We know they will enjoy seeing our train because it will be wearing braces just like they do. I think the kids will get a kick out of that." Hickerson says, "The train is going to have bubbles, braces, and a tooth fairy, as well as other things. It started out `Peter Max' meets `Walt Disney, but now we are not sure where it will end up" All three artists agreed that working on the train was an excellent way to give back to the Bush Library as well as "get back to the roots" of art. "This is community service. We are for- tunate to have the Bush Library, and if the community doesn't support it, we won't have it;' Homburg says. "The hands-on aspect of the project is a real plus. It is almost like `therapy art: When all of us are here work- ing on the project together, everybody is talking, there is no stress, and our creativ- ity builds off that. Artist collaboration goes back to the beginning of time, so in a way we are getting back to the basics" Joel Hickerson, Jimmie Homburg, and [fir. Gordon Pratt are pictured with their locomotive, "Straight Tracks."