Final Reflection

After considering me project as a whole, I feel that I have answered more questions that I have anticipated. Questions that I would never have fathomed if it were not for the process of the exploration which I experienced. I  learned more than just facts about sculptures; I learned about how the artists who rendered them connected to the sculptures. For example "Sunseeker" was made to represent growth and South Texas culture. Before, all I saw was something beautiful, but now that it has purpose and meaning the sculpture seems to have more of an impact. It increases the awareness of the piece and its importance to our city's local identity These sculptures became a part of Corpus and what makes it such a unique place. I learned that I love the practice of sculpting which before I had merely observed to be a minimal aspect of art . I now recognize their impact on individuals; the sculptures help people make memories that affect their lives. I had fun searching for the numerous sculptures around Corpus Christi, though I could not get to them all.

Exhibit Two Reflection

Orphanages in Corpus Christi- Then and Now

I was interested in this exhibit, because it has been a topic that I have wanted to be involved in since I was very young. When I was little I wanted to start my own orphanage in Corpus when I grew up. Seeing this project reminded me of my childhood aspirations. It was amazing to learn the impact orphanages have had on our community, and with the world. The home for children from other countries mentioned in the exhibit, made this topic awe-inspiring in a way to know the effect Corpus is having on children from other nations. I learned about the changes in circumstance of orphans from the 80s to today. The difference highlights the changing culture and economy of our city, state, and nation. Before, orphans were the product of disease, war, and poverty due to economic problems; now, it is mainly children experiencing abuse and bad parenting that end up in orphanages. Such a change is concerning, and makes me want to learn more about this topic.

Exhibit One Reflection

ttp://kevinhistoryproject.weebly.com/history.html

I reviewed this project, about the man who was the first president of LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens. I found this topic interesting because, when earlier this year we learned about the GI forum there was mention of the LULAC organization. We never really covered it, so I thought this project would be a good starting point in order to learn about this historical organization. I hate that the struggles of Latin Americans are often forgotten or merely grazed when students are taught history, despite their major contribution to the culture of America. The site shows historical documents detailing this man's connection and importance coinciding with LULAC. I learned more about the organization and its place in Corpus Christi history.

Scavenger hunt- Historical Marker

This historical marker describes the early attempts at growth in Corpus Christi, one of which was the Alta Hotel mentioned on the plaque. It is amazing how a building could signify the beginnings of progress in our city. Even though it no longer it exist it remains alive within records and plaques such as the historical markers.

Scavenger Hunt- Historical Marker

Located on the Bluff Balustrade at the intersection of Peoples and Broadway streets

This Historical Marker connects to my Local History Project because it directly mentions one of the sculptures that I picked for my project. The " Queen of the Sea" by Pompeo Coppini was both the first public piece of art displayed in our city and represents the reunification of the North and South after the Civil War. It marks the beginning of public art in Corpus which shows how important art can be to a community. It helps develop a community identity and history by recording the past while still affecting those in the present. It is funny that a few weeks ago, my history teacher had our class read an article on the improvement project mentioned on the marker. At the time I thought little of the article, but now I see how it was truly a significant point in Corpus history because it shows growth in our community through its pursuit to better ourselves. This is an interesting concept, because it shows both how dynamic our history, as well as all history, is by showing how interconnected everything is. I have heard other classmates using each other as resources because in either a small or large way, they connect. This idea is awe-inspiring and thrilling to someone like me, barely touching on the surface of what it means to be a historian.

Week 3

Another Day at The Central Library Brings New Hope...

I had almost given up hope of finding information on the Flying Marlins sculpture, because  I had yet to find anything online or within the vertical files at the library. I was about to go on a desperate search for this sculpture, of which I barely knew its general location, when my friend forced me to put on my big girl pants and ask the librarian for assistance. A personal note to those out there who think they can do every thing on their own, you are sorely mistaken. I was assisted so much, by the woman we asked that it gave me tons of information on a topic I thought I would never find. The artist of the sculpture is Kent Ullberg, a well known artist throughout the state of Texas. The name of the sculpture is "Wind In The Sails". People are there to help, so no one should ever feel weak for asking for assistance. It is in human nature to help one another. It is safe to say I learned more not only about the flying marlin sculpture on the bay, but also about myself as a person. There seems to me to be more to this project as a whole then just finding out facts about a random topic. The skills needed to effectively research our topics teach us students how to interact professionally with those outside of school, learn maturity through responsibility and follow through, while also showing us how amazing the process of discovery can be.

Coming Together

As the project comes to its official close I have been trying to figure out how to describe why I researched what I did and what I gained from it. I guess the main reason started out being to connect myself and others more with sculptures displayed in many parts of Corpus Christi. I narrowed my search down to five specific sculptures due to time constraints. This project has allowed me to see how fulfilling research can be (even when you get stuck) because there is really an infinite amount of ways you can go about the search. I started with a simple idea of "Sculptures around Corpus" but I believe it would be more appropriate to state that I found living records of the past that allow for those in the present better experience both the past and symbolism that sculptures portray. Even if they have no historical dedication, they themselves are making history. They record a moment, no matter how abstract the piece or the moment may have been, the end result is that of fondness for all those who in a way share a memories through the one art piece.

Week 2

My progress increased through both the advice of my instructor, a true historian, and the assistance of the Corpus Christi Central Library.

Both the atmosphere and the abundant historical records opened paths to the possibilities of my research. At first I was confused about where to start, because there is no one file on "Art" or "Sculptures of Corpus Christi". My research demanded that I get creative in my pursuit of information. First, I used the vertical files to find biographies on the sculptors/ artists (known). Using information from the files on Danny O'Dowdy and Pompeo Coppini I found both names and meanings of the sculptures they made. Such information allowed for me to further my research on the Internet.The biographies were important to my findings, because part of the meaning of a sculpture comes from the history of its sculptor.

For example,
I learned that Pompeo Coppini was a famous sculptor of his time. He created many works and is highly recognized in the artist community.
The rich histories of these artist only deepen the effect of their art.

I also found many article on the process of making the "Sunseeker" sculpture and  one mentioning the "For Sale" sculpture which lead to an amazing discovery....

No Way!!!
I found out that two of the sculptures I had picked, "Sunseeker" and "For Sale" were made by the same sculptor, Danny O'Dowdy:

"Sunseeker" - by Danny O'Dowdy

"For Sale" Sculpture by 
Danny O'Dowdy











Pictures from CCVF - Blog- Danny O'Dowdy


Fun Fact :The funny thing is that the reason I picked Art Sculpture of Texas was because of the Sculpture in front of the Central Library in Downtown Corpus Christi Tx. When I first went to this library with my father when I was in elementary, I always wondered about the sculpture at its entrance. At the time I did not realize it was a sculpture, because I had yet to learn what a sculpture was. All I knew was that it was beautiful as well as a mystery. Even though I have taken away the mystery of my childhood imaginings of the sculpture the beauty is now found in the discovery of the meaning and background of the sculpture. The process of looking for both the identification and meaning of this particular sculpture has only intensified the importance of this art piece in my mind.

Personal Note:
This was my first time using the Corpus Christi Vertical Files on the second floor of the Central Library of Corpus Christi. The action of just looking through the files allowed for me to be  excited about the idea of leaning more about the sculptures I had picked in the first weeks of this project. I felt as though I was an investigator, finding excitement in the process of Discovery.

Week 1

So far in week one, I  initiated researching my project by, first, using a search engine to identify the names of sculptures in Corpus Christi as well as other information about them. I have Identified 4 sculptures,so far, which I will be looking into for my project. They are:

"Queen of the Sea" Fountain Sculpture

 Artist - Pompeo Coppini


"Car Buying Statue"

artist- still unknown
name- unknown

Flying Marlins

This sculpture is still much  of a mystery to me, but I plan on finding it on the bayfront in order to give me more clues about it.


"Wind Dancer"

The "Wind Dancer", by sculptor H.W. (Buddy) Tatum Jr
I found Mr. Tatum's art website, and plan to investigate more on this sculpture through internet resources.












I plan on finding more information in the vertical file at the Corpus Christi Central Library downtown.

Buc Days Memories- According to Michael " Mickey"Ford (a.k.a. dad)

I interviewed my father, Michael Ford, about his memories and experiences about Buc Days. He described Buc Days as one of the many family traditions that he loved about both his childhood and his experiences from being a parent. He was the youngest twin of a family of 8 and he has early memories of sitting on his older siblings shoulders in the Cathedral's parking lot watching the night time Buc Days parade go by while enjoying its splendor. He is proud of the fact that he continued the tradition when he and his friend took my sister and I to the same spot and put us on his shoulders to watch the night time parade. The Buc Days night parade is a beautiful family tradition that started when my dad was young and will continue when I have children. Buc Days is not only important to my family but to many families all over Corpus Christi. It provides our community with a sense of commonality. Citizens of our city come together to enjoy the week long events associated to Buc Days. It also adds culture to our community different from other cities making Corpus even more unique.

Scavenger Hunt # 1

Scavenger Hunt #1

Partners : Alexis P. Montalbo, Jessa Castro, Rachel Ford (me)

We were assigned to find the location of the Cheston L. Heath School plaque, which of course we had to decipher from our History teacher's riddle. This "selfie" is proof of our group finding the plaque.

The plaque itself explains how the site of the first fully functioning Mexican American School used to stand where the present County Courthouse is located. It points out certain individuals who helped the school thrive and survive even during economic hardships like the depression. The school eventually moved but its legacy is preserved in this historical marker.

Living History Project:

My U.S. History teacher has assigned a project where the students find an aspect of Corpus Christi and to investigate the history of whatever topic we choose. The assignment is designed to create a personal connection between ourselves and our community.

The topic I came up with was that of  " Sculptures of Corpus Christi." The reason for my choice is because of my personal interest in art. I thought that if I could connect this project to something that really speaks to who I am as a person then I would truly find a historical connection to the city where I have grown up. Apart from my simple love of art, I also chose this topic because I believe that art is very often used to record history yet it is overlooked. The Lincoln Monument as well as the Korean War memorial , located in Washington D.C., were used to represent History in a very personal manner which they achieved through sculptures.




What about the sculptures here in our own city? What is the history behind them?  How can I find them?What do they represent for those who live in Corpus Christi?  What do they mean to me as a person?
These are some of the questions I hope to answer during my personal investigation of this topic.
 

Side Note :
  Sculptures allow for the viewer to have a more personal connection to history and that is why I would like to find sculptures around Corpus Christi, researching the history or meaning behind the sculpture, the means by which it was made, and the history of the artist or designer who made it. My goal is to show how history is recorded through art in a manner that is as personal as primary source documents.