Carole Sikes Artist / Writer in Austin, Texas

STORY CORPS Never heard of it ?  Neither had I until my diughter Laura Barrow called to proposition me to be interviewed by her for this national non profit oral history project.  Since 2003 more than 30,000 interviews have been collected form all over the U.S. to be preserved at the American Folk Life Center in the Library of Congress. Story Corps' mobile taping booth is in Austin, TX for this month. So Laura and I made an appointment and went to the Bob Bullock State Museum where the Story Corps sound proof, state of the art recording booth is located in a tiny air stream trailer. For 40 minutes I answered her questions about growing up in Austin during World War II and about advice I might pass on to my grandchildren that included marriage, family, God and country. She directed and I rambled. Our photograph was taken by one of the two Story Corps staff persons and we were given a C.D. like the one to be archived in the Library of Congress. It was fun, pain...

I'll be brief because I am having technical trouble with blogging. It is either the Google Blog's problem or my computer's recent bout with a Trojan virus. Hope that never happens to you!      The big news continues to be AUSTIN MUSEUM OF ART (AMOA) and ARTHOUSE. Front page news on the Austin American Statesman's Friday, May 27th issue was entitled "ARTHOUSE, AMOA TO BEGIN MERGER TALKS". I recommend you go the the Statesman's website for details. Look either on the Friday front page or in the Thursday 360 section. It appeared in both places.      Although I have been contacted by "insiders" from both organizations, there is very little to know at this time except what appeared in the article by Jeanne Claire van Ryzin. Because each group has what the other needs and does not have, I am hopeful the merger will work. One has money but soon will give up their Congress Ave. location. The other has a ...

The gatehouse is the most recently restored historic building on the grounds. Unbelievably, it originally housed the Galvan family of ten. Nazio, his wife Benita and their eight children lived here from 1929 - 1945. Clara Driscoll relied on Mr. Galvan to implement her vision for the grounds around her villa on Lake Austin. Earlier Stephen F. Austin saw this property and admired the site and wrote in 1832, "I want the best land that can be had. I shall fix a place on the Colorado at the foot of the mountains to live." Death prevented him from spending the rest of his life here. In 1906 Henry Servier said to his well traveled bride Clara Driscoll, "I know a place in Texas that has everything Lake Como has...the mountains, the water, the quiet beauty, peaceful and romantic atmosphere and the advantage of being at home." The Serviers purchased the land and completed construction of the villa in 1916. In 1943 she donated Laguna Gloria to the Texas Fine Arts Associa...

AUSTIN ART MUSEUM EVENTS      The Francisco Matto exhibition at the Blanton Museum is a great one for taking your children and grandchildren. But hurry, the show comes down September 27, 2009. Enter the Univ. of Texas parking garage on M.L.K. Street next to the Blanton or park across the street adjacent to the Bob Bullock Museum. It was fun taking Michael (6) and Angela (9) who returned home, discussed the show with their parents and made drawings of what they saw. They especially liked Matto's found-wood totems.      Chuck Close's digital pigment prints are at Austin Museum of Art on Congress Ave. through November 8, 2009. The artist was asked why he didn't use more models when producing the huge frontal portrait heads. He replied that he didn't like people around. We can ask Austin artist Sydney Yeager about this. She was one of his subjects.  There is also a variety of work from AMOA's permanent collection. NETFLIX SUGGESTION...